SLT ARCHIVES • AUGUST 2017

Councilman’s Fence Goes to Appeal

BY JIM KNOWLES •  SAN LEANDRO TIMES  •  08-31-17

     Diane and Dennis McCarthy haven’t given up their fight against a neighbor’s plan to build a tall fence alongside their front yard.

     Their next-door-neighbor, City Councilman Lee Thomas, plans to build a 6-foot fence that extends out to the sidewalk in front of the McCarthy’s house, which is against zoning laws. But the zoning official gave Thomas an exemption and allowed him to built the fence.

     The McCarthy’s appealed the decision, saying that the fence is clearly against the rules, and nobody else in the neighborhood is allowed to build a front yard fence that tall.

     They will get a hearing before the Zoning Commission a week from today – Thursday, Sept. 7, at 7 p.m. at City Hall.

     The McCarthys had to pay $792 to appeal a decision that they say they should never have to contest.

     “We’re the ones upholding the law,” says Diane McCarthy. “We have to pay to make sure the city follows their own rules.”

     McCarthy said she’s hoping that anybody who wants to speak – or who has been denied a fence – will come to the meeting. As she sees it, it’s clear cut. You can’t have a tall fence in your front yard.

     “This neighborhood was built in the ’50s with community in mind,” McCarthy says. “You know, you’re out in your yard talking to your neighbors. You can see other people’s yards down the street.”

     But she says her front yard will be boxed in if Thomas builds his fence. And it would block her view backing out of her driveway where there’s a sidewalk with kids on bicycles.

     Thomas says he first wants to point out that he’s gone through the same process to get the exemption that any other San Leandran would have to do.

     “The process I’ve gone through is the same as any other San Leandro resident,” Thomas said. “My wife and I have done the same procedure and process.”

     Thomas said he needs the fence for a bigger backyard to be used by his family.

     “Our backyard is an extension of our living space,” Thomas said. “Our kids play there, we grow our garden, and we have family over all the time.”

     The exemption was made to allow the fence by the zoning administrator, based on the view of city engineers, Thomas said, adding that he welcomes the appeal before the zoning board.

     Thomas said he’s had no influence, or even any communication, with anybody who’s making the decision.

     “I’ve had no communication with board of zoning members, City Council, or city staff,” Thomas said. “I’ve followed strict procedures in this case.”

     McCarthy had to follow strict procedures, too. Just to appeal the decision to give Thomas an exemption, the McCarthys had to pay $792.

     Diane McCarthy has been collecting signatures on a petition around the neighborhood in support of her opposition to the fence. She said she has 130 signatures on a petition she collected by hand.

     Another petition that she started online, on the website NextDoor, she said had 40 signatures. The web address for that petition is: www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/296/295/486/

     The McCarthys said they didn’t get a fair hearing the first time, that the decision was made before they even were allowed to speak, which was briefly.

     “Hopefully,” McCarthy said, “this time they’ll actually hear us at the hearing.”

CAPTION: Diane McCarthy says the fence that Lee Thomas plans to extend (behind her) out to the sidewalk will block her view from her front yard and be a safety hazard when backing out of her driveway.

PHOTO BY JIM KNOWLES

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School District Tax Measure Falls Short

BY AMY SYLVESTRI  •  SAN LEANDRO TIMES  •  08-31-17

     Measure B, the San Leandro School District’s proposed parcel tax has failed, according to preliminary election results from the Alameda County Registrar of Voters Office.

     Ballots for the special election were mailed out at the beginning of August and due Tuesday and the results are in: 63.3 percent (4,870 voters) voted yes, and 36.7 percent (2,825 voters) voted no, falling short of the two-thirds supermajority needed to pass the tax measure.

     Only 7,739 ballots were cast in the special election, totaling 21 percent of the more than 36,000 registered voters in the San Leandro school district.

     Ballots needed to be postmarked by Tuesday, so some additional ballots may still be en route, according to the Registrar’s office

     Forty-four ballots that were cast were what the Registrar calls “undervotes” meaning the ballots were sent in either blank or marked in a manner that was somehow unclear, so the vote is not counted, according to Dwayna Gullat of the Registrar’s Office.

     In this case, even if all the mismarked ballots were in favor of Measure B, it would not have been enough to reach the two-thirds majority.

     Measure B was proposed by the school district to double and extend the life of the current Measure L parcel tax, which is set to expire in June 2018. Measure B would have set a new parcel tax rate of $78 annually for property owners in the San Leandro School District and the tax would have lasted for 14 years.

     The current $39 parcel tax brings in about $725,000 annually to the district. The special election cost the district about $300,000.

     At a school board meeting last spring where the board decided to go forward with the Measure B election, Assistant Superintendent Kevin Collins told the board that, at the bare minimum, the $38 tax needed to be extended to keep the school district running as is.

     The election won’t be finalized until a manual tally of one percent of the ballots is completed by the Alameda Country Registrar of Voters’ Office, which will take place next Tuesday, Sept. 5.

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Police Exercise Planned for Next Week

BY AMY SYLVESTRI  •  SAN LEANDRO TIMES  •  08-31-17

     Next weekend, Alameda County will host Urban Shield, a regional training exercise for police and other first responders.

     Urban Shield is an emergency preparedness exercise for law enfacement, firefighters, paramedics and other first responders who act in response to staged scenarios at sites all over the county.

     Funding for Urban Shield comes from the Department of Homeland Security. Emergency responders say that Urban Shield is valuable in training them in intense emergency scenarios. But opponents say the exercise promotes the militarization of police forces.

     In January, when the Alameda County Board of Supervisors voted to accept federal funding for the event, over 100 people spoke at the meeting, many saying the exercise promoted violent SWAT tactics.

     The Urban Shield event kicks off on Sept. 8 at the Alameda County Fairgrounds in Pleasanton with presentations for law enforcement personnel from speakers on subjects including trends in terrorism. Vendors will also be on hand to present new technology and tactical gear.

     Some of the products advertised by vendors include drones, guns, cameras, “smart” TASERs, body armor, and “Peacekeeper” brand expandable batons.

     That same day, a group called Stop Urban Shield has scheduled a protest at 4 p.m. at the Alameda County Board of Supervisors’ Office, 1221 Oak Street in Oakland.

     Over next weekend, Urban Shield will conduct various drills and practice scenarios throughout the county, including search and rescue drills, hazardous materials spill scenarios, and water rescues on the Bay.

     The exact locations of the exercises haven’t been set, but at least one drill will take place in San Leandro, according to Sgt. Ray Kelly of the Alameda County Sheriff’s Office

     “Right now, we are not disclosing the locations of our exercises, but yes, we will be in San Leandro and Castro Valley,” said Kelly.

     Kelly said that the focus of Urban Shield this year will be on natural disaster preparedness, particularly what to do in the event of a major earthquake.

     Past Urban Shield exercises have included SWAT teams responding to a terrorism incident at the Oakland Airport and a shooter on a BART train.

     Volunteers wear fake blood and sport realistic makeup wounds and role-play as if the scenario is real as law enforcement attempts to secure the site and rescue them.

     Kelly said that last year over 6,000 people volunteered for Urban Shield exercises in Alameda County and they will need a similar number this year. If you are interested in volunteering, visit www.urbanshield.org.

     One vendor has been rejected from the Urban Shield expo by the Alameda County Board of Supervisors earlier this month. Strategic Operations, a company from San Diego, was going to provide pyrotechnics and makeup for Urban Shield, but the Board of Supervisors objected to an image on the company’s website which depicted a practice target that was a brown-skinned mannequin in a headscarf, saying it was a racist stereotype.

CAPTION: Police practiced an emergency scenario in a past Urban Shield exercise.

PHOTO COURTESY OF ACSO

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San Leandrans Shine a Light

BY JIM KNOWLES  •  SAN LEANDRO TIMES  •  08-24-17

     A group of San Leandrans held a candlelight vigil at Root Park on Friday night in opposition to the recent fascist marches in Charlottesville, Virginia and other cities.

     The crowd sang together, listened to brief remarks, and waved signs and banners. Passing cars and AC Transit buses honked in support. Some people brought their dogs who made acquaintance with other pets at the vigil, organized by the San Leandro Democratic Club.

     One man held a sign picturing the Statue of Liberty that read, “Her torch shines brighter than any tiki torch.” A woman wore a T-shirt with the Michelle Obama remark, “When they go low, we go high.”

     A guy talking to friends quipped, “When they go low, I go lower. I’ve been savaging people online lately.”

     Folksinger Jimmy Kelly picked up his guitar and led the crowd in song. Candles were passed out and everybody marched in a circle around a redwood, singing “This Little Light of Mine.” Kelly followed that up with “We Shall Overcome,” covering all the traditional uplifting songs.

     City Councilman Benny Lee took the microphone at the beginning of the vigil and recited a quote from another Lee, Bruce Lee, about how we’re all one family, and then Benny Lee urged everybody to light a candle.

     Mayor Pauline Cutter also took the microphone, and said that prejudice is something that people learn, and that education is the key.

     One young man in the candlelight vigil wore a University of Virginia sweatshirt, a few people carried American flags, and several wore ’60s-style necklaces with multi-colored peace symbols and tye-dyed t-shirts.

CAPTION: Folksinger Jimmy Kelly led the crowd in a song at the candlelight vigil for peace at Root Park last Friday night.

PHOTO BY JIM KNOWLES

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Theater to Be Gutted for Meeting Room

BY AMY SYLVESTRI  •  SAN LEANDRO TIMES  •  08-24-17

     The city-owned California Conservatory Theatre (CCT) is permanently closing and will no longer be the site of any plays.

     The theater will be converted to a city meeting room as part of the police department’s expansion project. The conversion is being made at the direction of City Manager Chris Zapata.

     The city’s Facilities Committee heard the plans in July and the City Council will likely vote on the conversion this fall as part of the overall plans for the civic center.

     The city often holds town hall meetings to discuss projects that affect the public, but didn’t hold any on closing the CCT.

     Mayor Pauline Cutter said that because the building will still be used by the San Leandrans, additional forums to gather opinion weren’t necessary.

     “I don’t feel that something is being taken away from the public,” said Cutter. “This space will still be productive to the community.”

     The cost of renovating the theater to bring it up to date was too high and the police department has needed more space for years, so expanding into the space in the same civic plaza seemed to be a natural fit, according to Kirsten Foley, the city’s administrative services manager in the engineering department.

     The CCT had been a cultural mainstay in San Leandro since it opened almost 40 years ago, but in recent years securing a tenant with a stable performance schedule proved difficult.

     The city had leased the space at 999 East 14th Street to the California Conservatory Theatre group from 1978 to 2012. (The original theater company’s name, CCT, was the same as the theater building.) The theater company shut down, saying ticket sales were down and production costs were up and they couldn’t afford to stay in business.

     The Curtain Call theater company became the tenant at the CCT space in 2012 and performed there until February of 2014, when Curtain Call abruptly shut down in the middle of a five-year lease with the city.

     The city said that they considered the agreement with Curtain Call to be abandoned and eventually selected a new performance company in 2015, when it was announced that the new occupant of the CCT would be the Bay Area Children’s Theatre.

     But another production was never mounted at the CCT site. Instead, the children’s theater performs at various schools around town. Theater companies that need performance space now use the 214-seat Carnegie Lecture Hall at the Main Library, according to Foley.

     “The library’s theater had been underutilized,” said Foley, who added that the library is equipped with a stage and audio visual equipment and is larger than the 67-seat CCT space.

     Plans to enlarge the police department’s headquarters have been in the works since 2014. The initial plan was to expand into the unoccupied south offices located between the current police offices and the CCT site.

     Cutter said that as the CCT stood empty for months, various options were considered for the CCT space, including renting it out to the school district to expand its offices, but the city manager believed that the meeting room concept was more appropriate.

     The police expansion project is expected to go out for bid in early 2018 and construction will likely begin about this time next year.

CAPTION: The sign reading “California Conservatory Theatre” has already been taken down and renovations are scheduled to begin next year as part of a overall expansion of the civic plaza. The city tells production companies hoping to put on a show to use the theater at the Main Library instead.

PHOTO BY AMY SYLVESTRI

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No Appeal On Kraft Plant Plans

BY AMY SYLVESTRI  •  SAN LEANDRO TIMES  •  08-24-17

     Councilman Ed Hernandez has decided to not appeal the Board of Zoning Adjustments (BZA) decision about the future of the Kraft plant, despite his desire to see more housing in San Leandro.

     Earlier this month, the BZA gave developers Trammell Crow the go-head to raze the old Kraft plant at the corner of Halcyon Drive and Washington Avenue and construct three buildings for offices, manufacturing, and warehouse uses.

     Hernandez said that the 30-acre site would have been better used for housing, since we’re in the midst of a housing crisis.

     Hernandez said that an earlier version of the plan discussed last fall before he joined the City Council included both a business aspect and plans for hundreds of apartments or single-family homes.

     “Looking around, I thought we need a quality development without warehouses,” said Hernandez. “What will the area look like in 15 or 20 years?”

     Hernandez said he would have like to have seen the plan changed, but he did not think he had the votes on the City Council to change them even if he did appeal the BZA decision.

     “I’ve gotten a lot of feedback from the public (on the Kraft site) but I don’t think the mayor or the council would be on board,” said Hernandez. “There was nothing that I could find that would have made a viable appeal.”

     Hernandez said that the Trammel Crow business development had simply progressed too far before he joined the City Council last fall so he could do very little at this point.

     “They are too far down the line,” said Hernandez. “I’m disappointed.”

     Hernandez said the next step is to try to work with the developers to make sure that their plans are as appealing to San Leandrans as possible, even if they don’t involve housing.

     “This could have been a more progressive development, but it is what it is,” said Hernandez. “We can only try to influence the development as positively as possible.”

     Hernandez said that even if this particular site won’t be housing, he hasn’t given up his plan to see more homes built in San Leandro. He cited the 20-year plan to change the Bayfair area “from mall to village” with hundreds of units of apartments.

     “Let’s keep focused on creating quality housing,” said Hernandez. “There are opportunities out there. We are seeing some at Bayfair.”

     Trammel Crow’s plans will now go forward with the razing of the Kraft plant scheduled for early 2018.

     The estimated $70 million development will be called the San Leandro Business Center and consist of three industrial buildings totaling over 500,000 square feet.

     No tenants have been named, but Trammell Crow is planning for about one-tenth of the development to be office space and the rest manufacturing, industrial, and warehouse space.

     The buildings will be a maximum of 50 feet high, with a 70-foot cell tower which could be made to look like a clock tower to improve its appearance. Trammell Crow is also planning on commissioning four murals to be painted on the buildings, depicting the changing seasons.

CAPTION: The former Kraft plant on Halcyon Drive will be razed.

PHOTO BY AMY SYLVESTRI

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New Principal Takes Helm at Lincoln

BY AMY SYLVESTRI  •  SAN LEANDRO TIMES  •  08-24-17

     Last Wednesday marked the first day of school in the San Leandro school district and students at Lincoln High School started off the school year with a new principal and new counselor.

     Stephen Brady is Lincoln’s principal and Juliet Johnson is the new counselor and both come from extensive backgrounds in education.

     They say that working at an alternative school can present some unique challenges, but they have already met their students at an orientation last week and are looking forward to getting started.

     “I love alternative education,” said Brady. “It’s about making sure all their students have their needs met, and everybody has different needs, so there is the challenge.”

     The Lincoln Alternative Education Center is located on Teagarden Avenue across from Burrell Field. It’s made up of Lincoln Continuation High School for kids who need to recover class credits for a variety of reasons, and Lighthouse Independent Study, for students who need more flexibility in their schedules.

     Most students attend Lincoln because of a credit deficiency, not behavioral issues. Whether they lost credits at San Leandro High because of truancy, transferring from another district, or an outside responsibility like taking care of a family member, Lincoln provides a more flexible curriculum so they can get their high school diploma.

     “The kid who cuts class his junior year and needs to make up credits to graduate would be a good fit in continuation,” said Brady. “The ballerina who needs to practice for hours may do well in independent study.”

     Brady was previously the program manager for court ordered school in San Mateo and principal of Ygnacio Valley High.  Brady lives with his wife and three kids and dogs in Concord, where they enjoy cooking, reading, and traveling – most recently to Mexico City this summer.

More than One New Staff Member at Lincoln

     Brady’s new colleague is Juliet Johnson, who previously worked as a counselor for the South San Francisco schools, including their continuation school program and teenaged parents program.

     “To me (alternative school) is about finding ways for each student to be successful and getting them on a path toward graduation,” said Johnson.

     Johnson lives in Menlo Park and enjoys swimming, hanging with friends and traveling.

     So there’s new blood at Lincoln this school year, but Brady says it’s veteran office manager Maria Carvalho who really runs the show. Students come back years later asking for her.

     Carvalho has been at Lincoln for eight years and had worked in the San Leandro School District for nearly two decades.

     “She’s the stealth principal,” quips Brady.

     Carvalho knows that Lincoln in particular can be challenging, but said she feels like the school is in good hands.

      “Put it this way, in the last five years, this is my fourth principal,” said Carvalho. “But these two (Brady and Johnson) know what they are doing. It’s going to be a good year.”

CAPTION: Office manager Maria Carvalho, counselor Juliet Johnson and principal Stephen Brady at Lincoln High..

PHOTO BY AMY SYLVESTRI

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School Libraries Turning to the Next Chapter

BY SOPHIE LINDER  •  SPECIAL TO THE TIMES  •  08-24-17

     The San Leandro Unified School District (SLUSD) libraries are not your grandma’s libraries.

     They have been undergoing a radical redesign process toward becoming a next wave library system. The elementary school and middle school library conversions will be completed within one year, while the high school will be finished in two years.

     Ten years ago, San Leandro’s elementary school libraries closed due to budget reductions. California was in a fiscal crisis when Superintendent Mike McLaughlin arrived in 2013. He hired eight library multimedia specialists who cleaned, culled outdated books, rebuilt the circulation system, and converted mainstays of the collection to e-books. The libraries finally reopened in 2014.

     The local J1 bond partially financed the modernization, but additional funding was necessary. McLaughlin said he needed to be creative to find that support. He encouraged people in the school district to increase their participation and has been working with San Leandro tech company OSIsoft in an attempt to create a stronger connection between local business and the libraries.

     District Librarian Roxanne Ansolabehere has been focused on moving the project forward. Ansolabehere has worked directly with school librarians to support the transition and innovations. Rachel England is a librarian at John Muir Middle School with a science teaching background.

     England helped plant the seed for the move into next wave libraries, drawing some of her inspiration from the advances in the Sacramento Library system. In addition to meeting with librarians, Ansolabehere has been working with school principals to keep them in the loop.

     “I have been centralizing the libraries for three years,” she said, “and now their management will be returned to the principals.”

     San Leandro librarians believe that libraries should be more than just a quiet space. Students need a place to hang out, similar to a lounge. Next wave libraries will include maker spaces, or “creative DIY (Do-It-Yourself) spaces where students will gather to create, invent and learn” as defined by the Open Education Database.

     Makerspaces are high tech, requiring kids to explore independently and troubleshoot while they work. Learning becomes more challenging. Kids must solve problems that help stretch the limits of their abilities rather than following a predetermined formula.

     Next wave libraries will also have tinker zones (hands-on building spaces), robotics, engineering, coding, AR (Augmented Reality) and VR (Virtual Reality). Using AR, students work with a pencil or stylus to retrieve an image in order to virtually dissect an animal or design a bridge. VR allows for kids to access real world experiences that they could not otherwise have, such as exploring the ocean in Hawaii.

     Today’s librarians don’t lead kids directly to the resources they need. Instead, kids are shown videos about how to conduct research so that they can do it on their own with the Internet. Librarians make sure the sites are updated and teach computer lab classes. Librarian England said she teaches a course attended by 120 sixth and seventh graders on making, technology, using the 3-D printer and laser cutters. Kids then have open lab where they can practice these skills.

     Modernization of the SLUSD libraries provides more engagement and excitement for kids, a more even playing field for all kids through access to technology, as well as a safe space for kids with nowhere else to go.

     Students can freely explore, and this freedom of choice helps shape their interests. Exploration leads to more creativity, especially in middle school where socialization is crucial for learning.

     In the next wave library, kids develop skills in communication, collaboration, creativity and critical thinking. Kinesthetic learners who may struggle in a general academic environment are more likely to thrive in this setting.

     Developing these technological skills will foster competence in students beyond high school into college and in their careers.

CAPTION: Visitor Sim Kallan looks on as library assistant Kevin Carpio and volunteer Leonard Hill explain how to use a 3D printer.

PHOTO BY JIM KNOWLES

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Art and Mandy Started Out on a Shoestring Budget

BY JIM KNOWLES  •  SAN LEANDRO TIMES  •  08-24-17

     Deciding to retire from their jewelry business was simple for Art and Mandy Britto, they said.

     “I woke up one morning in June and said now is a good time,” Art said. “You want to retire when you’re still healthy.”

     The couple has run their jewelry shop, Mandy’s, since the ’70s, first in downtown Oakland and later moving the shop to their hometown of San Leandro where they’ve lived for the past 47 years. Saturday, Sept. 30, will be their last day.

     The shop’s success with many loyal customers is due to a simple division of labor, Art says. He handles the business side, and Mandy handles the jewelry.

     “She’s the sales and I’m the office,” he said.

     Mandy jumps in, “And he puts the brakes on me when I try to overbuy.”

