JULY - AUGUST 2016 • VOLUME 2 • NUMBER 7
HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATION 2016!
IF YOU SEE SOMETHING, SAY SOMETHING
EAST PALO ALTO’S INCORPORATION GENERATION-WHERE ARE THEY NOW?
02 Publisher’s Corner
COMMUNITY CALENDAR 04 What You May Have Missed 05 What You May Want To Attend
COMMUNITY EVENTS 06 East Side Prep Graduation 06 East Palo Alto Academy Graduations 06 East Palo Alto Phoenix Academy Graduation 06 Juneteenth celebrations 06 Select Committee on South Bay Arrivals Public Meeting
MY STORY 08 The East Palo Alto Incorporation Generation Where Are They Now?
EDUCATION 10 High School Graduation 2016 12 San Mateo County READS – Me and ReIna
COMMUNITY 13 If You See Something, Say Something
SELF HELP 15 What is on your Driver’s Record? You may want to know
GOVERNMENT 17 East Palo Alto and West Bay Sanitary District Board Committee Memberships GUEST OPINION 19 To Unfriend or Not To Unfriend?… is the question
LOCAL ARTIST 21 One On One With Yolanda Rhodes JULY - AUGUST 2016 EL RAVENSWOOD 1
From the Publisher
P.O. Box 50849 Palo Alto, CA 94303 (650) 323-4477 e-mail: info@eastpaloaltoinformation.com www.elravenswood.com Publisher Meda O. Okelo Editorial
Meda O. Okelo, Editor
Barbara Noparstak, Copy Editor Contributors C. Jango, Luke James, M.O. Okelo, Michelle Daher, Rodney Clark, Sarah Hubert, Saree Mading, Shammai Mading, Alejandro Vilchez, Rose Jacobs Gibson. Sid Walton, Sandy Moon Farley, Zalika Sykes, Brother Jaye, Isaac Stevenson Design/Layout George Okello Advertising Meda O. Okelo Business/Administration EPA-Belle Haven Information Inc. El Ravenswood is published monthly by EPA-Belle Haven Information Inc. P.O. Box 50849 East Palo Alto California, 94303. (650) 323-4477. El Ravenswood is delivered free to public offices, businesses and non-profit agency offices in East Palo Alto and the Belle Haven Community in Menlo Park. Copyright © 2016 by EPA-Belle Haven Information Inc. This publication may not be reproduced in whole or in part in any form, for any purpose, without permission from Jatelo Production, and respective copyright owners. The information in this publication is gathered and carefully compiled in such a way as to ensure maximum accuracy. El Ravenswood cannot guarantee the authenticity of all the information furnished, nor the complete absence thereof. Thus, no responsibility for omissions and errors can be or is assumed. Inclusions of listing or advertising in this publication do not constitute endorsement of products or services provided. The publication is supported by the advertisers on its pages. We encourage you to patronize their places of business and please let them know you saw their name in this publication. El Ravenswood is published once a month. TO SUBSCRIBE: For $40 annually, you can have your El Ravenswood magazine delivered to your mailbox/address. Send a check for $40 to the mailing address above.
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S
teve Harvey, who hosted the 2015 Ms. Universe pageant made a huge gaffe, when he mistakenly awarded the Miss Universe crown to Miss. Colombia instead of the actual winner Miss Philippines. No apology, however sincere, no explanation however logical could erase the confusion the mistake engendered or the pain it caused to both afflicted parties. All however seems forgotten now, partly because the mistake was corrected…. Or was it? A similar thing happened recently at a local school during a middle school graduation ceremony. The presumed Valedictorian and her family were shocked when they saw the official program. Their daughter a star student who had been declared the Valedictorian was relegated to the secondary role of Salutatorian, while the true Salutatorian was elevated to the Valedictorian position. Valedictorian and Salutatorian are both academic titles of accomplishment used as a reward, in the United States and a few other countries, for the top two students in their graduating class. The valedictorian usually has the best academic achievement and in acknowledgement get to deliver the closing or farewell statement “the valediction” at a graduation ceremony otherwise known as a valedictory. The Salutatorian usually is the second best academically and usually is given the role of the first speaker delivering the greeting or “salutation”. How the blunder occurred has as yet to be explained to those aggrieved. Was it an honest mistake? Did someone, for whatever unexplained reasons, deliberately and maliciously decide to make the change? The parents of the true valedictorian although hurt and disappointed, have opted not to do anything that would bring the school, its administrators and teachers to ridicule and embarrassment. Hence the anonymity in this letter of all those involved including the school The Principal of the school in an attempt to right a wrong met with the two students, who coincidentally were close friends, explained the blunder and made the executive decision to have them both as Co-Valedictorians. One, the administration believed, cannot right a wrong with another action that may appear wrongful. The question however remains as to whether principal’s righting of the wrong was enough to straighten the ruffled feathers of those aggrieved. When the school authorities put the second highest scoring student as the Valedictorian and the most-high-scoring student as the Salutatorian you can understand why parental feathers would be ruffled. That this mistake was enshrined in the official program would irk even more any-a-parent. To remedy the gaffe for the Valedictorian and her parents, a limited edition program was printed with the right information and distributed exclusively to the family and their friends. The Valedictorian an avid keeper of records was happy to have a ‘program’ that truly reflected her achievements at the school. All is well that ends well………. Perhaps.
