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Schaberg Branch Library’s new early learning play center

in Community/Education/Featured/Headline by

The Schaberg Branch Library at 2140 Euclid Ave. in Redwood City now has an Early Childhood Learning Center.

The Early Childhood Learning Center (ECLC) was designed by the Burgeon Group, specialists in early-learning structures in public libraries. The interactive and literacy-rich environment is designed to encourage parents and children to play collaboratively. Burgeon Group creates destination play spaces and interactive elements exclusively for public libraries.

The Redwood City Library Foundation made the center a reality. Since 1998, the foundation has raised over $3 million to provide funding for library programs. Redwood City now has ECLC at each of the Public Library locations – Downtown Library, Fair Oaks Branch Library, Redwood Shores Branch Library and, of course, Schaberg Branch Library.

Apparent anti-gay graffiti did not target Redwood City council candidate, police say

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Redwood City council candidate comes home to anti-gay graffiti

A Redwood City council candidate who discovered apparent anti-gay graffiti on the fence behind his apartment was not the victim of a hate crime, as the graffiti was discovered to have pre-dated the candidate’s tenancy at the property, according to an investigation by the Redwood City Police Department.

The issue came up during Friday’s Climate Forum, when Jason Galisatus, long an activist in the LGBTQ community, answered a question on diversity by recounting how earlier that day, he discovered an apparent anti-gay slur — #gay” — tagged on his landlord’s fence. Galisatus notified the Redwood City Police Department about the graffiti.

Galisatus noticed the graffiti after finding that one of the campaign signs had gone missing from a public-facing fence.

“He found the sign on the ground at the base of the fence,” according to the police statement. “Facing the street on the opposite side of the fence was spray panted wording he believed was directed at him. The spray-painted wording appeared to Mr. Galisatus to say “#Gay.”

With the help of Google Maps, police determined the graffiti had been there months before Galisatus moved in. Detectives said the faded graffiti made it difficult to determine whether the graffiti stated #GAY or a different variation of letters.

“With regard to the campaign sign, it appears that it was either taken down intentionally or fell due to wind or other weather conditions,” police said, adding, “There was no evidence of damage or defacement of the sign.”

Galisatus expressed relief over the police findings and praised the police department’s quick response. He also said he regrets the “pain the ordeal has caused our community.” He said before moving in, his landlord, friends and neighbors hadn’t noticed the graffiti.

“I only saw it when I went to fix my campaign sign that was taken down,” he said. “I was acutely sensitive to this, as I have encountered other instances of homophobia on the campaign trail.”

Galisatus added, “Unfortunately, the reality remains that someone left this hateful message,” and added that more needs to be done to promote inclusivity.

“I am glad we are having this important community dialogue,” he said. “I am so proud and grateful that all seven candidates and our community spoke in a singular voice that hate has no place in Redwood City.”

Galisatus said he did not regret raising the issue.

“I hope this incident serves as a reminder for all of us that hate still exists, even in our wonderful community,” he said.

Library event today helps residents understand, respond to dementia-related behavior

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The Redwood City Friends of the Library to celebrate 50th anniversary on Sunday, June 12, with 'huge' book sale.

The Downtown Library is hosting an event today, Nov. 18, “Understanding and Responding to Dementia-Related Behavior,” that will provide residents with a four-step model to address behavioral aspects of dementia.

Whether you are, or are not, directly affected by dementia, everyone is welcome to attend this event from 10:30 a.m. to noon at the library at 1044 Middlefield Road.

The program will especially instruct caregivers on decoding verbal and behavioral communication by someone with Alzheimer’s and other dementia’s.

The goal is for participants to leave with strategies for meaningful connection with people in early, middle and late stage dementia.

Dementia is a syndrome, caused by a variety of brain illnesses that affect memory, thinking, behavior and ability to perform everyday activities. According to the World Health Organization, the number of people living with dementia worldwide is currently estimated at 47 million and is projected to increase to 75 million by 2030. The disease is overwhelming for both the people who have it and also their families and caregivers as well.

