HOLY DAY OF PRAYER AND FASTING AND THE FIRST DAY OF LENT
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CASTRO VALLEY FORUM A COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER SERVING CASTRO VALLEY SINCE 1989
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 2023
YEAR 35 INSIDE YOUR
FORUM
NO. 8
CV MARKETPLACE
MAC MEETING
‘Pizza The Bay’ Opens On Friday
‘Objective Standards’ Reviewed
Weed Woes? Experts extol safe weed management without dangerous chemicals
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Sounds Like Fun Ken Bergmann brings his family show to CV Arts Center this Sunday
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Do You Oppose? Opposing muscle groups help our body maintain its posture
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INDEX Calendar .................. 4 Classified Ads ....... 8 Crosswords ........... 9 Homes ...................... 6 Horoscope ............... 4 Obituaries ............ 11 Opinions .............. 11 Our Town ................. 3 Sports ................... 12 Weather ................. 2 WWW.MYCVFORUM.COM
By Michael Singer
By Amy Sylvestri
CASTRO VALLEY FORUM
CASTRO VALLEY FORUM
Two friends are officially launching the opening of their artisanal restaurant, “Pizza The Bay,” this Friday at the Marketplace to “give people a different type of pizza experience in Castro Valley.” “All of this is just the beginning for us,” said co-founder and head chef Amrafel Thomas. “We started this journey about two years ago. It’s been a lot of work to get here, but we’re grateful for what we started and we are pushing toward taking things a step above.” The restaurant is tucked away on the second floor of the Castro Valley Marketplace building right next door to Oculto. Pizza The Bay serves 12-inch sourdough pizzas, calzones, sandwiches, chicken wings, and salads. While the restaurant has been taking in customers for the last two weeks, it officially opens this Friday, February 24. Thomas and his friend and co-founder, Shimei Burgueno, said they had considered opening their pizzeria in a different see PIZZA on page 5
Housing continues to be one of the most pressing issues in Castro Valley and California at large. Like every county in the state, Alameda County is developing a series of ordinances and regulations related to residential development. At a special meeting on Wednesday, February 15, the MAC heard background on a “Draft of Objective Standards” for long-term future residential and mixeduse development in Castro Valley and other local unincorporated areas. The county is working with consultants to develop a regional-specific plan that would act as a sort of framework for future developments, which would simplify the process for developers and county staff. This would also minimize constraints and keep the process in compliance with state legislation (primarily, the California Housing Accountability Act) which enacts rules so appropriate projects can’t be hindered or delayed unnecessarily. see MAC on back page
PHOTOS BY MICHAEL SINGER
KEEP YOUR EYES ON THE PIES: Pizza The Bay co-founder and Head Chef, Amrafel Thomas, cuts into one of his hundreds of sourdough pizza creations. The restaurant will have its official opening this Friday, February 24.
Reunion: Party of Two “Back in the ’40s, SLHS housed six grades, from the 7th to the 12th,” said Berven. A couple of San Lean“Since the building wasn’t dro High grads recently got very large we had many together for their class reunion portables, and each wooden – though it wasn’t a very big portable was heated by a party, just the two of them. pot-bellied stove.” When you get to the 75th As Berven recalls, a student reunion there aren’t too many from each classroom was classmates still around. assigned to go out to the coal Dale Berven and Jean shed, shovel coal, and bring (Warren) Cooper graduated on some back for the stove. Also, Jan. 28, 1948, back when San the gym wasn’t big enough for Leandro High was a 2-story regulation games, so the SLHS brick building at the site of basketball team would have the current Bancroft Middle to travel to Castlemont to use School. their gym. By Jim Knowles
CASTRO VALLEY FORUM
Jean remembers girls only wore dresses and skirts to school, no pants in those days. The school auditorium hosted the “Shuffle Inn” on Friday nights, hosted by the city’s recreation department, where you could relax, dance and play table tennis. “A juke box was available and we always had the latest hit records,” Jean said. “Vocals you could hear and understand, very dreamy!” Berven later went to San PHOTO JIM KNOWLES Francisco State where he graduated after taking a break SLHS grad and longtime Castro Valley High teacher see REUNION on back page Dale Berven joins classmate for 75th reunion.