Meda O. Okelo
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COMMUNITY EVENTS & MEETINGS
COMMUNITY CALENDAR
WHAT YOU MAY HAVE MISSED! Friday, June 10 9th Annual “Embracing East Palo Alto Youth” Fundraising Luncheon 111:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m., Four Seasons Hotel Silicon Valley at East Palo Alto, 2050 University Avenue, East Palo Alto, 650-391-9617 x10
Wednesday, June 29 Select Committee on South Bay Arrivals Meeting, 6 p.m. Mountain View Center for the Performing Arts 500 Castro Street, Mountain View
Community Legal Services Annual Gala and Fundraiser, 650-326-6440 X 310
Wednesday, June 15 World Elder abuse Awareness Day Commemoration 400 County Center, Redwood City
Saturday, June 25, 2016 Macedonia Baptist Church 1110 Berkeley Avenue, Menlo Park, Celebrates 61st Anniversary Ca 94025 3.00 p.m.
Select Committee on south Bay Arrivals meeting 6 p.m. Sequoia High School, Carrington Hall, 1201 Brewster Avenue, Redwood City
Ribbon Cutting Ceremony-Belle Haven Youth Center Playground. 4.30 p.m. 100 Terminal Avenue, Menlo Park
Thursday, June 16 Dump the Pump Day Get Out Of Your Car and Use Public Transit. Rides will be free on SamTrans Routes ECR and 294.Additionally, SamTrans will be setting up Energizer stations where customers can stock up on refreshments, grab some agency giveaways etc. Saturday, June 18 Juneteenth Freedom Day Celebration East Palo Alto Senior Center 560 Bell Street, East Palo Alto Senior Center Inc. Thursday, June 23, 2016 Sponsored Employment Program (SEP) Kickoff Reception 6:30pm - 7:30pm, One East Palo Alto Community Center at 2400 Ralmar Avenue, Menlo Park, CA Friday, June 24 Mt. Olive Apostolic Original Holy Church of God honors Rosemary Steele with a Community Service Award.
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Saturday, July 9 Take a Hike San Mateo County-Junipero Serra Park, 1801 Crystal Springs Rd, San Bruno 9am 650-599-1005 Monday, June 27 Get Ready to Be Prepared Training. 6:30-8:30 p.m., Menlo Park Fire Protection District, 170 Middlefield Road, Menlo Park, 650-688-8400, www.menlofire.org
Bay Area Rental Challenges & Home buying Opportunities Seminar, 560 Bell Street, East Palo Alto, 11:00 A.M.-1:00 P.M. Keller Williams Realty Jane Therese Jones & Dominique Hollins
COMMUNITY CALENDAR
COMMUNITY EVENTS & MEETINGS
What You May Want To Attend Saturday, July 30 EPA-EMP Original 6000’s (OG’S) Community BBQ, Cesar Chavez Academy, 2450 Ralmar Avenue, East Palo Alto 11.00 a.m..-5.00 P.M. 650-387-6388 Saturday, August 6 Take a Hike San Mateo CountyWunderlich Park, 4040 Woodside Rd. Woodside 9am 650-599-1005 Saturday, September 3 Take a Hike San Mateo CountySan Pedro Valley Park, 600 Oddstad Blvd, Pacifica 9am 650599-1005
Saturday, September 10 Public ceremony to celebrate SamTrans 40th Anniversary featuring historic bus displays and vintage memorabilia and children’s entertainment, San Mateo County Fairgrounds Saturday, October 1 Take a Hike San Mateo County-, Edgewood Park 10 Old Stagecoach Road, Redwood City 9am 650-599-1005 Saturday, November 5 Take a Hike San Mateo CountyMemorial Park, 9500 Pescadero Creek Rd Loma Mar, 9am 650-599-1005
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COMMUNITY
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MY STORY
Year: 1990 Activity: YMCA Summer Camp at the Bell Street Gymnasium Your Challenge: To provide any information about where these individuals are. Are they still living in East Palo Alto/Menlo Park? What are they currently doing? Call us and leave the information at: 650-323-4477 or e-mail us at: info@eastpaloaltoinformation. com or send us a note via our Facebook page: https://www. facebook.com/El-Ravenswood These children were born in the late seventies, early eighties and have probably lived their entire lives in an incorporated city. They probably provide the best evidence of the impact of the various programs and services, both public and private that were available to them and their families.