Southbound Caltrain strikes person at Redwood City station

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Person struck by Caltrain at Main Street

Caltrain reported Wednesday afternoon that southbound train No. 258 has struck a person who was trespassing on the tracks at Redwood City station.

“Expect major delays,” the transit agency said.

The person was reportedly struck at 4:18 p.m. and taken to the hospital. None of the passengers on board the Caltrain were injured.

Check back for updates.

Redwood City schools prepare for deep cuts

in Education/Featured/Headline by

Redwood City School District trustees and the public last night reviewed proposals ranging from closing or merging a half dozen schools to renting out unused classroom space as the board grapples with major cuts to stave off insolvency.

Board members and a large crowd of parents and staff gathered in the auditorium at McKinley school heard two dozen proposals from an advisory council that has been at work since August to suggest ideas for reorganizing the shrinking district. It has lost 1,500 students over the past six years to charter schools, families being priced out of the Bay Area and other factors. State funding is, in part, tied to head count and the Redwood City district is further handicapped compared to neighboring districts by the way property taxes are allocated.

The bottom line, Superintendent John Baker said, is that, by Dec. 15, the district needs to come up with a plan to show the San Mateo County Office of Education where some $10 million in cuts will be made over the next two years.

Baker emphasized to the audience that no recommendations or decisions have been made yet, but said “There are going to have to be some consolidations of schools. We cannot get away from that.” The school district is being monitored by the county office, he added, “and we don’t want the county to come in and take us over.”

The board is slated to act at a Nov. 28 meeting, before which the district staff will consult with school principals and the advisory committee to come up with concrete recommendations. Two community forums are also planned: Oct. 22 at the McKinley Institute of Technology and Oct. 25 at Taft School.  Both meetings are from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.

District enrollment since the 2012 school year has dropped from 9,136 to 7,557, with corresponding reductions in revenue. Among other categories, the district faces rising costs for workers compensation, pensions, special education, and according to a projection earlier this year, faces multi-million-dollar deficits unless reductions are made and maintained over several years.

Several ideas that were presented involved various scenarios for closing or merging schools, or consolidating specialty programs at one site. Closing a school could save $600,000 to $1 million, depending on the site, and a larger enrollment at fewer remaining schools might allow elective offerings to be expanded. On the other hand, geography needs to be taken into account in closing or reorganizing neighborhood schools, trustees said, to avoid creating hardships.

Some of the proposals might present legal or other feasibility problems. One idea, for example, was to raise the rent for charter schools, but it is already at the maximum, according to Trustee Alisa MacAvoy. Closing summer school would save $674,000, but the impact on migrant and special education programs would have to be addressed. Closing the district office and moving its functions to MIT could generate an estimated $1 million, but funding to remodel the school space for a business office would have to be identified.

Among the various combinations and mergers proposed: Creating one large middle school at Hoover; consolidating Garfield, Taft, Fair Oaks and Hoover students at two locations (K-5) and creating one middle school at Taft; combining the Spanish immersion programs at Adelante and Selby Lane at the latter school; expanding North Star Academy by letting it grow into the MIT building; or closing and renting out Clifford School. That would save an estimated $1,260,000 per year but there’s a risk of a “domino effect” if students are relocated far from the school, as well as the loss to charters and San Carlos schools.

On the other hand, expanding pre-school and after-school care might make the district more competitive with charter schools, as well as meet a community need, trustees observed. Consolidating all the charters into one “hub” would free up other school sites for possible mergers and potentially improve operational efficiency.

Trustee Dennis McBride said he’d like to see more information on where students live and how they’d be impacted by various proposals. “We all know that closing schools is a very emotional thing,” he said.

MacAvoy expressed hope that, while change is hard, schools will emerge improved in a right-sized district.

“It’s time for us to be real about what our enrollment is and how many schools we can have,” she said. The decisions that will be made shouldn’t be just tweaking but finding ways to improve, she added.

Asked for a timeline on the implementation of changes, Baker said specifics would depend on the school and the number of students involved, but “by mid-February, we will know what’s happening.”

Political Climate with Mark Simon: CAA campaign mailer sparks controversy

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Political Climate with Mark Simon: CAA campaign mailer sparks controversy

Two Redwood City Council candidates who received $1,000 in campaign contributions each from the California Apartment Association have donated those funds to charity in protest over a negative campaign mailing by the CAA.

