CASTRO VALLEY NEWS YEAR 2 NUMBER 8 / 9 / 10
WWW.CASTROVALLEYTV.COM
JUNE / JULY / AUGUST 2015
Grove Way Residents Want School Boundary Change
Residents
in the Upper Grove Way area whose address reads Castro Valley, but have to send children to Hayward Unified Schools are petitioning for a boundary change.
“I live on Grove. When looking up your taxes, you see school district payment is designated as Hayward. It does not have to be that way. We can make a boundary adjustment.” as- The portion of Castro Valley from Grove and Center to Redwood serted Castro Valley resident Matt Turner. Road is in the Hayward school district and not in the CVUSD.
To the point: I- 580 does not divide the City of Hayward and unincorporated Alameda County...it divides the school districts. “There is great deal of Education Code on the process that will need to be followed,” explained former CVUSD Superintendent Jim Negri. In response to community concern about school boundaries in 2011, Negri wrote a FAQ sheet that was posted on the district website.
With about six other volunteers, Turner will pound the pavement and knock on doors of 566 homes in the target area of Upper Grove between Redwood Road and Center Street aiming for 25 percent approval.
From Negri’s release: In 1957, CV residents living in the area of what is now south of I-580 submitted a 25% petition to Alameda County to leave school districts in CV and become part of the Hayward Elementary School District and the Hayward Union High School District. This area of CV is still part of the Hayward School District today. The CV school district has never served all the students who have a CV address.
The Castro Valley USD and Hayward USD boundaries were established at a time when Interstate 580 was being built in the 50’s.
“There are lot of new residents in that area with families who want this to change….this is coming,” Turner added.
Blighted Boulevard Building UpBADGE For Sale CV NEWS COPS : BEHIND THE Details and pictures from a ride along with ACSO Deputy C. Kolos in and around Castro Valley on May 22
9:52 PM: Traffic stop on Redwood Rd. for expired tags and illegal window tint. Driver is let go with a warning.
10:16 PM: Domestic dispute call on Coldwater Drive. Male says female threw items and left the residence. Report is taken.
11 PM: Multiple Deputies and the Sergeant on duty respond to an enormous party on Sydney Way. Three hundred teenagers are disbursed from the home that is littered by large amounts of liquor bottles. Homeowners are contacted and party shut down. No arrests.
2:15 AM: Traffic stop on Crow Canyon for failure to stop at a red light. Individual was near DUI and told to get a ride home.
9 PM: Detail to violent person at Eden Hospital’s ER. Person is assesed and brought to John George Psychiatric hospital.
CV News Restaurant Review with Courtney - The Meadows For her second restaurant review, CVN’s new
Food Editor Courtney paid a visit for dinner to The Meadows restaurant at the Redwood Canyon public golf course in Castro Valley. The Meadows was previously named Paradise Grill and Redwood Canyon was known as Willow Park for many years. Both the event center and golf course are under new management, hence their new names. The entire area is a hidden gem in CV.
The Meadows is undergoing a full interior facelift that will include extensive improvements to the dining room and main lobby. Behind the scenes, the management hired two young chefs who are bringing new flavors and ideas to the event center. What did Courtney order from the menu? An appetizer of spinach and artichoke dip and the entree of herb roasted chicken breast with mashed potatoes and brussels sprouts. How was it? “The dip was excellent. The best part was it was topped with melted cheese. The chicken was really good… the herbs were great and the mashed potatoes were perfect.” added Courtney who told CVN she “highly recommends you try” the Meadows.
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District Nurse Calls It a Career After 25 Years binders full of inforThe task of mation and protocols
managing student health was completely different when Nora Crans became District Nurse for Castro Valley schools 25 years ago.
for each school site.
Over the years, Crans successfully streamlined and organized services and student information in an effective district wide program. These days, all the information needed is stored on the district’s computer server.
There were no computers to make task organization a few keyboard clicks away and there were only 3,800 students district wide... Currently there are about 10,000 students at the 16 district sites and a longer, more sophisticated list of student health concerns to keep tabs on. “We cover the full gamut,” said Crans, who retired on June 17 after two and a half decades serving as district nurse. With a smile, she recalled the pre-internet days when she would tote gargantuan
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For retirement, Crans intends to spend more time with her family, specifically in her role as Grandmother. The lure of traveling is also in the cards, but she would like to remain active in the district to assist on special programs and functions. “What will I miss the most? The kids….they are the highlight of each day,” Crans added with a smile, “It has been a blessing to be a trusted resource in my community.”
-Story by Robert Souza
CASTRO VALLEY THROUGH THE PHOTO LENS
F
or many months, photographer Randy Smith has sent pics of scenes and landscapes across town that have been shared on the CVN Facebook page. To return Randy’s generosity, he now has his ownpage in the magazine for photos exclusive to print. The first photo (at right) was taken on a clear March night, and has the descrtipton, “Night time on CV BLVD” and reveals a sundown landcape of the boulvard with a blur of vehicle lights. The second evening photo , also taken in March, has the description “Great night for fun golf in CV” and captures the fountains and castle at CV’s popular “Golfland” mini golf course. Visit https://www.facebook.com/rcsimages?fref=ts to view more of Randy’s fantastic pictures.
Looking For a “Special” Gift?