JULY 2016EL ELRAVENSWOOD RAVENSWOOD 99 MAY- -AUGUST JUNE 2016
EDUCATION
HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATION 2016!! he atmosphere at all the high school graduations was euphoric. Family members and friends, spanning all generations filled the courtyards and in the case of the East Palo Alto Academy, Memorial Auditorium at Stanford. That the graduation was on a weekday during workhours or in the early evening or late afternoon when commuter traffic would drive anyone crazy did not seem to matter Congratulatory balloons, bouquets of flowers, poster-size-pictures of graduates and gifts festooned each event displaying a rich array of colors and visual imagery. Some brought their voices, and did they use them! Names of graduates were screamed out, to the delight of some and the obvious discomfort of others. Some brought congratulatory messages on balloons and posters. Other brought all kinds of noise-making gadgets and used them generously and sometimes annoyingly throughout some of the graduation ceremonies.
There was enough “energy” and “support” at the graduation ceremonies that if it could be bottled and saved could literary cheerlead the graduates through college and beyond. A fact that did not escape Ms. Amika Guillaume the Principal of the East Palo Alto Academy, who urged those in attendance to maintain that level of enthusiasm and support for their child, relative or friend throughout their college years. “Call them regularly”, she cajoled, “and ask them about their school experience. “Remind them to set aside enough time to do school related work.” she urged “With that kind of support and encouragement, there is no reason for these students not to graduate from college” she predicted. All in all, 157 students graduated from Eastside College Preparatory., East Palo Alto Phoenix Academy and the East Palo Alto Academy the three high schools operating within East Palo Alto. All were headed to over thirty institutions of higher learning; community colleges, State Universities,
University of California schools, private colleges including a DJ School and the Military. Two students, Natalia Plancarte and Nathaly Romero, both from the East Palo Alto Phoenix Academy chose to take a year off and join Global Citizen Year, a program that encourages students to live with families in a foreign country, in this case India, engaged in community development work. The two students will be teaching English in India. Amanjeet Singh Chahal, a graduate from the East Palo Alto Academy is headed to Foothill College where he hopes to start a career in Aerospace Engineering with the goal of transferring to either MIT or San Jose State University.
Eastside Preparatory School 1. Ali, Tahjee, 2. Andrade, Darian, 3. Berumen, Dylan, 4. Carr, Daryl, 5. Carter, Deajenae, 6. Collin-Perez, Caleb, 7. Collins, Jerycka, 8. Corado, Josue, 9. Cornejo, Bryan, 10. Fisher, Darquis, 11. Gage, Eddie, 12. Carnica, Yesenia, 13. Godoy, Lesley, 14. Green, Aujshanya,
15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20. 21. 22. 23. 24. 25. 26. 27. 28. 29.
30. 31. 32. 33. 34. 35. 36. 37. 38. 39. 40. 41. 42. 43. 44.
T
By El Ravenswood Staff
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Guardado, Tatiana, Guizar, Antonio, Hamel, Yvonne, Hernandez, Melissa, Isidro, David, Johnson, Angelean, Kumar, Artie, Lara, Oscar, Longmire, Taylor, Madrigal, Tiverio, Manriquez, Julitza, Martinez, Miguel, Mendoza, Karla, Mendoza, Pablo, Mora, Juan,
Editor’s Note: Menlo Atherton High School, the public high school that most of the students from Belle Haven and East Palo Alto attend did not respond to requests to provide a list of local students graduating from their high school.
Morales, Adam, Noble, Simone, Nunn, Daniel, Ochoa, Francisco, Partida-Vasquez, Addison, Patrick, Kyren, Pearson, Diamond, Peralta, Kevin, Peraza, Nohely, Perez, Elizabeth, Perkins, William, Raines, Vonisha, Rivera, Jose, Rivers, Destiny, Rojas, Maricruz,
EDUCATION 45. 46. 47. 48. 49. 50. 51. 52. 53. 54.