Businesswoman Giselle Hale donated $1,000 to Emerge California, which works to elect Democratic women to office and trains them to run for office. Stanford community representative Jason Galisatus donated $1,000 to the San Mateo County Pride Center, a facility in San Mateo that provides support and services to members of the LGBTQ community.

The mail piece that went too far for Hale and Galisatus was a postcard titled: “Diana Reddy Is Wrong for Redwood City,” and cites her involvement and endorsement by Democratic Socialists of America, whose website describes it as “the largest socialist organization in the United States.” Reddy, a community organizer, is also running for one of three seats up for election this year.

The mail piece goes on to cite three DSA positions – the elimination of police and prisons, the abolition of capitalism and the elimination of private businesses. More on the piece and the CAA further on in this column.

The piece states that Reddy will “push for extreme policies that would hurt homeowners, raise taxes and destroy jobs.”

Hale said her protest is about the tone of the mail piece.

“I don’t know if it’s true or not true. I just object to the negative tone,” Hale said.

Similarly, Galisatus said, “I don’t agree with negative campaign tactics having been the subject of relentless attacks on social media, more so than other candidates.”

The CAA has emerged as a major factor in the City Council race, having spent $15,382 thus far on research and mail pieces targeting Reddy, which have been denounced by her supporters and by Reddy as “smears” on her campaign.

The CAA’s local organization also has received an additional $80,000 from the CAA’s Sacramento-based statewide political action committee, although officials from the local association say those funds are to support and oppose candidates in races throughout the Peninsula, including Redwood City, Daly City, Sunnyvale and San Jose.

A PROBLEMATIC PIECE: The latest mail piece from CAA relies entirely on Reddy’s association with the Democratic Socialists of America, states that she is endorsed by the DSA and cites information from the DSA website and news reports as support for the assertions that she wants to eliminate police and prisons, abolish capitalism and eliminate private businesses.

These are positions Reddy has not taken during the campaign. In an interview, she said the mail piece is a “hit piece.”

“I have no idea what they’re talking about,” Reddy said. “I don’t have any desire to get rid of capitalism,” she said, chuckling.

In fact, the piece exaggerates the relationship Reddy may have with the Democratic Socialists of America. She has been endorsed by two local chapters – Peninsula DSA and Silicon Valley DSA – but she has not been endorsed by the national organization, whose positions are the ones cited in the CAA mailer.

On the Peninsula chapter’s web page, it states: “Democratic Socialists believe that both the economy and society should be run democratically to meet human needs, not to make profits for a few. Throughout the area of San Mateo County, California, our chapter fights for the many and not the few.”

Reddy said she agrees with the progressive views of the organization and “their point of view on supporting working families.”

The reference in the mail piece to the elimination of police and prisons stems from a 2017 DSA convention resolution that calls for the elimination, ultimately, of the need for prisons or police. It’s clearly an aspirational position and not a call for tearing down prisons as an immediate policy.

It’s an aspiration Reddy shares.

“We shouldn’t have more prisons than colleges in our country,” she said, adding that the great majority of prison inmates are minorities, and frequently they have substance abuse problems.

Nonetheless, representatives of the California Apartment Association defended the mailer as accurate and well within the acceptable parameters of campaign rhetoric.

“I think we avoided any type of name-calling,” said Rhovy Lyn Antonio, vice president for Public Affairs for the CAA’s Bay Area organization. “She’s being supported by this specific organization and we’re pointing out verbatim what the DSA stands for and asking the question: What does Diana Reddy stand for?”

Reddy publicly and assertively supports rent control, a position at direct odds with the California Apartment Association, which represents landlords and property owners. The CAA consistently asserts that restrictions on evictions and rent control are harmful to homeowners and will damage the local economy.

The information in the mail piece “is taken from her social media presence, her website, articles written about her and statements she’s made in public,” said Joshua Howard, CAA senior vice president, Northern California.

“She can complain about a comment that was made or a picture that was used but it’s just a distraction from the fact that she has questionable affiliations with groups that seek to undermine protections for homeowners and the addition of rental housing in our community,” Howard said.

