California Propositions – 2020 – Proposition 18
Still not registered to vote? Reminder: October 19th is the deadline to register to vote in Alameda County. For more information, see the link at https://www.acvote.org/index. All eligible voters will be mailed a vote-by-mail ballot beginning October 5th for the November 3rd general election and you can track your ballot …
California Propositions – 2020 – Proposition 17
Have you registered to vote yet? There’s still time and with the stakes so high, don’t delay and plan to vote early. October 19th is the deadline to register to vote in Alameda County. For more information, see the link at https://www.acvote.org/index. Ballots can be tracked using the “voter profile” …
California Propositions – 2020 – Proposition 15
As with other election years, California voters have quite a few propositions to sort through, 12 in all. And while COVID19 prevents Castro Valley Matters from hosting our popular Pizza & Propositions event, we plan to highlight and, in some cases, help demystify some of the propositions in our our …
California, (un)Incorporated: Our communities need democracy, path to incorporation
I am a resident of Castro Valley, an urbanized, unincorporated community of about 63,000 in Alameda County in the east San Francisco Bay Area. I’ve been working with fellow Californians statewide in unincorporated communities that would like the option of becoming cities, including Salida, Arden Arcade, Mountain House, East Los …
Caltrans Acknowledges Castro Valley Existence
One day back in July 2014, I was driving along on Northbound I-880. I saw a sign that I had passed hundreds of times before, a standard “CITY LIMITS” sign, installed by Caltrans throughout California, but missing the “CITY LIMITS” part since it was for our unincorporated neighbors in San …
Swalwell Endorses Elected Castro Valley MAC, Urges County Supes’ OK
Congressman Eric Swalwell has endorsed a proposal calling for an elected Municipal Advisory Council (MAC) for Castro Valley. In a statement to Castro Valley Matters, Swalwell, whose 15th Congressional District includes Castro Valley, said: In an unincorporated community like Castro Valley, an election can empower 63,000 residents and give a greater …
How We Built the Old Castro Valley Library
One of the more popular conversation topics around town is “what the heck is going on with the old library building?” The Castro Valley MAC was asking the same thing of the County at the September 21st MAC meeting. Caroline Judy, the acting head of the Alameda County GSA (the …
County Report Views MAC as “Political Voice of the Community”
The Castro Valley Municipal Advisory Council (MAC) is the first and only MAC in Alameda County. Created in 1981, our MAC is the fourth oldest MAC in California, where an estimated 1.4 million residents in unincorporated Californian communities are served by a MAC or a “MAC Equivalent.” Before creating a MAC …
Finding Better Governance for Castro Valley and the Eden Area
Back in 2012, I thought all I wanted was an elected Municipal Advisory Council (MAC), Castro Valley’s version of a city council, for 63,000 people whose community remains unincorporated. State law says that MACs can be elected. Why couldn’t mine be elected? My naive question, first to Supervisor Nate Miley, then to …
An Update on AB 3 and the Plight of Isla Vista
What if unincorporated communities could get more local control without having to incorporate? Assembly Bill 3 (AB 3), working its way through the California Assembly, would give Isla Vista, an unincorporated community next to the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB) campus, an enhanced version of a community service district (CSD), …