Sanchez, Alondra, Santoyo, Marlene, Stamper, Dania, Toscano, Chelcy, Tulikiganga, Manase, Vargas, Yajaira, Vargas-Landa, Maria, Villegas, Jennifer, Walton James, Zavala, Yoselin,
East Palo Alto Academy Class of 2016 1. Alcantar, Stephanie 2. AlsLevy, Fanny 3. León, Jose Arreola 4. Díaz, Cesar Avalos 5. López, Ector Aviña 6. Baltazar, Jennifer 7. Camerena, Natalia 8. Montejano, Kevin Carranza 9. Urbina, Ashley Carillo 10. Chahal, Amanjeet 11. Davenport, Bobbie 12. Dews, Jalia 13. Mendoza, Alexis Dominguez 14. Espino, Xochitl 15. Fonua, Lineni Agnes 16. Flores, Beneralda Garcia 17. Garland, Byren 18. Godard, Asa 19. Godinez, Jennifer 20. González, Julian 21. González-Torres, Umberto 22. Guerrero-Reynoso, Jesus 23. Gutiérrez, Yvanna 24. Hernández, Maritza 25. Lara, Yajaira 26. Lara-Cruz, Yolanda 27. Lopez, Yaremi 28. Ma’afu, Lupe 29. Martinez, Erick 30. Mendoza, Rafael 31. Garcia, Santiago Montejano 32. Niranjan, Shane 33. Valerio, Melissa Nuñez 34. Ortiz-García, Jennifer 35. Gallegos, Martin Pérez 36. Piñeda-Moreno, Zujey 37. Zavala, Diego Rangel 38. Franco, Julisa Razon
39. 40. 41. 42. 43. 44. 45. 46. 47. 48. 49. 50. 51. 52. 53. 54.
Sandoval, Bryan Recinos Reddick, Symone Revueltas, Miguel Romero, Alondra Robles Alondra, Rodriguez-Medina Rodriguez-Vallejo Gerardo, Sainz-Perez, Fabian Gudino, Maria Salgado Sedano-Meza, Jenee Tangi, Fakatupufo’ou Vae, Stanley Rodriguez, Paola Valencia Juarez, Eduardo Vazquez Verduzco, Enrique Castrejon, Eduardo Verduzco Zamora, Emma
East Palo Alto Phoenix Academy 1. Acosta, Adam2. Acuna, Gabriela3. Aguilar, Berenice4. Alcala, Elizabeth5. Aviles, Guadalupe6. Barragan, Jose- US Army 7. Barron, Melissa8. Beltran, Vanessa9. Carlos, Alejandro10. Caudillo, Stephanie11. Cortez, Carlos12. Chavez, Citlalli13. Delgado, Zoe14. Dominguez, Anthony15. Escamilla, Karina16. Fonseca, Andrea, 17. Galvan, Guadalupe18. Garcia, Fernanda 19. Garcia, Pedro20. Gonzalez, Arianna21. Gonzalez, Guadalupe22. Ibarra, Elizabeth23. Iglecias, Ariadna24. Ignatovich, David25. Lopez, Isabel26. Magana, Cindy27. Medina, Andres28. Medina, Priscilla29. Mendoza, Alejandra30. Mendoza, Christian31. Moreno, Alexis32. Perez, Gabriela33. Pineda, Jennifer-
34. 35. 36. 37. 38. 39. 40. 41. 42. 43. 44. 45. 46. 47. 48.
Plancarte, Natalia Regan, NeriahReyes, ThelmaRodriguez, Maria- UC Merced Rodriguez, UlisesRomero, Nathaly Ruelas, GenesisRuvalcaba, LizetteSaavedra, CristianSantos, JenniferTrujillo, PedroTu’ulaupua, MauaValdivias, JaquelineVargas, VictorVega, Fernando-
Destination Colleges and Institutions 1. Cal State University, Los Angeles 2. Cañada College 3. College of San Mateo 4. CSU East Bay 5. CSU Fullerton CSU Fullerton 6. CSU Stanislaus 7. Chabot College 8. Chico State 9. De Anza College 10. Dubspot Online Music Production and DJ School 11. Evergreen Valley College 12. Foothill College 13. Global Citizen Year- India 14. Humboldt State University 15. Modesto Junior College 16. Notre Dame de Namur 17. Sacramento State University 18. San Francisco State University 19. San Jose State University 20. Scott College 21. Skyline College 22. Sonoma State 23. UC Merced 24. UC Riverside 25. University of California, Davis 26. University of California, Santa Barbara 27. University of California, Santa Cruz 28. University of Colorado, Colorado Springs 29. US Army 30. Xavier University of Louisiana JULY - AUGUST 2016 EL RAVENSWOOD 11
EDUCATION
San Mateo County READS – Me and ReIna By Amanda Lyons
J
ust like most Saturdays, Reina and I are meeting at Starbucks in East Palo Alto. We’re together to practice ESL (English as a Second Language), so we sit at an outside table to reduce background noise. We met through the San Mateo County READS program out of the library, but they couldn’t provide a good weekend meeting place so we had to improvise. As we bask in the sun and discuss the previous week, Reina waves at a man I don’t immediately recognize. This is quite common - she seems to know everybody. Actually, it’s more correct to say that it seems like everybody knows Reina. Her vibrant personality makes you want to start talking, and she’s such a great listener that you’ll be unable to stop. I guess that’s why I’ve been meeting with her just like this for the past fourand-a-half years! When I first met Reina, she seemed polite but reserved, probably due to her lack of confidence in speaking English. Being a busy mother of 5 children meant that her desire to improve her English had to take a backseat to more urgent priorities like family and home care. She still found time to volunteer, which I found impressive. But she saw that lacking proficiency in English was becoming more and more of an issue. Her turning point was a family emergency that required talking with English-speaking medical staff. In an already stressful situation, she had to communicate in a language she wasn’t fluent in. This was her sign that it was time to focus on learning to speak English. I, on the other hand, was trying to find a way to “give back.” All my free time revolved around enjoying things that someone else created (e.g. video games, films, TV shows). I was in a funk, angry with myself for not contributing anything to anyone - just taking value out of what others had made. I had recently moved to the area and didn’t know many people outside of my work. One day, I decided that I needed to
