THE VALLEJO WEEKLY VOLUME 8, ISSUE 30 | OCTOBER 29, 2020
MAYOR’S MESSAGE Hello Vallejo, I am thrilled to share some more great news with you this week about something exciting happening in Vallejo! Even amid a pandemic, business is booming on Mare Island! Yesterday I had the opportunity to visit the Mare Island Dry Dock and take a tour with MIDD's Executive Vice President, Christina Snyder. The Dry Dock is currently home to five ships, but before I get to the ships' details, let's discuss why this is amazing for Vallejo. MIDD is currently employing 198 employees, and of those 198, 118 are Vallejo residents! When local economies have dipped due to the pandemic, Vallejo shows signs of a resurgence to a more robust economy. Now for the ships' details! The USS Emory S. Land came to the Dry Docks earlier this summer and will be at the MIDD through January 2021. The ship is being completely repainted and has some electrical and mechanical work to be done while visiting the island. The entire project is worth $45 Million.
MAYOR’S MESSAGE In addition to the USS Emory S. Land, MIDD is also hosting an oiler vessel, a research ship, a Catamaran, and a Coast Guard Ice Breaker ship. While all the ships are visiting MIDD to have some electrical and mechanical work done, the Coast Guard Ice Breaker is having the entire engine replaced. To complete this engine replacement, crews have to cut through three of the ship's decks to access the engine and lift it out of the boat. This is no small job! In the next six to eight months, two more ships are expected to arrive at the MIDD. As of today, MIDD has received 14 ships since COVID-19 began, and thankfully there is no end in sight to this type of work coming to Vallejo. Lastly, I would be remiss not to mention that Factory OS on the island has also seen a steady incline in their production. This is all a great sign for Vallejo's future!
Until next week, Vallejo, Your Mayor, Bob Sampayan VOLUME 8, ISSUE 30
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The City of Vallejo is pleased to offer the following employment opportunities: - Building Maintenance Supervisor
- Police Cadet - Police Officer (Entry - Academy Graduate) - Police Officer (Lateral) - Police Officer (Recruit) - Transportation Manager
PERSONNEL
Visit governmentjobs.com/careers/vallejo for more information and to apply.
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OCTOBER 29, 2020
PROGRAM & PROJECT UPDATES
CITY OF VALLEJO ANNOUNCES NEW AND IMPROVED TREE LIGHTS The City of Vallejo is excited to share that the Georgia Street "tree" lights are scheduled to be replaced just before the Thanksgiving Holiday. In 2013, long-time Vallejo business owner Fred Menard acted as the catalyst behind raising funds for the original tree lights and working closely with the City to install them. The beautiful strings of lights added a festive warmth and security to Vallejo's downtown corridor for years. In 2019, the City of Vallejo removed the lights to perform regular tree maintenance. After discussions about the health of the trees and solutions to the lights' replacement, the City of Vallejo partnered with the Central Core Restoration Corporation (CCRC), who generously donated funds to purchase new and improved lights. Local Vallejo businesses, Geocene, Praxis, and Inyo Networks, helped map out the engineering and design aspects of the new and improved lights that will be hung parallel along Georgia Street. These upgraded, programmable LED lights feature nearly 1,000 color variations and offer state-ofthe-art technological capabilities such as syncing to music. If you are interested in seeing the lights for yourself, visit the 300 block of Georgia Street, where Public Works crews have already installed a few demonstration strands!
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VALLEJO POLICE DEPARTMENT LAUNCHES NEW WEBSITE The Vallejo Police Department is pleased to announce the launch of its brand new website on October 19. The site aims to provide the Vallejo community with a more streamlined and accessible way to get services and information. The new website also fulfills recommendation number forty of the OIR Report and VPD Implementation Plan which calls for the Department to “enhance the clarity and accessibility” of information on the site while using it as a “vehicle for informing and engaging the public”. Vallejo Police Chief Shawny Williams requested the site's implementation upon his arrival in November 2019.