     Art worked at Crocker Bank before they opened their store. Instead of saving money, they bought gems and put them in a safe deposit box.

     “That was the beginning of our inventory,” Art said. “I got a safe deposit box for free because I was a banker.”

     Their first shop was on 17th Street in downtown Oakland, and it was small – about 15 by 20 feet. Art found a J.C. Penny shoe display rack and his brother-in-law made it into a jewelry display.

     “We operated on a shoestring,” Art said.

     Later they moved to a shop a little bigger around the corner. Another brother of Mandy’s, an electrical engineer, installed the electrical work. This time they bought custom rosewood jewelry cabinets from Hong Kong, the same ones that are in their store today.

     “In those days (1975) it was so simple to build a business,” Art said.

     And then in 1992, Art and Mandy decided to move the store to San Leandro when the rent in downtown Oakland got too high.

     “I saw a sign on this building, “For Sale,” Art said, about their shop on East 14th street downtown.

     “We live in San Leandro, so it’s a 7 minute commute,” Mandy said. “And we have a garden in the back, that’s very unusual for downtown.”

     The garden is a little oasis right in the middle of downtown that you would never know was there. Mandy mentions as she walks into the garden that the building will be for sale when they close, displaying good salesmanship.

     Art and Mandy say they’ll miss the socializing with the customers they’ve come to know over the years.

     “We have fourth generation customers,” Mandy said.

     Mandy will keep making her unique jewelry pieces after they close the shop. Other than that, she says, “We’ll just take it easy and take things as they come.”

     Mandy’s Jewelers, 1465 East 14th St. in San Leandro, is open Wednesday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

CAPTION: Art and Mandy Britto decided to retire this year from their longtime jewelry business.

PHOTO BY JIM KNOWLES

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Councilman Wants Housing at Kraft Site

BY AMY SYLVESTRI  •  SAN LEANDRO TIMES  •  08-17-17

     The San Leandro Board of Zoning Adjustments (BZA) approved a plan from developers Trammell Crow to demolish the former Kraft plant at the corner of Halcyon Drive and Washington Avenue and turn the 30-acre site into offices and warehouses.

     But one city councilman may appeal the BZA’s decision, saying that housing, not industrial uses, needs to be a priority for San Leandro properties.

     “I don’t really want to see another warehouse when there is a housing crisis going on and this property is suitable,” said Councilman Ed Hernandez. “People say ‘jobs, jobs, jobs,’ which is great, but we need housing, housing, housing.”

     The BZA approved the Trammell Crow plan on Aug. 3 by a 5-1 vote. The dissenting vote was cast by board member Jeff Falero, who also cited a need for housing. Falero said the Kraft site could be like the area around the Bayfair BART Station, which the city plans to develop with mixed use housing and retail.

     Hernandez said that an earlier version of the plan discussed last fall before he joined the City Council included both a business aspect and plans for up to 700 apartments. There was also some discussion of a plan that included larger single family homes. He said he is considering appealing the BZA permit and trying to bring some housing back.

     If Hernandez does decide to appeal, he has only until the end of this week to file. He says he’s not sure a sitting council member has ever appealed a BZA decision.

     “I’m considering it, I’m working with city staff right now and I’m going to reach out to the developer,” said Hernandez. “I’m trying to look at the bigger picture. We have housing coming in at the marina and the Westlake project (197 apartments at the tech campus) was just approved, but we need even more housing.”

     Councilman Lee Thomas agrees with Hernandez about the need for housing, but says the Kraft site isn’t appropriate because of the danger of nearby railroad racks.

     “The way I viewed this was, as much as we need housing, that was just not the right place,” said Thomas. “No doubt we want more housing and a variety of housing types but there is too much of a risk in a city that has already had deaths due to trains.”

     But Hernandez said that instead of being a detriment, the railroad tracks could be a benefit to people living near them. He said that someday there could even be an Amtrak station there, serving as another transit hub.

     “We should try to be visionary,” said Hernandez.

     Trammell Crow’s planned $70 million project will include the razing of all existing buildings and the construction of what the developer is calling “the San Leandro Business Center” consisting of three industrial buildings totaling 553,200 square feet.

     No tenants have been named, but Trammell Crow is planning for up to 55,000 square feet of office space and the rest will be manufacturing, industrial, and warehouse space, and 500 to 600 parking spaces.

     The buildings will be a maximum of 50 feet high, with allowance for a 70-foot cell tower which could be made to look like a clock tower. Trammell Crow is also planning four murals on the buildings, depicting the changing seasons.

     The San Leandro Kraft plant was closed, and 130 workers laid off, after Kraft and Heinz merged in 2015. It was one of seven Kraft plants to close in North America.

CAPTION: San Leandro City Councilman Ed Hernandez opposes zoning board decision to turn former Kraft plant into a business park.

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Man Shot Monday on I-880

BY AMY SYLVESTRI  •  SAN LEANDRO TIMES  •  08-17-17

     A man was shot in the head and remains in critical condition after a shooting on I-880 early Monday morning.

     The California Highway Patrol first received a report of a road rage incident and shots fired at around 2:30 a.m. on Aug. 14, according to Officer Joseph Fowler.

     When officers arrived at the southbound lanes of I-880 near the Lewelling Boulevard exit they found a black Mitsubishi sedan stopped near the center divider. The driver was suffering from a gunshot wound to the head and there were three other men in the car who were not injured.

     Witnesses report that the gunshots were fired from a white sedan, which fled the scene.

     During the investigation, all southbound lanes of the freeway were closed from 2:50 to 9 a.m., snarling traffic for hours. Big rigs were allowed to use I-580, which caused congestion on that freeway as well. A detour set up though city streets also caused a backup in San Lorenzo.

     The victim, whose identity is not being released at this time, remains in critical condition.

     This is the second road rage shooting in San Leandro this year. In February, Wardell Taliafero, 45, was shot and killed on the 1900 block of Marina Avenue with his girlfriend and two small children in the car following an argument with another driver.

     Another shooting happened on I-880 just a day later, this time in Hayward. The CHP said that two teenagers riding in a car were fired upon just after 10 p.m. Tuesday while driving northbound on I-880 just south of Highway 92.

     A witness said that a person was hanging out of a car window and shooting at the teens’ vehicle, according to the CHP. No injuries were reported in the Tuesday shooting and no arrests have been made.

     Monday’s shooting is one of dozens of shootings on freeways over the past 18 months. CHP officials have investigated over 90 freeway shootings all over the Bay Area, frequently in the East Bay, since the beginning of 2016.

     The investigation into Monday’s shooting is being handled by the CHP’s Hayward office and anyone with information is asked to call them at 489-1500 or 800-TELL-CHP.

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Back to School Brings Relief to San Leandro Moms

BY AMY SYLVESTRI  •  SAN LEANDRO TIMES  •  08-17-17

     It was back-to-school time Wednesday for nearly 9,000  students in San Leandro’s 12 public schools.

     And mom Miryom Britt had a double dose of first day jitters as her twins Mikayla and Josiah both started kindergarten at Jefferson Elementary School.

     “I had a little bit of anxiety, but I’m okay now,” said Britt. “This morning, the teachers just said ‘Bye, parents’ and shut the doors right away so that was quick, but I’m sure they are having a good time.”

     Britt said she’s glad the twins get to be in the same kindergarten class – room 19 – so they’ll have each other as they go through their first year of school.

     As for Mikayla and Josiah, they were all smiles when they ran out to meet mom in front of Jefferson  after a busy first day of classes.

     If you want to feel old, just remember that Mikayla, Josiah, and the rest of kids entering kindergarten this year will be graduating high school as the class of 2030.

     San Leandro public school kids went back to school this week, and the students at St. Leander School did too. But San Lorenzo school district students get to enjoy a few more days of summer vacation, as school starts on Aug. 24. Students at Assumption and St. Felicitas go back to the classroom on Aug. 22.

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Postal Workers Send a Message

BY JIM KNOWLES  •  SAN LEANDRO TIMES  •  08-10-17

     Post office employees saying they’re fed up picketed last Thursday afternoon in front of the Estudillo Branch office in the Downtown Plaza.

     The San Leandro postal workers say they’re not being compensated correctly for overtime or sick leave and forced to work overtime, among other complaints, and that the postmaster has been inflexible.

     “Carriers are picketing for dignity and respect, management is not providing proper postal equipment to carriers, and assigns unsafe late night deliveries,” said Post Office employee Norbert Castro.

     Pickets said they don’t get paid for sick leave until they file a grievance, and then get paid six months later.

     “In San Leandro there are overtime violations every day,” said Brad Louis, vice president of the National Association of Letter Carriers. “They could run it in a more efficient way. They only keep 30 to 40 percent of new employees because the treatment is so bad.”

     Louis said he’s had discussions with San Leandro Postmaster Katrina Scott-Vance but the talks haven’t gotten anywhere.

     Post Office employees are assigned late-night deliveries that they call unsafe. Louis said the postmaster will assign an employee to overtime hours when another employee is willing to work, but the postmaster won’t be flexible and let the willing employee have the extra hours.

     “We want working conditions so that employees come in, do their job professionally and go home,” Louis said. “I don’t know of an employee who won’t go the extra mile when asked.

     “These problems are fixable if the two sides work with each other to resolve them,” Louis said.

     Scott-Vance didn’t returned phone messages left this week. But U.S. Post Office spokesman Gus Ruiz returned a call.

     “These are labor management issues they have to work out between themselves,” Ruiz said.

     Ruiz said that the union’s comments were their opinion, and the Post Office isn’t going to comment on the issues publicly.

     Ruiz said he wasn’t familiar with the exact issues going on in San Leandro right now, but that Post Office management is always willing to talk with employees about any problems that need to be addresed.

     “We deal with those things internally, we don’t make those things public,” Ruiz said. “We sit down whenever the union raises issues with us.”

CAPTION: San Leandro postal employees picketed last Thursday to let the public know that they’re unhappy with management.

PHOTO BY JIM KNOWLES

Measure B: What Is the Money For?

BY AMY SYLVESTRI  •  SAN LEANDRO TIMES  •  08-10-17

     The ballots are out for the San Leandro school district’s Measure B parcel tax, with a ballot question that says the tax revenue will be spent “To attract and retain highly qualified teachers, and to continue programs to improve core education in our local schools, particularly in math, science, technology and the arts, support manageable class sizes, and school libraries.”

     But what does that mean and where will the money actually go?

     The tax revenue will going to teachers’s salaries, according Assistant Superintendent Kevin Collins.

     Collins says the tax will help San Leandro offer competitive pay to keep teachers in the district and hire new teachers for an expanded number of classes and programs.

     “Basically, it will all go to teachers’ salaries,” said Collins. “We are focusing on salaries and class sizes.”

     Collins said that the district wants to reduce class sizes in kindergarten through third grade from the current ratio of 26 students per teacher to 24 students per teacher.

     Measure B is a  $78 annual parcel tax which would last 14 years. The new tax would double the rate and extend the life of a current parcel tax of $39 that was passed in 2012 and is set to end this school year.

     If passed, the $78 parcel tax will bring in about $1.5 million annually to the district beginning in the 2018-2019 school year, a total of $21 million over the lifetime of the tax.

     Some voters have objected to the wording of the measure, which just says it will “renew” the current tax, but does not mention that the new tax would double the rate of the current tax.

     The ballot measure reads in part “shall the San Leandro Unified School District renew its existing parcel tax for 14 years at a rate of $78 per year” with no mention of the $39 figure.

     Collins said the language on the ballot was carefully vetted both by the district’s hired political consultant Larry Tramutola and by the school district’s attorney.

     “It’s a 75-word ballot statement and we are stuck with getting a lot of information across in 75 words,” said Collins. “The reason it says ‘renew’ is to let people know it is not a new tax on top of an existing tax.”

     The argument in favor of Measure B was signed by Mayor Pauline Cutter, members of the school board, and parents of students in the district. No argument opposed to Measure B was submitted to the county to be included on the ballot.

     The mail-in election comes just nine months after San Leandro voters approved the school district’s $104 million Measure J1 bond. In the past decade, voters have also approved Measure B (a $109 million bond passed in 2006) and Measure M (a $50 million bond passed in 2010) for school facility improvements including the Burrell Field athletic complex, the ninth grade campus, and the aquatic center.

     Combined, the bonds have property owners paying a total of $118 per $100,000 of assessed property value annually. This new parcel tax would add a flat $78 annually, regardless of assessed property value.

     Ballots for the Measure B election were automatically mailed to all registered voters who live in the San Leandro school district last week. The ballots must be returned to the Registrar of Voters’ office no later than 8 p.m on Aug. 29 via mail or in person at the Registrar’s office, 1225 Fallon Street, Room G-1, Oakland, CA 94612.

     If  you do not wish to turn in a mail-in ballot, you can vote in person from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m on Tuesday, Aug. 29 at San Leandro City Hall, 835 East 14th Street.

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Public Works Buys a Drone

BY AMY SYLVESTRI  •  SAN LEANDRO TIMES  •  08-10-17

     The city’s Public Works Department has purchased a drone and the City Council will be drafting a policy of how, when and where it can be used.

     The drone was purchased in January for $3,000 and the City Council recently approved a one-year pilot program for it to be used for a variety of tasks, including roof inspections, before-and-after views of projects such as road repairs, and observing hard-to-reach locations like steep slopes.

     Currently, aerial photos and videos are taken by city electricians or tree trimmers who use their bucket trucks to get high enough to snap the necessary photos, according to Debbie Pollart, the city’s Public Works director.

     The drone is subject to several regulations put in place by the Federal Aviation Administration. It must weigh less than 55 pounds, the Oakland and Hayward airports must be notified each time it is flown, it must be flown under 400 feet and below 100 miles per hour, it must be flown during daylight hours only and it must not fly over people.

     The drone can only be operated by a licensed drone pilot. Fortunately, Shawn Allison, a Public Works employee in the city’s street maintenance department, is a licensed drone pilot and he even races drones as a hobby.

     The drone will be equipped with a camera and when it is used, the footage can either be recorded or just observed live on a connected tablet or smart phone, Pollart said.

     The drone also has an “object avoidance system” to reduce the risk of a crash.

     “That means you can’t accidentally run it into anything whether it be a building or a tree,” Pollart told the City Council in July.

     Pollart said the city will post on its website with at least 24 hours notice each time the drone will be used.

     The City Council told Pollart that the pilot program could be a sign of where the city’s future is heading, with Councilman Benny Lee saying other departments will likely join Public Works in using the drone.

     “I think this is a step towards moving San Leandro into the 21st century,” said Lee.

CAPTION: Drones are becoming more widely used for surveying property and in construction work.

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State Warns of Fish from Lake Chabot

BY AMY SYLVESTRI  •  SAN LEANDRO TIMES  •  08-10-17

     The weather is perfect for a day fishing out on the lake, but you may want to think twice before cooking up the catch of the day, as state officials have released an advisory regarding fish in Lake Chabot.

     The California Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) has declared that six species found in Lake Chabot are safe to eat only in limited quantities, as they have been found to contain mercury and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs).

     Women of child-bearing age and children under the age of 18 are advised to avoid eating goldfish, black bass or carp, and to eat no more than seven servings per week of rainbow trout or two servings per week of catfish or sunfish.

     Older women and men are also advised to eat no more than seven servings per week of rainbow trout from Lake Chabot and can have up to four servings of sunfish species or two servings per week of goldfish or one serving of black bass or carp.

     One serving is eight ounces of fish, which is about the size and thickness of your hand.

     Eating within these guidelines puts exposure to mercury and PCBs within what the state considers acceptable ranges, according to OEHHA spokesman Sam Delson.

     Mercury is found in the environmental most commonly as a result of mining or burning coal. Consumed via fish, it can damage the brain and nervous system, particularly in children and fetuses.

     PCBs are industrial chemicals and at high levels of exposure, they can cause cancer. They were outlawed in the 1970s but are still found in the environment due to spills, leaks, and improper disposal methods. In Lake Chabot, the exact source of the mercury and PCBs is not known.

     In fish, PCBs often accumulate in the fish’s skin, so eating skinless fillets will help reduce exposure.

     This new advisory about Lake Chabot fish adds two species (rainbow trout and goldfish) to the known list of potentially contaminated fish in the lake that was originally made in 2009, Delson said.

     Delson said the current advisory is open-ended and likely to remain in place for the foreseeable future.

     “Contaminant levels in fish are usually stable for years barring a major spill or other incident,” said Delson.

     The level of chemicals present in fish are determined by the OEHHA analyzing fish samples collected by the state Water Resources Control Board.

     Eating fish in amounts slightly greater than the advisory’s recommendations is not likely to cause health problems if it is done occasionally, such as eating fish caught during an annual vacation, Delson said.

     One family visiting Lake Chabot on Monday afternoon had a plan to stay safe from the potentially harmful chemicals.

     “When we go fishing, we catch-and-release,” said Michael Romero, who was there for a hike with his sons.

     The OEHHA has put out advisories for more than 90 lakes, rivers, bays, and other bodies of water in California  If you want to check their warnings for other sites, visit their website at www.oehha.ca.gov under the “fish” tab.

     The fish warning joins the toxic blue-green algae warning that has been ongoing at Lake Chabot for three years. The algae can cause rashes and irritation and, in high doses, serious illness and death. A dog died after swimming in the lake in 2015. Swimming by dogs or humans is prohibited in Lake Chabot.

CAPTION: A fisherman casts his line at Lake Chabot this week.

PHOTO BY AMY SYLVESTRI

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Night Out in the Neighborhood

SAN LEANDRO TIMES  •  08-03-17

     Firefighters Steve Hickey and Brian Centoni chatted with Greta Velazquez and Shirley Beal at the Floresta neighborhood National Night Out party at Floresta Park on Tuesday evening. Across town and all over the country, neighborhoods held the National Night Out get-togethers to meet neighbors and first-responders.

PHOTO BY JIM KNOWLES

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Ballots Sent Out for School Parcel Tax

BY AMY SYLVESTRI •  SAN LEANDRO TIMES  •  08-03-17

     The ballots have been sent out for the special mail-in election for a parcel tax that the San Leandro School District is asking voters to pass.

     The parcel tax, Measure B, would double the cost and extend the life of a current parcel tax on homeowners in the district.

     As proposed, Measure B would be assessed at $78 annually per parcel for a period of 14 years, which would bring in a total of about $1.5 million annually to the district beginning in the 2018-2019 school year.

     The original parcel tax was passed narrowly by 66.75 percent of voters back in 2012 (a two-thirds majority was needed) and assessed at $39 per parcel annually. That tax is set to end in 2018. The new measure, if passed, would extend its life another 14 years.

     Larry Tramutola, the consultant the district hired to help pass the tax, said that seniors over the age of 65 are more likely to vote in mail-in elections. Seniors are also eligible to be exempted from paying the tax, so they could vote it in and not have to pay.

     Because the new tax would be an extension and not an entirely new tax, senior citizens who have applied for a previous exemption from paying the tax will still be exempt if it passes.

     Kevin Collins, assistant superintendent for the school district, said the district made sure that the exemptions could be rolled over in order to make things more convenient for seniors.

     Seniors who have not yet filed for an exemption may do so, but the property tax rolls for this year have already closed. So the exemption would not go into effect until the next fiscal year – which begins July 1, 2018.

     The application to be granted a senior exemption can be found on the school district’s website, www.sanleandro.k12.ca.us or by calling (800) 273-5167. Applicants will be required to show proof of ownership, residency, and age.

     Collins estimated that only about 300 to 350 seniors have applied for exemptions.

     “That’s not a ton for a city this size,” said Collins.

     The district has successfully passed several other revenue measures in the past decade. Last November voters passed Measure J1, a $104 million bond that has property owners pay $36 per $100,000 of their assessed property value.

     San Leandro residents are currently paying for school bonds in the form of the $109 million Measure B bond, which has been assessed at  $39 per $100,000 of property value and Measure M, a $50 million bond assessed at $25 per $100,000 of property value.

     Seniors cannot be exempted from paying for bonds.

     Some of the bond debt comes from high-interest Capital Appreciation Bonds (CABs). Those CABs  have interest rates of up to five times the principal of the loan, though the district has since refinanced a small portion of its CABs.

     The district’s total outstanding bond debt is $325 million and $181 million of that is principal. Of that, the current debt from CABs is $91 million, and $27.5 million of that is principal, the majority is interest due to the high rate.

     It’s those other financial measures that has at least one senior set against voting for the parcel tax exemption.

     Norma Rugg  knows she cold get an exemption, and is looking at getting one, but says she can’t support giving the district more money when she believes public money hasn’t been handled responsibly in the past.

     “That (the CABs) make me angry,” said Rugg. “That makes me say that they aren’t managing money well. If you can’t afford something, don’t get it. Until the school board shows me they can manage their money better, I will vote no.”

     But the school district says the tax money will be important to retain highly qualified teachers and staff members and support library services and other programs.

     “Even though this local parcel tax is less than 1 percent of our budget, it is essential funding to support our core academic programs in math, science, technology and the arts, and to maintain manageable class sizes,” wrote Superintendent Mike McLaughlin in a letter to the community. “Every penny benefits San Leandro children.”

     The district also promised annual independent audits to make sure there is fiscal accountability.

     A ballot will automatically be mailed to all registered voters who live in the San Leandro School District.

     The ballots must be returned to the Registrar of Voters’ office no later than 8 p.m on Aug. 29 via mail or in person at the Registrar’s office, 1225 Fallon Street, Room G-1, Oakland, CA 94612.

