Climate RWC – May 2022

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P u b l i c a t i o n Feature: The Post-Covid Dress Code Profile: Learning from the Ground Up Micro Climate: Getting Back to Normal

ISSUE EIGHTY ONE • MAY • 2022

The Uneven Road to

North Fair Oaks

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LETTER FROM THE EDITOR•

This month’s cover story was prompted by a conversation many many months ago with a longtime Redwood City resident who asked me about North Fair Oaks. When she was growing up, she didn’t remember hearing the name, let alone identifying it as a specific, geographic place, and thought North Fair Oaks would be a good subject for Climate. I had to admit my knowledge of this unincorporated area south of Woodside Road and east of El Camino wasn’t all that deep—and turned to writer Don Shoecraft. He’s been volunteering for about six years to help immigrant residents learn English and knows the community quite well. In this month’s Spotlight, Don delivers a comprehensive and informed account of how North Fair Oaks was—and still is—shaped by federal immigration policies. He also introduces us to some of the residents who have created businesses or are in other ways contributing to the community and the economy. A good example of the immigrant spirit Don writes about is Gilberto Gonzalez, who appears on the cover and has been the owner of Villa Latina on Middlefield Road for 28 years, a cowboy/ranchero clothing store. I hope you find the story on "NFO," which begins on page 16, as enlightening as I did.

After two years pretty much cocooned at home in sweats while your street clothes gathered dust, are you, like “Georgy Girl” of the 1966 film and pop song, ready to shed those dowdy feathers and fly? Do you miss having a reason to get dressed up and go somewhere, back to the office or better yet out for a special occasion? More to the point, have two years of relaxing our already relaxed Silicon Valley style permanently lowered the standard of what’s acceptable? Kathleen Pender takes up that wide-ranging topic in this month’s Feature, which also examines the way the fashion industry including clothing manufacturers and retailers has responded to these uncertainties. There’s been a startling number of big-name bankruptcies, and the Covid has only accelerated the online shopping trend which was already imperiling retailers. This month’s Feature begins on page 8.

From office buildings to apartments and churches, the projects with the name “W.L. Butler Construction” on them are ubiquitous, and we’ve wanted to tell the story of company founder Bill Butler in Climate for a long time. Finally, the stars aligned, and writer Dan Brown sat down recently with the loquacious and unpretentious entrepreneur for an interview about how he went from a Jack-of-all-trades as a young man to where he is today, a major general contractor with four offices in the state, including the one on Main Street in Redwood City.

You’ll read in this month’s MicroClimate column that the folks who organize the Fourth of July Parade and the post-parade festival plan to bring the event back for the first time in two years. This year’s theme is “Heroes and Helpers” and they’re trying to drum up entries as well as volunteers. Having taken a turn as a parade marshal myself, I can assure you there are spots for volunteers that are easy and only require a few hours—plus it’s a fun way to support our community. Check out parade.org for information.

I hope the May issue suits your style, no matter what you’re wearing.

Enjoy!

Janet McGovern, Editor

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TA B L E O F C O N T E N T S •

FEATU RE

The Post-Covid Dress Code

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SPOTLIG HT North Fair Oaks

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PROFILE

Learning from the Ground Up

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MICRO CLIMATE

Getting Back to Normal

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AROUND TOWN .........22 HISTORY .....................30

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On the Cover: Gilberto Gonzalez, who owns a store on Middlefield Road, stands in front of a mural painted by artist Cuba Jose depicting the North Fair Oaks neighborhood.

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C L I M AT E •

To a kid, 25 years is a lifeline

The Redwood City Police Athletic League proudly celebrates its 25th Anniversary by honoring its leaders and community partners that shared their extraordinary vision, dedication, and compassion that created opportunities empowering over 200,000 underrepresented and underserved youth to learn, lead, and excel.

PAL would like to thank everyone for their special contributions to the quality of life for Redwood City youth and their families.

To support Redwood City PAL as a partner, volunteer, or to donate, please visit www.redwoodcitypal.org

Redwood City PAL • 3399 Bay Rd. • Redwood City, CA 94063 (650) 556-1653 • info@redwoodcitypal.org • www.redwoodcitypal.org

This ad was provided as a courtesy of

Neighbors helping - since 1938 May neighbors 2022 · CLIMATE ·5

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CLIMATE M A G A Z I N E Publisher

S.F. Bay Media Group Editor

Janet McGovern

C L I M AT E •

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ROCK THE DOCK

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SPRING CONCERT SERIES Live music at the waterfront

janet@climaterwc.com Creative Director

Jim Kirkland jim@climaterwc.com Contributing Writers

Kathleen Pender Dan Brown Don ShoeCraft Janet McGovern Jim Clifford Photography

Jim Kirkland

Rock the Dock is a free, family

Editorial Board

friendly outdoor concert series

Janet McGovern Jim Kirkland Adam Alberti Advisory Board

Dee Eva Jason Galisatus Connie Guerrero Matt Larsen Dennis Logie Clem Molony Barb Valley CLIMATE magazine is a monthly publication

by S.F. Bay Media Group, a California Corporation.

Entire contents ©2022 by S.F. Bay Media Group. All rights reserved. Reproduction or use in any manner without permission is strictly prohibited. CLIMATE is not responsible for unsolicited manuscripts or artwork.

CLIMATE offices are located at 570 El Camino Real, Ste. 150 #331 Redwood City, CA 94063. Printed in the U.S.A.

where music lovers can celebrate the soul of Redwood City with live music, fresh air and fresh fish from local vendors.

May 7 — June 18, 2022

3 P.M.—6 P.M. Weekly band line-up: redwoodcityport.com/events

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C L I M AT E •

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Correction: A story about plant-based food which appeared in the March issue misstated the affiliation of Danni Beer.

She is a member of the United States Cattlemen’s Association, not the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association.

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The Post-Covid Dress Code As life returns to normal, are people ready to shed sweats for a suit?

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By Kathleen Pender

For millions who worked from home the last two years, the dress code was anything goes.

On Zoom meetings, they might don a dress shirt or blouse, maybe even earrings and makeup. Otherwise, sweats all day were okay, even PJs. Now, workers heading back to the office, at least part-time, face the age-old conundrum: what to wear. The same goes for social events, which are coming back. Can they resurrect those dresses and suits from the back of the closet, or is it time to spring for something new?

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o one has more riding on these answers than apparel makers and retailers. The fashion industry underwent an unparalleled makeover during the pandemic.

While esteemed retailers such as Brooks Brothers and Neiman Marcus filed for bankruptcy, “athleisure” brands like Lululemon and Nike were off to the races.

Shoppers turned to the internet for retail therapy, and online apparel sales swelled.

After plunging in 2020, U.S. garment sales picked up in 2021 and ended the year ahead of 2019. The recovery, however, was led by a small group of leading brands.

Many companies are still struggling to survive. “The few brands that outperformed either played into the needs of the moment — comfort, outdoor activities and online shopping — or appealed to wealthier cohorts who were able to better weather the impacts of the crisis,” consulting firm McKinsey said in its 2022 State of Fashion report.

Dayna Marr, who owns the Pickled women’s boutique in downtown Redwood City, survived the early days of the pandemic by ramping up online sales. Her stylists FaceTimed with customers and would drop off packages at their door.

“It was all sweats and comfort clothing,” Marr said.