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volunteer. That decision was easy, but figuring out what to do was more challenging. I made a list of things I thought I was pretty good at, and started thinking of ways to turn my strengths into contributions. Since I couldn’t find a volunteer opportunity that involved playing video games or quoting episodes of The Simpsons, I crossed those off my list. Eventually, only one item remained: tutoring. I had tutored for most of my life, in some form or another, so I like to think I’m pretty good at it. I reached out to a few local school systems and libraries and found the San Mateo County READS program. My primary contact was Nathalie, a brilliant and multi-lingual woman whose enthusiasm was undeniable. She introduced me to Reina, and the rest as they say, is history. To bring this back to today, at our sunny Starbucks table, she’s waving to someone I don’t immediately recognize. As the man smiles at her and approaches our table, I recognize him and start laughing. It’s Meda Okelo, the publisher of this very magazine. I’m laughing because I’ve never seen him in person, only in every edition of El Ravenswood. She’s told me about him before, referring to him as “my friend Meda.” I grab my copy of El Ravenswood and wave it at him excitedly. Reina and I have a routine: we arrive, she chooses a table, I go order coffee, and I grab two copies of El Ravenswood while I wait for the coffee. I return to our table, hand her one of the copies, and we read various articles based on what catches our eye. It’s the perfect way to both practice English and stay informed on local issues (which is very important to Reina). She’ll find an article to read aloud, and we pause as necessary to discuss a sentence or add commentary about a story. We then talk about the article, jotting down unfamiliar words and phrases. So yeah, I know who Meda is. I blurt out something goofy like, “HEY, YOU’RE MEDA. I KNOW YOU! WE READ YOUR STUFF A LOT.” Graciously, he chuckles and sits down to hear more. I calm down, stop shouting, and tell an abbreviated version of the story above. I explain how thankful I am
for all the work he does on El Ravenswood and how much it helps my meetings with Reina. In retrospect, I’m sure I sounded like a crazed fan, but I’m glad that he now knows how much we appreciate the magazine. I hope that this article will inspire one at least person (maybe you?) to become a volunteer. It’s fine if it’s not in the form of tutoring. Just stop to think about what you like to do, or a skill that comes easily to you but might not come easily to others. You can do what I did and fill out the volunteer form at https://smcl.org/volunteer/. Or you can browse www.catchafire.org, one of many sites that matches volunteers with organizations that desperately need help. You can even directly contact a non-profit organization that you like and offer your time to them. Yeah, it can be a lot of work. Yeah, you won’t get paid. But if you have a few hours a week to spare and are looking for a way to contribute to your community, I highly recommend becoming a volunteer. The secret that they don’t tell you (but I will) is that the volunteer is the person receiving the most value out of the experience. It’s hard to overstate the impact that these weekly meetings with Reina have had on me. Because we’re focusing on conversational English, we talk about our ambitions, fears, frustrations, and triumphs. We discuss nuanced topics and confide in each other. Sure, we still cover pronunciation, grammar, and other skills, but now it’s just two friends talking and occasionally taking notes or proofreading a paragraph. Comparing her English from our first meeting to today fills me with pride and admiration. Her dedication to learning and her resilience are inspiring. I’ve tutored a lot of people over the years, and I’ve never seen someone so determined. After we meet, she always thanks me for my time. And I make absolutely sure to thank her, too. I’m a better person for knowing her. Amanda Lyons amandalyons@gmail.com
If You See Something, Say Something Urges County Officials Concerned About Elder Abuse
By El Ravenswood Staff
E
arly this year, the County of San Mateo created the Elderly Dependent Abuse Protection Team (EDAPT) at the behest of the County Counsel’s office who saw the need to bring some coordination of providers of services to the elderly and dependent population in the county. “Elder Abuse needed to be brought to the open just like domestic violence” said Aimee B. Armsby, San Mateo County Deputy County Counsel assigned to Aging and Adult Services.