Contact Mark Simon at mark.simon24@yahoo.com.

*The opinions expressed in this column are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect the views of Climate Online.

Halloween Spooktakular set for Red Morton center on Saturday

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Enjoy a day of family fun at the Halloween Spooktakular Saturday, Oct. 20, in Redwood City.

The city is inviting community members to spend the afternoon playing carnival games, winning prizes, navigating the mysterious Monster Maze, creating fall crafts and other fun activities. Later in the afternoon, kids can proudly show off their Halloween attire in a Costume Parade.

The event will go from 12-3pm at the Red Morton Community Center,  admission is just $5 per child. Redwood City’s Halloween Spooktakular is suitable for kids up to age ten.

For more information about the Halloween Spooktakular click here.

 

San Mateo County sheriff’s office expands Narcan access to all personnel

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We reported in July that the San Mateo County Narcotic Task Force and the Crime Suppression Unit began carrying Narcan (Naloxone), which is used to reverse the effects of an opioid overdose.

In a statement today, the sheriff’s office announced that “all personnel” have been equipped with Narcan to better protect the residents of San Mateo County.

“The Opioid epidemic is rising quickly throughout the United States,” the sheriff’s office said in a statement today. “Sheriff’s Office staff have been trained in the proper administration of Narcan and detection of overdose symptoms involved in these sometimes-fatal situations. Each staff member has been equipped with Narcan to assist the public, and possibly each other, in the event of an opioid exposure and overdose.”

Sheriff Carlos G. Bolanos called Narcan a “vital tool.”

“I want all of my personnel to have access to it when it is needed,” he said.

DA Steve Wagstaffe to discuss local impact of opioid crisis during Rotary Club discussion at Angelica’s

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DA Steve Wagstaffe to discuss local impact of opioid crisis at Angelica's

How has the opioid crisis impacted San Mateo County?

You’ll find out at a discussion with District Attorney Steve Wagstaffe at Angelica’s, 863 Main St. in Redwood City on Tuesday, Oct. 30.

The Rotary Club of Redwood City is hosting the lunch discussion with Wagstaffe, who is the club’s director, from noon to 1:30 p.m.

Guests are welcome to attend the lunch, which costs $20.

In 2017, 97 San Mateo County residents died from drug-related causes, with 11 deaths directly tied to heroin use and another 26 to other opioids, according to recent data. The previous year, 11 deaths were tied to heroin and 16 to other opioids. Nearly 590 county residents sought medical care for their dependency, costing the county millions.

“Health officials estimate that thousands more residents are opioid dependent,” the county said.

In June, the county announced legal action against opioid distributors including San Francisco-based McKesson, Cardinal Health and AmerisourceBergen, alleging violations of California laws designed to prevent illegal opioid sales and overprescribing. In a statement, County Counsel John Beiers said the county “cannot sit by idly as our community is being harmed by the opioid epidemic – a problem that was knowingly created by the distributors who put profits above people.”

Deputies seek public’s help in finding suspects in San Carlos purse-snatch attempt

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Deputies seek public's finding suspects in robbery attempt on elderly woman in San Carlos

San Mateo County sheriff’s deputies are searching for suspects connected with an attempted purse-snatching that targeted an elderly woman in San Carlos last week.

The incident occurred about 12:50 p.m. on Thursday when the victim was walking near 1000 Laurel St., according to the San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office.

The suspect, an unknown male possibly 18 to 20 years old, forcefully grabbed the victim’s purse, but the woman managed to maintain possession despite being pushed to the ground during the struggle, deputies said. The suspect ran towards Morse Boulevard, where he entered a waiting vehicle that fled the scene. While there wasn’t a solid description of the suspect, it was later learned that the getaway vehicle was a 1997 gold colored Toyota Corolla, with a California License plate of 8GFZ865, according to deputies.

The victim declined medical attention, stating she wasn’t injured, deputies added.

Anyone with information regarding this crime is encouraged to contact the San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office Detective Bureau at 650-599-1536 or the Anonymous Tip Line at 800-547-2700.

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