Her lowest point, however, came this January, when the Omicron strain was at its peak. “That was the most painful month I’ve had in my 30 or 40 years of retail,” she said. “People had Covid, were afraid of getting Covid or quarantining because they’d been exposed.” If they came in to return Christmas gifts, they made it clear they weren’t there to browse.

Night and Day Things started picking up just before Valentine’s Day. Then on Feb. 16, San Mateo County lifted its indoor mask mandate, and it was like someone flipped a switch.

“I have people coming in daily saying they

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Dayna Marr

“I have people coming in daily saying they need a closet update because they haven’t really shopped in a couple years. People are getting together socially, wanting to go back to work.” need a closet update because they haven’t really shopped in a couple years. People are getting together socially, wanting to go back to work.”

They’re looking for denim, high-waisted pants, dresses and sneakers to wear with them, shorter crop tops, resort wear and jewelry. “The more color, the better,” Marr said. “When you do comfort clothes for so long, people want to dress up more, feel a little more put together and back to normal,” she said. “People are not afraid to spend money.”

Indeed. Americans as a whole have never been richer, thanks to government

stimulus, rising home and stock values and not having spent much for two years.

Many people are eager to update their wardrobes with fresh styles and bright colors. “After about a year and a half of the pandemic, people were making appointments with their personal shoppers,” said Ronda Chaney, coordinator of the fashion design and merchandising department at Cañada College.

But they’re not always finding what they want. Apparel is a complex global industry, facing supply-chain disruptions, rising shipping costs and staff shortages. Susan Marquess of Mountain View needed travel pants for some upcoming trips. Nordstrom’s website said they were in stock at the Palo Alto store, but when she got there, no pants. The salesperson’s response: Look online. “It’s frustrating, she said.

Three Trends Fashion experts say three trends that accelerated during the pandemic – online shopping, more-casual dressing and sustainability – are likely to continue. And shoppers seem more willing than ever to pay up for high-end goods.

Last spring and summer, Chinese consumers released from their strict lockdown went on a spending spree, nicknamed “revenge buying.” Their penchant for luxury goods helped fuel a surge in sales for the French firms LVMH (owner of Louis Vuitton, Christian Dior, Fendi and other high-end brands) and Kering, whose fashion houses include Gucci and Yves Saint Laurent.

Their 2021 revenues were up a striking 44% and 35%, respectively over 2020, but a significant part of those gains stemmed from price increases, said Andrew Tam, an analyst in London with CFRA, an investment-research firm. “Their kind of customers have been less impacted by the pandemic.”

• A growing secondary market for things like Swiss watches, Birkin bags and other designer goods is also fueling sales. “We’ve heard that in places like Russia, where the ruble has plummeted, they have been buying luxury goods as a way of getting something tangible,” Tam said. (Many stores have since closed their Russian locations.)

A stroll around Stanford Shopping Center in Palo Alto on a warm Sunday afternoon in March highlights the uneven nature of the retail recovery. Brooks Brothers and Burberry were nearly empty. But there were eight people waiting to get into the Louis Vuitton store, which serves only two customers per salesperson at a time, an employee said. Lululemon had seven people in line for the cash register, proving one can never own too many yoga pants A Wave of Bankruptcies J.Crew and its younger sister company Madewell were busy, even though their parent company was the first major retailer to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy after the pandemic. It was followed by companies such as J.C. Penney, Neiman Marcus, Lord & Taylor, Stein Mart, Brooks Brothers, Tailored Brands (parent of Jos. A. Bank and Men’s Wearhouse), Francesca’s, Lucky Brand, True Religion and Ascena Retail (owner of Ann Taylor and Lane Bryant).

All of these companies are still operating, in some fashion. Most were either sold or exited bankruptcy after having been reorganized. Lord & Taylor and Stein Mart returned only online.

To survive, companies have had to adapt. Zegna’s, which sells expensive menswear from Italy, revamped its product line in favor of casual wear, with splashes of bright green, yellow and royal blue, said Francesco Carugati, manager of the Stanford location. Before the pandemic, about 70% of the store’s apparel was formal wear; now it’s 30% to 35%. Sneakers have vaulted from 35% of its shoe line to 85%.

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Eco-minded college students Abigail Walker (left) and Penelope Alioshin, pictured at Stanford Shopping Center over spring break, say they buy all their clothes second-hand. Photo by Kathleen Pender

By mid-2021, the store’s sales were back to pre-pandemic levels, even though foot traffic is still down by double-digits.

The key was developing closer relationships with customers – even those who had moved to Montana – by showing them merchandise on FaceTime, shipping it to their homes and letting them return whatever they didn’t like. It’s also spending more on tickets to sporting events and restaurant dinners for clients.

Even before the pandemic, if people bought a suit from the store for work, it was because they were traveling to the East Coast or Europe. “Our business is related to the social life of our clients,” Carugati said. And that’s coming back strong.

“Weddings are a big part of our business, and we have huge demand for June 2022,” Carugati said.

Investing in a Dress More than ever, people are looking at luxury goods as an investment, said Francesca Sterlacci, CEO of University of Fashion, an online library of fashion design videos. She

was surprised to see items from Supreme – which sells limited-edition streetwear to a cult-like fan base – at a Sotheby’s auction.

A plain white t-shirt with a Supreme logo was listed on Sotheby’s website in March for $2,200.

Retail consultant Ken Hewes knows people who calculate the resale value of an item when they buy it. “It allows them to buy more luxury goods,” said Hewes, president of Mod Advisors.

Many consumers are selling, buying or renting designer duds – and more mainstream brands – on websites such as StockX, Rent the Runway, Poshmark (based in Redwood City), thredUp and The Real Real (both based in San Francisco) and of course eBay (based in San Jose). Poshmark’s hot trends for spring include vacation wear, bridesmaids and prom dresses and “dopamine dressing,” the post-pandemic term for bold, vibrant colors.

Online resale appeals to budget-minded fashionistas and the growing number of people who want to reduce their environmental footprint. When Sterlacci May 2022

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Top: Cañada College fashion department coordinator Ronda Chaney demonstrates fitting techniques.

Right: Cañada students work and model finished product.

lived in Portola Valley, she loved going to second-hand shops in Palo Alto, where “wealthy Silicon Valley ladies" put clothes on consignment, sometimes shoes they hadn't even worn. "Now you see these same rich ladies shopping there, as they become more sustainable-minded,” she said.

Thrift-Shopping At Cañada College, which offers 37 classes in fashion merchandising and design, “People are really caring about sustainability,” said Ronda Chaney, the fashion department’s coordinator. “They are talking in our classes about where they purchase clothes and how you determine if they are sustainable. They are thrift shopping more.”

College students Penelope Alioshin and Abigail Walker, who grew up in Palo Alto, haven’t bought new clothes since junior or senior year of high school. They do buy new shoes, because the ones donated to Goodwill are usually worn out.

“We thrift almost everything,” Alioshin said. In San Luis Obispo, where she attends Cal Poly, “they have Goodwill bins where they sell clothes by weight. You have to have time to sort through them, but it’s kind of a fun activity.”

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Walker, dressed in a pair of jeans she’s had since seventh grade, said she tries to buy pieces that will last longer. She attends the University of Texas at Austin, where she is doing research on ethical garment production and consumption. “Companies have found that they can market sustainability,” Walker said.