Comments were made at the San Mateo County World Elder Abuse Awareness Day event hosted by Supervisor Adrienne Tissier on June 15 in front of the County Center in Redwood City. Supervisor Tissier championed the effort at the County Board of Supervisors ensuring that funding through Measure A was available to support the program. Participating in the event were representatives from the various partner agencies within EDAPT: the County Health System’s Aging and Adult Services, represented by Lisa
Mancini, the Director of Aging and Adult Services, the District Attorney’s Office represented by the District Attorney Steve Wagstaffe and the County Counsel’s Office, represented by Aimee B. Armsby. Also participating in the event was Shannon Morgan, the EDAPT Manager.“Elder Abuse is one of the most underreported crimes”, said District Attorney Wagstaffe. “One thousand three hundred and eighty four elder abuse cases were reported in 2015’ said the Director of Aging and Adult Services, Lisa Mancini. Noting that the 85 and over population
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COMMUNITY
WORLD ELDER ABUSE AWARENESS DAY (WEAAD)
was the fastest growing population in the state she added that how the elderly were treated was going to be an area of rapid concern. “To date in 2016, there are already 1424 reported cases of elder abuse” she observed, adding that studies indicate that only one in twenty-four cases gets reported. “The County has an array of services for the elderly that can facilitate their remaining in their homes and able to live an independent life style to the extent possible” but, she added for the elderly to access those services the public’s help was needed. “Visit your elderly neighbors, see the circumstances they are living in, talk to them, and should you see anything untoward, report it” she urged “We need a community-wide village mentality to ensure older adults live and thrive in our country” she concluded. Speakers urged the public to call the
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TIES line 1-800-675-8437 to speak to counselors 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. All calls are confidential. Shannon Morgan, the EDAPT manager reported that the TIES line in addition to being the emergency response line for reporting elder abuse, was also San Mateo County’s 24-hour information line helping seniors, people with disabilities, and dependent adults, access the services they may need to keep them safe. TIES line staff are knowledgeable about the wide variety of services available through the County and in the various communities and provide assessment and may direct callers to emergency protection such as shelter, food and in-home care, until a long-term care plans can be developed. “Caregivers, family members and any member of the community can also call the line to find out services that are available to this population that may be provided by some other agencies” said Ms. Morgan.
The purpose of WEAAD is to provide an opportunity for communities around the world to promote a better understanding of abuse and neglect of older persons by raising awareness of the cultural, social, economic and demographic processes affecting elder abuse and neglect. World Elder Abuse Awareness Day (WEAAD) was launched on June 15, 2006 by the International Network for the Prevention of Elder Abuse and the World Health Organization at the United Nations. WEAAD serves as a call-to-action for individuals, organizations, and communities to raise awareness about elder abuse, neglect, and exploitation. Source: http://www.ncea.aoa.gov/
TIES line:1-800-675-8437 It’s better to call and be wrong than be right and do nothing
TYPES ABUSE/NEGLECT • Financial Abuse • Neglect • Self-Neglect • Physical Abuse • Emotional Abuse • Sexual Abuse • Isolation • Abandonment
Elder Abuse Cases in 2015 City of East Palo Alto
85
City of Menlo Park
77
San Mateo County (Rest of)
1,222
SELF HELP
What is on your Driver’s Record? You may want to know By El Ravenswood Staff
D
o you know what is on your driving record? Did you know that California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) through a Point System monitors the driving habits of all licensed drivers? And that this information is available to you and others that may want to engage you in employment and or provide you with insurance. The record informs auto insurance companies as to what rates you should be charged. It also provides potential employers information about your driving character should your seek employment requiring you to drive. More importantly, for your own mental wellbeing you should know what your record has to protect you from or to be aware as to whether your identity has been stolen or not. The point system is used in the state of California to basically determine how good or bad you are as a driver. Put simply good drivers have no points on their records and bad drivers do. Good drivers get to pay less in auto insurance premiums and bad drivers may be stuck with higher premiums.
How the Point System works?
Each time you receive a traffic ticket due to a moving violation, points are assigned to your driving record. The number of points added to your driving record depends on the type of infraction you have committed.
1(One)-Point Offenses
2 (Two)-Point Offenses
• Disobeying traffic signals or signs
• Reckless driving.
• Failure to yield the right of way to
• Evading law enforcement.
a pedestrian
• Driving at a speed over 100 MPH.
• Conducting an illegal U-turn
• Transporting explosives.
• Speeding above the posted limits
• Hit and run collisions in which
• Failure to stop for a school bus.
the result was damage to property
• Drug and alcohol offenses.
or physical injury.
