Money, Public Works, and Labor
Labor negotiations on the horizon, City investment portfolio, and Making Tennyson rails more safe for everyone
Speculation Station: Parcel and Labor Negotiations
For those who weren’t aware, the old 238 Parcels—that Caltrans gave back to the City after successfully sitting on them and not building a new 238 bypass through Hayward—have been burning a hole in the City’s pocket. They’re required, by law, to offload them to some other group by a certain time. The one in negotiation this week is Parcel 8, where the old Antique shop used to be, near Grove and Foothill.
The plan, last I heard, was to develop some affordable housing to replace the rather old housing that’s already there. Some in the community were pushing for park space, but the City is pretty dedicated to using as much of the 238 land for housing as possible. The inclusion of Housing Manager Morales in the negotiations seems to hint at that still being the desire, but clearly there’s some contention there.
And just after the CFA initiated their historic 23 Campus strike, contract negotiations are starting up for the City. Right now it’s just HR, Finance, and the City Attorney at the table, but that’s all the pieces you need to decide on a City Strategy. All Groups are allegedly on the table, so we’ll have to keep our ear to the ground to see how the staff unions fare after the big bumps that were given to the City Manager, City Clerk, and City Attorney.
Residential Design Study Put To Bed
The Residential Design Study has been going back and forth between the Planning Commission and the City Council for months. You can read all about the points systems and the thoughts on parking and mixed-use and Mission Blvd if you’re really interested. It’s been going on since August! Tonight it finally gets approved by the City Council.
I have a lot of thoughts about the plan, but there’s no appetite for the kind of change necessary to ensure that our neighborhoods change from car-centric to walkable, from sprawl to medium-density, and from money losers to money generators. Maybe with a different Council, maybe with a different Planning Commission, things could have been different. But zoning isn’t set in stone—but if you’re excited about zoning, drop me a line. I’d love to chat sometime.
Sullivan Steps Off Library Commission
Kelly Sullivan is resigning from the Library Commission. Commissioner Sullivan was the points-leader for the Planning Commission back in the Fall, but after a poor interview, she didn’t make the cut. There was a chance that she could have been tapped for Ali-Sullivan’s vacancy that’ll be opening up soon, but if she’s stepping down from the Library Commission, chances are good she’s bowing out of that, too.
I look forward to seeing how Council will deal with the Planning Commission vacancy on the horizon, now.
Investment Investigation
The City’s Investment Policy is on the docket this week, and it’s shaping up to be more contentious than usual. The Hayward Community Coalition appears to be gathering the community to demand divestment from businesses tied to Israel. According to the City’s October Investment Statement, there’s almost $1.7 Million invested in companies with direct ties to the Israeli government and the IDF.
Giving our tax dollars to companies that are complicit in the Palestinian Genocide feels pretty bad to me. I have a feeling that I’m not the only one who feels that way, too.
More Money To HPD
The Hayward Police Department’s (HPD) Youth and Family Services Bureau (YFSB) is an ethically complicated department. On the one hand, they’re embedded in the Police Department and have ties to all the problems that come with it. On the other hand, they help reduce recidivism and offer counseling and therapy programs to students in Hayward Unified schools.
They’ll be getting just short of $300,000 to continue to offer services like:
Family-focused mental health counseling and crisis intervention for at-risk and system-involved youth ages eight to 18, as well as Transition Age Youth (TAY), ages 18-21 with active probation involvement or non-minor dependents
Support for The Alameda County Crisis Receiving Home that provides receiving capability for police departments and other appropriate community agencies for youth who are beyond parental control and need short-term (72 hour) respite placements;
Case management services to link youth and families to appropriate community resources; and
Diversion services specifically aimed at diverting identified problem behavior and preventing formal entry into the juvenile justice system.
These are, generally speaking good things. The big downside is that YFSB mostly interacts with at-risk youth after they’ve already been arrested at least once. The majority of their metrics have to do with recidivism instead of prevention.
Getting money for social workers, family therapists, and psychologists is great. I wish more of our money was going to that. But to have it so closely tied to the Police Department—which is one of many causes of the trauma they’re trying to heal—feels like a mistake.
Railroad Safety Money For Tennyson
The railroad crossing on Tennyson has been on the City’s To Change list for a while. And the California Department of Transportation is offering up over $500,000 to make it happen. The project is only for the first phase of the project, but here’s what they’re looking to do:
Design and install traffic signals near the railroad crossing to prevent lining up over the tracks
Additional warning devices
Narrow the road to allow car warning signals and walking paths
Pedestrian and bicycle facility improvements
The report says that Caltrans will pay for the rest of the project, with no City money involved.
Radical Free Library Arrives in Hayward
A new library is springing up in Hayward, with hundreds of books freely available to anyone who wants to use them. But unlike the Hayward Public Library, this one doesn’t rely on the City budget for its collection. It is owned, operated, and maintained by Haywardistes and full of books you might not find at your local library.
If you’re looking for something a little more leftist—as I hope you do—you might find Hayward Public’s collection lacking. For example, you might want a copy of Keywords for Capitalism, but Hayward Public doesn’t have a copy. Or you wanted the Spanish language picture book A de Activista, Hayward Public would let you down yet again.
But the community can step in and fill the gap that institutions leave behind. And one Haywardiste is spearheading a project just like that. The Radical Free Library is the brainchild of Arieana Castellanos who, after being gifted an embosser, was wondering how she could use some of the books in her collection.
“I see mutual aid and abolition as lifestyle choices,” Ari said. “I just looked around, took inventory of what I had to offer, and tried to turn it into an accessible space.” She worked with a local librarian to get the project up and running in a matter of hours.
The website is still under active development, but soon you can expect to see categories like anti-racism, anti-colonialism, body positivity, and capitalism. Anyone is able to check out books with as little as a name or alias and either an email or phone number.
“It seems so wasteful to let things sit around and gather dust when someone has poured energy into it and someone else out there is willing to show it some love.”
The Radical Free Library is open to any member of the community.