But garments marketed as organic, recycled, vegan or carbon-positive usually cost more, and it’s hard to know they are, in fact, environmentally friendly.

Many retailers are jumping on the sustainability bandwagon by taking back old clothes that they promise to recycle, resell or reuse. In exchange, they usually offer customers a discount toward the purchase of new clothes, which could end up in a landfill. Some consider this practice “greenwashing,” or conveying a misleading impression of one’s environmental practices, Sterlacci said.

Some new designers are taking sustainability one step further by using 3-D

design software to create prototypes. Instead of getting samples shipped, buyers can see the design on a digital avatar, Sterlacci said, and ask the designer to make changes on the virtual model.

Disposable Clothes While many younger buyers are thrifting, others are gobbling up throwaway fashions from companies such as Shein, the world’s fastest growing e-commerce company. The privately held company sells cheap togs – such as $11 dresses and $13 swimsuits – over the internet and ships them directly to customers from its factories in China.

Alioshin said Shein (pronounced She-In) is popular on her campus. Even her friends who thrift will buy “cute little tops for going out,” she said. “At the end of the quarter you find bins where people who are moving can donate clothes. They are full of Shein – St. Paddy’s Day shirts or something they wore to one party.”

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F E AT U R E •

Experts predict that Before the pandemonline apparel sales will ic, the “midtown unicontinue to grow, but not form”– button-down like they did in 2020 when shirt, slacks and a consumers couldn’t or fleece vest, preferably wouldn’t visit brick-andfrom Patagonia – was mortar stores. It turns the standard outfit for out clothing is one thing finance bros. “It’s casumany shoppers still like al but it’s still a specific to see and feel. Ruthie Lax, type of clothing that all a senior at Sequoia High of these bankers wear,” School, said she shopped Ford said.

Richard Ford online a lot more during the In Silicon Valley, “crepandemic, but bought fewer clothes be- ative types dress differently than coders. cause you can’t try them on first “and it’s a VCs dress differently than executives,” he hassle returning things.” said. Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s So as people emerge from their pan- signature hoodie said he was too focused demic cocoons, how will they dress? For on his job to worry about clothes, but a work, the consensus is that they will dress hoodie with a sports-team logo “doesn’t pretty much like they did before the pan- read professional.” demic, but a little more casually. What that For socializing, Ford and Tam said means varies by location. In central Lon- people may want to dress fancier, in don, “People are back to wearing suits,” more brand-name clothing, than they did Tam said. “It might be without a tie, but pre-pandemic. they still wear suits.” However, most will continue to work from home part-time, and that means they will only need two or three suits, not five.

During the lockdown, people dressed up to take out the trash. “They’d bring a bottle of wine and stand around with their neighbors in cocktail attire,” Ford said.

They were also interested in “shows that revolved around clothing, like “Bridgerton” and “The Queen’s Gambit.” I think people are hungry for that.”

What they’re not hungry for is rising prices. Fashion executives’ biggest concern, according to a McKinsey survey, is that supply-chain disruptions could send prices even higher and choke off demand.

China, a major clothing supplier, has reimposed some lockdown restrictions.

CFRA analyst Zachary Warring predicts that value and luxury retailers “will hold up best over the next 12 months as inflation hits lower- and middle-income families hard, pushing them too off-price or discount retailers and impacting high earners to a lesser extent.” McKinsey reached the same conclusion, adding that the “the mid-market will be squeezed.” C

Trending More Casual In the Bay Area, casual Fridays turned into casual everyday years ago. “Silicon Valley led the way in this respect and inspired change in a lot of other professions. Even in pretty conservative professions such as law, jeans and a sports jacket are fine, said Richard Ford, a Stanford University law professor and author of “Dress Codes,” a book on fashion history. “Casual clothing in Silicon Valley signals two things: Someone is a free spirit and a free thinker.”

As workers return to the Stanford campus, “I haven’t seen a huge change” in their attire,” Ford added. “I do think it will be more casual. That doesn’t mean there will be no dress code. There will still be very specific ways that people dress for specific professions.”

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The Fourth, the Fox and a Film:

Signs of a Life in a Post-Covid City “float clinic” to help groups which would like to build one. This year’s theme is “Heroes and Helpers,” and that should inspire creative ideas.

There are many ways to volunteer before and during the big event, such as posting no-parking signs, helping to put out barricades or serving as parade marshals. “We could always use help,” says Ailand, who is in charge of the festival.

“It’s all volunteer.”

One of Redwood City’s oldest traditions— the Fourth of July Parade—is slated to return this year after a two-year absence because of the Covid pandemic. The parade and the festival which follows it are sponsored by a nonprofit group, the Peninsula Celebration Association. The PCA is putting out the word to people and organizations interested in getting involved—being a part of the parade or making it happen.

“There was definitely an interest and we thought it would be a good year to come back,” says PCA member Kathy Ailand of the decision to take the plunge after a twoyear hiatus. “And we thought people need something.”

Redwood Shores resident Bob Slusser, a longtime PCA volunteer, says in this comeback year, the parade will have fewer units (85 to 100 versus 125 to 150) and as a result will be shorter. But applications have been coming in. The one-and-a-third mile route through downtown streets will be the same as usual. Slusser is in charge of the parade and encourages anyone who would like to be in it to go to the website, parade.org, to apply. The PCA holds a

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The Redwood City Friends of the Library, who were included in a story in Climate’s March issue, will be celebrating their 50th anniversary on Sunday, June 12, with an anniversary book sale. All books will be sold at the very friendly price of 50 cents.

It’s a good opportunity to stock up on summer reading, and help fund the Summer Learning Challenge, the largest program the Friends’ support. The huge book sale will take place from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. behind the downtown library at 1044 Middlefield Road. Bookmark the calendar.

It’s good news in the current economy that anyone is thinking about launching a startup, but the proof that the entrepreneurial spirit is alive and well was in the turnout for the Startup Grind Global Conference in downtown Redwood City in April. Upwards of 2,000 people turned up for the sold-out two-day event held at the Fox Theatre, not counting online viewers around the world. Attendees got to hear from business leaders with advice about how to be successful, and tips on a wide range of subjects, from obtaining capital to dealing with workplace issues.

They also got a chance to network and to potentially connect with the venture capital world. The sessions took place in the theater, as well as Club Fox and the San Mateo County History Museum, and vendors set up displays in a tent on Courthouse Square.

From the first Startup Grind event 10 years ago, Fox Theatre General Manager Ernie Schmidt says it has grown exponentially—from 500 to 800 people that first year, to 8,000 in 2019, the last year it was held in Redwood City pre-Covid. The first year attendance hit 3,000 to 4,000, coffeeshops and cafes were caught off guard and ran out of food in an hour or two.

“So now we prepare them and let them know when the event’s going to be and approximately how many people,” Schmidt says, so restaurants can be fully provisioned with food and staff. “It’s become an event that they actually look forward to,” he says.

“It’s their Christmas.” Entire restaurants get booked for private parties.

Beneficial as the conference is to local businesses, Schmidt says Redwood City has also been an attractive venue for the organizers because it’s affordable and accessible. “Compared to San Francisco,” he says,

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M I C R O C L I M AT E • a film,” Gapastione told the premiere audience. “That’s why people talk about it and never do it.” He was fundraising while he was on the set. Covid protocols had to be followed. And then in October, the hard drive for the whole movie was lost—fortunately, someone was able to rescue it from digital oblivion.

