HAPPENING THIS WEEK:
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SUMMER SOLSTICE CELEBRATION
KIDS POP-UP PARK AT LIBRARY
CHAMBER MIXER
CASTRO VALLEY FORUM A COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER SERVING CASTRO VALLEY SINCE 1989
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 21, 2023
YEAR 35
CVUSD Shows ‘By-Trustee Area’ Election Maps
INSIDE YOUR
FORUM
Avenue Q
SPECIAL TO THE FORUM
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RCHS Graduates Redwood Christian High School’s class of 2023 graduates
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PHOTO CREDIT: CATHY BRESLOW/ BRESLOWIMAGING.COM
Castro Valley resident Kaleb Condez created an anti-AAPI violence website for a seventh-grade project at St. Philip Neri School in Alameda.
Senior Q&A What can I do with a problem trust after death of a spouse?
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INDEX Calendar ................ 4 Classified Ads ....... 8 Homes...................... 6 Legal Notices .......... 9 Opinions ................ 11 Our Town ................. 3 Seniors .................. 10 Sheriff’s Report ....... 3 Sports .................. 12 Weather ................ 2 WWW.MYCVFORUM.COM
Castro Valley’s largest ethnic group is White (36.7%), followed by Asian (31.2%) and In an effort to comply with Hispanic (16.9%), accordthe California Voting Rights ing to the 2020 US Census. Act and increase voting oppor- CVUSD’s student body of tunity amongst diverse popula- 9,200 is made up of 24.3% tions, the Castro Valley Unified White, 4.9% Black, 34.1% School District (CVUSD) will Asian or Asian/Pacific Islandmove towards a “By-Trustee” er, 23.3% Hispanic/Latino, and area election system in 2024. 12.9% of students are two or This new election system more races. involves splitting the school However, this population didistrict into five separate versity has not been accurately trustee areas, with a governrepresented amongst the Board ing board member elected of Trustees, which has been from each trustee area. Board predominantly White. members are elected only by Board Members have the registered voters in the teamed up with consulting firm particular trustee area where Cooperative Strategies to come the governing board member up with multiple map options resides. see CVUSD on back page By Alyssa Phillips
Adult puppet show comes to Twining Vines Winery next month
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NO. 25
By Linda Sandsmark CASTRO VALLEY FORUM
A young Castro Valley student has created a website to raise awareness about violence against the Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) community. Kaleb Condez, who just completed seventh grade at St. Philip Neri Catholic School in Alameda, made the website for a middle school elective called Genius Hour. In the class, students are required to research a topic of interest to them and share their findings through a presentation to the class. “My website was completely designed by myself, and I had no previous experience with web design or programming,” Kaleb told the Forum. “It took me about three or four months to research the topic and design the website. Following the website launch, over 900 views were generated across 12 states.”
The presentation was titled “Stop AAPI Hate — Justice For Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders.” The website is https:// lebcondez.wixsite.com/my-site. Featured on it are reports of AAPI hate crimes, ways to get involved, and organizations to donate to. Several stories of violence against Asians, sometimes fatal, are included. “My goal for this project was to raise awareness in my class, but after sharing it on social media and my school newsletter, I realized it could create a huge impact on our local community and beyond,” he says. Kaleb and his family have lived in Castro Valley for 12 years. He’s been involved in many activities here, including basketball, swimming, and piano lessons. He says that though he doesn’t have any concrete plans for a future occupation yet, he strives “to make a difference in the betterment of our community.”
The Power of 8: A New Book by Local Authors By Mike McGuire CASTRO VALLEY FORUM
Holding on to friendships for decades can be a challenge, but it gets even more challenging when you’re trying to run a business at the same time, never mind a series of businesses. The story of how William and Robin Randolph of Castro Valley, along with six of their friends, did that through Oakland-based Unique Enterprises is told in a new book, “The Power of 8: Our Unique Journey.”
Like a number of other things in their lives, the eight friends wrote the book together. “We made some money, we lost some money, and we’re still here,” William Randolph said. He’s an ordained minister who has preached at Oakland’s Antioch Missionary Baptist Church and elsewhere, and was quick to call the investment group’s original founding “a leap of faith.” The friends had met at see BOOK on page 3