Inside
Fremont Education Foundation holds annual gala The event celebrates community honoree Cyndy Mozzetti and FUSD school counselors. 19
OPINION
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OBITUARIES
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LEGAL LISTINGS
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CLASSIFIED ADS
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Lunar New Year performances enliven Union City Library TRICITYVOICE.COM
VOL 24 NO 7
For V-Day, start a habit of love and gratitude
In 2024, the OHS TNR program trapped, neutered and returned over 900 community cats.
● No matter relationship status, small positive changes make a big difference
Local artist draws art with heart
— More on page 8
Returning cats after trapping and neutering them is important to avoid a vacuum in the area where new feral cats move in.
Ohlone Humane Society
By Stephanie Uchida For many, Valentine’s Day means pressure—specifically the pressure of Fear Of Missing Out (FOMO). The singles remember that they should be in a steady relationship by now, while the people in relationships remember that they’re not doing enough to keep romance alive. Dr. Shannon Tran, PhD, a psychologist at Kaiser Permanente’s San Leandro Medical Center, shares a different way to think about the fraught holiday: Rather than promoting an unreachable ideal, Valentine’s Day can be a starting point to appreciate the love already present. Navigating the wasteland of dating apps can leave singles despondent. Dr. Tran remembers one of her own friends who said to her in frustration, “Shannon I’ve tapped out. There’s no one left on Match.com.” Tran encouraged her friend to take a step back, revamp her profile, and give it another shot. As it turns out, the friend went on to
The program included dancing, music and martial arts demonstrations. 10
FEBRUARY 11-17, 2025
Mai K. Nguyen spoke to students from Harvey Green Elementary, sharing her journey as an artist. 12
HELP IS HERE The information line helps educate community members on how to deal with feral cats.
Ohlone Humane Society emails, info line save animal lives
Hayward reaffirms sanctuary status amid ICE raid concerns
● Trap Neuter Return program manages stray population
The City of Hayward reaffirmed its sanctuary city status and commitment to protecting its immigrant residents.
By Charlene Dizon
F
ounded in 1983, t he Ohlone Humane Society (OHS) has been a community advocate for animal welfare. The privately funded nonprofit is entirely run by volunteers. OHS assists all creatures, from domestic to urban wildlife, making them one of the few that sustain a wildlife rehabilitation center. However, one of the most valuable of their resources is their information phone line.
The info line was created in the early 2000s to assist with public relations. Since then, an info phone line and email have been established, with roughly six volunteers monitoring incoming calls and messages from community members. Their busiest month in 2024 consisted of a whopping 165 calls in July, with each call averaging between 45 minutes and an hour. OHS Info Line volunteer Cristina Martinez says, “We have everyone from pet own-
ers to homeless people calling in who want their animals spayed and neutered. I recently helped a low-income elderly woman to spay and neuter a rabbit she found near her community pool.” OHS’s most common inquiries involve the services of their Trap Neuter Return program (TNR). TNR focuses on humanely trapping, spaying or neutering feral cats and returning them to their original location. This has proven crucial in preventing animal overpopulation within the Tri-City area. In 2024 alone, the OHS TNR program — More on page 18
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Love and laughter take center stage For those seeking a unique way to celebrate Valentine’s Day, Made Up Theatre has something special in store. 13