Though “Last Chance Charlene” was ready for its hometown showtime, Bravemaker is still raising money for some additional sound design work in Los Angeles and for marketing. To learn more and see the movie trailer, go to bravemaker.com.

Photos by Janet McGovern

“Redwood City offers a great deal and it’s a very personal, very intimate downtown.”

About nine months after filming in Redwood City wrapped, the first feature film produced by the arts nonprofit Bravemaker and founder Tony Gapastione has had its hometown premiere. A full house of popcorn-eating friends and film buffs turned out for the April 5 VIP showing of “Last Chance Charlene” at the Cinemark Theatre downtown. The 115-minute film was also an Official Selection of the Cinequest Film Festival and could be seen online last month.

The film is about a woman struggling to make it as a writer/actress while trying to put her life back together in the aftermath of her brother’s suicide and the collateral damage to her marriage. San Mateo resident Allison Ewing, who plays Charlene and is in practically every scene, was on hand with some other cast and crew members for the premiere as well as a panel discussion afterward. Some of the most moving scenes in the movie involved her and her mother, played by Alley Mills, famous as Norma Arnold in the beloved

TV show, “The Wonder Years.” For Gapastione, who had previously written and directed lots of short films, it was a major stretch to go for a feature-length film, and he was thrilled when Mills agreed to be in the movie he wrote and directed. He appears in the film, too, as Charlene’s departed brother, advising and commenting on her activities.

Filmed in 12 ½ days, the movie was produced on a shoestring budget, which the Redwood City resident stretched by, among other things, using free locations.

Local audiences will have fun spotting locations such as Courthouse Square, Cyclismo Café and the Port of Redwood City but may not immediately recognize St. John’s Cemetery in San Mateo. “It’s hard making

Last month history columnist Jim Clifford told the story about a real treasure which had recently become a part of the collection in the Local History Room at the Redwood City Library. It’s a six-page account written by a Navy salvage diver who was among those assigned to search the wreckage of ships sunk at Pearl Harbor. Mike and Julie Markwith had found it among his mother’s possessions after she passed away, and donated it to the archives. Nobody knew who the diver was but that mystery apparently has been solved. Most of the name at the top of the first page was gone but what appeared to be “A.J. Katz something” followed by his electrician’s mate rating was the only clue.

Thanks to Facebook, the rare diary came to the attention of Eric Kilgore with the National Archives and Records Administration in Washington, D.C. Using Navy muster rolls and the name of another electrician’s mate who “Katz” had written about, Kilgore was able to figure out that it was a Las Cruces, New Mexico, man named Alfred J. Katzenstein who wrote the diary. Voilà: Past and present connected. C

May 2022

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SPOTLIGHT•

Rooted and Uprooted in

U.S. immigration policy the defining factor in

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SPOTLIGHT•

d in North Fair Oaks

tor in the community’s history and growth

By Don Shoecraft

As a destination, North Fair Oaks is hard to locate, even for residents. Some addresses are "Menlo Park."

Some "Redwood City." It's neither. As an unincorporated area it's actually "San Mateo County." With a population larger than some San Mateo County cities, it has no city administration. It is notable and noteworthy because, for a community without an origin story, the largest proportion of North Fair Oaks residents share the semi-tragic history of Mexican immigrants first invited to this country, then shunned.

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orth Fair Oaks, population about 15,000, is a roughly rectangular area south of Woodside Road bounded by Bay Road on the east, El Camino Real on the west and Atherton town limits on the south. It omits Woodside Central shopping center's anchor Target store, and Costco, both of which belong to Redwood City.

Atherton, under color of protecting minimum one-acre residential lot sizes, specifically excluded the area when it incorporated in 1923. Menlo Park, drawing up incorporation papers four years later, surveyed North Fair Oaks, a swampy area subject to frequent floods, bisected by two railroads and lacking any tax base, and also passed.

North Fair Oaks, often referred to as NFO, has never been incorporated as a city with its own government, nor has it been annexed to any of the neighboring cities.

This makes it the responsibility of the County of San Mateo and the five members of the Board of Supervisors. Lack of city government services also has fostered and exacerbated the contrasts between NFO and the cities that surround it, contrasts in affluence, infrastructure, public services, ethnicity and commerce.

Of all the factors that helped make it what it is, the official U.S. guest worker policy of the 1940s, 50s and 60s, the Bracero program, was the most influential. Faced with a shortage of workers after World War II, the U.S. and Mexico negotiated agreements to bring Mexican braceros, translated as “arms,” to America, primarily to do farm work at 30 cents an hour.

Signed federal contracts entitled braceros to work passes issued by the federal Department of Justice. Employers paid the wages, but were not part of the contract.

The Texas Resolution Controversy arose over Mexican workers who entered the country illegally and worked alongside braceros. To resolve it,

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SPOTLIGHT•

North Fair Oaks, often referred to as NFO, has never been incorporated as a city with its own government, nor has it been annexed to any of the neighboring cities. This makes it the responsibility of the County of San Mateo and the five members of the Board of Supervisors. ironically it was the state of Texas, which today is at the forefront of anti-immigrant activism, that passed a law allowing employers to employ both legal and illegal immigrants, the labor shortage being as bad as it was and a 30-cent-per-hour wage being so attractive to employers. Since most braceros entered through Texas, it became de facto policy and thousands of undocumented workers were allowed to pass.

Before it ended, the program brought more than 4 million Mexicans as contract labor. As the U.S. Library of Congress archives characterizes it, "the program resulted in an influx of undocumented and documented laborers (and) 22 years of cheap labor from Mexico."

"Cheap labor" was a postwar blessing, and a curse.

It saved the American economy. But it created a massive, complicated immigration problem, of which North Fair Oaks is the exemplar. For three-quarters of a century NFO has thrived,

in its own way, because of Mexican immigration. And it has suffered by the unique challenges of the complicated aftermath of official and unofficial immigration, challenges as live today as they were when the Bracero program ended in 1964.

In the early 1950s Amador Bustos, Sr., joined the worker flow, leaving his wife and children back in Aguililla, Michoacan state, eight months a year while he worked the vegetable fields of Salinas, following the crops to Mountain View's pear orchards, tomato and onion fields. He found permanent work serving patients' meals at Stanford Hospital by day and washing dishes at the Pioneer Hotel in Woodside by night.

He was undocumented and subject to periodic border patrol deportation roundups; at least twice he was sent back to Mexico, only to return, violations from which the U.S. government ultimately excused him.

After nearly a decade of this, his wife told him to choose between a divorce in Aguililla and a family in America. Having come to the U.S. for opportunity not available in Aguililla — a theme repeated millions of times by multi-millions of documented and undocumented Mexican and Central American immigrants up to the present — he obtained sponsorship from his brother, Abel; and Bustos began the family move to North Fair Oaks, a move that required his wife and children to move to Mexico City to pursue visas. The process took four years.

Following Family Members Why North Fair Oaks? The community already was the center of Aguilillan immigration, where fathers brought their families, family members brought siblings, cousins and friends, to work for wages very high by Aguilillan scale, but cheap

by American. At one point it was

• said that Aguillians in North Fair Oaks outnumbered the 5,000 back in Aguililla.