Check out the new site today by visiting vallejopd.net. The VPD welcomes your feedback as the department works to improve online services and make site changes. Click here for the press release.
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OCTOBER 29, 2020
PROGRAM & PROJECT UPDATES
“We believe an informed public is the key ingredient to fostering and maintaining positive relationships between law enforcement and the community and this measure exemplifies a concrete step towards reaching that goal,” Chief Williams stated. “We’re extremely excited to share this achievement with our community and we welcome your feedback as we continue to improve our services.”
COMMUNITY
PSPS PREPARATION Are you prepared for a Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS)? Visit pge.com/pspsupdates, and learn what you can do today, to prepare for a future PSPS outage. Subscribe to alerts, lookup your address, view an outage map, apply for the PG&E Medical Baseline Program if you depend on power for a medical necessity, and more.
COVID19 TESTING Help protect yourself and the people around you by getting tested for COVID-19. Public health officials globally are working together to combat the COVID-19 pandemic. Expanding access to reliable screening is critical to containment efforts. For more information about getting tested, visit the following sites: Project Baseline, CVS Pharmacy, OptumServe.
SUBSCRIBE TO ALERT SOLANO EMERGENCY NOTIFICATIONS In order to receive important messages during emergencies, the City of Vallejo urges local residents who live, work, play, or travel through Solano County to sign up for its emergency alert system. Alert Solano efficiently delivers messages and information during incidents and emergencies as they occur via email, cell phone, and/or text messaging.
To register, click here. VOLUME 8, ISSUE 30
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DAYLIGHT SAVINGS PROMPTS SMOKE AND CARBON MONOXIDE ALARM MAINTENANCE Every six months you hear from firefighters, “When you change your clock for Daylight Saving Time, check your smoke and carbon monoxide alarms.” It is more than a slogan and firefighters often witness that smoke alarms save lives. Working smoke detectors alert you more quickly in the event of a fire and provide you and your loved ones more time to escape safely. Statistics back it up, too. Nearly two-thirds of all home fire deaths occur in homes with no working smoke alarm; a number that can easily be reduced with a few simple moments of fire safety precaution and preparation twice a year.
Make sure you have the most up-to-date alarms. Firefighters recommend replacing any smoke alarm that is older than 10 years old. 1. Practice evacuating your home. Knowing what to do in an emergency can mean the difference between life and death. 2. Make sure your family knows two ways out of the house, including from bedrooms. Draw a map to show both exit paths.
3. Push the button on the alarm in order for everyone in the house to become familiarized with the loud warning sound, then practice exiting the home as if it is an actual emergency. 4. Establish a safe meeting space. Having a predetermined meeting place once you leave the home will help fire fighters quickly know if everyone is out of the house and, if not, where they need to search first. 5. Most importantly, remind your family members that once they are out of the house – they should stay out until fire fighters give the all clear to reenter. When changing your clock for Daylight Saving Time, Vallejo firefighters encourage you to not only take a few moments to check your smoke and carbon monoxide alarms, but also to take the extra time to practice fire safety in your home. PAGE 7
OCTOBER 29, 2020
COMMUNITY
While checking your smoke and carbon monoxide alarms is important, many smoke alarms are electrically hardwired to your home or they have long-life-span batteries making the need to change the battery obsolete, but that doesn’t mean there is nothing to do come Daylight Saving Time.
COMMUNITY
RIDE FREE ON ELECTION DAY Solano County Transit (SolTrans) will offer free rides on all Local and Paratransit services on Election Day, November 3. It is their commitment to offer free rides this election day to allow the community access to the polls. Reservations are required for Paratransit service, please follow normal protocol to book a Paratransit trip on November 3. “All Rides are free November 3rd, whether it’s to the polls, work, or the store. But we hope our riders will vote, too. This year, no matter how you choose to cast your vote, access to transportation should not be a barrier. We are happy to provide passengers safe transportation to and from the polls.” Said Mandi Renshaw, SolTrans Public information Officer. To find your Solano County polling place and check your voter status, click here. For help planning your trip, call Solano Mobility at 800-535-6883 and be ready to provide the starting address and the address of the polling place you will be traveling to. Customers can also plan a trip with SolTrans’ trip planner, available on the home page of SolTrans.org.
