Cityhood Lost: California keeps Castro Valley unincorporated, new cities struggling
Back in 2012, as I passionately argued for an incorporated Castro Valley before a packed audience at the “Great Castro Valley Debate,” I had to concede that despite my dream for Castro Valley home rule, achieving municipal independence for our community was unlikely…all because of something called the “Vehicle License Fee …
Vehicle License Fee Timeline
This timeline is based on information from the California Local Government Finance Almanac and the bill analysis for Senate Bill 25. 1935: VLF created “Established in 1935 as a uniform statewide tax, the VLF is a tax on the ownership of a registered vehicle in place of taxing vehicles as personal …
“Virtual City” Proposal for Isla Vista Possible Solution for Castro Valley
Recently introduced California State Assembly Bill 3 (AB 3) could fundamentally change the way unincorporated Isla Vista governs itself and provide a road map for other unincorporated communities to gain more local control. I’ve been studying many different ways that unincorporated communities could govern themselves, and the Eden Area Liveability Initiative (EALI) has …
It’s time to be creative with sidewalk construction policies
Looking around my central Castro Valley neighborhood, while we’re lucky to have continuous sidewalks on both sides of my street, they could use a little TLC. Well-maintained sidewalks in central Castro Valley are a smart investment in safety that enhances walkability in an area of town that hosts our BART …
Castro Valley Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee Holds Inaugural Meeting
The seven-member Castro Valley Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee (CVBPAC) met for the first time last Wednesday, March 11 to start advising the Alameda County Public Works Agency (PWA) on matters related to the Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan within Castro Valley. The CVBPAC will act as a liaison between PWA …
Walking in Castro Valley: Improving the Unimproved Sidewalks
Unfortunately, to be a pedestrian in Castro Valley can be a life-threatening experience. From Central CV to the hill areas around central, there are blocked, unimproved sidewalks on the majority of the streets. This forces pedestrians to constantly walk around the property, and around the parked cars and into almost …
Proctor Court Project Gets Postponed by the BOS
On Tuesday, March 10, the Alameda County Board of Supervisors discussed the 17 home Proctor Court development at their Planning Committee meeting. The project had already passed through and been approved of by the Castro Valley Municipal Advisory Council (MAC) and the Alameda County Planning Commission, and it was up for …
What matters to Castro Valley in new CVUSD superintendent?
The Castro Valley Unified School District (CVUSD) Board of Education kicks off the selection process for a new superintendent on Wednesday morning when it will hear from three firms competing to run the search process for CVUSD’s next superintendent. Per the agenda, the Board will conduct interviews at its public …
Residents brainstorm ideas for new park
Over a 100 community members crowded a standing-room-only Hayward Area Recreation and Park District (HARD) meeting last Thursday to share their ideas about how to develop a 24 acre former East Bay Municipal Utility District (EBMUD) property into Castro Valley’s newest park. The parcel, also referred to as the “Former …
Supervisors consider 90-day mobile home park rent increase moratorium
The Alameda County Board of Supervisors (BOS) will consider an Urgency Interim Ordinance at Tuesday, March 3’s Board meeting that would suspend all rental increases at mobile home parks in unincorporated Alameda County for 90 days and give the Community Development Agency time to develop proposed changes to the Mobile …