Women, too, found steady, low-paying, work in NFO, a rarity in Mexico. At the northwest end of Middlefield Road, today the site of the Costco store, walking distance from anywhere in NFO, was located the S&W Foods vegetable cannery, which ran shifts of 300 workers, the majority of them women.

There was more work next door, in the estates of Atherton, for household workers, nannies, gardeners and laborers, as there had been since the 1920s. To that immigrant population, the location was ideal.

Amador Bustos, Jr. was a teenager when he came up with his mother and siblings to join his father in NFO. A Central Church "It's a compact little town," he said.

"It has not changed much. There's a big church" — St. Anthony's — "in the middle of town, which is typical because religion was central … It was cobblestone streets, red-tiled roofs made of adobe …granted there were no sidewalks and it got a little muddy, but so what?"

Periodic deportation sweeps by border patrol agents spoiled the idyll. Every few years agents showed up at homes, schools, restaurants and construction sites to round up dozens of immigrants at a time, another legacy of the Bracero program. Beginning in the mid-60s, periodic immigration raids swept across the country, deporting workers who overstayed the end of the program — between 4.6 and 5 million were sent back to Mexico.

Border control agencies, most recently Immigration and Customs Enforcement, adapted tactics over the years, but the fear of deportation never abates in North Fair Oaks. Raids have occurred there periodically, every seven or eight years, in the past with active participation of the San Mateo County Sheriff's Office, the agency with police responsibility in NFO. Mass

SPOTLIGHT•

Amador Bustos, Jr.

"It's a compact little town. It has not changed much. There's a big church" — St. Anthony's — "in the middle of town, which is typical because religion was central … It was cobblestone streets, red-tiled roofs made of adobe …granted there were no sidewalks and it got a little muddy, but so what?" deportations happened as recently as 2008, when sweeps plucked off the streets seven NFO residents from five families.

With prodding from the community and the elected board of supervisors the county has halted its participation in this arrangement, but it was only six months ago that Sheriff Carlos Bolanos stopped referring inmates in jail for other offenses to Immigration and Customs Enforcement for deportation.

Living in Limbo Immigration patterns in NFO have created a situation where those here legally commonly are related to those waiting for years to be legally processed, or who have not applied, cannot, or do not intend to apply for legal status: the undocumented.

One deportation always magnifies its impact, disrupting families, plunging them into poverty, putting them in a financial hole from which they may never emerge, because beyond loss of income,

the disappearance of a breadwinner means new legal expenses.

Popular biases about deportees — they're all criminals who deserve no fair treatment because they are of no social benefit — rarely fit with the truth.

Maria Diaz-Slocum, a trustee of the Redwood City School District and spouse of San Mateo County Supervisor Warren Slocum, is case in point. Her mother was taken out of their Redwood City home when she was a child, leaving her and her five siblings to fend for themselves alone until her father returned.

Hers is a tale of the Horatio Alger spirit — perseverance, integrity and hard work — easily found in NFO. She got a college education at Menlo College, has worked as librarian at North Fair Oaks' public library for 35 years and continues to serve the local schools after two decades as a school board trustee.

Amador Bustos, Jr. is another. He attended Cañada College after Sequoia High, May 2022

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• and then UC Berkeley. Proposition 13 property tax limitations passed while he worked on his doctoral dissertation in ethnic studies. Judging that public education would be a bad career choice at that moment, he left the teaching track to take a job in radio in San Francisco. In 1990 he bought his first radio station, then built the company into a $470 million asset acquired by Entravision.

With the proceeds he established Bustos Media, which today operates 25 radio stations in Oregon, Washington, California, Arizona and Texas.

He validates the truth of the "immigrant spirit," the spirit of striving, succeeding in a new environment. "The immigrant work ethic comes from such struggles for survival," he said. "It seizes the opportunity, the time and the moment and makes the best of it."

Mutual Benefit He does not condemn the disparity in wealth between NFO and places like Atherton. "It's a symbiotic relationship," he said. "You could say it's exploitation, but in some cases it's not. They need that labor. The workers may be underpaid by American standards, but for these people it's much more than it was before. That's when they start to climb the ladder."

There's Aguilillan Rosendo Chavéz, who went from 16-hour days washing dishes to owner of a meat market. The fruits of his labors are the three markets of the Chavéz Supermarkets chain.

These are successes, but success is defined "in spite of," and the dark cloud that always hovers at the edges of NFO, always threatening to blot the sun and cast a shadow, is deportation. That fear is a major obstacle to establishing an organized, self-governing North Fair Oaks.

The last thing anyone fearing deportation, whether of themselves, a family member, a friend or a co-worker, seeks is attention.

The historical record contains no legit-

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SPOTLIGHT•

St. Anthony's Church celebrating Palm Sunday.

imate or even seriously-proposed idea of North Fair Oaks either becoming a city or getting city services by annexing.

The reticence of the residents is one reason. Annexation requires voting, and the voting history of renters of any economic status is problematic — more than half its residential properties are rentals. A quarter of the population does not speak English.

The poor state of its public works, its infrastructure, is the big impediment.

Along with the cost of the annexation process itself, the annexing city would have to shoulder the burden of generations of neglect of storm drains, sewers, streets, sidewalks, lighting and public facilities.

The county's Local Agency Formation Commission has designated Redwood City as North Fair Oaks' annexing city, should it ever occur, but Redwood City has never undertaken the task and shows little sign that it will.

City and County Initiatives In partnership with San Mateo County, however, the city has channeled millions in funds and programs to the neighborhood, where it locates a branch of the city library and staffs the North Fair Oaks Community Center. Redwood City, like the county, also supports St. Francis Center's low- to extremely-low income housing programs and its Siena Center youth center.

It's not cityhood, but it helps.

It's another obstacle, as Supervisor Slocum points out, that despite the impression North Fair Oaks is a homogeneous bloc of Latinos, "it is really not."

Down Middlefield toward Atherton and Menlo Park are "the avenues," treelined streets of single-family homes and a growing number of scrapers and mansions, all contributing to the dismay of long-time residents. In the central area are predominantly Latino families living in multi-unit dwellings as well as single-family homes on small lots.

Then there is the Middlefield commercial strip, a dizzying mix of commercial businesses, body shops, personal services, nonprofits and social welfare organizations. There is diversity there, Slocum said, but also "there is tension."

Inevitably, the area is changing.

Largely due to Slocum's initiatives as the supervisor with responsibility for the district, the county is cleaning up and reconfiguring Middlefield Road, undergrounding utilities and fixing storm drainage and the Bayfront Canal.

But North Fair Oaks still faces a future as just NFO. It needs civic services to improve — some would say gentrify —but it appears it will have to gentrify itself first, a tall order for a place founded by exclusion and surviving as the source of cheap labor.

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SPOTLIGHT•

What’s in the North Fair Oaks Name?

Go back far enough and the county's wealthiest enclave, Atherton, and its most disadvantaged, North Fair Oaks, share a seafaring heritage, both branches of a family tree rooted in the South American port of Valparaiso, Chile.

Both Faxon Atherton, after whom Atherton is named, and Commodore James Thomas Watkins, the man responsible for the name "Fair Oaks," were acquaintances in Valparaiso before the 1849 Gold Rush, Atherton as a prominent merchant and provisioner of goods from the east that were traded by sailing ships, and Watkins, then a sea captain, helming ships that Atherton provisioned.