     If  you do not wish to turn in a mail-in ballot, you can vote in person from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m on Tuesday, Aug. 29 at San Leandro City Hall, 835 East 14th Street.

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County Supes Vote for More Pot Shops

BY AMY SYLVESTRI •  SAN LEANDRO TIMES  •  08-03-17

     The Alameda Board of Supervisors voted Tuesday to allow up to five medical marijuana dispensaries in the unincorporated areas of the county – one more in the western part of the county to join the two that are already open in Ashland and Cherryland, and two in the eastern part of the county.

     By a 4-0 vote with Supervisor Keith Carson absent, the Board of Supervisors changed an existing ordinance in order to allow the additional dispensaries, as well as the sale of edible marijuana products and deliveries of marijuana by licensed stores.

     The ordinance also allows for up to six permits for cultivation of marijuana in indoor growing operations and greenhouses.

     The ordinance has been in the works for over a year. In a series of public meetings, many area residents spoke out against it, asking why the unincorporated areas had to bear the majority of the cannabis business.

     Others accused Supervisor Nate Miley of spearheading the ordinance because he received $60,000 in campaign donations from groups involved in the marijuana business.

     The ordinance was vehemently opposed by the Castro Valley Municipal Advisory Council (MAC), which sent multiple recommended changes to the ordinance back to the Board of Supervisors on two separate occasions, including a provision that tax money gained from the sale of pot go directly to the Sheriff’s Office for enforcement. None of the MAC’s recommendations were included in the final draft of the ordinance.

     The MAC had said repeatedly that they felt ignored by the county during the creation of the ordinance.

     “It’s clear to me that this (public meeting) is an exercise for the public and the supervisors are going to do what they want,” said MAC member Ken Carbone in June.

     The Sheriff’s Office also sent recommendations to the Board of Supervisors, including a request that there be no increase in the number of dispensaries in the county and that there be no cultivation, sale of edibles, or deliveries. Those recommendations were also turned down by the board.

     “I respect law enforcement, but that doesn’t mean I’ll always agree with them,” said Miley of the suggestions from the Sheriff’s Office.

     At Tuesday’s meeting, public speaker Vicki Stadelman said she believed that medical marijuana can help sick people, but there is no need to grow pot in Alameda County when Sonoma, Monterey, and other counties already have enough of the crop.

     “Marijuana is helpful to patients with some medical conditions,” said Stadelman. “But there is no need for Alameda County to get involved in the cultivation business other than the dollar sign.”

     California marijuana producers are growing up to eight times the amount pot that is consumed in the state, according to Hezekiah Allen, the director of the California Grower’s Association. In a recent Los Angles Times article, Allen said that the surplus will cause some growers to sell heir crop illegally out of state.

     Stadelman also questioned the value of an ordinance that allows edibles and other products which aren’t held to any standards about content and potency.

     “We have regulations for aspirin, beer, and cigarettes, but no standards for cannabis,” said Stadelman. “If you are going to treat this as a reputable industry, then there ought to be standards.”

     In the end, the Board of Supervisors voted to pass the ordinance with little discussion. Though Supervisor Miley did note that he had been supportive of medical marijuana ever since he saw that Californians – particularly Alameda County residents – supported Proposition 215 in 1996 which made medical marijuana legal in the state.

     “There have been countless meetings and it has been a lot of work,” said Miley of the new ordinance. “I think we’ve gone about this in a very methodical, rational, careful, not-rushed approach.”

     The locations of any additional dispensaries or cultivation sites have not yet been determined, though they would have to be at least one mile away from other cannabis dispensaries, including ones in cities such as San Leandro. Conditional use permits will also be required before any shops are opened.

CAPTION: The new county ordinance will allow more permits for the cultivation of marijuana, even though California is producing many times more than what is legally sold in the state, leading to the conclusion that much of the pot is going to illegal sales.

TIMES FILE PHOTO

Water Pollution Control Plant to Go Solar

BY AMY SYLVESTRI  •  SAN LEANDRO TIMES  •  08-03-17

     The City of San Leandro has received the largest grant award given out by the California Energy Commission this year, which will fund energy efficiency projects at the Water Pollution Control Plant.

     The Californian Energy Commission gave San Leandro $2 million in grant funding to build a 1-megawatt solar power system at the plant, located at 3000 Davis Street.

     The grant will also help pay for the installation of an new automation system and LED lighting at the plant.

     The Water Pollution Control Plant’s enterprise fund will provide matching funding for a total of nearly $4 million in “green” upgrades, according to Debbie Pollart, the city’s Public Works director.

     The water pollution control plant processes wastewater for about 50,000 San Leandro residents through 125 miles of sewer lines which makes it the largest single consumer of electricity owned by the city.

     A $50 million remodel of the plant was completed in 2016 and there has been a desire for the solar panels, but the city wasn’t ready for such a large additional project at the time, Pollart said. So the new grant money will allow the city to install the solar panels that they wanted all along.

     The city has been focusing on going green for some time now, Pollart said. Last year, San Leandro hired energy consultants Climatec to audit all city properties and see where improvements could be made.

     This prompted a $5 million project to convert streetlights to LEDs, upgrade heating and air conditioning in city buildings, and install “smart clocks” for the most effectively timed irrigation at city parks.

     Pollart said the LED street light conversion is over 85 percent completed and the other Climatec-recommended changes will likely be completed by October.

     “The unique thing about this is the way it’s being paid for – the (money saved from) energy savings will cover the costs,” Pollart said.

     Climatec also helped the city with the grant application to the state for the water pollution control plant, Pollart added.

     The actual installation of solar panels or other plant upgrades won’t be likely to start until next year. The next step is the approval of the acceptance of the grant at an upcoming City Council meeting (the council is in recess for the month of August). Once approved, the rainy season will likely put off construction until spring 2018, Pollart said.

CAPTION: The City of San Leandro’s water pollution control plant, a big power user, will be able to get a good part of its electricity from solar power in the future.

TIMES FILE PHOTO BY AMY SYLVESTRI

COMMUNITY CALENDAR • 08-03-17

South Pacific at Woodminster Amphitheater

Woodminster Summer Musicals presents South Pacific, the Tony-award winning Rodgers and Hammerstein classic, on Aug. 4 through  Aug. 13 at Woodminster Amphitheater in Joaquin Miller Park on Joaquin Miller Road in the Oakland hills. Performances are Aug. 4, 5, 6, 10, 11, 12, and 13, all at 8 p.m. Tickets are available by phone at 531-9597, online at www.woodminster.com, or in person at Woodminster Amphitheater 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily, or at the box office before any performance. Ticket prices range from $31 to $64, with discounts for seniors, students, and groups.

Arsenic and Old Lace 

The San Leandro Players present Arsenic and Old Lace, through Aug. 13, at the San Leandro Museum/Auditorium, 320 West Estudillo Ave. in San Leandro. Performances are on Saturdays at 8 p.m.; Sundays at 2 p.m.; and Fridays at 8 p.m. on Aug. 4 and Aug. 11. Arsenic and Old Lace by Joseph Kesselring, directed by Mark O’Neill is one of America’s funniest murder comedies, as a household of zany relatives and sidekicks bring insanity and mystery to the stage. Tickets are $20 general, and $15 seniors, TBA members, under 12, and students. For more information and tickets, call 895-2573. Order tickets online at www.slplayers.org.

Hayward Animal Shelter 

The Hayward Animal Shelter, 16 Barnes Court in Hayward, will host its annual “Hot ‘Paw’gust Nights Pet Adoption” – and classic car show – on Saturday, Aug. 5, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., sponsored by the Hayward Animal Shelter volunteers. Cats, kittens, dogs, puppies, bunnies, and Guinea pigs are available for adoption. An adoption fee of $20 includes spay/neuter, vaccinations and microchip. The car show runs until 3 p.m. For more information, go to www.facebook.com/haywardanimalshelter.

San Leandro Readers Roundtable 

The San Leandro Readers Roundtable meets Saturday, Aug. 5, at 2 p.m. at the San Leandro Main Library, 300 Estudillo Ave. to discuss The Turner House by Angela Flournoy, the story of a large and complicated Detroit family. Everyone is welcome, and all books discussed are available for purchase at the library’s Booktique bookstore.

San Lorenzo Community Church 

August is music month at the San Lorenzo Community Church, 945 Paseo Grande in San Lorenzo. Performances start at 10 a.m. on Sunday, Aug. 6, with the music from South Pacific, on Sunday, Aug. 13, Oliver, on Sunday, Aug. 20, My Fair Lady, and Aug. 27 Sound of Music. Please join us. All are welcome.

New Shoes for School Drive 

City Councilman Lee Thomas and the San Leandro Education Foundation are having the 3rd Annual New Shoes for School Drive through Aug. 6 to collect new shoes and gift cards for the upcoming school year. Donations can be dropped off in San Leandro during business hours at the Converse Store, 1247 Marina Blvd.; the Bal Theatre, 14808 East 14th St.; Zocalo Coffeehouse, 645 Bancroft Ave.; or Gregori Group Real Estate 555 Dutton Ave. For more information, contact Lee Thomas at 577-0603 or LThomas@sanleandro.org.

Kiwanis Club of San Leandro

Join the Kiwanis Club of San Leandro for weekly meetings. The first Tuesday is for socializing. Dinner is open menu and starts at 5:30 p.m. The following Tuesdays, second through the fourth or fifth, are luncheons and are from 12:10 to 1:30 p.m. and will have a speaker. All meetings are held at The Englander, 101 Parrett Street in San Leandro.

Watercolor Artist Demonstration 

Ron Pratt well known watercolor artist and teacher will demonstrate watercolor painting at the next meeting of the San Leandro Art Association on Tuesday, Aug. 8, at 7 p.m. in the San Leandro main library, 300 Estudillo Ave.

Admission is free.

Davis Street Annual Health Fair

The Davis Street Resource Center, 3081 Teagarden Street in San Leandro will have its 3rd Annual Health Fair on Saturday, Aug. 12, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Join in this event featuring a farmers market, complimentary medical and dental sreenings, lunch, community resources, games, prizes and fun for the whole family.

Community Impact Lab Gala 

Community Impact Lab will hold its First Annual Benefit Gala and Silent Auction on Saturday, Aug. 12, at 6 p.m. at the Alta Mira Club, 561 Lafayette Ave. in San Leandro. Join in on this fun-filled evening of delicious bites, dancing, and giving. Dress for the occasion is semi-formal. Entertainment for the evening will be the Cal Alumni Big Band. The silent auction will feature a variety of items: furniture, swimming lessons, wine tastings and tours, ballet tickets, concert tickets, financial planning, and more. Tickets for Tapas, drinks, and dancing start at $100 and can be purchased at www.CILgala.eventbrite.com. For more information or to donate to the silent auction, email Christina@communityimpactlab.org or call 876-1543. Community Impact Lab strives to be a force for action and to expand opportunities for everyone, especially women and children.

Davis Street Backpack & Shoe Drive

The Davis Street Resource Center, 3081 Teagarden Street in San Leandro needs your help collecting new shoes, backpacks and supplies for 300 plus low income and homeless children. New shoes needed include girls sizes 10 to 12, womens sizes 4 to 14, boys sizes 10 to 12 and mens sizes 5 to 13. Drop off all items at Davis Street Resource Center, open Monday through Thursday from 8:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. and on Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. For more information, call Kristal at 347-4620 ext. 163 or email kgonzalez@davisstreet.org.

Sons In Retirement Meetings

Sons In Retirement (SIRs), an  organization of retired men, meets on the second Wednesday of each month. Meetings are held at the Wedgewood Center at Metropolitan Golf Links, 10051 Doolittle Dr. in  Oakland. Happy Hour starts at 11 a.m., followed by lunch at noon. Great guest speakers. Guests are welcome. Come and meet new friends. For more information, call MEL at 357-0601.

Alta Mira Club Tea & Fashion Show 

The Alta Mira Club, 561 Lafayette Ave. in San Leandro, presents “Have Bag Will Travel, 100 Years of Fashion,” tea and dessert, followed by a fashion show to support Alta Mira scholarships on Monday, Aug. 21, at 11:30 a.m. The program features a museum collection of antique gowns and accessories modeled by volunteers from Goodwill Industries of the Greater East Bay. Tickets are $25. For reservations, email Nancyfong@aol.com or call 483-1018.

Body of San Leandro Man Found in Lake Tahoe

SAN LEANDRO TIMES  •  08-31-17

     The body of San Leandro resident Dan Pham was recovered from Lake Tahoe last Saturday, two months after he went missing while kayaking. Pham, 41, was last seen on June 8, when he left on a kayak from Lester Beach with plans to go to Emerald Bay. Pham’s body was located in over 240 feet of water by a non-profit called “Bruce’s Legacy” which specializes in recovering drowning victims. The Bruce’s Legacy team used a remote operated vehicle and sonar scanner to locate Pham and bring his body to the surface.

PHOTO COURTESY ACSO

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Two Arrested for Marina Car Burglaries, High Speed Chase

SAN LEANDRO TIMES  •  08-31-17

     Two men have been arrested for burglary after allegedly breaking into a car at the marina last week.

     On Aug. 23, San Leandro police officers were patrolling the parking lots at the marina, as there had been several vehicle burglaries recently, according to Lt. Isaac Benabou of the San Leandro police.

     At around 7 p.m., the officers saw two men arrive in the same car. The passenger got out, broke the window of a parked car, took a backpack, and then got back in the getaway car and the suspects sped off.

     Patrol cars arrived and gave chase. The driver refused to stop and led officers onto northbound I-880.

     During the pursuit, the suspects began throwing some items out of the car and onto the freeway, Benabou said.

     The suspects’ car became disabled after the driver hit a cement barrier while trying to get off the freeway and the car burst into flames. The suspects then tried to flee on foot but were found a short distance away and arrested.

     The Alameda County District Attorney’s office has charged them men with burglary, evading police, and possession of stolen property.

     Some of the victim’s property was found, but other items were discarded on the freeway or destroyed in the vehicle fire, Benabou said.

     The suspects have been identified as a 22-year-old Oakland man and a 19-year-old Castro Valley man.

     This is the second burglary witnessed by detectives in a week.

     The other incident resulted in the arrest of two Richmond men after a police pursuit into Oakland.

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Police Speak with the Man Who Displayed a Noose on His Truck

SAN LEANDRO TIMES  •  08-31-17

     The San Leandro Police Department learned about a situation regarding a motorist passing through the city on Aug. 23 with a noose hanging over the tailgate of his truck.

     A photo of the car was posted on social media but it was not reported to authorities, according to Lt. Issac Benabou of the San Leandro police.

     Benabou said the police understood the insensitive nature of the display so they investigated the matter.

     Benabou said the department looked into whether the man had knowledge of the noose or was possibly the victim of a hate crime.

     The truck owner was identified and detectives were able to determine he was not the victim of a crime.  Detectives provided some “social education” to the man in regards to the displaying of the noose.  

     The owner understood the insensitive display of the noose and told detectives that he meant no harm to anyone nor did he intend on offending any groups.

     The owner was apologetic and agreed to remove the noose from his vehicle, Benabou said.

     The police have documented this incident for future reference.

     “This reprehensible behavior cannot occur in our community without inquiry,” said Benabou in a written statement. “For many people, the noose is symbolic to terrible events in our history. It is important that we continue to educate our public.”

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SL Teen Arrested in Muni Robberies

SAN LEANDRO TIMES  •  08-31-17

     A 15-year-old San Leandro boy is among the teenage suspects arrested in a series of robberies on Muni buses that San Francisco police have described as “brutal.”

     Four arrests have been made in the series of strong-arm robberies which took place earlier this summer on buses thought San Francisco.

     In addition to the San Leandro teen, a 19-year-old Antioch man, 14-year-old San Francisco boy, and 13-year-old San Francisco girl have been arrested on charges including possession of stolen property, felony battery, and conspiracy.

     In one robbery which took place on July 17 on a bus traveling on Van Ness Avenue, the victim was followed onto the bus after having transfered from another Muni bus. Authorities say the pack of teens assaulted him and took his cell phone.

     The incident is similar to the attack that happened on an east-bound BART train near the Coliseum station in April when a mob of 60 young people rushed the train and robbed and hit commuters. Six people on board and one on the platform were robbed of bags and cellphones.

     In that incident, a San Leandro High student was among the teens who were arrested.

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Death on Bayfair BART Tracks

SAN LEANDRO TIMES  •  08-31-17

     A person was struck and killed by a BART train at the Bayfair station last Thursday afternoon.

     The collision happened  around 3 p.m. and the station reopened at around 4:30 p.m. according to BART authorities.

     At first, trains were turning around before reaching the station but eventually they were single-tracked though the Bayfair platform without stopping. Free AC Transit buses were used as alternate transit for commuters during the 90-minute delay.

     The identity of the person who was killed and the reason that he or she was on the tracks has not been released.

     It was the second incident of a person on the tracks last week. On  Aug. 22, a man at the Civic Center BART station jumped on the tracks and other people on the platform helped save him, with some waving their arms to get the attention of the train operator and at least four people jumping  on the tracks to help him to safety.

     The conductor pulled the emergency brake and the train stopped before colliding with anyone.

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Police Catch Suspects in Thefts, Marina a Crime Spot

SAN LEANDRO TIMES  •  08-24-17

     The San Leandro police have arrested two burglary suspects that they say were caught in the act.

     On Sunday, Aug. 13, at around 7 p.m. two San Leandro police detectives were conducting undercover surveillance at the marina and saw two suspects breaking into a parked car.

     The cops saw the suspects break a window and take a bag before fleeing in their vehicle, according to San Leandro police.

     Officers pursued the suspects’ car into Oakland and took the men into custody after their vehicle became disabled.

     San Leandro police say these types of crimes are not new to the area.

     Over the past few months, they have seen an increase in reported auto burglaries occurring at the marina.

     These crimes have taken place specifically in the areas in front of the restaurants and hotel, police say.

     The suspects target these locations due to travelers and business people frequenting the area. In most cases, laptops, backpacks, and purses are stolen after a car window is smashed, police say.

     In an effort to curb these crimes, police have increased patrols and detectives have been out conducting proactive surveillance at this location and other areas in town hit hard by property crimes.

     “The arrests of these two suspects is critical to our message,” said Lt. Isaac Benabou in a written statement. “We must make a strong and assertive point that we will not tolerate thieves choosing to commit these crimes in our community.”

     The suspects, both identified as Richmond residents, will appear in court this week as their case will go before the district attorney for possible charges.

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Three Arrested for Murder in Cherryland Last Month

BY AMY SYLVESTRI  •  SAN LEANDRO TIMES  •  08-24-17

     Three people have been arrested in the shooting death of a man who was pushing his infant son in stroller outside of his home in Cherryland last month.

     On Wednesday, July 19, at 3 p.m., Daniel Deltoro, was shot and killed on the 200 block of Willow Avenue in unincorporated Hayward near his home with his 3-month-old son, according to Sgt. Ray Kelly of the Alameda County Sheriff’s office.

     Deputies who responded to the shooting found Deltoro suffering from multiple gunshot wounds and he was pronounced dead at the scene.

     The baby was not harmed and was reunited with his mother, Kelly said.

     Pablo Mendoza, 25, of Hayward; Brandon Follings, 26, of Oakland; and Valerie Boden, 26, of Alameda have been arrested and all three have been charged with murder and multiple other felonies by the Alameda County District Attorney’s office.

     Kelly said that it was not a random crime. The Cherryland neighborhood where Deltoro was killed is considered by deputies to be generally safe.

     “Our victim was in the process of turning his life around,” said Kelly. ”He’d left that lifestyle behind him. But a gang connection is something we are looking at.”

     All three suspect are currently being held without bail on charges including murder, street gang activity, and possession of a firearm by a felon and are scheduled to appear in court to enter their pleas on Aug. 31.

     Anyone with information regarding this crime is encouraged to call the Alameda County Sheriff’s Office at 667-7721 or the anonymous tip-line at 667-3622.

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San Leandro Woman Arrested for Burglaries

SAN LEANDRO TIMES  •  08-24-17

     A San Leandro woman and her acquaintance have been arrested in a series of vehicle break-ins in Pleasanton and Livermore, police day.

     Police found stolen property, tools, drugs, and other items after a Pleasanton woman called police around 2:30 a.m. on Monday and reported two suspects looking into parked cars in her neighborhood and trying to open the doors.

     The witness gave detailed descriptions of the suspects and stayed on the line to give live updates about what they were doing, saying that the man was pretending to be asleep in a parked Volvo and that the woman was  hiding behind a parked vehicle in a nearby driveway

     The suspects were identified  as Miriam Baham, 29, of San Leandro and Jeremy Grieg, 28 from Hayward.

     Police said Bahram was in possession of items taken from two vehicles and officers found several burglary tools  on Grieg, including a window punch and vice-grip pliers.

     Police also found stolen Amazon merchandise from addresses in Livermore and Pleasanton in the Volvo, as well as five grams of methamphetamine and a glass pipe.

     Bahram has bailed out and Grieg is being held in lieu $57,500 bail on charges of theft, possession of burglar’s tools and possession of a controlled substance. He is scheduled to be arraigned later this week.

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Man Shot Near BART

SAN LEANDRO TIMES  •  08-24-17

     A man was shot adjacent to the BART tacks in Oakland, not far from the San Leandro border on the 10900 block of Russet Street a around 9 a.m. Monday morning.

     Police say the man got into a fight with another man and was shot in the leg. The suspect fled the scene on foot before police arrived.

