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Scented roses Other rose names exist, but these smell the sweetest. 6
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OPINION OBITUARIES
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CLASSIFIED ADS
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LEGAL LISTINGS
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Rent stabilization San Leandro and Hayward see changes in ordinances. 8 TRICITYVOICE.COM
VOL 25 NO 7
FEBRUARY 10-16, 2026
● California state transportation funds could help complete construction of planned Irvington BART station By Roelle Balan California State Senator Aisha Wahab is taking BART to task, arguing the agency failed to pursue available state transportation funding for the Irvington BART station through the Transit and Intercity Rail Capital Program (TIRCP). The funds come in grants from the Greenhouse Gas Reduction fund with an ultimate goal to reduce greenhouse gases, miles traveled and congestion. Wahab said during a phone interview that an Irvington station would benefit the community. “I think that there’s a lot of people that will say that they care about public transit, that they care about the environment, that they want a more — More on page 8
Courtesy of Samantha Huang, (bottom left) courtesy of Tamper Room
Officials pressure BART to apply for funding One menu item is a croffle, a croissant dough pressed in a waffle iron. TAMPER TEAM From left to right: Samantha (Sam) Huang, Creo Noveno-Najam, Imran Najam-Noveno are the crew behind Tamper Room food and event offerings.
Community served sweet ● Tamper Room Cafe & Gallery provides third space in Fremont’s Pacific Commons By Monika Lee
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art cafe, part art gallery, part event center, the Tamper Room Cafe & Gallery is a community gathering place in the Pacific Commons area in Fremont. It’s known for creative drinks, croffles, a friendly atmosphere, events and rotating displays of work by Bay Area artists. The name “Tamper Room” echoes coffee culture terminology (a tamper is the tool used to compress espresso
grounds), but the founders describe the place as more of a community art space and cafe than just a typical coffee shop. They focused on creating a space for creativity and social connection as much as coffee. Fremont native and owner Samantha Huang grew up helping out in her family’s cafe. She is a graduate of California College of Arts in San Francisco and organized art shows as a student. After college, Huang moved back to Fremont.
“One of the reasons I was reluctant to move back to Fremont was because I felt there was no art scene,” said Huang. “At some point, I realized we could create our own.” During her travels she was inspired by cafe culture in Japan and Taiwan which combined art, music and cafes. She partnered with a group of creative colleagues to open the cafe. Since its opening in Februar y of 2023, the Tamper Room has hosted more than 200 events including gallery exhibits, craft workshops, live music, raves, open mics and nonprofit events. — More on page 12
Heart for science Science fairs lead to healthcare invention for Hayward student. 10
Date night Swing Band holds affordable dance on USS Hornet. 12
We like love Made Up Theatre puts on Valentine’s show. 16
The play’s the thing One Stage Theater takes on all of Shakespeare. 27