FROM OUR FAMILY TO YOURS
Merry Christmas
CASTRO VALLEY FORUM A COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER SERVING CASTRO VALLEY SINCE 1989
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 25, 2024
YEAR 36
NO. 50
Recap: Year in Review
INSIDE YOUR
FORUM
By Michael Singer
Free Speech
CASTRO VALLEY FORUM
Rowell Ranch Rodeo settles lawsuit with free speech protesters
Page 2
PHOTOS BY MIKE McGUIRE
H.A.R.D. Board
H.A.R.D. names Louis Andrade as Board President for 2025
Page 3
MAKING SPIRITS BRIGHT: People gathered on Friday, December 20 for the Sana G Morning Show broadcast live from the Chili’s parking lot at Bayfair Center in San Leandro to show off donations of food, toys and diapers for area kids for the holidays.
In Spirit of Giving: County Fire Collects Toys for Kids By Mike McGuire
Holiday Treat
The most delicious gingerbread cookies you’ve ever tasted
Page 4
INDEX Classified Ads ........ 8 East Bay Living ..... 4 Homes ..................... 6 Home Services ...... 8 Obituaries ............. 11 Opinions ............. 10 Our Town ................. 3 Sheriff’s Report ..... 3 Sports .................. 12 Weather ................ 2 WWW.MYCVFORUM.COM
CASTRO VALLEY FORUM
“Thousands of toys for thousands of kids” is how Fire Engineer Markus Powell described this year’s holiday toy and diaper drive spon-
sored by Fire Fighters Local 55, 106 KMEL Radio and Youth Uprising, along with the Alameda County Fire Department. Those groups brought donations made at dozens of firehouses and other locations throughout Alameda
County to a live broadcast of the Sana G Morning Show from the parking lot of Chili’s restaurant at Bayfair Center on East 14th Street in San Leandro, on Friday, December 20. see GIVING on back page
In addition to being an election year, 2024 was about building community. Castro Valley gathered to celebrate the Rowell Ranch Rodeo, the Fall Festival, the Light Parade, and the Christmas tree lighting. The Chamber also added its 400th member: Tony Gemignani’s Slice House! Here’s a monthly breakdown of the major stories that the Castro Valley Forum brought to you: JANUARY: We started the year looking at challenges facing renters and property owners in the unincorporated areas. The Castro Valley City, Inc. group hosted a forum on the Castro Valley Specific Plan. The Castro Valley Municipal Advisory Council (MAC) reviewed permits, crime statistics, and environmental justice requirements. Long-time Alameda County Supervisor Nate Miley (District 4) squared off against challenger Jennifer Esteen in a candidate debate. January also saw our continued series profiling the 2024 Sports Hall of Fame inductees. FEBRUARY: Fans of Metallica’s first bassist, see RECAP on page 5
Building Community: Forestr.org Founders to help the community become cleaner, healthier, and have a more abundant future. Castro Valley residents and The organization’s primary Forestr.org founders Yonaton focuses are cleaning, greening, Hardisty and his wife Nimone and gleaning. Cleaning inLi-Hardisty work with the cludes litter cleanup across the community to clean, green, community. Greening includes and glean the environment. soil enrichment, planting trees, Forest.org is a nonprofit or- and sustainable food. Gleaning ganization that was founded in is the practice of harvesting 2019. The organization works crops and donating them to By Corinne Davidson
SPECIAL TO THE FORUM
community members. Forest. in general, love the sense of org harvests food with permis- action,” Mr. Hardisty said. sion from privately and publicHe adds that Forestr.org has ly owned spaces and commu- had great success with volunnity members can donate from teers because of their events. their own gardens. “Many groups will have an “We really want to be event yearly or quarterly. We’re picking up that litter. We really having events every single want to return that food to the week, and in some cases — in community. And in doing that, most cases — with gleaning we’ve drawn a lot of people to multiple times a week, so us. Because people, I think, just there’s lots of opportunity for
people to be involved… for all of us to work together,” Hardisty said. In 2024, Forestr.org planted a redwood tree named Lana Luna. The tree is in Artemis Park at the Castro Valley Library. The tree was previously cared for by NASA and was a moon tree in the Artemis I mission in 2022. It flew around see FORESTR on page 3