Bay Area

Celebrate Earth Day All Around the East Bay

Happy Earth Month! Whether you’re interested in learning how to get started with worm composting, how to electrify your home, reduce wasted food, or build healthy soil, there’s a way to celebrate for everyone! Try a StopWaste tip any day throughout the month, or join your neighbors in community for an Earth Month workshop or event.

Published

1 year ago

April 21, 2023

Oakland Post

Who are the action heroes for the environment? You can be one of them! Illustration via Stopwaste.org

By StopWaste.org

Explore all the events and resources, and be sure to check back frequently as we continue to add to the full calendar. Curious about what activities your city is hosting? Check out links to your city’s website below for more. For more information, go to https://www.stopwaste.org/earth-month-2023

Ways to Celebrate Earth Month

Make Every Carrot Count

Reducing wasted food is one of the leading solutions to climate change. Taking care and making the most of our food are important acts of environmental stewardship, honoring all of the resources and labor that went into getting it to us. Learn more ways to plan, store, and prepare food to save money and benefit our planet

Build Healthy Soil

Use compost to feed your garden and build healthy soil! Applying just 1-2 inches of compost to your soil will help your soil retain moisture, improve its structure, and help your plants access nutrients. Compost also helps healthy gardens sequester carbon in your soil and plants, reducing your climate impact.

Celebrate with the Entire Family

4Rs Action Heroes, assemble! Join youth and families across Alameda County in sharing your stories of action and community that represent how you are part of the (Re)Generation – an intergenerational collective identity for people committed to building a regenerative earth.

Calendar of Events

Saturday, April 22

9 am – 1 pm: Oakland Earth Day — Get outside to celebrate Earth Day with neighborhood clean-ups of streets, sidewalks, schools, parks, and along creeks and other waterways. Volunteer registration opens on April 1st; individuals and small groups are encouraged, but not required, to RSVP. To register, go to: https://oakland-volunteer-community-oakgis.hub.arcgis.com/feedback/surveys/c9a5c976287542c19372807dd2c3da6c/explore

8 am – 12 pm: P iedmont Free Compost Giveaway — Pick up one cubic yard of compost while supplies last. Bring your own shovel, gloves, and container(s), to pick up compost. Volunteers will be on deck to help you bag and load the compost into your vehicle. Held at the City’s Corporation Yard, 898 Red Rock Road. * Piedmont residents only.

8:30 am – 1 pm: City of Hayward Annual Earth Day Citywide Clean-Up and Community Fair — Come together to collect litter and abandoned debris in various neighborhoods throughout the City of Hayward. After the Clean-Up, visit the Earth Day themed Community Fair at the park for fun activities. Free lunch will be provided to volunteers who register via Eventbrite. The festival will be held at Weekes Park 27182 Patrick Ave Hayward, CA 94544

2 pm – 5 pm: Home Electrification Fair — Are you thinking about switching from gas to electric? There are plenty of good reasons to make the switch: healthy, safety, long-term saving, and of course climate. Attend the fair to get any and all questions answered about the benefits, energy-saving tips, where to find trusted contractors, available rebates and tax credits, and more! Held at the The Brower Center, 2150 Allston Way, Berkeley

12 pm – 2 pm: Composting 101 — Join Farm2Market and guest speaker, CompostGal, Lori Cadwell, to learn all about composting, including how to compost, the benefits, and trouble shooting of composting. Great for all levels of experience. Held at APC Farm2Market, 2600 Barbers Point Road Alameda, CA 94501.

8 am – 12 pm: Compost Giveaway — Dublin residents can take home one bag of FREE compost at the annual Compost Giveaway event at Emerald Glen hosted by Amador Valley Industries. The compost is made from Dublin residents’ yard trimmings and foods scraps. This is a great way to see how Dublin’s food waste journey is circular and directly benefits the community! This is a drive-through event in the parking lot of Emerald Glen Park, off of Gleason Drive. Dublin residents only*

9 am – 12 pm: C VSan Earth Day — Join your friends and neighbors to beautify and clean up Castro Valley. Volunteer to pick up litter, plant trees and native plants, spread mulch, pulled weeds, and more. The community clean-up sites include Castro Valley Creek, downtown Castro Valley and the Center Street Overpass Park and Ride. To sign u to volunteer, go to https://www.cvsan.org/zero_waste/community_and_education/earth_day.php

11 am – 3 pm: F remont Earth Day — Join for a day to celebrate Earth Day and increase environmental awareness in the community. Activities will include a Bicycle Fix-a-Flat Workshop, Earth Day art, medication take-back, free confidential document shredding, learning about gardening and composting, and more! Held at the downtown event center at 3500 Capitol Avenue in Fremont.