Atherton's connection to Chile was deep: He named the 611 acres he bought mid-Peninsula after retiring to San Francisco "Valparaiso Park," a name that survives as Valparaiso Avenue.

He built the family summer home at what now is the Menlo Circus Club in 1860. Six years later he sold 20 acres to Commodore Watkins. Watkins dubbed his rancho "Fair Oaks."

The new Southern Pacific Railroad ran along the northeast edge of Watkins' property and a flag stop station developed there where the mail dropped and a passenger could flag a train to Left: Admiral James T. Watkins

board. Locals called it the Fair Oaks Station.

For 50 years the area developed slowly into second homes for wealthy "summer people" from San Francisco, like San Francisco Mayor Thomas Selby of the Selby Smelting Co., Comstock silver king James Flood, the Fleishhackers, the Coryells, the Lloydens and more.

The Quake Migration The 1906 earthquake and fire changed everything. Along the railroad land speculators carved out small subdivisions and hawked $5 and $25 lots to earthquake refugees.

Between 1906 and 1919 "Fair Oaks" disappeared as a community name and "North Fair Oaks" appeared. Watkins' Fair Oaks flag stop had gotten busy enough to cause confusion with the existing Fair Oaks station near Sacramento.

The railroad ordered a name change and locals honored the founder by officially christening the Atherton station.

According to area pioneer Thomas Jennings, in the same period an enterprising real estate salesman set up his own train station on property abutting the railroad and named the station "North Fair Oaks."

The station did not survive, but the name did. By 1919 North Fair Oaks was recorded as a place, as it appeared on a subdivision of 27 lots at Marsh and Middlefield filed by Edward Fitzpatrick.

The household workers, cooks, maids, nannies, gardeners, vegetable farmers and laborers who tended the Atherton estates lived in North Fair Oaks and went to Menlo Park for mail, food and services. It was a beneficial arrangement for Atherton, which got cheap labor, and Menlo Park, which got the business, but detrimental for North Fair Oaks, which benefited from neither and consequently suffered many decades of government neglect.

Over a century the dichotomy has persisted and been amplified, the community by turns receiving official support and rejection depending on the vagaries of county budgets and occasionally the personal whims or competing obligations of the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors.

Confusion about what, and where, is North Fair Oaks is geographical. Parts of Middlefield Road south of Woodside Road are in Redwood City, then North Fair Oaks, then Atherton. Parts of Marsh Road are in North Fair Oaks, then in Menlo Park and back again. One side of El Camino Real is North Fair Oaks, the other side Atherton. The only North Fair Oaks-oriented shopping center is in Redwood City.

However, it can be figured out. It only takes crossing the lines to know.

– Don Shoecraft

May 2022

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AROUND TOWN•

Actor Jason Alexander Appears at the Fox Theatre Actor Jason Alexander, popularly known for his role as George Costanza on the hit TV show "Seinfeld," gave an entertaining talk at the Fox Theatre on March 31, the latest program in the Fox's Speaker Series. Alexander covered a wide range of subjects and went so far as to supply a list of question topics for members of the audience, encouraging them to participate. The topics he spoke about were wide-ranging, including how he explained the Tooth Fairy to his son, and Alexander's fascination with Capt. Kirk and his meeting William Shatner. Alexander also talked about his Broadway experiences (the man can sing) and love and marriage. A student of the martial arts for 35 years, he even gave a lesson in self defense. The audience, of course, asked for details about his time on "Seinfeld," and Alexander obligingly explained how he got the George Costanza part and also gave behindthe-scenes comments on some of the more iconic episodes.

Construction Kicks Off on Homeless Navigation Center

San Mateo County launched construction April 13 of a $57 million Navigation Center which will provide interim shelter and support services to help homeless residents transition to permanent housing. With heavy construction equipment as a backdrop, county officials broke ground for the project, whose 240 prefabricated modular units will be able to house up to 270 people. The Navigation Center is being built on a 2.5-acre site on Blomquist Street, east of U.S. 101, which the county acquired through a land swap with Redwood City. Among those speaking at the event were Aubrey Merriman, CEO of LifeMoves, which operates several shelters in the county; and developer John Sobrato of Sobrato Philanthropies, which provided $5 million toward the project, part of a county match. Through the county’s various programs and shelters, Chief Executive Officer Mike Callagy said the goal is to end homelessness by the end of the year. That, he explained, means “having a place for everyone who wants to get indoors to have a place to live.” Though some “may not want to come in,” the goal is to have a place to offer everyone. County officials hope to complete the project by the end of the year. In addition to the housing, the Navigation Center will offer “wraparound” services including case management; job training and placement assistance; addiction and mental health and other services designed to help residents move into permanent housing.

22 · CLIMATE · May 2022

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AROUND TOWN•

Concerts Draw Music Lovers to Redwood City’s Port Since March, the Port of Redwood City has been sponsoring live weekend concerts, entertainment which will continue through June 18. Crowds have been converging on the waterfront to enjoy seafood sold from a food truck and the good vibes of groups such as Smokin’ Slice of Mojo Band, Pure Ecstasy and Pop Fiction. The future line-up includes bands such as E Ticket, Carnival, Neon Velvet and more.

San Carlos Honors Fallen Servicemen with Memorial at City Park San Carlos community members gathered April 16 to memorialize seven who died in a World War II plane crash in what today is Big Canyon Park. A Douglas R4D Navy transport went down in the hills the night of March 14, 1945, killing the three-member crew and four servicemen on board. Sixteen passengers survived the crash, which occurred in low visibility as the pilot was heading for a landing in Oakland. A story about the crash—and the lack of a memorial to those who died—appeared in the June 2021 issue of Climate and was written by Nicholas A. Veronico of San Carlos, an author with a particular interest in “aviation archeology.” He described how he and some friends years ago managed to find the wreck site. The city paid the approximate $2,500 cost for the plaque, which Public Works Department staff installed on a boulder at the entrance to the park on upper Brittan Avenue. Vicky Galea, of the Parks and Recreation Department, said the city wanted to recognize those who died and raise awareness in the community about the crash which happened within the park.

Below: Nick Veronico

May 2022 ·

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AROUND TOWN•

Easter Eggs and Trucks — Kids Finally Have Their Day The Easter Bunny was really hopping on April 9 when kids, parents and grandparents in Redwood City, San Carlos and Redwood Shores participated in egg hunts and one "Bunny Hop" breakfast. After two years of being Covid cooped up, families were more than ready to be outside for some community fun-in-the-sun.

Ninety people got to see the Easter Bunny himself at San Carlos’s Bunny Hop Breakfast, the first in-person special event in two-plus years. At Marlin Park in Redwood Shores, meanwhile, kids scrambled for eggs during a very brief Easter egg hunt, sponsored by the community association. The same day, the annual Touch-a-Truck event was held at Seaport Center.

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C L I M AT E •

Together, we design places that inspire people.

855 MAIN STREET

May 2022

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•

PROFILE •

Learning From the Ground Up

Bill Butler taught himself a trade he built into a “great” company

Left to right: Bill Butler, Frank York, and Gina Henson

26 · CLIMATE · May 2022

•

PROFILE •

By Dan Brown

Bill Butler’s employees tend to stick around for the entirety of their working lives. It’s the clients who can get the quick boot. “Yeah, we turned down $100 million worth of work last year. And we fire more clients than we acquire,” Butler explained. “I won't mention the name of clients, we fired because … you know.”

