Inside
Par on the course Five-year-old golfer makes an impression. 25
OPINION
4
OBITUARIES
26
CLASSIFIED ADS
27
LEGAL LISTINGS
28
Master plan Union City residents discuss park updates. 4 TRICITYVOICE.COM
VOL 24 NO 41
OCTOBER 7-13, 2025
How Zoox came to Hayward
Roses in the plaza will have the name of the breeder and the date they were developed.
● Economic development officer shares what it took to get a robotaxi factory to their city
Fall vibes Hay bales and pumpkins add a touch of fall to displays. 6
The first thing anyone should know about Zoox is that it’s not a car—it’s a factory-built robotaxi. The company’s serial production facility is located in Hayward, off of Highway 92 on Clawiter Road. A ma zon-ow ned Zoox announced its new Hayward location in a June 18 press release. This is Zoox’s second manufacturing plant; the first is in Fremont. The Hayward factory is 220,000 square feet, equal to three and a half football fields. A public notice from the city said council members had a chance to tour the Zoox factory on Aug. 26. Zoox said in its press release that the facility will eventually have the capacity to build more than 10,000 robotaxis a year. Their robotaxis come with “subway-style” doors on both sides of what looks like a movable cart on wheels. Inside the “cabin” is bench seating and a panel on the side that controls the temperature and plays music. — More on page 8
Mayor Raj Salwan thanked the park’s community partners and the donors for the plaza.
Photos by Stephanie Uchida
By Roelle Balan
Holiday of arts Art Guild holds art show and sale. 14
RAINBOW ROSES Visitors can find over 200 varieties of roses at the park.
Rose garden blooms in Fremont ● Event space at historic nursery includes heritage rose varieties By Stephanie Uchida
O
n Tuesday, Sept. 30, city officials and Fremont residents gathered to see a new take on an old space: an updated plaza and rose garden marking the main entrance to the historical California Nursery Historical Park in Niles. Frem ont c it y m a na ge r Karena Shackelford said, “This is more than a garden. It’s a living museum, a space for reflection—which I’ve already claimed; if you’re looking for
me you can find me here—and a celebration of nature and community in bloom.” The rose garden, and the historic nursery, trace their roots back to the state’s agricultural past. The California Nursery Company was founded by John Rock in 1865, relocated to Niles in 1884, and taken over by the Roeding family in 1917. The nursery supplied palms to the Panama Pacific International Exposition in 1915, some of which returned to the park and can still be
seen today. It sold unique rose varieties and fruit varieties, seen in the catalogs preserved in the archives. The nursery closed in 1972, and is now California Nursery Historical Park—a favorite spot of relaxation for Niles locals, and the site of one of LEAF’s (Local Ecology and Agriculture Fremont) communit y gardens. Fremont’s 2017 Park and Recreat ion Master Plan included updates to the pathways and signage, re st ro om s a nd histor ic a l buildings. A new plaza near the Nursery Avenue entrance expands the rose garden. — More on page 10
Fremont robbery Robbery leads to vehicle pursuit. 21
Parktober Programs in the East Bay Parks. 24