Sunday, April 23 —

9 am – 12 pm: E arth Day Shoreline Cleanup — Have fun with family, friends and neighbors, cleaning up the beach! Come to the Earth Day Shoreline Clean Up at Shorebird Park in Emeryville any time from 9 a.m. to noon. If you have them, bring collection buckets and/or bags, garden claw, reusable water bottle, and coffee mug. Wear layers, sunscreen, hat, and work gloves. Additional tools will be available for use until supplies run out.

Saturday, April 29

1 pm – 3 pm: Gardening for Renters — This class can help you navigate small spaces so you can garden! Topics will include: container and indoor gardening, working with your landlord, free/low cost resources, reuse options, and maintaining your garden. It will be held at Ploughshares Nursery 2701 Main Street Alameda, CA 94501.

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Alameda County

DA Pamela Price Stands by Mom Who Lost Son to Gun Violence in Oakland

Last week, The Post published a photo showing Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price with Carol Jones, whose son, Patrick DeMarco Scott, was gunned down by an unknown assailant in 2018.

Published

3 days ago

April 22, 2024

Oakland Post

District Attorney Pamela Price with Carol Jones

Publisher’s note: Last week, The Post published a photo showing Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price with Carol Jones, whose son, Patrick DeMarco Scott, was gunned down by an unknown assailant in 2018. The photo was too small for readers to see where the women were and what they were doing. Here we show Price and Jones as they complete a walk in memory of Scott. For more information and to contribute, please contact Carol Jones at 510-978-5517 at morefoundation.help@gmail.com. Courtesy photo.

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Bay Area

State Controller Malia Cohen Keynote Speaker at S.F. Wealth Conference

California State Controller Malia Cohen delivered the keynote speech to over 50 business women at the Black Wealth Brunch held on March 28 at the War Memorial and Performing Arts Center at 301 Van Ness Ave. in San Francisco. The Enterprising Women Networking SF Chapter of the American Business Women’s Association (ABWA) hosted the Green Room event to launch its platform designed to close the racial wealth gap in Black and Brown communities.

Published

5 days ago

April 20, 2024

Oakland Post

American Business Women’s Association Vice President Velma Landers, left, with California State Controller Malia Cohen (center), and ABWA President LaRonda Smith at the Enterprising Women Networking SF Chapter of the ABWA at the Black Wealth Brunch.

By Carla Thomas

The Enterprising Women Networking SF Chapter of the American Business Women’s Association (ABWA) hosted the Green Room event to launch its platform designed to close the racial wealth gap in Black and Brown communities.

“Our goal is to educate Black and Brown families in the masses about financial wellness, wealth building, and how to protect and preserve wealth,” said ABWA San Francisco Chapter President LaRonda Smith.

ABWA’s mission is to bring together businesswomen of diverse occupations and provide opportunities for them to help themselves and others grow personally and professionally through leadership, education, networking support, and national recognition.

“This day is about recognizing influential women, hearing from an accomplished woman as our keynote speaker and allowing women to come together as powerful people,” said ABWA SF Chapter Vice President Velma Landers.

More than 60 attendees dined on the culinary delights of Chef Sharon Lee of The Spot catering, which included a full soul food brunch of skewered shrimp, chicken, blackened salmon, and mac and cheese.

Cohen discussed the many economic disparities women and people of color face. From pay equity to financial literacy, Cohen shared not only statistics, but was excited about a new solution in motion which entailed partnering with Californians for Financial Education.

“I want everyone to reach their full potential,” she said. “Just a few weeks ago in Sacramento, I partnered with an organization, Californians for Financial Education.

“We gathered 990 signatures and submitted it to the [California] Secretary of State to get an initiative on the ballot that guarantees personal finance courses for every public school kid in the state of California.

“Every California student deserves an equal opportunity to learn about filing taxes, interest rates, budgets, and understanding the impact of credit scores. The way we begin to do that is to teach it,” Cohen said.

By equipping students with information, Cohen hopes to close the financial wealth gap, and give everyone an opportunity to reach their full financial potential. “They have to first be equipped with the information and education is the key. Then all we need are opportunities to step into spaces and places of power.”

Cohen went on to share that in her own upbringing, she was not guided on financial principles that could jump start her finances. “Communities of color don’t have the same information and I don’t know about you, but I did not grow up listening to my parents discussing their assets, their investments, and diversifying their portfolio. This is the kind of nomenclature and language we are trying to introduce to our future generations so we can pivot from a life of poverty so we can pivot away and never return to poverty.”