     Police are offering $5,000 for information leading to the arrest of the gunman. Call 238-3426 or the tip line at 777-8572.

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Tips Help Cops Find Two Package Thieves, Stolen Car

SAN LEANDRO TIMES  •  08-17-17

     Two package thieves have been caught this month thanks to tips from witnesses, police say.
     The cases are not thought to be connected but in both cases suspects were caught following tips from alert citizens.
     The first theft took place on Aug. 4 at just before 2 p.m. on the 14900 block of Lark Street.
     The resident was alerted via their motion activated camera system that a person was in front of their house. The victim watched the video as the suspect stole a recently delivered child’s bicycle.
     The police used photos of the suspect and a suspect vehicle and a short time later, a sergeant located the suspect driving near the intersection of 105th Avenue and Pearmain Street in Oakland.
     The suspect was stopped and the loss was recovered. The case is currently pending review by the Alameda County District Attorney’s Office for prosecution.
     Then on Aug. 10 at around 5:20 p.m., the San Leandro police department received a call that a package theft had just occurred on Begier Avenue.
     A few minutes later, dispatch learned the same suspect had also stolen a car from Glen Drive. An officer had seen the stolen car driving north on Bancroft Avenue and notified responding units.
     The stolen car and suspect were located at a hotel in the 8100 block of MacArthur Boulevard in Oakland. The suspect was arrested and the stolen package and car were recovered.

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Suspect Arrested in Attacks

SAN LEANDRO TIMES  •  08-10-17

     A man has been arrested for what police believe are two unprovoked assaults on BART trains this month, including one at the Bay Fair station.

     Mario Christopher Washington, a 42-year-old construction worker from Berkeley, was identified by BART police Monday as the suspect.

     Washington was arrested on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon after someone recognized him from the BART surveillance footage that captured the crimes.

     The first attack happened on Aug. 3 at around 7:30 p.m. as a Fremont-bound train pulled in the Bay Fair BART station.

     The suspect struck a man on the head with bolt cutters and also punched and kicked him before running off the train and out of the station.

     The victim suffered a cut to his head but the injury was not considered life-threatening. He was taken to the hospital in an ambulance,

     Two days later on Aug. 5, also around 7: 30 p.m., the same suspect approached a man on a San Francisco-bound train that was approaching the Embarcadero station and punched him twice in the face. That victim was treated at the scene and didn’t require further medical attention.

     In both incidents, the victim and witnesse ssaid the assaults were unprovoked.

     Washington is being held without bail and is scheduled to be arraigned later this week.

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SL Man Pleads Guilty to Assault

SAN LEANDRO TIMES  •  08-10-17

     A San Leandro man who allegedly drove a stolen car at two policemen in Marin County last year has pled guilty to felony assault.

     Benjamin James Hemmann, 33, also pled guilty to identity theft.

     The assault happened on Nov. 16 at around 3:30 a.m. in Tiburon when license plate scanning street cameras alerted police to rental  car that had been reported stolen.

     Police tracked the car to a dead-end street and Hemmann was driving. Two officers used their vehicles to box Hemmann in, but he drove at them, authorities said.

     Hemmann stuck two cop cars and a parked Jeep, according to Tiburon police.

     Hemmann drove off and eluded capture, eventually ditching the car. Police found the vehicle, which had been rented with false identification and found information in the car that led to Hemmann. He was later arrested and charged by the Marin County District Attorney’s Office with assault on a peace officer, assault with a deadly weapon, reckless evasion, car theft, and identity theft.

     Hemmann settled on the plea deal last week  for the felony assault and identity theft. He is scheduled to be sentenced on Aug. 30.

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Two Shooting Suspects Arrested Following Search

SAN LEANDRO TIMES  •  08-03-17

     San Leandro police used their SWAT team, K9 units, and a helicopter to search for two suspects in a shooting last week, and eventually located and arrested the men after and hours-long search of the area.

     Shots were fired around 2:30 p.m. on July 27 near the intersection of Davis Street and Douglas Drive, according to Lt. Issac Benabou of the San Leandro police.

     Police say that two suspects, whose names have not been released, shot into a vehicle and injured two people.

     The victims’ injuries are not considered life-threatening and they were treated at the scene.

     Officers set up a perimeter in the area and ordered a shelter in place for residents of Arthur and Midway avenues, Jean Way, and North Boulevard, telling them  to stay inside  of their homes during the search.

     The suspects were located and arrested and police announced that the shelter in place order was lifted at around 8:30 p.m.

Declutter, Deodorize Musty Closets

BY SAMANTHA MAZZOTTA  •  SPECIAL TO THE TIMES  •  08-31-17

     Dampness is the primary cause of mustiness and odors in closets, but how that dampness gets in there and how you can get rid of it only takes a few steps.

     Since closets are generally recessed back into the wall and closed off by doors, airflow is impeded and stagnant, humid air gets locked in these spaces.

     Standard air fresheners don’t help if there’s very little airflow in the closet.

     What you can do immediately to improve the situation is to open the closet doors and remove everything: clothes, boxes, baskets, toys ... all of it. Set up a fan on a side table so that it blows air directly into the closet. Let the closet air this way for 24 hours.

     Then refill the closet – but with half as much clothing and other stuff as before. Cluttered, overstuffed closets can cause that musty odor to come back in no time, because all that junk is blocking any airflow.

     While the fans are running, hunt for possible moisture problems in the house. Go into the attic with a flashlight and look for any possible leaks, while smelling for mustiness or mold. If your home has a basement, inspect it as well.

     Also, check all the ceilings: Are there any light brown, circular areas? These are water stains, caused by a leaking roof or pipe.

     If you smell mustiness and mold but can’t find what’s causing it, or if you see water stains on the ceiling or walls but can’t locate a source, call a contractor who specializes in moisture problems.

     Be sure to mention mustiness in the closets to the contractor, if he or she doesn’t ask first. Eliminating sources of humidity or leaks will be most important, but if the closets’ problem continues even after you declutter them, talk with the contractor about ways to improve airflow in these spaces.

     Home Tip: Placing a single open box of unscented baking soda on a closet’s upper shelf is a cost-effective way to manage minor moisture and odors in the enclosed space.

© 2017 King Features Synd., Inc.

CAPTION: Due to a lack of airflow, closets will often become musty smelling from the stagnant, humid air locked inside.

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‘Exactly what is the MLS?’

BY CARL MEDFORD, CRS  •  SPECIAL TO THE TIMES  •  08-31-17

     When you’ve been in an industry for a while, it’s easy to forget that acronyms used every day mean nothing to the uninitiated.

     The military is a great example, with classic acronyms like MRE (Meals Ready To Eat), AWOL (Absent Without Leave) and DOD (Department of Defense). With kids in the military, I’ve heard many of these over the years and frequently asked for translations.

     It should therefore be no surprise that people venturing into real estate might not understand all the acronyms we use, but I was recently caught off guard nonetheless. While explaining to a buyer the various systems we would be using to help him find a house, he interrupted and asked:

     “Exactly what is the MLS?”

     MLS is short for Multiple Listing Service and its origin dates back to the late 1880s. Real estate agents used to list properties for sale, but there was no common list of all listed properties nor were there rules about how agents from various companies should interact with each other. Brokers from various companies finally met together to pool their listings so they all had access to each other’s listings. They also hammered out compensation agreements to facilitate cooperation between the various companies and their agents.

     Their agreements formed the organizations we now call The Multiple Listing Service.

     Many benefits come from an MLS. The National Association of Realtors (NAR) states, “Today, through more than 800 MLSs, brokers share information on properties they have listed and invite other brokers to cooperate in their sale in exchange for compensation if they produce the buyer. Sellers benefit by increased exposure to their property. Buyers benefit because they can obtain information about all MLS-listed properties while working with only one broker.”*

     When a home is listed by a local Realtor, that listing is then loaded into the local MLS** and the information about the property can then be accessed by agents representing potential buyers.

     NAR clarifies, “MLSs… level the playing field so that the smallest brokerage in town can compete with the biggest multi-state firm. Buyers and sellers can work with the professional of their choice, confident that they have access to the largest pool of properties for sale in the marketplace.”

     Additionally, local MLSs upload all of their listings to network portals such as Trulia, Zillow and Realtor.com so that everyone has easy access through the internet portal of their choice.

     *www.nar.realtor/topics/nar-doj-settlement/multiple-listing-service-mls-what-is-it

     **In Alameda County, the MLS is BayEast Association of Realtors (BEAR), www.bayeast.org.

     Carl Medford is a licensed Realtor with Keller Williams Realty and a licensed general contractor. This article is sponsored by the Central County Marketing Association.

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Realtors Help Kids Against Hunger

SAN LEANDRO TIMES  •  08-24-17

     More than a dozen Alameda County real estate professionals gathered this month to package meals at the Kids Against Hunger Bay Area facility in Pleasanton. Within 90 minutes they had packed some 5,400 meals.

     The Bay Area Kids Against Hunger is the regional chapter of a national nonprofit organization committed to both feeding starving children, and making children, teens and adults part of the solution. Their program enlists volunteers to package and ship meals to children both in developing countries and in the United States

     “We’ve been helping Kids Against Hunger for a few years,” said Realtor Justin Ramos, vice chair of the Bay East Young Professionals Network. “They have a great mission, they’re very involved in Haiti and other parts of the world who have children who eat maybe one or two meals per week.”

     The effectiveness and efficiency of the program is a big draw for the Realtor volunteers, according to Toni Wilson, Marketing and Communications Director for the Bay East Association of Realtors.

     “They have it down to a science, the volunteer program is very structured and that’s why it works,” said Wilson. “They understand that things like how much each meal weighs can make the difference between it arriving at the destination or it getting held up in government red-tape, or worse.”

     William Doerlich, president of the Association and a volunteer, called it a great experience for both building a team and for giving back to the community.

     It’s where we live and work, and giving back to the community is important not just from a business perspective but from a personal perspective. And, the event was a lot of fun, there was a lot of camaraderie.”

     The Bay East Young Professionals Network Committee members are the voice and advocate for Bay East’s young Realtors and Affiliates.

CAPTION: Alameda County Realtors pack meals at Pleasanton headquarters for Kids Against Hunger.

PHOTO COURTESY OF BAY EAST YOUNG PROFESSIONALS NETWORK

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Why Is Inventory at a 20-year Low?

BY CARL MEDFORD, CRS  •  SPECIAL TO THE TIMES  •  08-24-17

     It is not your imagination — the availability of homes for sale has dipped to a 20-year low.

     One thing not in short supply? Theories as to why this situation exists. In a recent survey by Realtor.com designed to pinpoint the underlying reasons, one astonishingly simple answer has floated to the surface:

     Homeowners are overwhelmingly happy where they are and see no need to move.

     RISMedia author Suzanne De Vita states, “Sixty-three percent of homeowners surveyed say their current house meets their needs, with baby boomer homeowners especially unwilling to move — a problem for succeeding generations, who are missing out on the 33 million condos and single-family houses boomers currently own.

     “An overwhelming 85 percent of boomers surveyed have no plans to list their home for sale in the next year, with 72 percent reporting that their existing house suits their needs. Sixty-five percent of Gen X homeowners and 52 percent of millennial homeowners echoed the same sentiment.”

     Bottom line? With no compelling pressure forcing a majority of homeowners to leave their current homes and relocate elsewhere, anticipate severe inventory shortages for a long time.

     One of the root causes was the cataclysmic collapse in the markets a few years back. Many boomers saw their financial reserves devastated overnight, limiting or even destroying their retirement options. A significant number saw their home values plunge underwater and could not move even if they wanted to. They learned to tighten their belts and be content with where they were and what they had.

     Now that they are out of the recession and back in the black, many have learned to be content with less and have also discovered they are OK where they are. Some also fear we may be headed for another collapse and have decided to sit tight just in case.

     The huge upsurge in market values over the past six years has not helped. The price gap between the home a person currently owns and the replacement home they’d like to purchase has widened appreciably. When you factor in the reality that, thanks to the depression, many have much less capital to work with than they did in the past, consequently the gap is too large for many to bridge.

     With no immediate reason or ability to move, homeowners are hunkering down for the long haul. As for buyers? Count on being on the move for some time yet.

     Carl Medford is a licensed Realtor with Keller Williams Realty and a licensed general contractor. This article is sponsored by the Central County Marketing Association at www.ccmgtoday.com.

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Avoid Probate with a Trust

BY CARL MEDFORD, CRS  •  SPECIAL TO THE TIMES  •  08-17-17

     One of the saddest situations I’ve encountered in real estate was an individual who died in his home and was subsequently not discovered for weeks. Compounding the tragedy, he had no will or record of any family or heirs.

     When someone dies intestate (without a will or trust), the state steps in to oversee settlement of the estate. They begin probate, the process of assigning authority to administer the estate and determine who inherits assets owned by the deceased.

     An attorney is hired and associated fees are paid out of the estate.

     If a person has a will, probate is still necessary, but only to determine the legality of the will. Once the will is approved, an administrator is appointed to act on the instructions in the will.

     As stated by www.nolo.com: “Probate involves inventorying and appraising the property, paying debts and taxes, and distributing the remainder of the property according to the will.”

     A trust sets out predetermined trustees who have full authority to administer the estate, thus avoiding legal fees. Normally, assets (property, financial accounts, etc.) are named in the trust so that probate can be avoided. If a person with a trust dies and they have possessions not named in the trust, then probate is still necessary to get those assets included in the trust.

     There are a few implications that need to be noted.

     First, everyone should at least have a will. For those who wish to bypass costly probate hearings and leave as much of the estate to their heirs as possible, a trust is advised.

     Second, if you choose a trust, it is important to ensure all your assets are named therein. Many include their existing home in the trust, but forget to change their trust when they sell the property and buy a different home.

     Lenders will not lend to a trust — they will insist that your legal names be on the loan and title documents at closing. Therefore, if you want your new home in the trust, once escrow closes, you will need to record a new Grant Deed which includes the name of the trust. The attorney that prepared your trust or a third-party service, such as California Document Preparers, can do this for you for a fee.

     We recommend you protect your estate and not only obtain a trust, but keep it current. Things change, and your trust should change as well.

     Carl Medford is a licensed Realtor with Keller Williams Realty and a licensed general contractor. This article is sponsored by the Central County Marketing Association.

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Deter Deer from Dining on Your Garden

BY SAMANTHA MAZZOTTA  •  SPECIAL TO THE TIMES  •  08-17-17

     If you’re having trouble with deer sneaking into your yard overnight and eating plants in your garden, here are a few ways to discourage them from making your yard into their salad bar:

     • Move gardens away from shady or wooded areas. Deer tend to stay out of sight using shaded, tree-laden areas for cover. They’ll lurk near vegetable gardens that are close to such areas.

     • Reduce or move plants that deer love to eat, like leafy shrubs and tender green plants. Try mixing in plants they don’t like, such as snapdragons,  begonias or holly with your vegetables or flowers to make the area less palatable.

     • Consider fencing. If all else fails, barrier fencing can keep most deer off of your property. The drawbacks are the cost of installing and maintaining the fence, and no longer having an unrestricted view beyond your property. Deer can leap as high as 9 feet, meaning fencing needs to be at least as high.

     • Try a homemade solution. Many homeowners hang bars of soap from tree branches or fenceposts around the property, betting that the perfume or the soap itself will repel deer.

     • Use a commercial repellent. Deer repellent sprays are available that can be applied to the edges of your property throughout the gardening season.

     Home Tip: Place bars of soap in the toes of old knee-high nylon stockings and tie the stockings to tree limbs. This can serve as an effective homemade deer repellent.

© 2017 King Features Synd., Inc.

CAPTION: Deer can cause major damage to a flourishing garden.

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The 8 Practices of Successful Sellers

BY CARL MEDFORD, CRS  •  SPECIAL TO THE TIMES  •  08-10-17

     Some sellers seem to sell their homes for top dollar and soar through the process while others struggle from beginning to end.

     Here are eight practices that help sellers win big.

• Get Help: Hire competent representation.

     You are selling your most valuable asset, so get the best professional help possible.

     I’m amazed at sellers who try to cut corners – a top-notch Realtor is not just a salesperson, they’re a coach, mentor, trusted advisor, facilitator and more.

     Top professionals in every field hire the best coaches they can find and do not scrimp on fees – why should you act differently?

• Get Clarity: Assess current trends.

     With your agent, carefully examine area trends going back a few years to discern the best time to hit the market.

• Get Proactive: Develop a plan.

     With your agent, develop a written plan for every aspect of your sale and relocation. Expert Realtors have systems that ensure nothing gets missed along the way. They can also line up Realtors in areas you are moving to.

• Get Prepared: Ready your home.

     Your Realtor will prepare a comprehensive prep-plan to maximize your potential sale. Buyers want move-in ready homes – they also want staged homes that reflect current tastes. If they do not see what they like when viewing your home’s profile on line, they’ll quickly swipe to the next home.

• Get Real: Set a realistic price.

     Today’s buyers have full access to home valuation data. If they determine your property is priced too high, they will not offer less – they simply will not come. It’s been said many times: if you set your price too high, you’ll end up with less in the end.

• Get Promoted: Go fully professional.

     I am horrified to see sellers allowing bad pictures on the internet. Get professional pictures, virtual tours and 3D tours. In this day of “swipe left”, you only have seconds to impress a potential buyer online. Make sure your agent posts online profiles that sizzle.

• Get Accessible: Allow buyers access.

     If buyers cannot get in when it works for THEM, they will move on to other more accessible homes. Do not limit access.

• Get Flexible: Negotiate Win-Win.

     True negotiation means both sides give and take. Work to find solutions that work for all parties.

     Want to maximize your sale? Follow these 8 practices diligently and you’ll see the magic word appear … Sold!

     Carl Medford is a licensed Realtor with Keller Williams Realty and a licensed general contractor. This article is sponsored by the Central County Marketing Association.

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Piece Together Apartment Plumbing Tool Kit

BY SAMANTHA MAZZOTTA  •  SPECIAL TO THE TIMES  •  08-10-17

     If you live in an apartment, you should have some basic tools around for plumbing problems to keep damage from happening while you’re waiting for the repairman.

     The most indispensible tool in the apartment plumbing toolbox is, in my experience, the plunger. This inexpensive piece of equipment can stop toilets from overflowing and unblock sinks and shower drains without doing damage to the pipes.

     When choosing a plunger, go for a basic “force cup” model (this is the classic plunger with a simple bell), which works best on sinks and drains. If you want something a little more powerful for toilet clogs, pick up a second plunger with a center cone, which can increase the vacuum when plunging toilets. These don’t fit sink drains very well, though.

     It’s also good to keep a few more tools around for other plumbing-related work. While many apartment management companies will provide more than emergency repair — they’ll also install the shower head you want, or help with minor repairs like dripping faucets — some landlords don’t provide more than emergency service. So, add these to your plumbing toolkit:

     • An adjustable wrench and/or channel-locking pliers, which can fit varying widths of pipe.

     • Flat-head and Phillips-head screwdrivers.

     • An “offset” screwdriver to help you reach screws at weird angles.

     • Spare washers, o-rings and screws.

     • Electrician’s or duct tape, and plastic or rubber sheeting that can be cut to size and wrapped around a leaky pipe for a temporary repair while waiting for the handyman.

     • Teflon pipe tape, used to seal pipe threads.

     If you’re interested or have permission to make more heavy-duty adjustments or repairs, adding a couple of sizes of pipe wrenches to the toolkit is helpful, as is purchasing a valve-seating tool, which cleans valve seats of sink faucets (a handy tool when fixing a leaky faucet).

     Home Tip: Group your plumbing repair tools in a separate box from standard home repair tools so that you’ll be able to grab everything you need without sorting through all your tools.

© 2017 King Features Synd., Inc.

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The Law of Expansion

BY CARL MEDFORD, CRS  •  SPECIAL TO THE TIMES  •  08-03-17

     A family of four called, wanting to move up. “We’ve outgrown our existing home,” they said. “We need more space, but we’re not sure we can afford larger digs.”

     After touring through their 1,500-square-foot, 3-bedroom, 2-bath house, I sat down with them at their kitchen table.

     “I have some good news and some bad news,” I stated. I had worked with them a few years back helping them move from a 2-bedroom condo into their current home.

     “The bad news first: I’ve run the numbers and you’re currently not in a position to buy a larger home.”

     “We figured as much,” agreed the wife. “But we can’t understand something. We fit perfectly in the condo — it was tight at times, but we all had enough room. Soon after moving here, we totally ran out of space.”

     “I’m afraid you’ve run into a Universal Law,” I explained. “It frequently catches people off guard.”

     The law? “Your stuff will expand to fill all available space.” It’s actually a corollary of Parkinson’s Law which states, “Work expands to fill the time available for its completion.”

     The principle is simple: When people live in smaller homes, they understand that space is limited so they buy small-scale items or hold off on frivolous purchases. They look forward to the day when they get a bigger home so they can buy the things they feel they need or deserve.

     Once in the larger space, they fail to effectively plan the space and act accordingly. This failure means their new home is quickly filled with “stuff” that takes up all available space.

     We are a society obsessed with gathering possessions, many of which we seldom use and don’t really need. Paradoxically, those who learn to live with less frequently lead less stressful lives.

     “Now the good news,” I said. “You don’t need a bigger home — just better manage the space you have.”

     Since another universal law is: “Money disappears at the rate you get it”, effective planning and budgeting means living comfortably with less and investing money that might have been spent on a larger home and more belongings.

