CASTRO VALLEY FORUM A COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER SERVING CASTRO VALLEY SINCE 1989
YEAR 34
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 28, 2022
Swalwell Funds $15 Million in Local Projects
INSIDE YOUR
FORUM
Vitality Bowls
CASTRO VALLEY FORUM
Page 3 By Michael Singer CASTRO VALLEY FORUM
Ten thoughts to keep in mind as we step into the new year
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Home Grown When planting a tree or home orchard, consider pollinators
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INDEX Calendar .................. 4 Classified Ads ....... 8 Crosswords ........... 9 Homes ...................... 6 Horoscope ............. 10 Obituaries ............ 11 Opinions .............. 11 Our Town ................. 3 Sports ................... 12 Weather ................. 2 WWW.MYCVFORUM.COM
The money will go to community non-profits and public institutions within Swalwell’s Just before Christmas, U.S. district (CA-15), which includes Representative Eric Swalwell Castro Valley, Hayward, Union announced that more than $15 City, parts of Fremont in the million dollars is on its way to west, and Dublin, Pleasanton, the East Bay and will be dedi- Livermore, and parts of San cated to 15 local projects. Ramon to the east. The funding is part of the “Whether it’s supporting afrecently passed “Fiscal Year fordable housing in Hayward, 2023” government funding mitigating food insecurity in package, which is designed to Livermore, or increasing stukeep the federal government dent support programs at local running until September 2023. community colleges, funding President Biden is expected to for these projects will help sign the bill following a 225meet the needs of our 201 vote by the US Congress. see FUNDS on page 4 By Michael Singer
CV Cafe celebrated eight years in business earlier this month
Goals to Set
NO. 51
Let’s face it, 2022 was a comeback year for a lot of us. COVID-19 cases eased up enough that more in-person events came back. Several of those events also celebrated major anniversaries, including 100 years for the Rowell Ranch Rodeo, 50 years for the Fall Festival, and 10 years for the Light Parade. Our community spent time honoring our heroes this year, including John “Coach” Brosnan, Jensen Ranch’s Mrs. Galloway, Houston Astro’s Jason Castro, and CV’s Poet Zoe Dorado. We also got a chance to give our input on major improvement projects in town, including the new Valley View Park and Somerset Avenue. Additionally, Castro Valley was not shy about voicing its opinion about topics like the January 6 attack on the US Capitol, the war in Ukraine, and LGBTQ+ murals at schools. This year was also a mid-term election, which saw more women voted into our leadership: a new Alameda County Sheriff, County District Attorney, California State Senate, California State Assembly, East Bay Municipal Utility District (EBMUD), and Eden Township Health representative. Here’s a monthly breakdown of the major stories that the Castro Valley Forum brought to you: January: Castro Valley students were the first in the county to get COVID take-home test kits thanks to the tenacity of the Castro Valley Unified School District (CVUSD). The district also voted that the football field at the high school should be named after “Coach” John Brosnan. Signage designs were revealed in September. And the School Board authorized spending $150,000 for Ethnic Studies Training at the high school in anticipation of the upcoming state graduation requirement. see 2022 on page 2
Murder He Writes: From Athlete to Published Novelist By Mike McGuire CASTRO VALLEY FORUM
It’s taken Castro Valley-born Scott Lipanovich a while to go from local athletic star to being a published novelist, but he wants everyone in town to know that he’s alive, well, and living in Santa Rosa writing murder mystery novels. In between, he coached athletics, built a college’s noted art collection, and wrote both movie screenplays and magazine articles. Lipanovich’s third Jeff Taylor murder mystery, ‘Sky Lake,’ will be published next year by Encircle Publications, and the first two books in the series are doing well.
Scott Lipanovich
He fondly remembers his years in Castro Valley and the people he grew up with here. “Place has a great influence on us,” Lipanovich said. “I’m very interested in places, particularly California ones.” see NOVELIST on page 10