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COMMUNITY
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OCTOBER 29, 2020
COMMISSION ON CULTURE AND THE ARTS GRANTS $80,000 in community art grants will be awarded by the Commission on Culture and the Arts. There are three categories in which to apply: Performing Arts, Visual Arts and Cultural Events. At least one award will be given in each category. Projects must be completed by 2021 and grantees must make a final presentation to the Commission on Culture and the Arts upon completion. There are two $10,000 grants, five $5,000 grants and twelve $2,500 which will be awarded. Grants to organizations will be awarded to groups that provide our community with access to high quality artistic experiences, build audiences and provide opportunity for greater understanding and appreciation of the arts. Grants for artists will be given to allow artists to explore and create, help to build audiences, and provide support in career development. Zoom workshops will be held on November 2 at 7 p.m., and November 8 at 2 p.m. Interested parties should email renayconlin@vallejoarts.org. Once your proposal is submitted, a selection committee will review all the grants applications and make decisions about awardees. The deadline for submission is November 17 by 6 p.m. For more information about this grant, click here.
COMMUNITY
GVRD TEN-YEAR MASTER PLAN Greater Vallejo Recreation District (GVRD) is developing a comprehensive 10-year master plan to see where their parks can grow, how their programs can expand, what improvements can be done for their facilities, and better ways to serve the community. They would like feedback from the Vallejo community about their master plan to guide the district for the next 10 years. The survey can be taken online at vallejoparksurvey.org/open, or in person by visiting the GVRD office at 395 Amador Street.
CITY OF VALLEJO CONTINUES PARTNERSHIP WITH SERVICE LINE WARRANTIES OF AMERICA The City of Vallejo continues to partner with Service Line Warranties of America (SLWA) to offer homeowners the opportunity to purchase warranty protection for their water service lines. The coverage is voluntary and available for a monthly, quarterly, or annual cost to homeowners. The warranty program, endorsed by the National League of Cities, covers repairs to water service lines (pipes) on homeowners’ property that are not traditionally covered by basic home insurance. SLWA allows homeowners to opt-in for exterior water line coverage and/or interior plumbing and drainage system coverage. This program is a voluntary option for Vallejo residents. The City of Vallejo does not pay for the program. For questions about this service, or to enroll in this program, please contact SLWA at 1 (844) 2578796 or visit slwofa.com.
Click here for Frequently Asked Questions. VOLUME 8, ISSUE 30
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COMMUNITY
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OCTOBER 29, 2020
VALLEJO PD REMINDS COMMUNITY THAT BUZZED DRIVING IS DRUNK DRIVING To help spread the message that Buzzed Driving Is Drunk Driving, the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is teaming up with the Vallejo Police Department to remind everyone of the dangers of drunk driving, especially the threat it poses to pedestrians. This year, Halloween falls on a Saturday and we want to ensure that residents and community members also adhere to the social distancing guidelines and regulations of COVID-19. If your night involves alcohol, plan for a sober ride home. Remember: It’s never safe to drink and drive. Remember that it is never okay to drink and drive. Even if you have only had one alcoholic beverage, designate a sober driver or plan to use public transportation or a ride service to get home safely. Do you have a friend who is about to drink and drive? Use safety precautions and make arrangements to get your friend home safely.
COMMUNITY
If you see someone who is attempting to drive while under the influence or is visibly impaired, call 911. See statistics and tips by reading the press release, or by visiting vallejopd.net for more news and information.
