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CVEA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE MONTHLY MIXER TOMORROW AT DON JOSE’S MEXICAN RESTAURANT
CASTRO VALLEY FORUM A COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER SERVING CASTRO VALLEY SINCE 1989
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 16, 2022
YEAR 34 INSIDE YOUR
FORUM NEWS
Ortega Wins Assembly 20, DA Race Outdoor Close, Chan Leads EBMUD Pack School MAC MEETING
By Michael Singer & Mike McGuire CASTRO VALLEY FORUM
HARD at Work CVUSD, HARD team up on $14M Canyon sports fields makeover
Page 2 OUR TOWN
Shining Bright CV Light Parade draws thousands of spectators for its 10th Anniversary
Page 3 SENIORS
It’s Your Benefit Seniors have access to hundreds of state and federal benefits
Page 5
INDEX Calendar .................. 4 Classified Ads ......... 8 Crosswords ............. 9 Homes .................... 6 Obituaries ............ 11 Opinions .............. 11 Our Town ................. 3 Seniors ................... 5 Sports ................... 12 Weather ................. 2 WWW.MYCVFORUM.COM
NO. 46
Liz Ortega is moving from heading organized labor in Alameda County to representing the southern half of it in the State Assembly’s District 20. As of Monday, at 5 p.m., Ortega received 33,210 or 59.19 % of the vote while her opponent, Dublin councilmember Shawn Kumagai gathered 22,901 votes or 40.81 %. While all precincts have reported in and mail-in ballots continue to be counted, Kumagai conceded last week, and Ortega has claimed victory. “I am extremely humbled and grateful to lead Assembly 20 and the people in it,” Ortega told The Forum. “I said I would hit the ground running and I am currently on my way to Sacramento.” A San Leandro resident, Ortega became the first Latina to head the Alameda County Central Labor Council after decades of working for labor
Liz Ortega takes State Assembly’s District 20.
unions. She had previously and Municipal Employees, a spent five years as a Sacramen- bit public-employee union. to lobbyist for the American “I heard a lot of hope and Federation of State, County, need on the campaign trail,”
Ortega said. “Every day I would run into someone who had different stories looking to protect their civil rights. I heard from women and families that had a lot of heart-wrenching stories of coming out of the pandemic but were hopeful when they heard my story. I’m a working mother in the East Bay. I think people also found me relatable because I have a history of getting things done.” Ortega will replace longtime incumbent Bill Quirk, who decided not to run for re-election. Assembly 20’s district lines were just redrawn following the 2020 Census. It now includes Castro Valley, San Leandro, Ashland, Cherryland, San Lorenzo, Fairview, Hayward, Sunol, and Union City. She says her top priority in Sacramento will be an equitable and affordable recovery from the pandemic. She also supports affordable housing for all, including working people. see RACE on page 10
Mulled By Amy Sylvestri
CASTRO VALLEY FORUM
The Castro Valley Municipal Advisory Council (MAC) heard further discussion of a somewhat controversial proposed project to operate an outdoor school for kids at 17015 Cull Canyon Road during their Monday night meeting. The Mosaic Project wants to open “the Outdoor Project” on 37 acres in the Canyonlands. The camp would include an outdoor recreation facility and offer a multi-day nature-oriented experience for school children. At Monday night’s meeting, the MAC didn’t entertain questions and comments about the merit of the project or Mosaic, but rather only information regarding the draft Environmental Impact Report (EIR) for the project which has been see MAC on page 10
Raymond, Howard Lead CVUSD Board Votes Castro Valley Unified School District (CVUSD) meeting. The election is notable in that all three candidates ran on Castro Valley voters are platforms of improving student currently favoring Sara Rayachievement, maximizing mond and Gary Howard as their choices for School Board equity, and providing transparent budgeting. Each candidate of Trustees as the mail-in ballots continue to be counted. was endorsed by community Final counts are expected to be leaders, current CVUSD board members, and teachers. certified on December 8. “I want to thank everyone As of Monday, at 5 p.m., who supported me and everyRaymond had 5,010 votes or one who voted in the election,” 36.65%. Howard generated Howard told the Forum. “It’ll 4,610 votes or 33.73%. Tina Sachs received 4,048 votes or be a great honor to return to 29.62%. The top two candidates the school board, and there is a lot of work to do. We need are expected to be seated and to finish the recovery from the installed at the December 14 By Michael Singer
CASTRO VALLEY FORUM
Sara Raymond
pandemic, and then, we need to make our schools even better. I look forward to continuing that work.” All candidates said they
Gary Howard
spent a lot of time listening to the community and reaching out through various events and of course old-fashioned neighborhood visits.
“It was important to me that I stay focused on what I was offering as a candidate and true to my values,” Raymond told the Forum. “I feel that my team and I ran a positive campaign. I’m especially happy with the high volume of one-to-one contact that we were able to make with people in the community. Those conversations were so rewarding to me and helped me get to know Castro Valley in a new way. Should the numbers hold up as the vote count is finalized, I’m very much looking forward to getting to work on behalf of see CVUSD on page 4