Today I ran into Supervisor Nate Miley at San Lorenzo High School, where I taught a history class.  He offered his condolences on my loss and opined that “It was a long shot anyway.”  I don’t think 46% of the vote bespeaks a “long shot.”  I want to thank, from the bottom of my heart, all 22,845 individuals who cast their votes for me.  Neither Paul Hodges nor I was expecting to have to campaign for this seat, least of all against each other, but the blundering and misinformation in the county registrar’s office made just that happen.  We did what I told my attorney, Elaine Shaw, we would have to do given the Registrar’s refusal to acknowledge and fix their error: campaign to win in a sportsmanlike manner (except for Paul’s claim to “re-election”).  My congratulations to Paul Hodges, and may he serve us all well for the next two years.

Two important emails from people involved in the electric prod prohibition suspension discussion: Minane Jameson, HARD Board incumbent, says that the meeting on 9/18 was open to the public, not secret, and that Eric Mills did not approve suspension of the HARD policy.  Eric Mills says that the meeting was by invitation, and he says that no one persuaded him to endorse the sitting incumbents. Item 1: Area parents are asking if the Rowell Ranch Rodeo Grounds can be used for 4-H in the future. This would be a great boon for horse kids who now have to go all the way to Livermore to show in 4-H. (continue reading…)

Today’s Daily Review letters to the editor contains a typical “hit” against me in the letter from Eric Mills endorsing all the incumbents at H.A.R.D.  Sad to see our local paper sink to the point of such poor oversight on facts.  Eric Mills is not identified as the head of the Oakland animal rights organization that exposed the use of electric prods at the Rowell Ranch Rodeo this year.  After the board fined the volunteers for the failure to enforce policy, a secret meeting was held with Eric Mills in which he was persuaded that it was OK to use the prods, and he agreed to allowing HARD to drop its “no electric devices” policy.  No announcement was made of this change, and no one has revealed what Eric Mills gained from it.  Clearly, as part of the deal, he must have been told he should endorse the incumbents.  Anyone who has taken the trouble to look at this website in the course of the election campaign knows that I have never approved the use of the prods.  I have said that the HARD Board should accept the responsibility for enforcing their own policies, and not punish well-intentioned volunteers who have been poorly informed.  (continue reading…)

Walking door-to-door i have met many folks who have already voted absentee, as they must in order to get their ballots in on time by mail.  The big complaint is that there has been no information available about the HARD races.  Today the Daily Review finally came out with a small piece carrying very basic information (they did not interview, but quoted written information submitted by candidates).  I had given them my ballot statement, and it’s a good thing I did, because I, among thousands of others, never received a sample ballot, which is the only place this voter information appeared.  (continue reading…)

Rodeo Grounds:

Item 1: Area parents are asking if the Rowell Ranch Rodeo Grounds can be used for 4-H in the future.  This would be a great boon for horse kids who now have to go all the way to Livermore to show in 4-H.  I pledge to pursue this with H.A.R.D. if elected, and have already inquired with the resident caretaker and the Rodeo Committee.  Let’s do it!

Item 2:  To help support the Rodeo as a family event, we would like to find a new sponsor in the $5000 per year category that we will help promote.  Smokeless tobacco has been a sponsor of rodeos all over the country for many grateful years, but we want to find a healthier sponsor for our Rodeo.  Please email me if you have any leads, particularly on local sponsors.

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Some folks I met at the Castro Valley Fall Festival told me that there was an odor problem at San Lorenzo Park. When I visited there I spoke with the caretaker and got the explanation: Oro Loma Sanitary District’s plant is upwind of the park. They are apparently having adjustment problems with their new equipment and occasionally release gas from their pipes. Hopefully they will figure it out soon.

I was interested in the use of artificial turf for the soccer field at San Lorenzo Park, but the players did not seem to mind it. The basketball court was also in active use, and a track team from a local parochial school was running very energetically on the pathways around the duck pond, which enjoys an aerator fountain to prevent excessive algae growth. A group of owners of large dogs was enjoying the fenced off-leash area and verified that there are three mutt-mitt stations at the park. Complaints about slippery duck and goose droppings might be alleviated by use of a sidewalk sweeper of the type Oakland has for the Fruitvale district.

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Last night members of the neighborhood association RAFTA, including Richard Hancocks, the volunteer who put in so many years of maintaining the vegetation in the park, spoke during the public comment period at the HARD Board meeting. Their major plea was for communication: why weren’t they consulted on what to do about maintaining the park when Mr. Hancocks notified HARD that he was no longer able to do it? Requests went on for a year before HARD swept in and carried out a drastic unannounced cutback of all the low-growing plants. Some of the terms neighbors used were “vengeance,”“ravage,” “murder,” “mess,” and “disrespectful.” (continue reading…)

Today I visited this park, which has appeared in the Hayward Daily Review this week as the subject of neighborhood outrage over the clearing of vegetation by H.A.R.D. Park user Jean said she and her mother were both quite upset over the butchering of trees and shrubs, and that many in the neighborhood association shared their sentiments.  On the other hand, Araceli, who was enjoying the park with her little boy, said she liked what H.A.R.D. had done because it felt cleaner and more open.  Here are my ten observations:

1. Entrance shrubbery has been cut to the ground, exposing the dilapidated fence and creating a barren path.  Either the shrubbery or the fence should be replaced.

2. The wheelchair access ramp does not extend all the way to the picnic table by the playground–about 15 more feet of pavement is needed.
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The Site is up and our campaign is on the move!