• Child safety restraint violations. • Passing on a double line. Some or all of your driving privileges may be revoked or suspended if you receive 4 points or more within 12 months, 6 points or more with 24 months or 8 points or more within 36 months. Other violations that may result in an automatic suspension of your license include: • Lack of insurance at the time of an accident; • Driving under the influence (DUI) conviction; • Underage drinking; • Not appearing in court for a traffic ticket or other violation; and • Refusing a drug or alcohol test. If you are between 13 - 21 years old, according to the California Department of Motor Vehicles, the penalties for a traffic infraction are harsher. A minor’s provisional license may be suspended if (S)he receive 3 points within 12 months or a traffic conviction and failure to pay the required fines. The license will however only be restricted for 30 days if you receive 2 points within 12 months, it will however be suspended for 1 year for the use of alcohol or drugs.
• Operating a vehicle with a suspended or revoked license. All however is not gloom and doom. You can avoid getting points on your record by taking defensive driving classes commonly known as traffic school. Once, however, the points are on your record, only time will make them disappear. The time it takes also depends on the violation and it may take anywhere between 3-13 years before they are removed. For instance, Violations adding 1 point to your driving record are usually cleared after 3 years and 3 months! Failure to appear in court for any traffic violation will remain on your driving record for 5 years and points for violations deemed serious like DUI and hit-and-run incidents and failure to appear in court for a DUI will stay on your record for 13 years! For some traffic infractions in California, you may be able to attend traffic school, commonly referred to as defensive driving, in order to keep points from being added to your license.
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Traffic School (Eligibility)
Traffic School (Non-eligibility)
• You possess a valid California driver’s license.
• Violations related to non-moving offenses.
• The violation occurred in a non-commercial
• Violations that result in a misdemeanor conviction.
passenger vehicle.
• Infractions that occur in a commercial vehicle.
• The offense was a moving violation.
• Offenses that require a mandatory appearance in
• Non-moving violations such as parking tickets are not eligible for traffic school.
court. • Offenses related to alcohol.
Ordering a California Driving Record By Mail NOTE: IF you are requesting
In Person • Visit your local DMV
Online You can order an online unofficial
an official copy write “Certified
office. Preferably make an
driver record. If you need an
Driver Record” at the top of the
appointment
official document, order in person
application or written request.
• Complete Form INF 1125.
or by mail. NOTE: You must be a
• Complete Form INF 1125-the
• Show identification.
Certified User to use this option.
Request for Your Own Driver
• Pay the required fee.
That simply requires registration,
License Information Record or • Complete a written request
which you can do via the state’s Certified User Registration page.
that includes your: • Name.
To order your unofficial
• Date of birth.
record online:
• Social Security number. • CA driver license number. • Signature. • Provide a check or money order for the $5 fee. Mail your request to: Department of Motor Vehicles Information Services Branch Information Release Unit G199 P. O. BOX 944247 Sacramento, California 94244-2470
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o Visit the state’s Driver Record Request page and provide the required information. o Pay the applicable fee.
GOVERNMENT
East Palo Alto and West Bay Sanitary District Board Committee Memberships
S
By El Ravenswood Staff
ewer services in East Palo Alto and Menlo Park are provided by two Districts, the West Bay Sanitary District serving portions of East Palo Alto and the whole of Menlo Park and the East Palo Alto Sanitary District which serves portions of East
Palo Alto and parts of Menlo Park. A Special District, according to the California Special Districts Association (CSDA) is a form of local government created by a local community to meet a specific need. Most special districts, according to the CSDA perform a single function such as sewage, water, fire
protection, pest abatement or cemetery management. Multi-function districts, like community services districts, provide two or more services. As in previous issues of El Ravenswood, we are including the list of elected officials and the committees they serve on.
EAST PALO ALTO SANITARY DISTRICT DIRECTOR
COMMITTEE MEMBERSHIP
Betsy Yanez, Vice-President
1. Public Relations 2. Public Information & Intergovernmental
Dennis Scherzer
1. Public Information & Intergovernmental 2. Engineering & Operations
Glenda Savage, President
1. Finance & Audit 2. Human Resources Management & Organization
Goro Mitchell
1. Engineering & Operations 2. Public Relations
Joan Sykes-Miessi, Secretary
1. Finance & Audit 2. Human Resources Management & Organization
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GOVERNMENT
Address
East Palo Alto Sanitary District
West Bay Sanitary District
East Palo Alto Sanitary District
500 Laurel Street Menlo Park, Menlo Park
901 Weeks Street
CA 94025
P. O. Box 51686 East Palo Alto, CA 94303 Annual Budget
$4,909,500.00(2015-16)
$26,874,030(2016-17)
Residential Sewer Rate
$575.00 (2016-17)
$1,031 (2016-17)
Phone/Fax
650-325-9021/650-325-5173
650-321-0384/650-321-4265
Website/E-mail
http://www.epasd.com/
http://www.westbaysanitary.org
info@epasd.com
info@wesbaysanitary.org
Miles of pipe
30
210
Communities served
Portions of East Palo Alto and Menlo Park
Portions of East Palo Alto & Menlo Park, Atherton, and Portola Valley, Woodside and unincorporated San Mateo and Santa Clara counties.
