TODAY WE FIND OUT IF WE’RE IN FOR SIX MORE WEEKS OF WINTER
GROUNDHOG DAY
CASTRO VALLEY FORUM A COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER SERVING CASTRO VALLEY SINCE 1989
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 2, 2022
YEAR 34
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NEWS
Transitional Housing Opening For Sex Trafficked Teenagers By Michael Singer
CV man is charged for his part in $1 million COVID scheme
Page 2 LIVING
A Super Food
Beans are rich in fiber, protein and iron– yet low in sodium and fat
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Senior Q&A
Should we sell our mom’s home to pay for her nursing care?
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Teenage girls trying to escape from the horror of sex trafficking in Alameda County have a new place to go, thanks to a partnership announced last week between the District Attorney and a non-profit in Castro Valley providing sanctuary for battered women. Last week, DA Nancy O’Malley helped cut the ribbon on “Nancy’s House,” which has been named after her in honor of her fight against human trafficking for more than 30 years. The emergency and transitional housing at an undisclosed address in Hayward will officially open in March to serve youth ages 13-17 who have been sex trafficked. The site will be operated by Ruby’s Place; a non-profit organization that has been working to end domestic violence and human trafficking since 1971. see OPENING on page 5
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PHOTO COURTESY OF RUBY’S PLACE
Alameda County District Attorney Nancy O’Malley and members of Ruby’s Place help open Nancy’s House, a new shelter for teen girls seeking to escape human trafficking. The housing was named for O’Malley following her many years in fighting against violence against women, human exploitation, and trafficking.
Deputies Offer Help to Unhoused By Mike McGuire
People at the camps can accept or turn down offers of help, said Ibarra. However, some do choose the center afThe Alameda County ter being arrested for a crime, Sheriff’s Office is bolstering due to a diversion program to its outreach efforts for the unhoused in the unincorporat- keep them from going to Santa ed areas, two-thirds of which Rita Jail over and over again. “We’re full believers in are living outside of temporary housing in tents, vehicles, or on enforcement,” the lieutenant said. But, he added, many of the streets. the homeless people found in Deputies regularly visit Castro Valley and nearby have each homeless encampment in the Castro Valley area and mental health or substance abuse problems better handled can bring residents directly to a navigation center like the at a navigation center than in one in Oakland that gets them repeat visits to jail. He said navigation centers needed services, Lt. Miguel like the one in Oakland are Ibarra told the Castro ValHELPING THE UNHOUSED: An encampment, designed to help people with ley Rotary at its January 25 in Crow Canyon near Roberts Court, that see UNHOUSED on page 3 deputies encountered and cleaned up. meeting. CASTRO VALLEY FORUM
Eden Area MAC Seat Available By Michael Singer
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COVID Scheme
NO. 5
A position on the Eden Area Municipal Advisory Council (MAC) is now available and applications are being accepted through next Friday, February 11. The council consists of seven members total with four members recommended by Supervisor Nate Miley (District 4) and three members recommended by Supervisor Dave Brown (District 3). The council advises the Board of Supervisors on matters concerning the more than 69,000 residents of Ashland, Cherryland, Hayward Acres, and San Lorenzo, as defined within the boundaries established in the Eden Area General Plan. It does not advise the area that is established by the Fairview MAC nor the Castro Valley MAC. The appointment comes as District 3 representative and San Lorenzo resident Diane Wydler’s 3-year term expired at the end of 2021. Following the County’s 2021 Redistricting Process, District 4 now represents all of Ashland and has gained an additional seat on the Council. “I was proud to champion the creation of the Eden Area Municipal Advisory Council in 2019. Over the last two years, the Council has become an additional avenue for members of the Eden Area to engage with their government and to uplift local voices,” Supervisor Miley said in a statement. Miley and former Supervisor Wilma Chan who died last year helped establish the Eden Area MAC, which held its first meeting in January 2020. Since that time, the council gives advice to the Board of Supervisors on all matters concerning services that are or may be provided to the Area by the County or other local governmental agencies, including topics such as land use, public works, economic development, and public safety. see SEAT on page 5
2/1/22 6:20 PM