WATER DEPARTMENT CO-SPONSORS TEACHER WORKSHOP A popular 5-hour Project WET (Water Education for Teachers) school water education training workshop is once again being offered to Vallejo teachers on November 7. For over a decade the Vallejo Water Department has co-sponsored the no-cost, interactive, environmentally educational, teacher workshop. The program educates a wide range of ages as it is designed for kindergarten through 12th grade classrooms. During the session, educators are introduced to new water resource instruction materials and are taught how to integrate interactive drinking water and watershed related curricula into their classrooms. These workshops are typically held twice during the school year at various locations throughout the County but due to current restrictions they will be offered virtually. Register for the November workshop by clicking here. For more information, visit the Vallejo Water Department at vallejowater.org or call 707-648-5299.
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COMMUNITY
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OCTOBER 29, 2020
DOLLAR DAYS ON THE BAY San Francisco Bay Ferry wants to thank essential workers and welcome new riders on board with one dollar fares through the month of November. The ferry offers a pleasant, fresh air trip across the Bay and use critical health measures in effect to protect passengers and crews. Masks are required on board at all times and capacity is limited to ensure proper social distancing. For this promotion of one dollar fares, download the Hopthru app on smartphone and connect a credit card, Apple Pay or a prepaid debit card. You can click the links below to go right to Hopthru in your app store of choice; search for San Francisco Bay Ferry. Purchase one dollar one-way promo tickets for your chosen route. Buy two if you’re taking a round trip. You can buy tickets for multiple members of your party if you're riding in group.
VALLEJO NEWS
For Vallejo: Activate your ticket before boarding the ferry and show it to the deckhand at the top of the ramp. You can activate multiple tickets and slide your finger across the screen to show them all to the deckhand. Then you can board the ferry safely and find a seat, maintaining distance from other passengers who have already boarded. For Alameda/Oakland and Richmond: As you arrive at your destination, activate the ticket and disembark safely. Show the deckhand at the end of the ramp to confirm payment. You can activate multiple tickets and slide your finger across the screen to show them all to the deckhand. From there, enjoy the rest of your journey.
For more information, click here.
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The City of Vallejo wishes you a Happy Halloween, and encourages you to celebrate safely during COVID19, by following guidance from Solano Public Health and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC).
Here are some safer activities and guidelines provided by the CDC you can follow: Make trick-or-treating safer
Avoid direct contact with trick-or-treaters
Give out treats outdoors, if possible
Set up a station with individually bagged treats for kids to take
Wash hands before handling treats
Decorate and carve pumpkins Decorate your home for Halloween Carve pumpkins with members of your household or outside with neighbors or friends Walk from house to house, admiring Halloween decorations at a distance Visit an orchard, forest, or corn maze. Attend a scavenger hunt Other Ideas
Hide Halloween treats in and around your house. Hold a Halloween treat hunt with household members.
Hold an outdoor costume parade or contest so everyone can show off their costumes.
Host a socially distanced outdoor Halloween movie night with friends or neighbors or an indoor movie night with your household members.
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OCTOBER 29, 2020
HALLOWEEN EVENTS & FALL FESTIVITIES
Traditional Halloween activities are fun, but some can increase the risk of getting or spreading COVID-19 or the flu. Always remember to wear a mask cloth, however, a costume mask is not a substitute for a cloth mask. Do not wear a costume mask over a cloth mask, as it can make breathing more difficult. Masks should not be worn by children under the age of two, or anyone who has trouble breathing. Either indoors or outdoors, stay at least six feet apart from others who do not live with you. Always wash your hands or if this is not available, use hand sanitizers that have at least 60% alcohol in them.
MR. HAT PRESENTS CRUISE-IN CONCERTS AT THE SOLANO COUNTY FAIRGROUNDS
HALLOWEEN EVENTS & FALL FESTIVITIES
Mr. Hat Presents Cruise-In Concerts at the Solano County Fairgrounds. Upcoming acts include the legendary Los Lobos, with special guests The Doobie Decibel System; visuals by The Mad Alchemy Liquid Lightshow on October 30 from 7:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. For more information about this event or to purchase tickets, click here. Click here for this event's Facebook event page.
