Vallejo W e e k ly Vo l u m e 9 I s s u e 4 5 November 10, 2021
Photo Courtesy of: McKinley Photography
CALTRANS CLEAN CALIFORNIA INITIATIVE KICK OFF EVENT THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 2021
Volunteers are invited to join the Caltrans for the kick-off Adopt-A-Highway Clean Up at the SR37 EB at Fairgrounds Dr. off ramp near 6 Flags Discovery Kingdom. The clean-up will be from 10:00 am – 12:00 pm Gloves, pickers and safety vests will be provided. All attendees must wear a mask. Parking is available in the Six Flags Discovery Kingdom parking lot. For more details, please contact Caltrans District 4 Public Information Officer, Pedro Quintana, at 510867-6028 Interested in hosting a community cleanup in Vallejo? Send us an email at volunteers@cityofvallejo.net or (707) 648-8616 to get started.
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HYBRID IN-PERSON CITY MEETINGS RESUME, NOVEMBER 16, 2021
· You must sanitize your hands.
On November 16, 2021, the City of
chambers or meeting room. A hand
Vallejo will resume in-person meetings
sanitizing station will be provided at
for its Council, Board, and Commission
the entrance door.
meetings. A hybrid Zoom option will continue to remain available to the public, but per the Brown Act, all
In-person attendees must sanitize their hands upon entrance of the
· The public will not be permitted into City Hall until 30 minutes before
commissioners, council, and board
the start of any meeting. The doors
members are required to attend the
will remain locked until 30 minutes
meeting in person unless or until the
prior to any city meeting, at which
council declares another state of
time a security guard will be unlocking
emergency.
the doors and allowing individuals (with masks) inside the chambers or
Important information for those wishing to attend the meetings in
building.
person:
· Attend at your own risk. City staff
· Masks will be required at all
risk of infection through the sanitization
times while inside city buildings regardless of vaccination status.
will do their best to help mitigate the of high touchpoints in the meeting areas. However, social distancing
There will be no exceptions. We
is not required and may be difficult
encourage the public to bring their own
depending on how many members of
mask, although masks will be provided
the public attend the meetings.
should members of the public arrive without one. Security will be enforcing
If you are attending a meeting
mask-wearing as the public enters the
in person and require special
room and through the duration of the
accommodations such as translation
meeting.
services, you must notify the City Clerk
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no later than 3 business days prior to a meeting. You can contact the City Clerk via email at dawn.abrahamson@ cityofvallejo.net or by phone at 707-6484528 PUBLIC COMMENTING Members of the public that are in chambers will be called on first; then ZOOM users/callers will be allowed to speak. Staff will alert ZOOM users/ callers when it is their turn to talk. As per the City’s municipal code, the same rules and policies exist regarding public comment and maintaining decorum during meetings. To review meeting agendas, and to watch and participate virtually, click here. For more information on how to place a public comment virtually, click here.
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LIVE YOUR DREAM SCHOLARSHIP Don’t forget! There’s less than ONE week to apply for the Live Your Dream Award! The program provides cash grants to women working to better their lives through additional schooling and skills training. Over half of the Live Your Dream Awards recipients are survivors of domestic violence, trafficking or sexual assault. Nearly all of the women and families they serve have overcome enormous obstacles including poverty, teen pregnancy, and drug or alcohol addiction. Award recipients may use the cash award to offset any costs associated with their efforts to attain higher education, such as books, childcare, tuition and transportation. You are eligible to apply: • If you’re a woman with primary financial responsibility for yourself and your dependents. • If you’re attending an undergraduate degree program or a vocational skills training program. • If you have financial need. For more information or to apply, click here. 6
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FEELING DISCONNECTED? How ‘bout that outage earlier this week!? We hate being disconnected! Make sure you know how to connect with us: FACEBOOK | facebook.com/cityofvallejo (Be sure to set us to your favorites so you never miss a post!) INSTAGRAM | instagram.com/cityofvallejo VALLEJO WEEKLY | vallejoweekly.com Read our free, digital, weekly newsletter and stay in the know! SUBSCRIBE | cityofvallejo.net/subscribe Get our weekly newsletter, city council agendas, important updates and information, press releases and more delivered right to your inbox. EMERGENCY ALERTS | alertsolano.com Subscribe to receive emergency alerts on any device, and get alerted about severe weather, fires, evacuations, missing persons, and more.
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CRASH RESPONDER SAFETY WEEK The week of November 8-14, 2021 is recognized as Crash Responder Safety Week. During this timeframe, first responder agencies across the U.S. will share important roadway safety information to help create a safer community and a safer environment for emergency responders to operate in when there are emergency incidents on our local roadways. Emergency responders work tirelessly to save lives at traffic incident scenes as safely and quickly as possible. Unfortunately, statistics show that on average, 50 first responders are killed each year while working on the scene of traffic accidents or other roadway emergencies. The City of Vallejo urges motorists to slow down, move over and stay alert when approaching any traffic incident. As a reminder, the California “Move Over” law requires drivers to reduce their speed and move over a full lane when possible as an emergency scene is approached. Remember, when you see those flashing lights on the side of the road, Move Over. It’s the Law.
