CASTRO VALLEY FORUM A COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER SERVING CASTRO VALLEY SINCE 1989
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 2, 2025
YEAR 37
NO. 14 BUILDING COMMUNITY SERIES
INSIDE YOUR
Anglin: Building Community by Problem Solving
FORUM
Grade Reform Teachers balk at proposed student grading reforms
By Michael Singer CASTRO VALLEY FORUM
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PHOTO COURTESY OF NANCY MIRAMONTEZ
Senior Q&A Unmarried partners should give estate planning top priority
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Veterans service-dog-in-training Olive with Jim Uhlik, who heads the local nonprofit Every Little Life Matters, which supports Paws4Purple Hearts.
Local Veteran Supports Vets with Service Dogs By Mike McGuire
Hall of Fame Nominations open for 2026 Castro Valley Sports Hall of Fame
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INDEX Agents in Action ...... 7 Classified Ads ........ 8 Events .................. 4 Homes .................... 6 Obituaries ............ 11 Opinions .............. 11 Our Town ................ 3 Seniors .................... 5 Sports ................... 12 Weather ................ 2 WWW.MYCVFORUM.COM
CASTRO VALLEY FORUM
Castro Valley Navy veteran Jim Uhlik is a familiar face around town, not only from his work on behalf of veterans but for the work he’s done for other community groups and with his fellow veterans at Christmas events. Now retired, he heads the Every Little Life Matters Foundation (ELLM), an organization that tries to get veterans, especially injured ones, service dogs where needed and help with their other needs. They work through the Menlo Park chapter of the nationwide nonprofit Paws4Purple Hearts. “The dogs can be amazing,” he said. “Not only can they bring a veteran his or her keys, but they can also open the refrigerator and bring them food for a snack or meal.” It takes three years to train a dog to that level, though. Dogs can start their training quite young. Olive, for instance, now being trained for a local vet, is still quite the puppy, having been born the day after Christmas 2024.
The group plans to bring Olive to the Holiday Lights festivities in Castro Valley on Saturday, November 8. They had brought an older service dog—Schatzie—to last year’s Holiday Lights. Sometimes a dog makes shorter visits to numerous vets to cheer them up. “We recently provided funds needed to Paws4Purple Hearts to help cover costs associated with a therapy dog, Oakley, being assigned to a handler/volunteer who will visit veterans,” said ELLM Treasurer Minda Amsbaugh. ELLM also tries to meet other needs of veterans, like bringing meals or sometimes treats like root beer floats to vets getting care at Veterans Administration hospitals like the one in Livermore. Some of those vets are there long-term or even for life, said ELLM’s Ethel Gilmore. “We go out there and put a smile on their faces,” Gilmore said. “They really like those root beer floats.” Uhlik and Gilmore have both worked as service officers with the VA, helping vets see DOGS on page 10
Todd Anglin is a seasoned insurance and financial services professional in Castro Valley. With a strong retail and business leadership background, he has built a reputation as a dedicated community advocate and strategic thinker. You’ll often see him rushing around before, during, and after large-scale events like the Fall Festival, the Light Parade, and various Chamber of Commerce mixers, introducing see ANGLIN on page 10
Todd Anglin
CITY OF CV SPEAKER SERIES
Choice Services Could Get CV City on Budget By Michael Singer CASTRO VALLEY FORUM
If Castro Valley becomes a city one day, it will likely begin by contracting out its public safety and other key services. Linda Smith, the City Manager of Orinda, delivered that message at a community meeting at the Castro Valley Library last Tuesday. The series is sponsored by Castro Valley City, Inc., a group of locals who feel cityhood is a better alternative to unincorporated. see CITY on page 2
Linda Smith