On the following day, Mr. Hat Presents a very special Halloween Cruise-In Concert featuring The Mother Hips, with The Mad Alchemy Liquid Lightshow. The show will be hosted on October 31 from 7:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m.. For more information about this event or to purchase tickets, click here Click here for this event's Facebook event page. Cruise-In concerts utilize an array of safety measures to achieve zero transmissions. All attendees must wear a mask and socially distance from other groups when outside their vehicles, and each vehicle and its occupants (up to 5 adults, each must have a seat belt in the vehicle) are assigned a 15x20' area in which you can park and dance or hang out on the driver's side. Restroom attendants will limit crowding and disinfect surfaces every half hour. There will be a high-quality FM broadcast so you can listen inside your vehicle. Food and beverages will be ordered via phone (full bar and two food trucks with vegan options).
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Six Flags Discovery Kingdom is getting in the Halloween spirit with a monster mash up that combines the Marine World Experience with themed activities for the entire family in a safe environment at BOO 2020. This event will take place on October 31 and November 1 from 11:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
Activities include:
Trick-or-Treat trail with pre-bagged offering of individually packaged candy and treats
Kids’ Halloween costume parade, children 8 years and under are encouraged to wear their favorite costume and join the parade (all costumes must accommodate safety masks)
New Dolphin Show, Halloween Bash and Sea Lion Show, Ghoul School
New opportunities to meet and learn more about the animals in the park’s care.
Halloween-themed specialty treats including:
BOO 2020! Funnel Scream Cake made with SNICKERS candy
Scare-acha boneless wings
Zombie Takis
Ghostly Grape Drinks
Monster Dippin’ Dots with cotton candy and chocolate-flavored dots
Mark your calendars and make your reservations for the most wickedly fun times of the year. Click here to make reservations or for more information.
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OCTOBER 29, 2020
HALLOWEEN EVENTS & FALL FESTIVITIES
SIX FLAGS DISCOVERY KINGDOM’S BOO 2020
HALLOWEEN EVENTS & FALL FESTIVITIES FALL-TOBER WITH GVRD GVRD will host events in October to celebrate Halloween. For more information about these events, contact (707)648-5267 or visit GVRD.org. Boo! Drive & Dash GVRD invites the community to enjoy Halloween festivities on October 30 from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at 395 Amador Street. Dress the kids up and bring them by to see the spooky Halloween decorations and lights, as well as local community organizations. At the end of the parade of lights, each child will receive a boo box of treats to enjoy, while supplies last. To enter the costume contest, post a photo through Facebook or Instagram using hashtag #GVRDBOO20, winners will be contacted November 2. Virtual Pup’kin Patch GVRD will host their second annual pup’kin patch pooch parade and costume contest through Zoom on October 31 at 10:00 a.m. (Please note the zoom call will be recorded to share on their Facebook page) Each participant will have 2 minutes to show off their pet to the rest of the participants and share a bit about them. Winners will be announced on November 2. Registration is required before 3:00 p.m. on October 30. Send an email of the pet in costume with your name and pet’s name to cstephan@gvrd.org. Entry is $5 per family and zoom link will be emailed.
HALLOWEEN PLANT SALE AT VALLEJO PEOPLE’S GARDEN The Vallejo People's Garden will be hosting a Halloween Plant Sale and Potluck on Saturday, October 31 from 2:00 - 6:00 p.m. The sale will include carnivorous plants, succulents, microgreens, seeds and more. The Vallejo People's Garden is based in Mare Island and located behind the Global Center for Success (1055 Azuar Drive). Please adhere to social distancing practices and wear a mask. The Vallejo People's Garden is committed to bringing organic, sustainable, locally-produced food and nutrition programs to Vallejo in order to create healthier communities. For more information, email info@vallejopeoplesgarden.org.
Subscribe to the Vallejo Weekly, and other City communications, here. View previous issues of the Vallejo Weekly, here. Submit your positive community story or event for consideration in the Vallejo News section, here.
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