     My opinion? People who live comfortably within their means and invest wisely are often more fulfilled as their investments can open many other doors. Since money is actually a tool — learn to use it wisely.

     Carl Medford is a licensed Realtor with Keller Williams Realty. This article is sponsored by the Central County Marketing Association.

VW Extends e-Golf’s Driving Range

BY STEVE SCHAEFER  •  SPECIAL TO THE TIMES  •  08-31-17

     In the wake of the Diesel emissions scandal, VW is emphasizing its electric car goals, but so far, its only all-electric car is the e-Golf. I enjoyed a week with a handsome White Silver example.

     The Golf is a car buff magazine perennial favorite, especially the GTI model, because it’s compact but not too small, extremely practical, drives with enthusiasm, and handles precisely. In addition, the interior feels like a driver’s car and not simply a motoring appliance.

     The beauty of the e-Golf is that it doesn’t lose any of its Golf virtues in the transition to an EV. Its 700-pound battery lives along the bottom of the car, giving it a low center of gravity and not intruding a bit into the passenger or cargo room. At 3,455 pounds, the e-Golf weighs only 432 pounds more than a four-door Golf automatic, thanks to some careful engineering and use of high-strength steel.

     With the sound and vibration of an engine removed, tire noise, wind and EV functions come to the fore, so the engineers worked to make the e-Golf extremely quiet inside. They also installed a tone that’s emitted at low speeds to warn pedestrians that the silent cruiser is coming.

     The Golf can accommodate folks inside comfortably, and haul 22.8 cubic feet of gear with the rear seat up. Flip it down to make that 52.7 cubic feet.

     The original e-Golf’s 85 kW electric motor generated 115 horsepower, but the new one’s motor is boosted to 100 kW, and develops 134 horsepower. The new motor churns out a generous 214 lb.-ft. versus 199 for the old one. The trip from 0 to 60 takes 9.6 seconds, reasonable if not thrilling; some other EVs do better.

     The real benefit of the 2017 model, though, is range. With a larger, 35.8 kW battery (up from 24.2 kW, official range is now 125 miles versus 83). That can change your destination choices. I found the range was more like 145 miles, but this may have been from my careful EV driving habits. You can build those habits, too. The e-Golf provides the Think Blue Trainer electronic aid to teach you how to drive more efficiently and conserve battery life.

     VW lets you select from three levels of electricity regeneration. The car’s default setting only regenerates when you brake the car, as in a hybrid vehicle. However, you can easily set it for a more aggressive level with a flick of the transmission lever. I tended to leave it in D3 — the maximum — which allowed a bit more “one pedal driving.”

     Choose from three driving modes: Normal, Eco and Eco+. Normal uses the full power and features of the car, but Eco and Eco+ progressively limit horsepower, change the accelerator response curve, and reduce or turn off the air conditioning, for increased efficiency.

     The 2017 e-Golf’s EPA estimated fuel economy is 126 MPGe City, 111 MPGe Highway, and 119 MPGe Combined. This beats the 2016 EPA estimates of 126, 105 and 116, respectively.

     The Golf is not a flashy design, inside or out. Its origins go back to 1975, when it replaced the Beetle as the centerpiece of VW’s sales efforts. The boxy, front-wheel-drive, water-cooled hatchback was totally different from its ancestor, and created the Volkswagen we know today.

     The latest Golf still wears sharp edges outside and solid, straight shapes inside. Materials are more upscale than some compact competitors. Most of the door and dash surfaces are padded, the seats are substantial and supportive, and the doors close with a nice “thunk.”

     The e-Golf’s windshield has a fine net of wires in it for de-icing, but I don’t need that in sunny California and it was occasionally annoying. But then there was the beautiful rimless rear-view mirror, and the audio controls that expose details as your hand approaches them. The sporty, flat-bottomed steering wheel wears jaunty blue stitching. The 8-inch dash display is easy to use.

     The e-Golf used to come in the SE and SEL Premium editions, but there’s a new Limited Edition that sits between them. You can expect to pay around $29,000 for the SE and $36,000 for the SEL Premium, based on the 2016 pricing. The pricing for 2017 will be released in mid-September.

     Despite its virtues, the one thing the e-Golf can’t do is travel more than 200 miles on a charge, like the Chevrolet Bolt EV or any Tesla. But that should change. By the 2020s, VW will field a range of EV models under the I.D. brand, including a hatchback, a crossover, and an all-electric successor to the beloved microbus.

     VW is also helping to build charging networks, which will benefit anyone with an electric car in the future.

CAPTION: The 2017 e-Golf shares the majority of its exterior design with the rest of the Golf family.

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BMW i3 Commands Attention

BY STEVE SCHAEFER  •  SAN LEANDRO TIMES  •  08-24-17

     When BMW introduced its new i3 electric car for the 2014 model year, I was impressed, but also a little shocked. The styling, frankly, is oddball, but I think that was done intentionally, to differentiate it from the Ultimate Driving Machine. After three years, I’ve become accustomed to seeing them on the road.

     Despite their ecological virtues, electric cars tend to be expensive, and they have the nagging issue of range. The first i3s attempted to mitigate the latter by providing an optional range extender — a tiny two-cylinder engine. When you ran out of juice after 72 miles or so, it would come on and generate enough power for the electric motor to move you to a charging station — or home. The car came with a DC quick-charge plug too, so you could add significant range in a short time, providing you could locate a handy charger.

     In any case, the car was meant for urban travel duties, making it a perfect, if expensive, commute vehicle. Appropriately, this April, the 2017 i3 received the World Urban Car Award — a new category in the World Car of the Year contest — at the New York Auto Show.

     For 2017, BMW offers a new version (94Ah) with a 33-kWh battery supplying a boost of range from 72 to 114, and a heartier range extender, which can take the car as far as 180 miles combined, per the EPA’s ratings. That helps minimize range anxiety, but it keeps your i3 from being a long-range interstate traveler. You can opt for the lower level (60Ah), with the original 22-kWh battery, if you can live with the lower range.

     The drivetrain still puts out 170 horsepower and 184 lb.-ft. of torque. With the instant torque delivery provided by electric motors, you can zip from 0-60 mph in just over 7 seconds — which wouldn’t shame a car with the BMW roundel on its nose. You also can zip from 50 to 75 mph in 5.1 seconds — crucial for when you need passing power.

     Charging times vary, but the new 33-kWh battery is full after 4.5 hours on a Level 2 charger (240 volts), a bit longer than the 3.5 hours needed by the lesser model. Hook up the new 94Ah model to a DC quick charger and you can fill it to 80 percent in just 40 minutes.  

     EPA numbers are 111 MPGe for electric driving and 35 mpg for the gas engine. Green ratings are 8 for Smog and 10 for Greenhouse Gas. The car emits 29 grams of CO2 per mile, but compare that to a normal gasoline vehicle at around 400 grams, and that’s a huge and important difference.

     My 2017 i3 tester was the 94Ah (Ah = ampere hours) model in the new Protonic Blue, with Frozen Grey accents. I drove it for commuting and on a couple of local trips, and it handles the job very nicely. There is significant regeneration when you lift your foot off the accelerator, so you can use one-pedal driving sometimes. However, unlike the Chevrolet Bolt EV, the regen drops off at low speeds, so you can’t roll to a full stop without touching the brake pedal, like you can in the Chevy. This is more “normal” behavior, but if you’re used to heavy regen, it can be a little unnerving.

     The rear “suicide” doors are hinged at the back, and provide a nice, open access to the car, but can create interesting issues when you’re parked near another car in the lot, especially when loading children. However, once everyone is settled in, there’s plenty of room, and the silent drivetrain makes conversation easy.

     The interior, like the outside, is polarizing. The undulating dash with open-pore eucalyptus wood (in upper-level models), with a flat info screen in the center, is clean and stylish. The odd kenaf material on the dash and doors takes some getting used to, but it gives the car green cred by being made of recycled materials.

     There’s a base Deka World interior, but you can upgrade to three other levels, or “worlds.” Mega World ($1,400) adds 19-inch special alloys and a Carum Spice Gray Sensatec (artificial leather) interior. Giga World ($1,800) steps it up with eucalyptus wood trim and Cassia natural leather and cloth. The Tera World ($2,600) takes it further with Dalbergia Brown full natural leather and Dark Oak wood trim.

     Prices begin at $43,395 for the lower-range model without range extender. My tester started at $48,445, but with Giga World, the Parking Assistance Package, the Tech Driving and Assist Package, and range extender, came to $54,295.

     It still looks odd, but with increased range, the i3 commands your attention, and may work well for your needs.

CAPTION: The new BMW i3 (94 Ah) recently received the inaugural “2017 World Urban Car Award” at the New York International Auto Show.

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Mazda3 Makes Motoring More Fun

BY STEVE SCHAEFER  •  SAN LEANDRO TIMES  •  08-17-17

     Mazda has decades of history in the U.S., but is probably best known for its iconic Miata (or MX-5, as it’s officially branded today). With more than a million sold, it embodies the spirit of the brand.

     That’s probably why Mazda’s bestseller here, the Mazda3 (5 million sold since 2004), has some of that look and feel. Those qualities separate it from the mundane grocery-getters in the compact/midsize segment.

     With a recent redesign, the ’17 receives only minimal tweaks to refine its styling, improve interior quietness and simplify model nomenclature. You have the Sport and Touring, which use a 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine that puts out 155 horsepower and 150 lb.-ft. of torque. Step up to the Touring 2.5 and Grand Touring and you’ll get the more potent 2.5-liter engine, with 185 horsepower and 184 lb.-ft. of torque.

     This latter engine moves the 3,046-pound Mazda3 along, especially with the manual six-speed transmission, available in some models, including my top-level Grand Touring test car. Although rowing through gears is as odd as making calls from your rotary-dial home telephone (in beige, almond, white or black), there’s more here than nostalgia. Engagement with the car is significantly greater when you’re responsible for shifting.

     To make it more fun, Mazda positions the tachometer right in the center of the instrument panel, with a small digital speedometer tucked inside it. That’s part of how the Miata qualities percolate into the larger, person-hauling Mazda3.

     The EPA awards the Mazda3 with 2.5-liter engine and six-speed manual ratings of 25 City, 33 Highway, and 28 Combined. I averaged 27.5 mpg during my test week. Green scores are twin 6’s for Smog and Greenhouse Gas.

     One new feature for 2017 is standard G-Vectoring Control technology. It uses engine timing to control chassis dynamics, for smoother, more accurate steering inputs. You may not know it’s there, but it’s helping you drive the car better while keeping you safer.

     Mazda makes a good point when they say that with the many performance and comfort/convenience features the Mazda3 provides, why bother looking at other, often much pricier, models? In the Grand Touring, that’s a good argument. My Eternal Blue Mica tester featured a sharp-looking black-and-white interior that kept the accommodations serious but also a bit festive. The sporty seats are comfortable too — eliciting approval from my wife, who rides in every car and only speaks up about something if she really likes it or strongly disapproves. These seats got her two thumbs up.

     The driving experience is easy once you learn where everything is located. A little flip-up panel on the dashtop enables a head-up view of speed — and speed limit — at a glance. Drivers control climate, entertainment and other apps from the center console dial — a nod to Audi and BMW. Buttons surrounding the dial guide you to the locations you need and then you can turn and push to select what you want.

     The Mazda3 comes as a four-door sedan or a five-door hatchback. My tester, in five-door form, proved how handy compact hatchbacks and wagons can be. I hauled musical gear with ease, and, frankly, the two models look a lot more alike than they used to in earlier days. The Kodo design scheme blends sharp edges into softer forms, creating the look of motion while imparting a feel of solidity.

     Like most vehicle lines, the Mazda3 offers you choices, not only in color, body shape and trim level, but with option packages. My Grand Touring included two — the Premium Equipment Package ($1,600) and i-Activesense Safety Package ($1,100). The first brightens up the night with auto-leveling Bi-LED headlamps, as well as pivoting adaptive front-lighting. More illumination comes from LED daytime running lights. The steering wheel gets heat and paddle shifters (in the automatic). Lastly, a navigation system and auto-dimming round out the package.

     i-Activesense is a bundle of safety tech, including High Beam Control, Lane Departure Warning, Lane Keep Assist, Radar Cruise Control, Smart Brake Support and the interesting Traffic Sign Recognition. All these, by the way, are steps towards the self-driving car — but you can’t do that with the Mazda3 yet.

     The least expensive Mazda3 is the four-door sedan. The five-door models start with the Sport with manual six-speed at $19,970, and top out at $25,820 for the Grand Touring with automatic. My tester, with the two packages, came to $27,730.

     These $28,000 cars, especially equipped like my tester, are on the lower end of the car market these days. With its performance features and handsome styling inside and out, you may want to ignore those fancy BMWs and Mercedes-Benzes, get a Mazda3, and pocket the difference. This award-winning compact is a buff magazine favorite. And, with its Miata genetics, it’s good for plenty of “zoom-zoom.”

CAPTION: The 2017 Mazda3 receives a further polishing of its exterior design that highlights more  visual width, maturity and a look of solidity on the road.

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Ford C-MAX Flaunts

500-mile Range

BY STEVE SCHAEFER  •  SAN LEANDRO TIMES  •  08-03-17

     The hybrid vehicle segment is now old enough that some models have been around for quite a while. Toyota’s Prius — the name many associate with the word “hybrid,” is nearly 20 years old, and is currently in its fourth generation. The Ford C-MAX is getting long-in-the-tooth, but it is practically unchanged.

     There’s a lot to like with the C-MAX. Being originally a European minivan, now built for us in Wayne, Michigan, it’s a bit more compact than an American-size van, and has satisfying ride and handling, despite a rather large turning radius. You feel in control, sitting up high and perusing traffic through an expansive windshield.

     I’ve tested three C-MAXes in the past — the first one nearly five years ago. The 2017 models are nearly identical, with just some minor grille and taillamp tweaking. This year, the new Titanium series replaces the SEL; it includes 17-inch machined aluminum wheels, leather-trimmed seats, and a 10-way power passenger seat with lumbar support.

     As before, you can choose the Hybrid or the Energi version.  My tester, in this case, was the Hybrid, so all its electricity came from regenerative braking. Simply press the brake — or roll downhill — and the car charges its lithium-ion battery backup.

     That means you can drive in pure EV mode part of the time during commutes or short trips in town, but the car normally shifts automatically between the 2.0-liter engine and the electric motor, depending on driving conditions. The Energi model comes with a plug and a larger lithium-ion battery, so it acts like a pure EV more often, supplying that smooth, silent propulsion so welcome in EVs.

     The engine/motor combination is good for 188 combined horsepower and 129 lb.-ft. of torque, so the car moves along OK but you won’t be beating any other all-electric vehicle off the line.

     Hybrids help the gas engine work a lot less, so you get much better fuel economy. There is no gasoline-only C-MAX in the U.S. to compare it to, but the same drivetrain is used in the Ford Fusion. Comparing Fusions, the gas model earns 21 City, 31 Highway, and 25 Combined while the Hybrid model gets 43/41/42 respectively. That’s a significant difference.

     My Ruby Red Tinted Clearcoat tester’s official scores were 42 City, 38 Highway, 40 Overall. Emitting 222 grams of CO2 per mile, it’s essentially half a car, and gets a commendable 8 for Smog and 9 for Greenhouse Gas from the EPA.

     Years of experience can be a good thing. The bugs are worked out, some updates are applied, and everything’s familiar. The C-MAX, in the lower SE level trim, though, seems a little old now. It came with a metal key, which I had to take out of my pocket, insert into the ignition, and turn to start the car. That felt like grabbing a vinyl LP and dropping the needle down for some music. The center dash screen, although it has the latest (and much improved) Ford Sync interface, is very tiny, so what are usually four tabs on the touch screen are rendered as separate strips below the screen. Of course, there’s no keyless access from outside, so you need to take out the fob and press a button.

     Ford has moved its interior design language forward, but the C-MAX has the look of a 10-year-old model inside, with edgy, aggressive shapes that have been banished from newer models.

     You still get the tools you need to drive efficiently. The instrument panel lets you view your fuel use history, and provides three horizontal bars that tell you how well you’ve been driving for Acceleration, Braking and Cruising. You can also elect to view the Efficiency Leaves, which grow lush when you’re motoring cautiously and wither away when you press too hard on the accelerator.

     The left panel gives you choices of how you view the interplay between the engine and the motor, as well as a way of seeing whether your behavior is charging or discharging the battery. There’s also a Brake Coach, so you can learn how well you’re regenerating power. I scored 100 percent sometimes, which gave me some satisfaction. This data helps you learn to drive more efficiently, but you can apply the techniques in any car.

     Thanks to its efficient package, the C-MAX flaunts a driving range of more than 500 miles, a welcome benefit for long trips.

     The Ford C-MAX still provides an alternative to other hybrids, but there’s lots of competition now, including the stylish and trendy Kia Niro, among others. With a slew of fresh products on the way, Ford will be in great shape in this segment in the future. For now, The C-Max is a golden oldie.

CAPTION: With C-MAX Hybrid, the lithium-ion battery is recharged when the gasoline engine is in operation. Further, regenerative braking can recapture more than 90 percent of the braking energy that would otherwise be lost, using that power to help charge the battery.

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Tiguan Fares Well in a Full Field

BY STEVE SCHAEFER  •  SAN LEANDRO TIMES  •  07-27-17

     The numbers show that the fastest-growing segment of cars today is compact SUVs (crossovers). The Tiguan is Volkswagen’s hardy entry in that segment. The challenge is, it’s got 10 direct competitors.

     As a new 2018 Tiguan waits in the wings, the 2017 offers a slightly different flavor of ride compared to its most popular adversaries in the showroom. If you like the taut handling, straightforward design and distinctive charms of VW’s popular Golf hatchback and wagon and the Jetta sedan, you should like this way of joining the world of compact SUVs.

     Compared to the leading model, the Honda CR-V, the Tiguan is about six inches shorter nose to tail, on a 2.2-inch shorter wheelbase. It also provides less cargo room — a max of 56.1 cubic feet versus the CR-V’s 75.8. But that’s not the point here.

     The Tiguan is a different animal, despite its similar shape and segment. Four trim levels comprise the base S, Wolfsburg, Sport and SEL trim levels. Every level flaunts a 200-horsepower turbocharged four-cylinder engine, with 207 lb.-ft. of torque. That beats the Honda’s 184/190 ratings.

     The driving feel is sporty, too, with a six-speed Tiptronic automatic with a Sport mode and dynamic shift program. The Sport mode shifts gears at higher revs, for more fun. No manual these days, though, if you were hoping for one.

     If you crave even more entertainment, the Tiguan Sport comes with a firmer sport-tuned suspension with 18-inch “Mallory” wheels and lower-profile tires. Move up to the SEL model and you can have 19-inch “Savannah” wheels, leather upholstery, automatic climate control, and lots of other stuff.

     The Tiguan acquits itself well on light off-roading with the optional 4Motion all-wheel-drive system. It’s one of those automatic systems that distributes torque where it’s needed without you having to push a button or pull a lever. My Pacific Blue Metallic S model test vehicle didn’t have AWD, but for sunny climates it’s probably not necessary — and skipping it saves you money at purchase time.

     Fuel economy numbers are decent for a 3,448-pound crossover, at 20 City, 24 Highway, and 22 Combined. Green ratings are midrange 6 for Smog and 5 for Greenhouse Gas. I averaged 24.1 mpg.

     With new car styling going edgy and complicated, the interior of the Tiguan is refreshingly simple. My tester had supportive and attractive black leatherette seats. The mostly dark cabin is relieved by silvery accents spread around. Eight little circle vents are distributed in stacked pairs across the dash. It’s all plastic, of course, but it’s sturdy and well finished plastic. The door panels angle down, incorporating grip handles and window controls.

     In my S model, the temperature settings were manual, but they aren’t when you move up a level or two. You do get leather on the wheel that tones in with the leatherette seats. The shifter, although it’s an automatic, looks like a manual lever.

     Although the Tiguan is late in its design cycle, it still has an appealing VW quality to it and has the latest technology, including VW Car-Net Security and Service. The basic package lets you access your car through a webpage or your smart phone. There are additional optional features you can add for things like Automatic Crash Notification, which notifies an operator who can contact first responders in case you’re in an accident. Car-Net can unlock your car remotely and supply vehicle information as well. If you’ve heard of GM’s OnStar, this is the VW version.

     It’s an international market these days, and the Tiguan, despite being assembled in Osnabruck, Germany, gets its transmission from Japan and its engine from Hungary. That is probably not meaningful, but now you know.

     Pricing is typical, ranging from $25,860 for the S to $35,365 for the full-boat SEL. Both prices include destination charge.

     If you want your Tiguan right now, you can probably pick up a smokin’ deal on remaining ’17s. The all-new second-generation 2018 model is arriving soon, and is specifically aimed at the American market. It picks up VW’s sharper-edged styling, as seen on the latest Golf. More importantly, it adds 10.6 inches in length and has up to 58 percent more cargo space. And, you can get third-row seating on some models, which certainly helps it match up with the CR-V, Toyota RAV4, and Nissan Rogue, among others.

     There’s more. The updated 2.0-liter engine gains an 8-speed automatic for more efficient driving. The VW Car-Net system receives more options, and the optional 4Motion all-wheel drive system adds some useful preconfigured settings for specific off-road conditions.

     Volkswagen builds and sells a wide range of cars around the world, and would like you to remember that. The Tiguan offers an alternative to the popular Japanese, Korean, and American small crossovers.

