Bikes: Bradford Retiring in Mexico

continued from page 3 more than two dozen bikes delivered to kids and adults who lost their homes, cars, and transportation following the devastating series of fires in Napa and Sonoma counties in 2017.

The way he sees it, 800 people donated their bikes, and he is just a guy who repairs them in his garage.

“None of this works if generous people don’t get involved. It was an effort that started organically: communities providing for communities. I’m just a guy who works on bikes,” Bradford says.

Many of these bikes were donated to the AIDS LifeCycle riders, who ride from San Francisco to Los Angeles every June. This year, he helped them raise $11.7 million to help end AIDS. Bradford was also acknowledged for his body of work with a Jefferson Award from the local CBSTV affiliate for his inspiration to others to become involved in the community and public service.

Though he has encountered some rude drivers honking at him on the road, he takes it all in stride. “I live in Alameda County. I pay my taxes. This is my road too. Not everyone is in a car,” he says.

His response to the large biking groups that can cause trouble on the road is to remember that they are just teenagers and that we all do stupid things as teenagers. He says it is easier for him to be patient and let the bikers go on their way because he used to be just like them. He insists that riding on the interstate is just a fad that will likely end soon.

Billy Bradford and his wife will be retiring in Guanajuato, Mexico, in the upcoming year. He is sad that he will be unable to continue running his business but is happy to see that there are currently three potential prospects to take over the program when he leaves.

County DA Calls For Gun Reforms Before Legislature

“Soft skills” are a variety of character traits and interpersonal abilities in different domains, such as communication, teamwork, problem-solving, flexibility, and time management. Teaching social skills can be incorporated into your child’s life simply by using your everyday experiences.

For instance, during the car show, the children at the lemonade stand were asked to approach strangers and invite them to their booth for “free and delicious lemonade!” Some held

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They quickly learned that a smile and a playful tone resulted in more customers. As the day went on, the kids became more confident and more independent in their greetings, service, and social skills.

He says that his donation program serves everyone in the Bay Area community, but most notably people of color, immigrants, low-income students, single parents, and others who cannot afford to go to a normal bike shop. Bradford says he is proud to support a growing love for biking in his community.

Bradford says that even though big cities like San Francisco and Berkeley have upgraded their biking infrastructure in recent years, he feels that Castro Valley has also begun to make progress toward more bike-friendly roads.

On Tuesday, June 27, 2023, Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price joined the Prosecutors’ Alliance of California and gun reform organizations to speak in support of key gun reforms before the California Senate Public Safety Committee.

District Attorney Pamela Price urged the Committee to support Assembly Bills 732 and 733 (Fong), among other common-sense gun reforms. AB 732 helps take guns out of the hands of criminals by reducing the amount of time an out-of-custody defendant has to relinquish a firearm following a conviction, and requires the Department of Justice to provide local law enforcement agencies a monthly report identifying persons who have

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LauriePfohl@gmail.com not relinquished firearms. AB 733 stops the sale of surplus guns to the public once used by law enforcement, ensuring the guns do not end up on our streets and that tax dollars are not used to subsidize the distribution of firearms.

“Studies show that our streets are safer when we reduce the number of guns in our community,” said District Attorney Pamela Price.

District Attorney Price also supported several other bills including AB 301 (Bauer-Kahan) which includes the purchase of body armor as a potential piece of evidence that may be considered in the issuance of gun violence restraining orders. Our office also spoke in support of AB 1089 (Gibson) see GUN on page 11

By Carl Medford, CRS Special to the Forum