A

fter more than an hour in this stately conference room at W.L. Butler Construction headquarters, Butler hardly needs to complete that sentence. He’s spent the time detailing his ferocious loyalty to his workers, and vice versa. There is the handyman he hired at $8 an hour 39 years ago who now serves as the company president. There is the part-time file clerk he hired out of Sequoia High School 37 years ago who now serves as his CFO. There is the laborer who recently retired with nearly $1 million in his 401K. There are so many employees who have been here for so long that Butler likes to tease the newbies by joking he won’t bother learning their names until they’ve worked at W.L. Butler Construction for at least 10 years.

But why would he fire a deep-pocketed client?

Because … you know.

“If they don't treat my people like I would treat them. Or if they yell at my people,’’ the Woodside resident said. “I've had to fire people because they said, ‘That guy's a thief. Keep an eye on him.’’’

It helps that there is currently no shortage of polite (and prominent) people in search of W.L. Butler Construction’s services. Butler, now 72, said his namesake company has done about $6 billion worth of business since he partnered with Frank York, that $8-an-hour handyman, nearly 40 years ago. The company did $300 million in business last year alone.

May 2022

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•

The Company Profiled So continues an unlikely success story, one that has captured the attention of the corporate world. The noted business book “Small Giants,” first published in 2007, featured W.L Butler Construction as one of the companies that choose to be, as the book’s subtitle reads, “great instead of big.”

The company’s roots go back to the 1960s when a shaggy-haired New York kid fresh off attending Woodstock set out for a road trip to San Diego and wound up in Woodside instead, living in the Star Hill Academy for Anything counter-culture commune with the likes of Neil Young.

Butler was a so-so carpenter in those days. But he had a preternatural gift of gab, so he spent his early days attracting like-minded eccentrics – just so long as they also brought along a work ethic and brains. Today, there are 200 full-salaried employees, many of them representing multiple generations. Butler has hired grandfathers, their sons and their grandsons. He’s hired mothers and daughters.

He attends the baptisms of his employees’ kids, subsidizes rent for single moms and pays college tuitions for his workers who want to continue their educations. The company also has a huge training budget. They call it Butler University.

As “Small Giants” recounts, the company once had hired a Portuguese man who didn’t speak English. The supervisors gave him training in reading and writing and he went from building maintenance to customer service.

This is a corporate giant with a momand-pop ethos. This is the lemonade stand that takes an actual stand.

“We've hired people who worked at Noah's Bagels because for a month straight, they got your order right,’’ said Gina Henson, that file clerk turned CFO. “And they smiled, and they said, ‘Hello.’ You know, I can work with that!”

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PROFILE •

Bill Butler (right) with his former $8 an hour laborer turned company president, Frank York.

“We've hired people who worked at Noah's Bagels because for a month straight, they got your order right.”

The Wall of Fame Some people drop names. Butler drops buildings.

“That’s SurveyMonkey’s world headquarters. We built that,’’ he said during this spring meeting in his office, casually providing a guided tour of the photos hanging in this conference room. “That building right there? We built it for a guy named Jan Koum, who started something called WhatsApp, OK? And my grandkids are the landlords. And now they have somebody in that building now called TikTok.” There’s also a photo of Silicon Valley royalty crouching a bit to fit into the frame with Butler.

“And you'll see he's bending down because I said, ‘Dave you're too damned tall.’

So he shrunk down. That's a guy named Dave Packard,’’ he said, referring to the co-founder of Hewlett-Packard. “And that's him and me and our CFO at the time.

He had a problem with (someone else’s) construction job, and I ended up straightening it out for him and we became business partners. … I worked for Dave until the day he died.”

Butler talks – and talks and talks and talks – like this, spinning rapid-fire tales of chance meetings with local icons that inevitably become lifelong business connections. It’s a pattern that stretches back to his childhood and gives his life the feel of one long happy accident.

Blue Collar Roots He was born in Clifton Park, N.Y., and grew up on a 100-acre farm in a house that his family forebearers built in 1752.

His father was an operating engineer who worked shifts at the original site of General Electric headquarters in Schenectady.

Butler’s father doubled as the town’s assessor, but in title only. It was his mother, a bookkeeper, who quietly handled the duties behind the scenes. “My dad had a ninth-grade education and didn’t know how to do anything other than add and subtract and could barely spell,’’ he explained. “So, she was actually the assessor.

But because of the politics in rural areas, you know, it wasn’t going to be a woman.”

Left unsaid is the lifelong effect his mother’s hidden proficiency had on his worldview. Butler now prides himself on

•

PROFILE •

identifying resourcefulness in future employees. He has no interest in pedigrees, bluster, reputation, gender, race or ego. He just wants people who, like his late mother, figure things out and get stuff done.

York, in turns, says Butler connects with people Butler (second from the left) with some of his early crew. from all walks of life because he has no use for pretense.

“You could be having dinner with him, and he will be having a conversation, and he'll reach over, never lose a beat, take a bite off your plate and keep on talking,’’ he said. “Or he'll scratch his back with that same fork and then start eating his food.

“And he doesn't get uptight about being around celebrity. He’ll act the same around David Packard as he would with a laborer on our job site. He just doesn't change. I mean, some of that's good. Some of that's bad. But that's who he is. It's like a part of the charm and allure. He only has one ‘Bill’ and that's who he is. You get the same guy all the time.”

"...he doesn't get uptight about being around celebrity. He’ll act the same around David Packard as he would with a laborer on our job site. He just doesn't change.

I mean, some of that's good.

Some of that's bad. But that's who he is."

Learning by Doing In August of 1969, not long after attending the legendary Woodstock concert (Butler keeps his three original tickets framed in his office), he embarked on the happiest accident of all. He hopped into a 1964 Chevy Impala Super Sport and headed West because his girlfriend at the time had a sister living at the Star Hill Academy for Anything commune in the Bay Area.

He agreed to that trip only because he had a limited understanding of the state’s geography.

“I thought San Mateo was next to San Diego,’’ Butler explained.

Still, he managed to catch a wave, arriving in the Silicon Valley at an ideal time to begin easing into the real-estate business. At the commune, he started doing odd jobs like fixing fences and hanging

doors. Along the way, he kept meeting other skilled craftsmen and demonstrated a knack for winning over new customers with speedy, precise repair jobs.

Things took a big jump for Butler after a local home burned down and his group rebuilt it in a snap. “The insurance guy said, ‘Wow, you did a great job here. Every time I have a fire, I’m calling you,’’’ Butler said. “And we started doing that. Our original business card said, ‘Fire Reconstruction Specialists.’’’

Even as it thrived, his business in those early days still operated with a free spirit. Butler recalled going to the bank in search of his first home loan, ignoring such details as not having a bank account or having ever filed a tax return.

“They said, ‘How are you going to pay for the house?’’’ Butler recalled. “I

opened up my toolbox, pulled out $6,000 in $20s, counted it out.

I said, ‘There’s down payment on a $17,000 house.’ Then I fixed it up, sold it for $30,000. I said, ‘Oh! That's simple. Let me go buy something else.’’’

Shared Success Suffice to say, Butler keeps better track of the finances now.

