WISHING YOU A
CASTRO VALLEY FORUM A COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER SERVING CASTRO VALLEY SINCE 1989
YEAR 33
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 29, 2021
NO. 52
Impaired Drivers Beware This New Year’s Weekend
INSIDE YOUR
FORUM NEWS
By Michael Singer
Keeping Watch
CASTRO VALLEY FORUM
Civilian oversight of Sheriff’s Office may be moving closer
Page 3 NEWS
FILE PHOTO
Senior Resolution This year, make a new year’s resolution to create an estate plan
JANUARY 2021: Some 1,400 local health care workers were vaccinated a pop-up ‘POD’ at the entrance of the Castro Valley Library.
Page 5 NEWS
You’re a Leader As long as you’re able to influence one other person, you’re a leader
Page 10
INDEX Classified Ads ............ 8 Crosswords .............. 9 Homes ....................... 6 Horoscope ................. 2 Legal Notices ........... 10 Obituaries ................ 11 Opinions .................. 11 Our Town .................... 3 Seniors ..................... 4 Weather ....................... 2 PHONE: (510) 614-1560
WEATHER
By Michael Singer
State Still in Drought Despite Record Rain
CASTRO VALLEY FORUM
It was another wild ride for the residents of Castro Valley in 2021. COVID-19 had the largest impact on people’s lives again after the massive shutdown in 2020. But there were many local stories that the community rallies around as well. We reported on more world-impacting stories this year because they all had a direct impact on this community. This included the introduction of the first Black, South Asian, and female vice president, the exodus of refugees from Afghanistan, trials connected to the murder of George Floyd, and the fight for women’s body rights. This year, we also lost our beloved publisher, Fred Zehnder. We appreciate the outpouring of support from our readers and community. Despite his passing, this paper pledges to you a continued commitment to covering our local news with the same integrity you’ve come to know us for. see 2021 on page 4
Don’t even think about getting behind the wheel if you’ve been drinking or taking altering drugs this New Year’s weekend. Twenty-one different law enforcement agencies in Alameda County and the Bay Area aim to catch drunken and impaired drivers and educate motorists about the consequences of driving while impaired. The seasonal enforcement campaign has been in effect since earlier this month and will continue through the first weekend of January 2022 with various patrols and checkpoints. Officer Thomas Gowin of the California Highway Patrol’s Castro Valley office reports only three DUI-related arrests during the Christmas weekend and zero fatalities.
In addition to the CHP, other agencies participating locally include the Alameda County Sheriff’s Department, East Bay Regional Parks, and even BART Police. The law states a drunk driver is one with an illegal .08 blood alcohol concentration (BAC), however even buzzed driving can be considered drunk driving. Traffic fatalities in the first half of 2021 are the highest they have been since 2006, according to the most recent data released on October 28, by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Preliminary estimates show that 20,160 people died on America’s roads through June 2021, an 18.4% increase over 2019, due in large part to speeding, impaired driving, and not wearing seatbelts, according to NHTSA. see BEWARE on page 3
Water Resources. Based on the same data, 2020 was California’s fifth driest year. With all the heavy rain in But what about the recent the Bay Area and the record downpours and snow that snowfall in the Sierra Nevada blanketed Tahoe and other remountains, you might think gions? Since Christmas, snow that California is completely levels reached record levels at out of its drought. several ski locations including NorthStar (117 inches) and But, according to the Diamond Peak (102 inches). National Weather Service and local weather experts, we Homewood Mountain, on the are not completely out of this western shore of Lake Tahoe, picked up 3 feet of snow in 24 dry spell just yet. In terms of statewide precipitation, 2021 is hours through Monday mornending up as the second driest ing, according to the National year since 1924, according to Weather Service. see DROUGHT on page 4 the California Department of By Michael Singer
CASTRO VALLEY FORUM
Fred Zehnder, publisher