Cohen urged audience members to pass the initiative on the November 2024 ballot.

“When we come together as women, uplift women, and support women, we all win. By networking and learning together, we can continue to build generational wealth,” said Landers. “Passing a powerful initiative will ensure the next generation of California students will be empowered to make more informed financial decisions, decisions that will last them a lifetime.”

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MAYOR BREED ANNOUNCES $53 MILLION FEDERAL GRANT FOR SAN FRANCISCO’S HOMELESS PROGRAMS

San Francisco, CA – Mayor London N. Breed today announced that the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has awarded the city a $53.7 million grant to support efforts to renew and expand critical services and housing for people experiencing homelessness in San Francisco.

Published

5 days ago

April 20, 2024

Oakland Post

Mayor London Breed

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Wednesday, January 31, 2024

Contact: Mayor’s Office of Communications, mayorspressoffice@sfgov.org

***PRESS RELEASE***

MAYOR BREED ANNOUNCES $53 MILLION FEDERAL GRANT FOR SAN FRANCISCO’S HOMELESS PROGRAMS

HUD’s Continuum of Care grant will support the City’s range of critical services and programs, including permanent supportive housing, rapid re-housing, and improved access to housing for survivors of domestic violence

San Francisco, CA – Mayor London N. Breed today announced that the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has awarded the city a $53.7 million grant to support efforts to renew and expand critical services and housing for people experiencing homelessness in San Francisco.

HUD’s Continuum of Care (CoC) program is designed to support local programs with the goal of ending homelessness for individuals, families, and Transitional Age Youth.

This funding supports the city’s ongoing efforts that have helped more than 15,000 people exit homelessness since 2018 through City programs including direct housing placements and relocation assistance. During that time San Francisco has also increased housing slots by 50%. San Francisco has the most permanent supportive housing of any county in the Bay Area, and the second most slots per capita than any city in the country.

“In San Francisco, we have worked aggressively to increase housing, shelter, and services for people experiencing homelessness, and we are building on these efforts every day,” said Mayor London Breed. “Every day our encampment outreach workers are going out to bring people indoors and our City workers are connecting people to housing and shelter. This support from the federal government is critical and will allow us to serve people in need and address encampments in our neighborhoods.”

The funding towards supporting the renewal projects in San Francisco include financial support for a mix of permanent supportive housing, rapid re-housing, and transitional housing projects. In addition, the CoC award will support Coordinated Entry projects to centralize the City’s various efforts to address homelessness. This includes $2.1 million in funding for the Coordinated Entry system to improve access to housing for youth and survivors of domestic violence.

“This is a good day for San Francisco,” said Shireen McSpadden, executive director of the Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing. “HUD’s Continuum of Care funding provides vital resources to a diversity of programs and projects that have helped people to stabilize in our community. This funding is a testament to our work and the work of our nonprofit partners.”

The 2024 Continuum of Care Renewal Awards Include:

$42.2 million for 29 renewal PSH projects that serve chronically homeless, veterans, and youth
$318,000 for one new PSH project, which will provide 98 affordable homes for low-income seniors in the Richmond District
$445,00 for one Transitional Housing (TH) project serving youth
$6.4 million dedicated to four Rapid Rehousing (RRH) projects that serve families, youth, and survivors of domestic violence
$750,00 for two Homeless Management Information System (HMIS) projects
$2.1 million for three Coordinated Entry projects that serve families, youth, chronically homeless, and survivors of domestic violence

In addition, the 2023 CoC Planning Grant, now increased to $1,500,000 from $1,250,000, was also approved. Planning grants are submitted non-competitively and may be used to carry out the duties of operating a CoC, such as system evaluation and planning, monitoring, project and system performance improvement, providing trainings, partner collaborations, and conducting the PIT Count.

“We are very appreciative of HUD’s support in fulfilling our funding request for these critically important projects for San Francisco that help so many people trying to exit homelessness,” said Del Seymour, co-chair of the Local Homeless Coordinating Board. “This funding will make a real difference to people seeking services and support in their journey out of homelessness.”

In comparison to last year’s competition, this represents a $770,000 increase in funding, due to a new PSH project that was funded, an increase in some unit type Fair Market Rents (FMRs) and the larger CoC Planning Grant. In a year where more projects had to compete nationally against other communities, this represents a significant increase.

Nationally, HUD awarded nearly $3.16 billion for over 7,000 local homeless housing and service programs including new projects and renewals across the United States.