He said his 200 full-time employees have a combined $44 million in their 401Ks. He takes great pride in the cars they drive, the houses they’ve purchased, the dreams they’ve made realities.

Butler is married with four kids and five grandkids. Both of his sons, Eliott William and Joel Leander, work for W.L. Butler Construction. It’s also worth noting that company headquarters remain as rooted as the employees.

The offices located on Main Street in Redwood City, where lunches at Harry’s Hofbrau are only a few steps away. Their contributions to the Bay Area landscape include projects at the Nueva School, Woodside Priory, Downtown College Prep, the Siena Youth Center and PAMF Women’s Health Center.

“We own property from New York to Arizona, but this is our ‘hood,’’ Butler said.

“So, when I make a decision here, it's not always that the economic basis is the first criteria.

“We make sure we're not selling a piece of property to an idiot, or somebody who's going to screw it up. Because we do have some really greedy, self-serving people in this market. But it's a good town.

It's been very good to us, so we just try to improve it. We like building schools and hospitals and the ASPCA stuff. We like taking care of animals and humans. And building nice buildings. That’s it.” C

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H I S T O•R YC LbI M y A J iTmE • Clifford•

Couldn’t the Port’s Vision for the Future Look to the Past?

The Port of Redwood City is seeking “innovative proposals” which will deliver “a unique waterfront destination experience.” Here’s one suggestion: a museum highlighting Redwood City’ maritime history, which reaches back to the days of wooden ships and encompasses several headline-grabbing stories, including the launching of a freighter made of concrete.

Top billing, however, surely goes to a mysterious barge that involved the CIA and Howard Hughes.

The port’s plea for new ideas came in March when it issued a Request for Proposals that port officials hope will result in development of several acres described as “just waiting to be re-imagined.” Port Director Kristine Zortman said, “We are in an exciting time where we can look to celebrate our history while creating a new vision for our future. We love to promote our port and look forward to creating a wonderful destination for our community.”

Recently named Woman of the Year by the Redwood City-San Mateo County Chamber of Commerce, Zortman was surprised to learn that, “Many people don’t know there is a port here,” even though, as the only deep-water port in the region, Redwood City handles thousands of tons of shipping.

Expanded Public Amenities Recent new ventures at the port include the commercial fishing boat Pioneer which offers fresh fish sales nearly every weekend on the waterfront as bands perform nearby. Also, the public fishing pier that dates back to the 1950s has been replaced.

BTW: No license needed. The port is also involved in a project that envisions a ferry service to Redwood City.

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As someone who appreciates the role that the waterfront has played in Redwood City, it seems like a museum would fit right into this new vision. But it appears a museum would be a longshot. Port Commissioner Lorianna Kastrop says what’s really needed is a restaurant. Fellow Commissioner Ralph Garcia said a retail business would be most important. Both agreed, however, that a museum would be a welcome addition if feasible.

Few people today realize that Broadway was once called Bridge Street. A drawbridge across the downtown creek allowed boats to sail to open water, according to Roy Cloud’s history of Redwood City, written in 1928. In addition to handling cargo, Redwood City had a thriving boat-building business. The first vessel was built in 1852 and, appropriately named Redwood, carried hay, wood and other cargo throughout the Bay Area. The building of other vessels soon followed.

Many, including the Redwood, were “scow schooners,” flat-bottomed boats that have been described as “the big rigs of their day.”

to recover a sunken Soviet submarine from the Pacific depths in order to gain code books and other intelligence items. A huge barge that housed key equipment used in the operation sat on the waterfront, looking like an airplane hangar crossed with a drive-in movie screen. The letters HMB were emblazoned on the barge, leading some to speculate it had something to do with Half Moon Bay. Actually, the large letters stood for Hughes Mining Barge.

The cover story circulated that reclusive billionaire Howard Hughes planned to use the submersible barge to gather valuable minerals from the ocean floor.

After part of the submarine was recovered, or not, depending on the source, the barge remained in Redwood City. Another top-secret vessel, named the Sea Shadow, was built inside the barge. The 164-footlong Sea Shadow was dubbed a “stealth ship” because the Navy hoped its unusual design – it resembled an A-frame house boat – would allow it to slip under radar.

The ship was eventually scrapped, but, at last report, the barge was working quite successfully as a floating dry dock.

A First in America The most unusual ship built in Redwood City had to be the Faith, a freighter that drew international attention when it was launched in 1918, becoming the first American ship made of concrete. People came “from every direction by train, in automobile and by water,” the Redwood City Democrat reported. Faith carried cargo to ports as far apart as New York and Honolulu before its sailing days ended in 1921.

It later became a breakwater in Cuba.

In more recent times, Redwood City was home port to two top-secret ventures, the most famous a 1970s effort by the CIA

From the Better Late than Never Department: Last June’s column, headlined “A Child’s Life in the Sequoia Hotel,” was about Gordon Seely, who lived in the hotel as a boy. We said he was 4 when he started living in the hotel. Turns out he was born when his parents lived in the Sequoia. The latest issue of the Journal of Local History, published by the history room at the city library, has a story on the Seely family in its feature, “We Share Your Stories.” C

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Hidden

The Redwood City Downtown • C L I M A T E Locally grown, Organically raised

•

Gems

Business Group Presents

Summertime Fun 100 Automobiles Cars and More Cars

Saturday, June 11th 10AM to 3 PM Courthouse Square · Live Music!

Food | Beer & Wine | Mister Softee Truck | ..and more!

Proud member of the historical Redwood City Woman's Club DRE 01886755 cell: 650.430.8220 office: 650.556.8674 www.kathyzmay.com email: kathyzmay@gmail.com 1629 Main St., Redwood City

Browsers Welcome. Buyers Adored!

Serving since January 28, 1978

SUE LEHR MITCHELL Realtor

®

Community Matters

650.619.9311 suelehrmitchell@gmail.com suelehrmitchell.com DRE# 01087715

Creator, Sponsor & Chair, Mardi Gras Carnival Sponsor & Chair, Hometown Holidays Celebration

Call about our summer sewing camps!

Ralph's Vacuum and Sewing

• Sales & Service • Bags, Belts & Filters • Sewing Classes

2011 Broadway • 650-368-2841 • ralphsvacnsew.com

STREET LIFE MINISTRIES

THE “HOMELESS TO HEALTHY” INITIATIVE

Downtown Redwood City Office located at 555 Middlefield Road

Each office is independently owned and operated.

Street Life Ministries is banding together with a handful of local organizations to launch “Homeless to Healthy”. A 12-Month Christian Rehab Program that will take homeless addicts and turn them into healthy members of society.

LEARN MORE

SCAN BARCODE WITH MOBILE PHONE STREETLIFEMINISTRIES.ORG/HOMELESS-TO-HEALTHY

May 2022 ·

CLIMATE · 31

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avies

APPLIANCE

The Davies Family has been doing business on the same block since 1916

Shop where designers, architects & contractors shop Always honest competitive pricing, industry wide selection and extraordinary assistance to guide you to your perfect kitchen, laundry or outdoor living space.

We have a full showroom of top name barbeques

daviesappliance.com • (650) 366-5728 • 1580 El Camino Real, Redwood City, CA 94063 Hours: Tuesday - Thursday 8:30am - 6pm • Friday & Saturday 8:30am - 5pm • Closed Sunday/Monday