CAPTION: The 2017 Volkswagen Tiguan combines the style and sophistication of a sporty, urban compact SUV that caters to an active lifestyle.

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Kia Cadenza Hits a Higher Note

BY STEVE SCHAEFER  •  SAN LEANDRO TIMES  •  07-20-17

     Kia, like a brand chasing success, has diversified over the years. In 2013, the Korean brand introduced the Cadenza in the United States — a large sedan with big intentions.

     Kia and Hyundai are siblings, so you’d expect the Cadenza would be part of the other brand, with a musical name that syncs up with the Sonata, but the new full-size Cadenza is actually a generous step up from the Optima, its popular midsize entry.

     There are many good reasons to step up to the Cadenza. Significantly refreshed styling starts with a handsome face, featuring the tiger nose grille. The second-generation Cadenza benefits from being based on Chief Design Officer Peter Schreyer’s signature philosophy of “the simplicity of the straight line,” a view that positively influenced Audi design for years. This new car was styled at Kia’s California design studio, with American tastes in mind.

     Lower and upper trim models receive different grille textures, so you can keep up with the Joneses more precisely. The face on my test car, a Limited top-level model, wore the “Intaglio” grille, which looked, in its concave glory, a little like the latest Volvos. The lower-level grille is called “Diamond Butterfly, which sounds like a 1960’s rock band. My Limited flaunted 19-inch Dark Satin Alloy wheels for a trendy look, especially against Snow White Pearl paint.

     This large sedan offers 107.8 cubic feet of comfort and convenience versus 104.8 cubic feet for the large-midsize Optima. It also stretches 4.6 inches longer. It’s slightly wider and lower than its predecessor. Other dimensions are similar to the Optima, so the real difference, beyond plushness, lives under the sculpted hood.

     While Optimas offer three levels of four-cylinder power, ranging from the 2.4-liter, 185-horsepower standard engine to the 2.0-liter, 245-horsepower turbo, all Cadenzas boast a 3.3-liter V6 with 290 horsepower and 253 lb.-ft. of torque. Power flows through an eight-speed automatic, with sixth a perfect 1:1 ratio and gears 7 and 8 overdrives, for higher economy and enhanced quiet on the highway.

     The EPA has bestowed ratings of 20 City, 28 Highway, and 23 Combined on the Cadenza. I achieved an average of 21.3 mpg. Green scores are 6 for Smog and 5 for Greenhouse Gas, typical for a 3,770-pound vehicle with a big V6.

     Part of presenting yourself as a near-luxury car is in the trimmings, and the 2017 Cadenza offers plenty, especially in Limited trim. My tester featured a stunning White Interior Package, including Nappa leather in an appealing quilted design on the bolsters. Accented in black, it pops to the eye, and my chair was supremely comfortable. The suede headliner felt premium, too. The center-mounted analog clock featured white numerals on black to fit right into the design.

     Much of what separates upper-level cars from regular ones is electronic safety and entertainment equipment. While many cars have blind spot warning systems, the Cadenza’s new Smart Blind Spot Detection System can tell if you’re inadvertently drifting towards a vehicle next to you and brakes the opposite side front wheel to help you maintain a safe distance.

     Additional safety features include Advanced Smart Cruise Control with stop-and-go functionality, Forward Collision Warning, Autonomous Emergency Braking and Lane Departure Warning. How’s that for safety? There are now nine airbags, too, up from eight.

     One of my favorite new Kia/Hyundai features is Smart Trunk. Just walk up with the key in your pocket and in about three seconds, the trunk pops up automatically. I also like the power rear sunshade, which gives the car a luxurious feel.

     As you’d hope for in a significantly updated model, the Cadenza is simply better built. The company uses more than 50 percent Advanced High Strength Steel for a stiffer but lighter body structure. There’s more aluminum in there, too, for a lighter chassis. For a quieter ride experience, there’s much more insulation, including a full floorpan undercover, which not only mutes road noise but improves the car’s aerodynamics, too.

     The Cadenza rides with the smooth but firm feel of a Mercedes-Benz more than a bargain transport device. Extras like the head-up display with not only mph but turn-by-turn directions are a plus. And, with the Limited, you get the Harman Kardon 12-speaker, 630-watt audio system. Sometimes it was an effort to force myself to leave this mobile concert hall when I arrived at work in the morning.

     Choose from three levels — Premium, Technology and Limited. Prices start at $32,890 for the Premium and work up to $45,290 for the Limited like mine. My car came with no additional options, and didn’t seem to need them.

     While Kia isn’t widely known or considered as a builder of large, luxurious sedans, that could change once the word gets out on the new Cadenza.

CAPTION: The second-generation Cadenza boasts a stronger body structure and powertrain enhancements along with a more engaging driving experience than before.

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VW Makes Golf Alltrack Affordable

BY STEVE SCHAEFER  •  SAN LEANDRO TIMES  •  07-06-17

     For decades, the Volkswagen Golf came as a hatchback, with either two or four side doors. Its sibling, the Jetta sedan, was also offered in wagon form. Now, however, if you want a compact station wagon from the German giant, it wears the Golf nameplate, while Jettas are sedans only.

     The Alltrack is a new variant, standing slightly taller, with an additional .06 inch of ground clearance. Featuring Volkswagen’s 4Motion all-wheel drive, it slots in just above a wagon and just below a crossover, making it ideal for nearly everything a driver could want. With 94.3 cubic feet of passenger volume and 30.4 cubic feet of cargo space, the new Alltrack exudes practicality.

     Does this all sound familiar? The Alltrack is a direct shot at a very successful competitor, the company that invented the tall wagon — Subaru. “Alltrack” sounds a lot like “Outback,” doesn’t it?

     Anything that distracts prospective customers’ attention away from the Diesel emissions cheating scandal is a win for consumers and for VW’s management, and the Golf story, including the Alltrack, is a happy tale. Since 1975, the Golf has meant affordable, practical performance worldwide.

     The new design is conservative and somewhat subdued, but there is no overdoing it either, a relief in this era of exuberant overstyling. Inside and out, the Alltrack looks well thought out and confident.

     Inside, this is not a luxury vehicle, especially in the S level trim of my Blue Silk Metallic test vehicle. Step up to the SE and SEL for a host of welcome upgrades, but even at the entry point, you’ll touch leather when you steer and shift gears. My tester wore pretty blue paint, but inside, was mostly somber gray with silver accents. The Marrakesh Brown trim on the seats and doors provided some warmth, and the metal pedals added some sparkle down low up front.

     Minor complaints: the power window buttons had hard edges, and the surprisingly sturdy rear cargo cover balked when I tried to remove it.

     The Alltrack is a member of a shrinking pool of rides that let you select your own gears while stepping on a clutch with your left foot. However, early production is automatic-only, so my tester came with the DSG double-clutch unit instead of the six-speed stick.

     Automatics are all pretty sophisticated these days. The DSG uses two clutches — one for gears 1, 3 and 5, and the other for 2, 4 and 6. This means the next gear is already set up when it’s time for the change, so shifts are nearly instant. I experienced a little lurching forward on occasion, but otherwise the DSG was well mannered. However, if you must have the manual, you’ll just have to wait a while.

     Off-Road Mode, standard on all trim levels, lets you take mild offroad jaunts on a variety of terrains, including driving down steep grades.

     The sole powerplant for the Alltrack is the 1.8L turbo, shared with the regular Golf and Sportwagen. It churns out 170 horsepower and 199 lb.-ft. of torque to move 3,422 pounds, which is decent if not rocket fast. Four-wheel independent suspension keeps things sorted out.

     The EPA gives the Alltrack with 4Motion ratings of 22 mpg City, 30 Highway, and 25 Combined. You get the same numbers if you select the more restrained and closer-to-the-earth Sportwagen. I averaged a respectable 25.2 mpg during my test week, which is an OK number but nothing to get excited about. Green scores are a fine 8 for Smog but a midpack 5 for Greenhouse Gas.

     The S model makes the Alltrack quite affordable, but I missed certain things. The key is just a regular plastic-wrapped metal item that you stick into an ignition switch and turn, which feels kind of retro in 2017. That explains why there’s no button on the outside door handle to let you into the car — you need to take the key out and press a button on it. The climate controls are manual, too, which isn’t really that big a deal but feels cut-rate.

     But don’t despair. The SE and SEL are glad to provide the extra goodies. My tester, with no options, came to just $27,770 including shipping. The SEL top level will set you back $33,770. You’ll enjoy a panoramic sunroof, Fender Premium Audio, and keyless entry in the SE. Step up to the SEL for 18-inch wheels (replacing 17s), V-Tex leatherette seats, and Discover Media touchscreen navigation.

     The Jetta wagon has many fans, and its successor is the new, much improved Golf Sportwagen and Alltrack. If you want the safety of all-wheel drive, the practicality of a small wagon and some extra driving enjoyment, the Alltrack could be a fine and affordable choice. Subaru would probably prefer that you didn’t know that.

CAPTION: Specially alloyed high-strength steel is used in certain exterior body panels to help enhance the sturdiness of the 2017 Volkswagen Golf Alltrack.

Kids Benefit from Yoga — Mind, Body and Soul

BY SUSAN GREEN  •  SPECIAL TO THE TIMES  •  08-24-17

     Yoga has been around for thousands of years. In Sanskrit, the ancient language of India, the word “Yoga” translates to mean “Union” or “Connection.” Practicing yoga helps to connect mind, body and soul, and improve overall health.

     It’s estimated that about 40 million people practice yoga in the U.S. today. If you’re one of them, you’ve likely experienced the many benefits yoga offers; improvement in strength, flexibility and balance, calmer nerves, more mental clarity, deeper mind-body connection and overall better health.

     With our busy, often chaotic and sometimes stressful lives, it’s no wonder yoga participation is on the rise.

     But, it’s not just adults benefiting from yoga. Kids are jumping onto the mat as well.

     While today’s preschoolers may not have what we would consider to be a demanding daily agenda, they do have a lot to learn and process. They also tend to vicariously experience the fast-paced chaos of their parents’ schedules and demands.

     By school age, kids have their own busy days filled with school, socializing, peer pressure, homework, after-school sports and activities, and technology. Many parents, knowing their children are under pressure and over-stimulated, seek ways to help their kids reduce stress, improve focus and simply be more fit. Kids’ yoga classes can offer a great many benefits for mind, body and soul.

     For the mind, yoga helps relieve stress and tension, strengthen focus, improve thinking, memory and listening skills, and helps balance energy (high or low).

     Yoga is wonderful for kids’ bodies! They will become stronger and more flexible, improve balance and coordination, strengthen their nervous system, experience better sports performance, and feel more relaxed.

     Yoga touches a child’s soul by building confidence, self-esteem and self-love. It teaches team skills, inspires respect for others, and encourages gratitude.

     If you’re trying to imagine a room full of children doing a traditional yoga class, let me set your mind at ease. Kids’ yoga classes are designed to be age appropriate and engaging.

     Younger kids are immersed in imaginary play — joyfully embodying favorite animals and the environment, playing games, and embarking on exciting adventures.

     Older kids learn yoga poses and anatomy, practice partner poses and create together, play games, share, express though art, while exploring concepts like honesty, patience, kindness, mindfulness, gratitude and self-love.

     All classes are taught in a non-competitive environment with a clear focus on love, acceptance and validation. We end with relaxation time where we practice allowing our bodies and minds to be still, and close with the Sanskrit word, “Namaste”— a way to honor each other.

     Yoga for Kids 3-7 or 8-12 classes are offered through HARD (Hayward Area Rec District). Fall sessions begin Sept. 7 and Oct. 26.

     Register online at www.haywardrec.org. Call 510-881-6700 for more information.

     Susan Green is a Registered Yoga Teacher and Certified Integrative Nutrition Coach. She holds certifications through The Institute for Integrative Nutrition, American Council on Exercise, YogaFit Kids, It’s Yoga Kids and Yoga for the Special Child. Contact her at claritywithsusan@gmail.com or claritywithsusan.com.

CAPTION: Kids’ yoga classes can help relieve stress, improve balance and coordination, and build confidence.

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Learn How to Combat Cancer-related Fatigue

BY JOANNE SEXTON  •  SPECIAL TO THE TIMES  •  08-24-17

     If you are fighting cancer, chances are you’re also fighting fatigue — the most common side effect of cancer treatment. It can make everyday activities difficult.

     Cancer-related fatigue, is different from fatigue of daily life because it persists and often doesn’t get better even after rest.

     According to the American Cancer Society (ACS), cancer-related fatigue can:

     • Affect you differently from one day to the next

     • Be overwhelming and make it hard for you to feel well

     • Make it hard for you to be with friends and family

     • Make normal activities difficult

     • Make it harder for you to follow your cancer treatment plan

     “People feel wiped out and don’t know what to attribute it to” says Kimberly Thompson, BS Kinesiology, ACS Certified Cancer Exercise Trainer. “Cancer-related fatigue is very real and there are self-care strategies that can reduce it and help people cope.”

     Thompson is scheduled to share those strategies during a free public workshop titled “Combating Cancer Related Fatigue” from 6 to 8 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 13, at Eden Medical Center, Medical Office Building, 2nd Floor, 20101 Lake Chabot Road, in Castro Valley.

     The workshop will begin with a discussion about stress and how it effects human physiology. Participants will then be led through very basic stretches, self-massage, breath work techniques and mindfulness practices for restoring energy reserves.

     “I want for people to walk away with simple tools to deal with stress, fatigue and sleep disturbances” says Thompson. “The practices I teach have strong evidence that support their value to anyone with cancer, regardless of type or stage, and are beneficial to all age groups.

     Thompson has worked with the Cancer Survivorship Program of Stanford Valley Care since 2013 and has partnered with Cancer Support Community, San Francisco Bay Area chapter.

     This workshop is different from a support group. It will focus on teaching participants about cancer-related fatigue, techniques to reduce it and cope with it. You will learn:

     Caregivers are also welcome, and all are encouraged to register by calling 925-933-0107.

     Finally, this workshop will connect participants to community resources, including: Eden Medical Center’s Cancer Support Group, held on the 1st and 3rd Wednesday each month from 6 to 8 pm., and Oncology Rehabilitation Program.

     For information or to schedule an appointment, contact Eden Medical Center’s Outpatient Rehab Facility at 510-727-2800.

     Joanne Sexton is Manager of the Tumor Registry and Cancer Data Services at Eden Medical Center.

Stop Junk Mail

BY JIM MILLER  •  SPECIAL TO THE TIMES  •  08-17-17

Q: My elderly father gets over 100 pieces of junk mail every week, and I just discovered that he’s given away nearly $5,000 over the past few months to many of the solicitors that mail him this junk. Can you offer any tips on how I can stop this?

A: Millions of older Americans get bombarded with unwanted junk mail these days, including “mail fraud” schemes that you and your dad need to be particularly careful of. Here are some tips that may help.

• Mail Fraud Alert

     While junk mail comes in many different forms — credit card applications, sweepstakes entries, magazine offers, coupon mailers, donation requests, political fliers, catalogs and more — the most troublesome type is mail fraud, which comes from con artists who are only trying to take your money.

     Mail fraud can be tricky to detect because there are many different types of schemes out there that may seem legitimate.

     Some of the most common mail scams targeting seniors today are phony sweepstakes, foreign lotteries, free prize or vacation scams, fake checks (see FakeChecks.org), donation requests from charities or government agencies that don’t exist, get-rich chain letters, work-at-home schemes, inheritance and investment scams, and many more.

     If your dad is getting any type of junk mail that is asking for money in exchange for free gifts or winnings, or if he’s receiving checks that require him to wire money, you need to call the U.S. Postal Inspector Service at 877-876-2455 and report it, and then throw it away.

     Unfortunately, once a person gets on these mail fraud lists, also known as “suckers lists,” it’s very difficult to get off. That’s because these criminals regularly trade and sell mailing lists of people who they believe to be susceptible to fraud, and they won’t remove a name when you request it.

     Knowing this, a good first step to help protect your dad is to alert him to the different kinds of mail fraud and what to watch for. The U.S. Postal Inspection Service can help you with this. They offer a list of the different mail fraud schemes at PostalInspectors.uspis.gov.

     Another option is to see if your dad would be willing to let you sort through his mail before he opens it so you can weed out the junk. You may want to have the post office forward his mail directly to you to ensure this.  

     If your dad feels compelled to donate to certain charities, ask him to let you check them out first to make sure they’re legitimate. You can do this at charity watchdog sites like CharityNavigator.org and Give.org.

• Reduce Junk Mail

     While scam artists aren’t likely to take your dad’s name off their mailing lists, most legitimate mail-order businesses will.

     To do this, start with the Direct Marketing Association, which offers a consumer opt-out service at DMAchoice.org. This won’t eliminate all his junk mail, but it will reduce it. The opt-out service is $2 for 10 years if you register online, or $3 by mail.

     Then, to put a stop to the credit card and insurance offers he gets, call the consumer credit reporting industry opt-out service at 888-567-8688, and follow the automated prompts to opt him out for either five years or permanently.

     Be prepared to give his Social Security number and date of birth. You can also do this online at OptOutPrescreen.com. If you choose the permanent opt-out, you’ll have to send a form in the mail.

     You should also make sure your dad’s home and cell phone numbers are registered with the National Do Not Call Registry (DoNotCall.gov, 888-382-1222), to help cut down on telemarketing calls.

     Send your senior questions to: Savvy Senior, P.O. Box 5443, Norman, OK 73070, or visit SavvySenior.org. Jim Miller is a contributor to the NBC Today show and author of “The Savvy Senior” book.

CAPTION: Unfortunately, once a person gets on these mail fraud lists, also known as “suckers lists,” it’s very difficult to get off.

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A New Law Protects Widowed Homeowners

BY GENE L. OSOFSKY, ESQ.  •  SPECIAL TO THE TIMES  •  08-17-17

Q: I hear there is a new law which protects widows from losing their homes in foreclosure when a spouse dies. Do you know anything about that?

A: Yes. I believe you refer to the “Survivor Bill Of Rights” (SB 1150), effective  January 1, 2017.  

     SB 1150 now imposes certain responsibilities upon a mortgage lender when the borrower dies and leaves a surviving homeowner who is not on the loan. This situation could easily occur, for example, where a borrower remarries after taking out the loan.

     The survivor in these cases is most often a senior, and usually a woman who must now struggle to make mortgage payments without the income of her spouse.

     Under prior law, mortgage lenders often took the position that a non-borrowing spouse or child had no right to even receive information about the decedent’s loan, and no right to apply for a loan modification to enable them to keep the home. As a result, many homes were lost through foreclosure.

     Under SB 1150, the law now extends to the surviving, non-borrowing homeowner the same rights that the borrower had under pre-existing law, known as the “Homeowner Bill Of Rights”, which protects the borrower’s own right to secure loan information and to apply for a loan modification where necessary.

     Previously, some lenders took the Catch-22 position with non-borrower survivors that they would not even consider a loan modification until the loan was first brought current, which itself was often impossible without the corresponding opportunity to arrange a loan modification.

     Some lenders even proceeded with foreclosure proceedings while the non-borrowing family member was attempting a rescue of the home loan.

     SB 1150 now requires mortgage lenders to provide relevant loan information about the status of the loan to the deceased borrower’s “successors in interest,” to afford the successors a reasonable opportunity to apply to assume the loan and/or for a loan modification, and to delay foreclosure proceedings while this process is underway.

     A “successor in interest” is defined as a surviving spouse, domestic partner, joint tenant, parent, grandparent, adult child, adult grandchild, or adult sibling who occupied the property as their principal residence within the six months prior to the borrower’s death, and who can demonstrate that they have an ownership interest in the home.

     This list would also appear to include the decedent’s executor, successor trustee, beneficiaries and heirs, although there is ambiguity in the statute.

     Significantly, the new law does not impose upon the lender an affirmative obligation to actually grant the requested loan modification. It only requires that the lender provide relevant information about the loan and afford the decedent’s successor(s) a reasonable opportunity to qualify for foreclosure prevention alternatives offered by the lender, subject to its credit guidelines.

     It also prevents the lender from proceeding with a foreclosure while the application is pending.

     SB 1150 only applies to first deeds of trust secured by owner-occupied residential real property containing up to four (4) dwelling units, and does not apply to Reverse Mortgages. Even though so limited, the new law can be a lifesaver for surviving family members who would otherwise be unable to even secure loan information necessary to enable them to apply for a loan modification to save their home.

     For more information on this new law, go to SurvivorBillofRights.org/. For advocacy assistance, visit Housing and Economic Rights Advocates at www.heraca.org or call 510-271-8443.

     Gene L. Osofsky is an elder law and estate planning attorney in Hayward. Visit his website at www.LawyerForSeniors.com.  

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Get Your Child Ready for School

BY CATHY MALONE  •  SPECIAL TO THE TIMES  •  08-10-17

     As the days of summer become shorter and vacation draws to a close, the time has come to put away the beach bag and break out the back packs.  

     Back-to-School time can be very intimidating for some children, who become filled with anxiety over changing teachers, grades and friends.

     It’s important to give your kids every opportunity to feel confident and prepared for the new school year. This involves more than buying them back-to-school supplies. The University of Phoenix offers these tips to help your child get excited to go back to school:

     1. Create a Positive Attitude About Going Back to School. Talk to your children about their feelings surrounding going back to school. Encourage them to focus on the positive aspects of a new year, like seeing their friends, meeting their new teacher, and learning new subjects.