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nce a week, a group of enthusiastic people arrive at the Gift Express shop in the Village Shopping center to lend a hand tidying up the store and checking on sales. The group are students in Ginger Brown’s special ability class at Roy Johnson High School in Castro Valley. So, if you ever stroll the aisles at Gift Express, you’ll come upon the “Special Ability Shop” booth that is stocked with unique handmade items. “This allows our students with varying abilities an opportunity to gain life skills being out in the community,” said teacher Ginger Brown, as she encouraged and assisted students who cleaned windows,
dusted off store items and wiped counters. Brown teaches students life skills including cooking, laundry, basic hygiene and cleaning. Students also volunteer at Golfland, The Aiken Senior Center, Hallmark and Meals on Wheels. Gift Express owner Edita Kohatsu told CVN she is happy to have handmade items from the special needs class at her shop. Student made items such as duct tape wallets, designer pens and Oakland Athletics / San Francisco Giants themed items are always available for shoppers to purchase at Gift Express - 20297 Patio Drive, 510-733-2273. You can also visit the Special Abilty Shop online at Etsy: specialabilityshop. et. -Story / Still by Robert Souza
Fresh From the CV Farmers Market T
he Castro Valley Farmers Market in the BART parking lot has been the weekend “go to” stop for shoppers looking for fresh fruit and vegetables for the past decade. With a smile on his face and the sun in his eyes, dedicated market-goer Bob Swanson declared his affection for the Farmers Market. “I love it. It is one of the best things in Castro Valley…you can buy amazingly fresh items and share hellos with all your neighbors,” said Swanson, who walks the market aisles weekly.
New to the market are cherries, corn and stonefruit, including apricots, peaches and nectarines. Market manager Josh Assink says the market also has local craft items, baked goods, and entertainers. Assink told CVN the market is looking into having a “Doggie Day Care” tent for those who want to bring their four legged canine friends (they are not allowed in the market) along to shop.
The CV Farmers Market is every Saturday from 10 AM - 2 PM year round and is sponsored by Supervisor Nate Miley, BART and Alameda County.
HANK’S CVN PET PAGE
According to the Association for Truth in Pet Food in an email sent to the FDA, “recent pet food testing found mycotoxins in eight of eight pet foods tested”. Mycotoxins are toxic substances found in grains that are produced by fungus and molds. And in a consumer funded pet food test, ATPF states, “Existing studies of mycotoxin contamination in pet food have shown that day to day consumption of small amounts of mycotoxins can result in chronic diseases such as liver and kidney fibrosis, infections resulting from immunosuppression and cancer”. Grains and some vegetables such as potatoes are starches commonly used which contribute to the overgrowth of yeast in pets. Yeast is always present as part of a normal flora but when fed too much starchy foods it proliferates in the hair follicle creating the itchy pet we see so often.
As the failures and untruths of the pet food companies trickled out in the aftermath of the recall of 2007, consumers began to demand better quality foods and manufactures started to tout grain-free foods as the solution. And while better than grain-laden foods that contribute to insulin resistance, inflammation and yeast overgrowth; grain-
free dry or ‘kibble’ diets are still not a biologically appropriate food for dogs and cats. For optimal health we recommend real whole foods that are living, fresh and full of moisture. This is found in the raw pet food category. A good raw pet food contains about 70% moisture compared to the average kibble containing about 12% moisture. Moisture helps cats and dogs process food with less metabolic stress, particularly on the kidneys. Cats and dogs in the wild and by the design of their anatomies would hunt birds, mice, rabbits, etc. that would supply them with fresh muscle meat, organs and bones with a small amount of predigested carbohydrate. We have known for some time now that grains are simply unnecessary for a biologically appropriate canine and feline diet. Dogs, and their wolf ancestors, as well as cats don’t hunt wheat, rice or other grains in the wild. So how did we end up with grains in pet foods? They are inexpensive leftovers and the ‘not fit for human consumption’ portion of human food waste manufactures want to sell.
-Marilyn Texter, Co-Owner, Pawsitive Karma, Grooming and Nutrition
CASTRO VALLEY/ EDEN AREA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE NEWS PAGE
RICKEY & NINA’S TRAVEL ADVENTURES
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his month Rickey and Nina’s Travel Adventures takes you half way around the world to India. This was an eye opening trip! India has a complex society that is full of culture. The people are the warmest and friendliest people we have ever encountered.
Doing our part and being good ambassadors, we went to a rural school with donations for the children of clothes and school supplies that we collected from the Castro Valley community. We were also in search of the very rare Bengal tiger which eluded us on this trip. Last but not least, we circulated the CV News at the Taj Mahal!
-Rickey and Nina Chang www. rickeyandninastraveladventures.com
“What Castro Valley Issue Is On Your Mind?” Asked at Pete’s Hardware
“We need a better restaurants. Maybe a wine bar. Something to keep foks in town to spend.” Paul Ostrander - Hayward Resident
“We need more police
enforcement for speeders on CV Blvd. and Stanton Ave.” Brenda Rae - Castro Valley Resident
“Better monitoring for senior homes in CV that are not properly licensed!”
Renee Garcia and “Siafu” - Castro Valley Residents
CV Donor Gives the Gift of Life Castro
Valley resident Diana Rhinehart stumbled upon a rewarding silver lining going through a research treatment program for stomach cancer. Following a surgery, doctors took a sample of Rhinehart’s skin to graft on a burned child.
“I really won the lottery that day,” said Rhinehart, as she paused to reflect on the day she met that infant girl with severe burns on her body. Though she thought the skin sample would be much smaller, the sample taken was enough to cover a large portion of the baby’s burned body. View a Full Story Video by Scanning this QR Code with your SmartPhone:
Diane’s darker pigmented skin matched the burned baby’s skin perfect. The experience was an eye opener for Rhinehart, who told CVN many darker skinned people in need of skin donations who may not be able to afford plastic surgery have to accept caucasian skin that does not match. “This child was fortunate my skin matched her perfectly,” said Rhinehart, who hopes anyone who can donate “the gift of life” will do so. “If you have anything that you won’t be needing when you go….donate. You might be saving someone’s life.” Visit www.organdonor.org online for more information on organ, eye and tissue donation.