In previous blog posts, we’ve talked about the potential to have our Castro Valley Municipal Advisory Council (MAC) elected rather than appointed, as it is now, by County Supervisor Nate Miley. Many objections have been raised, one of which is the potentially prohibitive costs to potential MAC candidates. We’ve been …

We can’t talk about what we’d like to see happen in Castro Valley without looking at the underlying plans that guide our economic development. In an earlier post, I provided background about General Plans, the community goals they cover, and why they are created. Now, I want to get more specific. …

On Monday, November 17, there was a very informative meeting about the garbage situation in the rural area of Castro Valley commonly referred to as “the Canyonlands”. This meeting was well represented by the various stakeholders including over 80 members from the community, representatives from the Alameda County Community Development …

So, what exactly is a “General Plan?” According to the Alameda County Planning Department, it is: A General Plan is a long range policy document approved by the Board of Supervisors to guide physical, economic, and environmental growth. State law requires the County to have a General Plan which contains …

A brief recap of the Castro Valley  Municipal Advisory Council (MAC) Meeting on October 27th, 2014 There were five MAC Members present, with Matthew Turner and Cheryl Miraglia being absent. There were eight local citizens in attendance for this meeting. Open Forum/Public Announcements: One speaker: JV McCarthy from the Castro Valley Democratic …

Anyone who is interested in the look of our downtown — specifically landscaping on Castro Valley Boulevard — should attend a meeting slated for Wednesday, October 29, at 5 p.m. in the Castro Valley Library. Alameda County is considering changes to the existing plantings, detailed in a press release issued …

Castro Valley could elect its Municipal Advisory Council (MAC) at a fraction of the cost asserted by Alameda County officials at recent Eden Area Livability Initiative (EALI) Governance Working Group meetings. Based on research of elections within Alameda County and throughout the State of California coupled with  publicly available information, something …

Castro Valley faces a subtle uphill battle when competing for Alameda County resources. We’ve covered how Castro Valley sales tax doesn’t stay in Castro Valley, but what about other allocations? How do we make sure Castro Valley receives allocations from county and state measures? There are a lot of advocacy …

At the regular Alameda County Board of Supervisors Meeting on September 23rd, the Board unanimously voted (at District 4 Supervisor Nate Miley’s urging) to reappoint Marc Crawford to the Castro Valley Municipal Advisory Council. Castro Valley resident Steve Dimick, who is not a member of Castro Valley Matters, expressed discomfort with the …

Monday night saw another lively meeting of the Castro Valley Municipal Advisory Council (CV MAC) in front of about 20 local citizens at the Castro Valley Library.  Those in attendance were lucky enough to hear talk about local topics ranging from ethics and storm drains, to squirrels and vaping. Public …