     2. Start the School Schedule Early. Begin the morning and evening school routine at least a week before school starts.

     3. Visit the School. Visit your new classroom and play on the playground to help children feel comfortable in the environment.

     4. Create a Calendar. Create a calendar together that highlights bed time, school hours, after school activities and play times.

     5. Set Goals for the School Year. Talk with your child about what they want to accomplish this school year. Creating a goal board can motivate them to stay on track.  

     6. Back to School Shopping. Make it fun! Let them cross their school supplies off the list and help pick out a new outfit.

     7. Back to School Activities. Find out about back-to-school activities or events, such as Back to School night or sporting events and participate as a family.

     8. irst Day of School Ritual. This can include taking pictures of them on the front lawn before they leave for school or making them their breakfast of choice.

     Cathy Malone is an educator and University of Phoenix instructor.

CAPTION: Help your child develop a set of goals that they want to accomplish this school year and motivate them to stay on track.

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Childhood Trauma Occurs More Often Than You Think

SPECIAL TO THE TIMES  •  08-10-17

     Traumatic experiences happen — but when they happen to children, it can affect their view of the world, their sense of safety, their development, and even their longer-term physical and mental health.

     According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, more than two-thirds of children reported at least one traumatic experience by age 16.

     While not every child will be traumatized from a difficult experience, some potentially traumatic events could include abuse, neglect, disaster, violence (physical, sexual and community), bullying or school violence, terrorism, war, serious illness or accident, military family–related stress, human trafficking or the sudden loss of a parent or loved one.

     The numbers are staggering:

     • One in four high school students were in a physical fight.

     • One in five high school students experienced school bullying, and one in six were cyberbullied.

     • 54 percent of families in the United States have been affected by disaster.

     • 19 percent of injured and 12 percent of physically ill youth have post-traumatic stress disorder, a debilitating mental health disorder.

     The effects of trauma, when left untreated, can have a profound impact on a child. Some of the common responses in the aftermath include difficulty sleeping, isolation, trouble focusing, and even angry and aggressive behavior.

     Imagine, then, a traumatized child trying to learn in a classroom—wanting to be alone, distracted by memories of the trauma, and possibly having intense responses to teachers and students.

     It is important to understand what may stem from the trauma so that behavior shifts can be linked with what happened and appropriate support can be in place. If that doesn’t happen, school performance, friendships and healthy development can be jeopardized.

Trauma Left Unaddressed

     At times, signs that a mental health concern may be emerging go unrecognized. For some children and families, it can be difficult to reach out for help with mental health. In part, this could be because traumatic experiences can be viewed as something to get through and forget about and are not given the same level of attention as a physical injury.

     However, the seriousness of traumatic experiences is shifting as more and more people recognize that getting help for traumatic experiences is essential for living a healthy, productive and long life.

     Between 1995 and 1997, a study conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention revealed that for people who have five or more adverse childhood experiences, their life span was shortened by approximately 25 years.

     This is believed to be largely due to coping behaviors that are often used in adolescents and adult life to manage the emotional pain and social disconnection, but can compromise health.

     The study is just one of many examples that demonstrate the importance of prevention and action. When prevention efforts fail, responding quickly to ensure safety and establish support is very important to the health and future of children.

What You Can Do

     While every child is different, there are some things you can do to help in the aftermath of trauma.

     Assuring and reassuring the child of safety will help to reduce anxiety and stress. Make sure the child knows that whatever happened isn’t his or her fault, as kids often blame themselves when something completely out of their control takes place.

     Being patient and listening without judgment will help the child to cope with what has happened, while giving you important insight into how the child is doing and managing what took place.

     And if you have concerns for your child’s well-being or he/she is not improving over time, consider seeking help from a trained professional. When needed, a mental health professional trained in evidence-based trauma treatment can help children and families cope and move toward recovery. Ask your pediatrician, family physician, school counselor or clergy member for a referral.

     Some practical tools that can be helpful to parents, guardians, caregivers and teachers when a child may have been traumatized—and some that are specific to the kind of traumatic exposure (e.g., mass violence, disaster and bullying) can be found at www.samhsa.gov/child-trauma/understanding-child-trauma.

     Children exposed to trauma may have been a target of bullying or their behaviors may make them targets of bullying.

     Information specific to the trauma or distress associated with bullying can be found at www.StopBullying.gov.

— North American Precis Synd., Inc.

CAPTION: Prompt and proper intervention can help save children from some of the serious effects of childhood trauma.

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Tell Kids: Get Out and Play!

SPECIAL TO THE TIMES  •  08-10-17

     The next time you tell your children to stop playing and hit the books, you may want to think again.

     The Genius of Play, a movement to bring more play into kids’ lives, wants you to know that playtime is critical to healthy child development. Through play, kids build physical skills, improve cognitive abilities, learn communication and social skills, process and express emotions, and increase creativity.

     Parenting expert and author Meredith Sinclair, M.Ed., offers four fun tips to help parents encourage more playtime every day.

     • Look for opportunities to make chores or activities you already do with your kids more playful. For example, grocery shopping can be a great chance to play “I Spy,” or you can make flash card drawings of items you want your child to help you find. When you’re doing the laundry, have your child roll the socks and make it a basketball ­challenge.

     • Create a simple “Pops of Playfulness” jar for those moments when there’s “nothing to do.” Fill a mason jar with slips of paper that say such things as “tell us your best joke,” “pillow fight!” or “five-minute puppet show.” Whenever you need a spontaneous spark of playfulness, simply pull one from the jar and jump in.

     • Make a time for a playdate. Whether it’s playing with friends or family, playdates are an important part of childhood—a time when your children can learn to resolve problems and hone their social skills.

     • Check out nearby parks and playgrounds. They can be great places for your kids to make new friends and learn about other cultures. Don’t worry about language barriers. The language of play is universal.

     Research shows that play is essential for kids to reach developmental milestones and learn. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends children spend 60 minutes daily engaged in open-ended, unstructured play.

     Here are three amazing facts about play:

     1. Play enhances the progress of early development from 33 percent to 67 percent by improving language and reducing social and emotional problems.

     2. Children with access to a variety of toys were found to reach higher levels of intellectual achievement, regardless of the children’s sex, race or social class.

     3. Research points to a direct correlation between play and stress reduction.

It’s Child’s Play: Great Ideas and Resources for Parents

     Parents and other caretakers can get expert advice, play tips and ideas based on their children’s ages and developmental stages from www.thegeniusofplay.org.

     Created with the mission to help raise happier, healthier and more successful generations through the power of play, the Genius of Play website and social media channels show how to help kids build confidence, creativity, critical thinking and other skills that will serve them throughout their lives.

— North American Precis Synd., Inc.

CAPTION: Through play, kids build physical skills, improve cognitive abilities, learn communication and social skills, process and express emotions, and increase creativity.

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Be Smart When School Supply Shopping

SPECIAL TO THE TIMES  •  08-10-17

     If yours is like most American families with kids in school, you’ll spend over $600 on clothes, shoes, supplies and electronics this year.

     Total U.S. spending on back-to-school is expected to be about $27 billion, reports the National Retail Federation.

Smart Supply Shopping

     Here are a few hints to help you get the most for your money.

     • First, shop at home. Look through desks, drawers and closets. Chances are, some of the stuff your kids got last year can still be used this year.

     • Also, before you shop, try to find out which supplies the school requires. Depending on your child’s grade, this will probably include pens, pencils, markers, highlighters, erasers, rulers, notebooks, loose-leaf paper, binders, calculators, and art supplies. Also, a backpack to put it all in. Look for one with reflective material, a padded back and multiple compartments.

     • Next, consider electronics. A laptop or a tablet might be a good idea; which device depends in part on whether it’s for productivity or for consumption. Tablets are typically used to browse, watch and consume content. A laptop is used to create and produce, though there is some crossover.

     Make sure your child understands the school’s policy on Internet use and communication and reinforce it at home. You should also see if the school provides any electronic equipment. If, say, tablets are used in the classroom you may want to get the same kind for use at home, or a laptop that’s completely different.

     Consider getting accidental damage insurance. As AVG security analyst Tony Anscombe points out, kids tend to drop or damage stuff. You should also protect the device from hacking and viruses. One good way to do so is with one of three protection packages from AVG.

     AntiVirus Free — which is free — offers AntiVirus to help protect against viruses, spyware and other malware; Link Protection to scan Web, Twitter and Facebook links; and Email Protection to warn of malicious attachments.

     For a bit more, there’s an AntiVirus that does all that plus protects against harmful downloads with Online Shield; encrypts and password-protects private files with Data Safe; and provides automatic security updates.

     For a little more, you can also get Anti-Spam to keep your in-box free of spam and scams and an enhanced firewall so your kid can browse online with greater safety.

     Whatever device you get, make sure your kids understand one core principle: If you wouldn’t say it off-line, don’t say it online.

     For further facts on online security, go to www.avg.com.

— North American Precis Synd., Inc.

CAPTION: Through play, kids build physical skills, improve cognitive abilities, learn communication and social skills, process and express emotions, and increase creativity.

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Teach Your Child Healthy Habits

SPECIAL TO THE TIMES  •  08-10-17

     If you’re like most parents, you work hard to make sure your children eat their veggies, brush their teeth and always say “please” and “thank you,” but one important habit is often forgotten.

     Experts advise parents to teach children the importance of smiling. Smiling can positively affect you and the people around you, and lower stress, which should improve your child’s quality of life.

What You Can Do

     Here’s a look at a few of the habits that can be crucial to ensuring children enjoy a healthy lifestyle:

     1. Setting a regular bedtime: According to the National Sleep Foundation, children need at least 10 to 12 hours of sleep.

     By the age of 2, children have spent more time asleep than awake. Why is this? Sleep is vital to children’s development and lets them be alert, fresh and ready to learn every day.

     While bedtime tantrums can be frustrating, they may well be an indicator that your child needs sleep. Avoid active endeavors right before bed and replace them with 30 minutes of relaxing, quiet activities. This will encourage a healthy bedtime routine for kids and may help them to see the importance of a good night’s sleep.

     2. Keeping active: Encourage your children to play outside, join a team or take part in some other activity outside of school. This provides a great opportunity to meet and socialize with other kids they may not meet otherwise.

     Developing hobbies from a young age helps keep children busy and gives them a chance to learn beyond the classroom.

     3. Eating fruits and vegetables: Reinforcing a healthy diet will improve your children’s mood, health and even their smiles. Instilling a healthy diet early will create lifelong habits that will benefit your child for years to come.

     4. Smiling more often: Teach your child the importance of proactive oral care to ensure fewer trips to the dentist and a bright, healthy smile for life. Getting your children to brush and floss twice a day may not be easy, but parents can ensure their kids have a complete oral care routine by using Gum’s suite of toothbrushes, toothpaste and flossers for kids featuring popular themes such as Crayola, Power Rangers, Dragons and Lalaloopsy.

     The new kid’s toothpaste collection lets kids add color to their brushing routine. You can find your child’s favorite colorful toothpaste, toothbrushes and flossers in retailers such as Target and online at www.gumbrand.com.

     5. Reading for pleasure: Encourage your kids to take a break from video games, social media and other distracting forms of technology and pick up a book instead. Reading for pleasure will help expand your children’s imagination and develop their reading skills. Once their homework is complete, designate a daily “screen-free” hour or make it a family activity by reading a chapter or two together before bed each night.

— StatePoint

CAPTION: Healthy kids are happy kids, and instilling the right daily habits in your children can help you get a lot more smiles from your family.

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Low-cost Plans Available to Seniors With Smartphones

BY JIM MILLER  •  SPECIAL TO THE TIMES  •  08-03-17

     There are several great low-cost deals for older smartphone users who are looking to save some money by paring down their bloated cell phone plan. Here are three good options to consider.

• Republic Wireless

     If you’re an Android smartphone user, Republic Wireless (RepublicWireless.com) offers one of the cheapest deals available for light data users.

     Republic uses a mixture of Wi-Fi and cellular networks — Sprint and T-Mobile specifically — to transmit calls, texts and data. This patented technology automatically offloads as much as possible to WiFi when available, so you’ll consume less data than you would with traditional carriers.

     Republic’s no-contract service plans with cellular data start at only $20 per month for unlimited talk, text and 1 gigabyte (GB) of data. If you need more data, their $30 per month plan gets you 2GB, and $45/month buys you 4GB.

     How much data do you need? The best way to find out is to check your current phone bills. The average smartphone owner uses between 2GB to 3GB of data each month, but most older smartphone users use less than 1GB.

     To use Republic you’ll need a compatible Android phone (you can’t currently use Apple iPhones), or you can buy a new phone through the company. It currently offers eight Android phones with prices starting at $99.

• Consumer Cellular

     Another excellent low-cost option for lighter data users, and one that caters to older adults is Consumer Cellular (ConsumerCellular.com, 888-532-5366).

     Rated the number-one wireless service by Consumer Reports seven years running, Consumer Cellular offers a variety of “pay for what you need” talk-and-connect plans that let you choose exactly what you want.

     Their talk plans start at $10 per month plus 25 cents per minute used for infrequent callers, or $15/month for 250 minutes, $20/month for 1,500 minutes, and $30/month for unlimited minutes.

     And their connect plans for text messages and cellular data run $2.50 per month for 300 texts and 30 megabytes (MB) of data, $5/month for 2,000 texts and 200MB of data, $10/month for unlimited texts and 500MB, $20/month for unlimited texts and 1.5GB, $30/month for unlimited texts and 3GB, and $40/month for unlimited texts and 5GB.

     Consumer Cellular, which offers 5 percent monthly fee discounts to AARP members, also lets you bring your own smartphone by offering free SIM cards. Or, you can purchase a wide variety of Android and Apple iPhones along with the senior-friendly Doro 824 SmartEasy for $100.

• Lifeline Program

     If your income is low enough, another option to check into is the Lifeline Assistance Program. This is a federal program that provides a $9.25 monthly subsidy that could go towards your smartphone service.

     To qualify, you’ll need to show that your annual household income is at or below 135 percent of the Federal Poverty Guidelines — which is $16,281 for one person, or $21,924 for two. Or, that you’re receiving certain types of government benefits, such as Medicaid, food stamps, SSI, public housing assistance, veterans pension or survivor’s pension benefit, or live on federally recognized Tribal lands.

     To apply, contact a wireless provider in your area that participates in the Lifeline program. Visit LifelineSupport.org or call 800-234-9473, and ask for an application form.

     Be sure to check all wireless providers in your state because some offer better services — like a free smartphone, monthly talk-time minutes, unlimited texting and some cellular data — than others.

     Send your senior questions to: Savvy Senior, P.O. Box 5443, Norman, OK 73070, or visit SavvySenior.org.

CAPTION: There are many low-cost options for seniors who regularly use smartphones.

How Much Can We Leave to Our Children Free of Taxes?

BY GENE L. OSOFSKY, ESQ.  •  SPECIAL TO THE TIMES  •  08-03-17

Q: My wife and I were wondering how much we could leave to our children free of any gift or estate tax?

A: The answer may surprise you. A married couple can actually transfer to up to $10,980,000 to their children, free of any gift or estate tax (in 2017).

     You can either do so by either making lifetime gifts, or by leaving it to them as an inheritance. You can actually mix-and-match:  you can gift a portion of this exemption amount to them during your lifetimes by way of gifts, and the balance upon death by way of your will or trust.

     This comes as a surprise to many couples, who mistakenly believe that they are limited to gifts of $14,000 per year per child. Not so. The $14,000 per year Annual Exclusion Amount (“AEA”) is merely the amount that each of you may gift annually to as many individuals as you wish, without the need to file a gift tax return.  

     If you were so inclined, you and your wife could each make a $14,000 gift to every single person in your neighborhood without the need to file a single gift tax return!

     More realistically, married couples typically prefer to leave their assets to each other, first, and then to their children.

     Under tax laws signed by President Obama in 2010 and 2013, each person has an exemption from the federal estate tax of more than $5 million. This exemption adjusts each year based upon inflation.

     For an individual dying in 2017, that exemption is now $5,490,000.  If a married person dies without using his entire exemption, the unused portion may be timely claimed by his surviving spouse, who thereby preserves it for later use to combine with her own exemption.

     The deceased spouse’s unused portion is called the Deceased Spouse’s Unused Exclusion Amount (“DSUEA” for short).

     This transferability of the DSUEA to the surviving spouse is called “portability.” In essence, the unused portion of the first spouse’s exemption may be “ported,” or transferred, to the surviving spouse, assuming a timely election is made by the survivor.

     Example: Bob and Sue have an estate worth $9 million. Bob dies in 2017 and leaves everything to Sue. Everything passes to Sue without tax under the Unlimited Marital Deduction available to transfers between spouses. So Bob’s entire DSUEA is therefore unused.

     Sue’s CPA helps her make a timely election to claim Bob’s DSUEA by filing a Form 706 Estate Tax Return.  

     For simplicity, assume Sue also dies in 2017 and that her estate is then still worth $9 million. Her estate would then be entitled to all of Bob’s unused DSUEA, plus her own exemption, so she could then leave $5,490,000 + $5,490,000 = $10,980,000 to their children, estate tax free.

     This plan completely tax shelters the estate passing to their children. Caution: if Sue does not make a timely election to port Bob’s DSUEA, then the excess value of her estate above $5,490,000 would be subject to estate tax, at the very hefty rate of 40 percent, resulting in an estate tax of over $1.4 million.

     By combining your exemptions via a timely election after the first death, you and your wife can minimize, or even eliminate, estate tax for your children.

     Note: The ability to port over the DSUEA is more complicated if the survivor later remarries, but even then there are planning options to minimize tax.

     Gene L. Osofsky is an elder law and estate planning attorney in Hayward. Visit his website at www.LawyerForSeniors.com. 

LETTERS • 08-31-17

Says SL Cannot Handle Any More People in Homes or on the Road

Editor:

     For the past two years there has been numerous articles pertaining to the housing shortage in San Leandro. It puzzles me as to why this discussion is even occurring since the availability of land is scare in our city. San Leandro has been fully built since the 1970s.

     It’s time Bay Area governments recognize the abundant amount of land in the Dublin and Livermore area. Additionally, these undeveloped areas can manage the substantial amount of people that these new dwellings would need to occupy. San Leandro simply cannot handle additional people on the roads or living.

— Christopher Connolly, San Leando

No Ambiguity About What Was Intended by Noose on Truck

Editor:

     Last week’s image of a pickup truck parked at Pelton Center with a noose dangling over the tailgate was completely disturbing, particularly given that the front page story was about a peaceful candlelight vigil in solidarity with Charlottesville.

     Though the image was framed with uncertainty as to whether or not this was a racist act – headline: Racist Symbol in SL? — there can be no ambiguity about what was intended with this gesture. Nooses have turned up in public spaces all across the country with alarming frequency since the election, including in the Port of Oakland, at the National Museum of African American History & Culture, and at the United States Mint in Philadelphia, among many other sites, including schools and colleges.

     These incidents are being tracked alongside other hate crimes by a number of advocacy groups, including Southern Poverty Law Center.

     I hope that the truck’s license plate, though blurred in the photo, was turned over to the authorities. I also hope that the entire San Leandro community will join me in saying that we will not tolerate this kind of hateful display here.

— Christian L. Frock, San Leandro

Protesters’ Violence, Vandalism ‘Play into the Hands of Trump’

Editor:

     There is no moral equivalence between the views of neo-Nazis, Klansmen, and other white supremacists and the views of those who protest against them.

     Unfortunately, life is more complicated. Trump is right that there might have been some “good” people who, for historical purposes, want to preserve the statue of Robert E. Lee (a complicated person). Highly regarded, he became president of Washington College and his name was added after he died (Washington and Lee University). His influence discouraged guerrilla war and a begrudging acceptance of Blacks after the Confederacy’s surrender.

     Trump was right when he stated that some on the “left” at the protest were violent. Self-described anarchists were present. The “black block” committed violence and vandalism in protests in Berkeley and Oakland. Not only is this unacceptable, it plays into the hands of Trump, his supporters and flacks at Fox News.

     That said, the terms “hate speech and hate group(s),” are too euphemistic for me. Those associated with/sympathetic to the torch march in Charlottesville espouse Nazism, plain and simple. For them, the end game is a system of blind obedience to some sort of “leader,” supported by mindless conformity and bolstered by fear of a vague internal threat.

     Enemies are created and named. In Charlottesville, as in the past, Jews were called out. Added to them are Muslims with the “usual” racial hatreds/fears thrown into the mix. See Vice News Tonight’s (news.vice.com) interview with Christopher Cantwell.

     Many people in Trump’s “base” share these views. The House and Senate Republicans’ paltry reaction has a reason; they’re frozen by the fear of losing in primary elections. Although Trump has a 34 percent approval rating overall, among republicans it’s 79 percent approval. This can be a slippery slope. Have doubts? Watch the siren song, “Tomorrow Belongs To Me Cabaret” on YouTube.

— Jeff Sturm, San Leandro

Calls Trump ‘Brilliant’ in Condemning Both Sides in Virginia

Editor:

     A San Leandro loser is joining the losers of the Democratic Party , the never-Trumpers of the Republican Party, the Bushes, Lindsay Graham, Paul Ryan, Vietnam War criminal John McCain and the status quo to put his two pennies on Charlottesville. By the way, the ACLU defended the marchers right in court and they got the permit; the counter-marchers didn’t have a permit to be there but, then, we’ve already seen the double standard applied in states run by Democrats, like California.