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VETERANS DAY 2021 In honor of Veterans Day, we celebrate all United States military veterans! THANK YOU for your service! We hope to see some of you at one of our events: • 10 am - Veterans Day Ceremony at Mare Island Historic Naval Cemetery • 11 am - Veterans Day Ceremony at Marina Vista Memorial Park
(As a reminder, City buildings are closed on Thursday, November 11 in observance of the holiday)
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AMERICA RECYCLES DAY November 15, 2021 is America Recycles Day, and although we champion recycling and sustainable living EVERY day, we’re taking this day to remind you of the importance of recycling and the major impact it has on keeping our community clean, green, and beautiful. Take the #BeRecycled pledge, and promise to actively choose a recycled lifestyle by: Recycling at home, work, school, and on the go. Buying products made with recycled content. Educating and encouraging friends, family, and neighbors to take the pledge with you! The City of Vallejo is now a Keep America Beautiful affiliate through the Keep California Beautiful program! Learn how you can help us Keep Vallejo Beautiful at kab.org.
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A CONVERSATION ABOUT AIR The Vallejo Citizens Air Monitoring Network (VCAMN) is looking for community members interested in voicing their concerns regarding the air quality in Vallejo and air quality resources or information that is needed in the community. This Zoom session will be held on November 16 from 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. To register for this session, click here. For more information or questions, email outreach@citizenairmonitoringnetwork.org or call at (707) 339-8623.
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VALLEJO CAPITOL STAIRS GRAND RE-OPENING From Blight to Beauty, one step at a time! Come celebrate the reopening of the Capitol Street Stairs, and gaze upon the beautiful mosaic tiles installed and ready for everyone to enjoy. The official City of Vallejo ribbon cutting will be held on Friday, December 10 at 4:00 p.m., followed by a Parade with Obtanium Works Art Cars, Los Catrinas of Solano AIDS Coalition, and the Vallejo Giant Puppets! Additional festivities will follow at the Vallejo Naval and Historical Museum located at 734 Marin Street. See you there!
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COFFEE WITH THE COPS IS BACK IN ACTION! Join the Vallejo Police Department as we come together to build relationships, one cup at a time. Filipino Community Center (611 Amador Street, Vallejo) Wednesday, November 17, 2021 @ 10:00am COVID-19 protocols will be in place, and hand sanitizer and masks will be provided. Participants are advised to wear masks when not eating or drinking.
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FIREFIGHTER YOUTH ACADEMY GRADUATION On Saturday, November 6, the Robbin Mackbee Firefighter Youth Academy celebrated the graduation of their 2021 cadet class. The youth academy program operates under the “Solutions For At Risk Youth” organization, and is partially funded by the City’s Participatory Budgeting Program. The program is named in honor of former Vallejo Firefighter Robbin Mackbee, who died in the line of duty battling a grass fire on July 28, 1980. Cadets of the Firefighter Youth Academy are trained on basic firefighting and emergency medical skills. Additionally, they are provided with basic life skills that will assist them no matter what direction they choose to take in life. If you are interested in joining or supporting the Robbin Mackbee Firefighter Youth Academy, please visit them on Facebook. The City of Vallejo would like to thank the youth academy’s two largest program sponsors: • Vallejo Fire Department • Medic Ambulance
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GLEN COVE STATION REOPENING CEREMONY On November 6th, the Glen Cove Fire Station hosted its Grand Reopening Ceremony. Neighbors from the local community were invited to enjoy station tours and ask questions of the firefighters on hand. Vallejo Councilmembers Rozzana VerderAliga and Mina Loera-Diaz were joined by Solano County Supervisor Monica Brown to ceremoniously cut the red ribbon adorned across the fire apparatus bay. The reopening of Glen Cove Fire Station #26 will greatly improve response times to surrounding homes and businesses.
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ST. PETER’S CHAPEL CHRISTMAS CONCERT RETURNS Sunday, December 19 at 2 pm Tickets are $20 per person, and are available at the following locations: · Vallejo Naval and Historical Museum · Visit Vallejo · Mare Island Museum · By Phone: (707) 557-4646 or (707) 280-5742
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2022 WATER AWARENESS VIDEO CONTEST Vallejo high school and middle school students and their teachers are eligible to win up to $1,500 in cash by creating and submitting a 30-second video to the Solano County Water Agency’s 12th annual Water Awareness Video Contest. This year the contest theme is entitled “Saving Our Water is Saving Our Future”. Students are challenged to explore ways to conserve drinking water today in order to make the world a better place for future generations. Videos should include everyday actions people can take to conserve drinking water both inside and outside the home. All videos will be judged and rated in five categories including, entertainment value and originality, videography, style and organization, audio/sound, and content accuracy. The contest entry deadline is Wednesday, April 13, 2022. This program is sponsored and funded through the Vallejo Water Department’s Water Conservation Program. For more information about the contest, including rules, guidelines, and entry forms, click here, or send an email to solanovideocontest@gmail.com. Click here to view 2020’s third-place winning video, submitted by Vallejo’s own St Patrick-St Vincent High School! 29
WATER WISE TIP OF THE WEEK Use drought-resistant trees and plants. Save 30-60 gallons per 1,000 square feet each watering! Learn more at SaveOurWater.com.
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DID YOU KNOW? The way Council district lines are drawn could change: • Which council district you are in • Who makes important decisions on your behalf about local government • How your tax dollars are spent Learn more by watching our short video, here. Make your voice heard at MapVallejo.org!
Photo credit: Anthony Lewis 33
ANNUAL COASTAL CLEAN UP FALL 2021 WAS A SUCCESS! As one of the largest clean-up events throughout California, the Annual Coastal Clean Up is by and large a huge volunteer effort. Thank you to everyone that turned out and helped clean up the shorelines and other areas in Solano County. A sincere THANK YOU goes out to the 569 Vallejo Volunteers who collected almost 11,000 pounds of trash and 22 pounds of recyclable trash at 20 sites in the city. This year’s results can be seen here in the report recently released by the organizers.
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Vallejo W e e k ly WWW.CITYOFVALLEJO.NET 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.