CASTRO VALLEY FORUM A COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER SERVING CASTRO VALLEY SINCE 1989
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 30, 2022
YEAR 34
INSIDE YOUR
FORUM
NO. 48
Hollywood Filmmaker Ties East Bay Future Roots into New Movie ‘Freaky Tales’ Business District MAC MEETING
song by Too Short that tells four interconnected stories, “about the love of music, If you happened to be in San movies, people, places and Leandro this Thanksgiving memories beyond our knowbreak, you might have noticed able universe.” Short and his a camera crew at Dick’s manager David Weintraub are Restaurant & Cocktails on executive producers on the film. Alvarado Street. That’s where Fleck was born in Berkeley noted Hollywood writer/diand lived there and in Oakland rector and Castro Valley High for much of his early life. He School graduate Ryan Fleck graduated from Castro Valley could be found. High School in 1994 and The Bay Area native is then took classes at Diablo teaming up again with his Valley Community College creative partner Anna Boden in Pleasant Hill for a time. He to produce, “Freaky Tales,” then moved to New York to a movie based on Fleck’s attend New York University experiences of growing up in Tisch School of the Arts to the East Bay. The film includes study film. top names like Pedro Pascal Fleck and Boden met in (“The Mandalorian”), Ben New York in the late 90s and Mendelsohn (“Top Gun: Mav- began making short films erick”), and Jay Ellis (“The together. The duo had critical Game”). Up-and-coming stars success with their early works like Jack Champion, Angus including “Half Nelson” with Cloud, Dominique Thorne, Ryan Gosling, the sports-draKeir Gilchrist, and Michelle ma film “Sugar,” “It’s Kind Farrah Huang are also cast in of a Funny Story” which was the movie. adapted from Ned Vizzini’s Currently in pre-production 2006 novel, and “Mississippi and slated for release next year, Grind,” a movie about gamthe film is set in Oakland and blers in New Orleans starring loosely based on a 1987 rap see TALES on page 2 By Michael Singer
CASTRO VALLEY FORUM
Living the Dream CV gift store spotlights small businesses and pieces by local artists
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Tree Lighting
The Christmas tree is ready for lighting this Friday at Castro Village
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Big Book Sale
Friends of the Castro Valley Library holding book sale this weekend
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INDEX Calendar .................. 4 Classified Ads ......... 8 Crosswords ............. 9 Homes .................. 10 Horoscope ............. 5 Obituaries ............ 11 Opinions .............. 11 Our Town ................. 3 Sports ................... 12 Weather ................. 2 WWW.MYCVFORUM.COM
By Amy Sylvestri
CASTRO VALLEY FORUM
PHOTO CREDIT: NATE SMITH / DRIVENBYBOREDOM.COM
Ryan Fleck and Anna Boden
What will Castro Valley’s business district look like in the next five, ten, or 20 years? That’s what County planners and consultants are hoping to find out as they make designs for the future. At its Monday night meeting, the Castro Valley Municipal Advisory Council (MAC) heard another in a succession of several meetings about the “Castro Valley Central Business District Specific Plan” update. Currently, the consultants say they are at a stage when community engagement is being sought to create a “robust plan” for the future in several areas including housing, transportation, and land use. A market analysis finds that up to 5,450 new housing units will be needed by 2050 see MAC on back page
Art Depicts Sea Level Rise on Hayward Shoreline “I fell in love with the shoreline,” she says. “I was asked to be on a 32-agency FEMA Local artist Jennifer Koney study about the possible impact of how melting glaciers has an upcoming exhibit and would affect rising tides on two presentations about the rising sea level, and how it can the shoreline. The study went affect the Hayward shoreline. on for three years, covering The exhibit depicts the 55-inch Union City to Emeryville. sea level rise projected from a From 2011-2013 they started Federal Emergency Manage- releasing preliminary numbers. ment Agency (FEMA) study. It was the first time I ever read a report and started crying.” In 2007 Koney started Depending on the scenarios, working for the Hayward Area the projections were not good Recreation and Park District for our region. The projected (HARD) at the Shoreline sea level rise for San Francisco Interpretive Center near the approach to San Mateo Bridge. Bay was 55 inches by the year By Mike McGuire
CASTRO VALLEY FORUM
2100. If that happens, 80,000 East Bay residents will be at risk of flooding and inundation, she says. with a master’s degree from San Francisco State in mixed media installations, started painting as a way to inspire people to think about this uncomfortable topic. She painted large images of ice and glaciers using a resist-and-pour process. She made her painting on actual doors, which were Jennifer Koney strong, sturdy, and portable. Each one is “human size” and “The paintings have that indicates just how high 55 beautiful glacier blue,” she inches really is. says. “I wanted to show how
the melting glaciers will impact our area. Because the paintings are literally on doors, they also provide a ‘back door’ approach to climate action.” Koney retired from HARD in 2016 and now shares her art and insights with the public. Now through Jan. 26, 2023, six of her painted doors will be viewable at the Hayward Public Library, 888 C St., on the second floor. The exhibit is entitled ‘55”-- Images of Sea Level Rise on the Hayward Shoreline.’ On Saturday, Dec. 3, Koney see ART on back page