     I don’t understand why Bryan Azevedo has to go to Charlottesville to identify “hate groups” when we’ve seen the attacks of the goons of Antifa, BAMN and other undesirables on people who attempted to hold political rallies in Berkeley, or at speaking events and, previously, on people attending Trump’s campaign rallies in many cities in California.

     For Azevedo, these must be “love groups.” Hypocrisy is a trait of the “progressives.”

     I’m sure that Bryan Azevedo didn’t write any letter condemning the assassination of five police officers in Dallas, Texas, carried out by a black criminal, amidst the “Black Lives Matter” riots, last year. “Hate groups”! “Racist, fascist, bigot, etc.” have become terms used to disqualify any opinion that doesn’t agree with political correctness.

     Donald Trump was brilliant in condemning “both sides,” which the politically correct crowd don’t want to hear. He was even more brilliant in asking if monuments to Washington and Jefferson are next to come down for, you know, they were big slave owners but, don’t stop there, Abraham Lincoln in Congress, as well as president, opposed equal rights.

     The truth is that the Civil War had very little to do with the liberation of the slaves; it was in the interest of the industrial North to consolidate the U.S. territory, in order to expand the power of the U.S. empire beyond its borders, as witness by the “Spanish-American” war, the occupation of many Latin American countries, the raid at Tokyo Bay that followed and it hasn’t reached its end yet. The losers of the last election don’t care about facts.

— Leo T. West, San Leandro

Thanks All Who Took a Stand Against Hate

Editor:

     I would like to thank everyone that came out to take a stand against hate! We showed that San Leandro is a community that sticks together and that we are a inclusive city that accepts all!!!

— Bryan Azevedo, San Leandro

Calls $400 Red Light Fine ‘Outrageous’

Editor:

     Mr. Clouston (“Red Light Cameras Said to Reduce ‘Most Dangerous Offenses’” Letters, Aug. 24) makes several egregious statements about violators of red light cameras.

     Firstly complainer complain because we “got caught.” You think all violators are intentional law-breakers? What about those who simply made a mistake and missed the light? $400 was our fine for my wife’s error.  She didn’t see it. Do not assume we want to break the law. That is insulting.

     And a $400 fine? That is outrageous. In America, punishment should fit the crime. I encourage all to fight these horrendous fines at court as judges routinely cut them by half.

     Your argument is not that you didn’t run the red light, but that it is too much to pay for such a mistake.  Mr. Clouston, have you ever cut someone off on the highway or made a driving mistake?  

     Where does this thought line stop? Ought we to put a camera on everything we do?  What about jaywalking or those who spit on the ground? What if I don’t brush my teeth today? I do not like where this is going.  

     I know there are those who drive with no thought of others and are reckless, but you lump those like my wife, who is a great driver, in with the lawless. Please don’t impugn us all that way.

     And tell us, please, what is your interest here? Do you sell these cameras, perchance?  

— Corey Anderson, San Leandro

Parents Need to Involve Schools in Promoting Healthier Meals

Editor:

     With the new school year upon us, parents turn their attention to school clothes, school supplies, and school food. Yes, school food!

     More than 31 million children rely on school meals for their daily nutrition, which too often consists of highly processed food laden with saturated fat. Not surprisingly, one-third of our children have become overweight or obese. Their early dietary flaws become lifelong addictions, raising their risk of diabetes, heart disease, and stroke.

     To compound the problem, the Trump administration has loosened Obama’s 2010 school lunch rules calling for whole grains, fat-free milk, and reduced salt content. The rules had an 86 percent approval rating.

     Fortunately, many U.S. school districts now offer vegetarian options. More than 120 schools, including the entire school districts of Baltimore, Boston, Buffalo, Detroit, Houston, Kansas City, Los Angeles, Oakland, Philadelphia, and San Diego have implemented Meatless Monday.

     As parents, we need to involve our own children and school cafeteria managers in promoting healthy, plant-based foods in our local schools.

     Entering “vegan options in schools” in a search engine provides lots of useful resources.

— Kurt Champler, San Leandro

Opposes Wisconsin-to-Canada Pipeline

Editor:

     I urge the oil company to end its attempt to build the Enbridge’s Line 3 Pipeline which will stretch from Wisconsin to Alberta, Canada.  If approved, that pipeline will destroy the way of life of the Ojibwe people who live in these areas. It will go through their waterways which threatens their health as well as affecting wild rice, plants, and wildlife.

— Billy Trice Jr., Oakland

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LETTERS • 08-24-17

Business Center — Not Housing — Needed at Kraft Plant Site

Editor:

     Regarding “Councilman Wants Housing At Kraft Site,” (Page One, The Times, Aug. 17) Councilman Hernandez: You want to appeal a decision that is in the best interest of San Leandro?

     The San Leandro Board of Zoning Adjustments has approved a plan by developer Trammell Crow to demolish and rebuild the now-vacated Kraft plant at Halcyon and Washington Avenue. Crow plans to build a business center, attracting needed industrial ventures.

     You say what is needed there is housing. Housing? You have it bassackwards brother! People need jobs, jobs, jobs, so they can afford to live in housing, housing, housing.

     Do we need more traffic congestion in an area that is way too busy 24/7? Rethink your appeal and go for what is good for San Leandro and its current citizens.

— Victor Krevocheza, San Leandro

Measure B: ‘No Free Lunch on the Ballot’

Editor:

     The San Leandro Times reported (“Measure B: What is the Money For?” Page One, The Times, Aug. 10) that Measure B in 2006 is $109 million, Measure M in 2010 is $50 million, and Measure J1 in 2016 is $104 million. But the San Leandro Times did not report that the Measure A bond in 1997 cost the property tax payers $53.8 million.

     The bond pays off in 26 years. It rebuilt the Jefferson Elementary School in July 2003 and finished construction in 2004. So it still has 12 more years to pay off this bond. When it pays off, it is about 2.5 times the value of the bond. Measure L in 2012 cost $39 per $100,000 of house value. Now, Measure B is $78 per $100,000. If the house value is half a million, the property tax payer needs to pay $585 for L and B, plus the bond A, B, M and J1.  

     There is no free lunch to vote “Yes” on the ballot. If you own a property, of course, you will pay the above taxes. What about if you rent an apartment, house or space for your mobile home? Yes, your landlord will add or convert the property tax to your rent. So, you should not complain that your landlord increases your rent, like the residents of Trailer Haven, if you vote Yes.

     San Leandro Unified gives the seniors the exemption. This is a treat to get more “Yes” on the ballot since more seniors will vote than the young people. How many seniors own a house? Most people do not own a house or apartment, but rent. Seniors will pay the high rent if the measure passes. Why is not the ballot in the 2018 election year? Because there will be fewer voters this year, but only the supporters.

     According to student attendance, the school receives $25 per student, per day. San Leandro High has around 200 students from Oakland, and more than 100 from Hayward. It is 10 to 20 percent non-resident. If a student is absent one day, the school loses $25 or more. Some school districts in California send a bill to the parent to pay $39 per day of absence.

     San Lorenzo Unified has more than 25,000 students, and SLUSD has 8,500 students. San Lorenzo does not have many tax bonds, and San Lorenzo has better education than SLUSD. Why?

     Each year we pay our property tax, 29 percent will go directly to SLUSD, and the rest will go to the State of California. The state funds 57 percent, and the Federal funds 14 percent to the school district, in addition to the above Measure A, B, M, J1 bond, Plus L and now B. How could our new generation pay off these giant property taxes? How could young people rent a high-rent apartment in the future? Do your research and think before you vote. Vote “No” on Measure B.

— Hendy Huang, San Leandro

Measure B: ‘Funds Will Go Where They Are Desperately Needed’

Editor:

     As a parent of a fifth-grade student in San Leandro schools, I would like to urge everyone to consider voting Yes on Measure B.

     My wife and I have been very active in the schools since our daughter’s first day in kindergarten. Serving as PTO president for the past five years, myself as Dad’s Club president, school site council and on the LCAP committee, we have had the opportunity to see first-hand where the greatest need is in our schools.

     Measure B is a renewal of a current property tax which is set to expire next year. This Measure will not only renew the property tax, but increase it from $39 per year to $78 per year, or a little over $6 per month. This proposed property tax to benefit schools is one of the lowest in the county and in the state.

     Revenue generated from Measure B will go directly into the classroom, not to administration and not into facilities.

     Whether helping to contribute to the salaries to retain or attract quality educators, for textbooks and supplies in the classroom, or help keep our libraries open and staffed, these funds will go where they are desperately needed.

     The state of California provides less to education per student than the national average. It’s time they open their eyes and value education the way we do here in San Leandro. Until then, we need to do our part in supporting San Leandro schools and supporting our children and their futures.

     Please join me in voting Yes on Measure B for our children!

— Leo Sheridan, San Leandro

Red Light Cameras Said to Reduce ‘Most Dangerous Offenses’

Editor:

     Mr. Overton (“Calls Red-Light Cameras ‘Unconstitutional’,” Letters, Aug. 17) – Agomo v. Fenty, 916 181 (District of Columbia Court of Appeals 1 Feb. 2007) ruled that red light cameras (RLCs) do not violate constitutional rights.  

     RLC fines are like parking tickets and, as such, are assigned against the vehicle and not a specific driver. “But someone else parked my car there” is not a defense for a parking ticket and it is the same for these RLC tickets.

     Ms. Fry (“Wants to Know How Much Profit Red-Light Camera Operators Are Making Off San Leandro,” Letters, Aug. 17) – You use the internet to find facts to support your opinions, but shoot down the same sources when they disagree with you?  

     The same Chicago study stated that: “Angle and turn crashes are both more severe, and about three times more frequent than rear-end crashes… and thus the primary target of safety enforcement at signalized intersections.” So, Ms. Fry, your rolling though a red light to make a right turn is one of the most dangerous offenses you can make.

     For those readers still interested, the Chicago study found that RLCs reduced angle and turn crashes by 19 percent with an overall reduction in crashes of 10 percent. This is why we want them in San Leandro. I am sure San Leandro’s “Finest” will be happy to deliver the same fine to you personally and let your insurance company know about it also. It won’t be like a parking ticket.

     I will stand corrected and say that instead of saying “The only people complaining about the cost of the fine are those that get caught,” I should have said “The only people who wrote letters to the editor of this paper from June 2014 to July 2017 complaining…”.   I said nothing about distrust as Ms. Fry twists my statement. She can distrust RLCs all she wants but while she is doing that she should stop (sufficiently) at red lights even if it is to make a right turn. Stopping “sufficiently” means stop completely on the internet, in print, or any source, by the way. You can trust that statement but write a letter if you disagree.

     Again, no comment from those getting tickets on what the punishment should be, only concern about someone making a profit off their bad behavior.

— John Clouston, San Leandro

Supports Efforts to Name a Public Location in Honor of Surlene Grant

Editor:

     The national news can be so disheartening. Hatred and prejudice against African Americans, Muslims, Jews, immigrants and transgender persons (to name but a few groups), while always present, are like types of cancers that have metastasized across America this year. Let’s act, right here in San Leandro, to change this storyline.

     Specifically, I support the effort to name a public plaza or other location in honor of former city councilmember Surlene Grant.

     The first African American elected to the San Leandro City Council, Grant’s election set an important precedent, opening the doors of city hall to persons historically disenfranchised. Today, the majority of city councilmembers are persons of color.

     Grant spearheaded the city’s first ordinance requiring affordable housing in the construction of new, for-sale residential housing. More recently, Grant co-founded and serves as a leader of Unity in the Community, a coalition of San Leandrans that celebrate our differences while focused on erasing racism and bigotry in San Leandro.

     As current events show, how a city memorializes its past can send a profoundly negative message to certain segments of its population. Alternatively, building and placing statues and other public art can send powerful, positive symbolic messages.

his is why I was proud to join with other San Leandrans in successfully lobbying the school board in 2009 to name the new campus near San Leandro High School after Fred T. Korematsu. He was an ordinary American wronged by our government who showed extraordinary courage and became a national civil rights hero. Furthermore, despite deeds prohibiting the sale of houses to non-whites which prevented Korematsu and his wife from purchasing a home in the City of San Leandro after World War II, Korematsu loved our community and showed his dedication to San Leandro by being a member of San Leandro Lions Club for 30 years.

     The mayor and city council should take similar action and recognize another notable San Leandran who has helped make our city a more tolerant community. By dedicating a public location in Surlene Grant’s name, we show that San Leandro acknowledges the racism of its past, embraces its diversity of today, and is a welcoming community for all in the future.

     Through our words and actions, let’s be a shining beacon of positive energy, mutual respect and tolerance for our state and nation.

— Stephen Cassidy, San Leandro

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LETTERS • 08-17-17

Charlottesville Racism Not Acceptable in the U.S.

Editor:

     What went on in Charlottesville, Virginia is not acceptable! White Supremacists, KKK, nazis and all hate groups need to go back and hide in the woods! We will not let hate win!

     America is a great experiment of Democracy that has survived the test of time! This country hasn’t been this divided since the civil war!

     We are all human beings on this Earth no matter what you look like, talk like or who you love or pray to! As leaders and individuals in our community, we have to look out for each other! I challenge everyone in San Leandro to go out of their way to help someone!

     We have the diversity of a big city but we still keep that small-city feeling and that’s what I love about San Leandro!

     God Bless Everyone!

— Bryan Azevedo, San Leandro

America Lacking Leadership and Steady Hand at the Helm

Editor:

     Given all the possible ramifications of Trump vs. North Korea’s equally unhinged leader Kim Jung-Un’s madness, I am hoping that the mayor and city council are at least giving thought to an Emergency Survival Plan for San Leandro. After all, we are close enough to San Francisco to experience some blowback.

     These are indeed dangerous times. Never has America been so lacking in intelligent leadership nor a steady hand at the helm.

— Vernon S. Burton, San Leandro

Accuses School Board of Lacking Ethical Values

Editor:

     Some quick thoughts:

     When the school board hires a consultant to figure out how much they can get away with and still gain the 66.7 percent approval they need, it should come as no surprise that they seek a “legal” (although not ethical) way to describe the renewal (and increased) parcel tax.

     They ask seniors to vote for the tax, and then seek exemption from paying the tax. I would ask any senior who intends to seek an exemption from the tax to do the ethical thing and vote no. Their no vote might give the same exemption to their neighbors, by denying the board the 66.7 percent their consultant is trying to gain by exempting seniors.

aving a school board who thinks the way to make employees happy is by giving out more pay, without having to make any hard decisions or trade-offs, tells me we have the wrong leaders on the board and staff.

     I guess we should all be glad that the schools do not try to teach moral or ethical values, and leave that type of instruction to parents and leaders of the houses of worship. The ethical values on display by the board, the lawyers, and consultants are not the ethical values that make for strong neighborhoods.  

     Maybe we need to rethink how firm of a wall of separation of moral values is proper.

     Taxing more to spend more is like asking mom and dad to increase the allowance, just because I want to spend more, instead of having to choose and prioritize. I taught my children to prioritize and make due with what they already had.

— Justin Jelincic, San Leandro

School Parcel Tax Information Lacks ‘Truth in Advertising’

Editor:

     I know where some of the Measure B money goes. It went to at least one TV ad on the Discovery Channel on Wednesday, Aug. 9, during the 3 - 4 p.m. hour. This ad kept company with promos for “Naked and Afraid,” “The Deadliest Catch,” etc., etc.  (While I enjoy many of these programs, I have no financial interest in the Discovery Channel.)

     Apparently, as the original Measure B wording goes, the “[effort] to continue to renovate and modernize its schools, upgrade restrooms, electrical, heating, and plumbing systems: modernize classrooms; replace aging roofs, improve and expand San Leandro High School classrooms, library, and facilities to reduce overcrowding,” is complete.

     I guess Measure J1 put us over the top for this work.

     Now we’re onto payroll.

     No doubt our teachers do need a raise. They can’t afford to live in San Francisco for certain. I don’t know about San Leandro, but it’s expensive all over and has been for a while. Therefore, I wonder why there was no mention (or at least warning) of this in Mike McLaughlin’s Aug. 17, 2016 letter to us.

     What else is lurking out there? Is this in anticipation of a new SLUSD/SLTA agreement? I don’t really know, but I think the current contract expires in 2018.

     Or, will we just get our annual/ bi-annual funding request surprise?

     A little truth in advertising (but not on TV) would be appropriate.

— Jeff Sturm, San Leandro

Would Like to See a List of Top Salaries in School District Before Approving Parcel Tax

Editor:

     Measure B is a new tax. Period. If approved, it will expire in 14 years (2032). At that time, some will suggest we extend the tax with a new measure, but any such new tax will be new, not extended.

     If we were to be taxed $1.5 million per year, I would have suggested that amount be divided evenly between 1) hiring more police, 2) repaving our streets, and 3) education.

     If San Leandro needs more compensation for teachers, I could change my mind if someone would send the following to the San Leandro Times: A list of the 20 highest paid teachers and administrators employed by the school district, and the amount of their compensation.

     After seeing that, out of pity, I might decide to vote yes for Measure B. In the meantime. I’ll vote no.

— Raymond Puleo, San Leandro

Calls Red-light Cameras ‘Unconstitutional’

Editor:

     Red light cameras: missing the point.

     Red light cameras (RLC) are unconstitutional. San Leandro cannot just make them “constitutional” by installing cameras under the city’s police powers.

     The pretense of the RLC is that a vehicle caught running a red light is being driven by the owner is a flat out wrong assumption, and is not probable cause. The camera takes a picture and a ticket is sent to the owner with associated fines assuming the owner’s guilt. This is a violation of the probable cause standards. There are many people who could have been driving the vehicle owned by another.

     This is not due process, violates the 5th and 14th Amendments, not to mention deprivation of the right to confront your accuser under the 6th Amendment. Law enforcement is supposed to have probable cause to charge a crime, including the San Leandro police. Here, cameras are often used to steamroll citizens under these abusive automation tactics for money.

     The cameras help investigate accidents by determining which vehicle did what but not who was driving. Imagine if the city set up speed cameras and just sent tickets to the owner of every vehicle driving down the road claiming the owners were speeding. What’s different?

     Don’t think this is abstract for a minute. Dozens have been framed and abused by these San Leandro cameras. Look up Commissioner Taylor Culver. Read the complaints made to the Commission on Judicial Performance where (he) our government falsely convicted citizens. Not just where the pictures were of two different people, but where the owner was female and the violator was male. Commissioner Culver resigned in December 2016.

     Get rid of these money-making, abusive devices before this turns into a class-action, civil-rights lawsuit costing the city multi-millions for abusing its citizens.

— Archie Overton, San Leandro

Wants to Know How Much Profit Red-light Camera Operators Are Making Off San Leandro

Editor:

     Another week, another screed from the gentleman who claims the only people who dislike/distrust red light cameras are those who have been caught by them. Quite an assumption from someone who does not know me!  

     I have been driving for nearly 40 years and none of the three tickets I have received has ever been for running a red light – whether caught by camera or officer.

     I do, however, have questions. Not whether the city is using these as revenue-generating devices, but whether the company which owns and operates these devices is making a significant profit from them.  

     In using the internet to research the question of red light cameras, it looks like the majority of tickets issued in San Leandro in 2016 were for right-turn violations. I question whether these right-turn violations are the cause of large numbers of debilitating accidents or did someone not stop sufficiently at the white line before rolling forward to see on-coming traffic?

     So, two things here: First, you can use the internet to support or refute any position – just like print. Just because it’s published somewhere does not make it correct. Second, not every person who opposes red light cameras is someone who got a whopping fine for getting caught by a camera. I oppose them and I have never been caught. Not that I won’t, because I am human, but I would like to have my ticket written by an officer who observes me breaking the law.

— Moira Fry, San Leandro

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LETTERS • 08-10-17

Measure B Bond Election: An Explanation of CABs and CIBs

Editor:

     In last week’s Page One article “Ballots Sent Out for School Parcel Tax,” one citizen is quoted as saying that the CABs made her angry, and that “until the school board shows me they can manage their money better, I will vote no.”

     During the 2014 School Board elections the issue of CABs came up.  In order to better understand the issue myself I did some on-line research.  Here is a general overview of what I learned.

     School districts are not-for-profit, revenue-generating enterprises that can take out a low interest home improvement loan; they are funded by our property taxes and therefore are limited to financing improvements through General Obligation bonds, which are CIBs or CABs.  

     • General Obligation Bonds are bonds backed by the credit and “taxing power” of the issuing jurisdiction rather than the revenue from a specific project.

     • Current Interest Bonds (CIBs) are bonds that have a steady, every-six-months schedule of principal and interest that begins when the bond is funded.

     • Capital Appreciation Bonds (CABs) are bonds that are not due until the end of the bond term, and interest on the bond continues to accrue and compound throughout the life of the bond.

     • General Obligation bond issues are either CIBs or CABs, or a combination of the two.

     SLUSD purchased its CABs, as did many school districts across the state, in the middle of very difficult economic times due to the great recession. Apparently at that time, and in the financial context of the recession, CABs seemed a better choice than CIBs.

     Over the past years San Leandro has made some excellent improvements in its schools. The Ninth Grade Campus, the Performing Arts Center and the Career Tech wing at the High School, the state of the art Burrell Field and the Swim Complex are outstanding examples of the School Board managing public funds wisely, and being financially responsible.

     The future success of our children is directly tied to the quality of the education they receive in our schools. The extension of the parcel tax will help ensure our kids get the best we ca