WEST BAY SANITARY DISTRICT DIRECTOR
COMMITTEE MEMBERSHIP
Moritz,Edward, President
1. Silicon Valley Clean Water 2. Finance Committee
Dehn, Fran, Secretary
1. South Bayside Waster Management Authority (SBWMA) 2. Recycled Water Committee
Otte, George
Thiele-Sardina, Roy
1. Silicon Valley Clean Water Alternate 2. Recycled Water Committee
Walker. David A, Treasurer
1. South Bayside Waste Management Authority ( SBWMA) Alternate
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GUEST OPINION
To Unfriend or Not To Unfriend?… is the question By By Saul Juan Antonio Cuautle
F
acebook users are f……….. Since pretty much every human in the modern world uses Facebook, we’re all f……... For those of us that have been on Facebook since the time when you had to have a college email address to sign up, the product has never been better. I used to check The New York Times. Now, their Facebook page and relevant trending posts suffice. I used to use the app Pocket, but when Facebook added the feature, “Save ___ (i.e. video, link, post, image),” Pocket got deleted from my phone. Facebook has so many useful features that all other products are becoming obsolete. But too many people have fallen into the trap of actually living their entire lives on and around Facebook. It is the first thing they check in the morning, the last thing to do before bed, and it is the thing of choice anytime one has a couple of minutes. Forget actually communicating with real human beings. Facebook is great and I am sure that with time, it will get integrated into every nook and cranny of our lives. But it still will not be the real world. The Best Feature No One Is Talking About I recently went from 2,500 Facebook
Friends to 750. At my best/worst a few years ago, I had a list of 4,750 Facebook Friends. I know, I know, I was that Facebook Friend. I’ve gone from swearing off Facebook, to having an account, but not actually using it, to using it as a digital life journal where I store all the content that I find inspiring, funny, enraging, or for R&D purposes. If you want to know “what’s on [my] mind?”, just spend five minutes scrolling down my Timeline and you’ll find an accurate representation of what my mind gravitates to. I even made it easier for people: I frequently post relevant videos of the happenings in my life or what I think about XYZ. If you take the time to go through them, you have an accurate picture of me. And 100% of my posts are public. Facebook is the first social network to master “identity.” But I think it can also give an accurate representation of people’s personality, character, and values. Right when I was about to add Facebook Friend #1,751, I decided to stop accepting all Friend Requests and answer one simple question, “Who are these folks? What are they about?” After spending 2-5 minutes looking into their “Timeline”, “Intro”, “About”, and “Photos”, I quickly assessed
whether I liked them or needed more info. I finally took the time to proactively “Unfriend”: the person who’s every other picture was either a selfie or gratuitous body shot; the Facebook Philosopher who insists on posting “inspirational” quotes all the time; the person who posts 20 times a day on their every single gym check-in, last meal, activity; and those that incessantly complain. This is not what Facebook was originally designed for. It was designed to connect us. But with all the bullshit people post, the connections are a ruse; an illusion. To Unfriend or Not To Unfriend? When I told my friend what I was doing, he suggested I simply Unfollow everyone. “My Timeline is just you, six key friends, CNN, and ESPN - it’s awesome bro.” But that wasn’t enough for me. I was looking for a compelling reason to stay connected. A few quick reasons to Unfriend: • We have not chatted, met up or texted in years. • You have not responded to any of my Messenger messages (but conveniently read them - Facebook also conveniently tells the user with a timestamp you big dummy) • You post stupid, offensive, time-
JULY - AUGUST 2016 EL RAVENSWOOD 19
wasting stuff all the time • I wish you happy birthday every year, but you don’t have the courtesy to say thank you, but instead choose to do a lazy status post like, “Thank you to all who wished me a happy birthday!” • I comment on your posts, but all you can do is press the Like button every single time instead of commenting like a real person. • The folks that only Share an article/ video/picture without saying anything about the content - ever. WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT IT? I dropped 1,750 off the friends List! They brought little, to no value to my life. (If I am not such a person for you, please, do us both a favor and Unfriend me.) Yes, I am at fault for sending the Friend Request, accepting their Friend Request, or not evaluating the connection sooner, but I would really
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love it if Facebook messaged me at the end of the year with something like, “Facebook friends who you least interacted with this year.” Take all my Friends List and give me a simple number that shows how much we have engaged this year. If it’s less than 20%, why bother knowing each other? And who really needs a Friends List limit of 5,000? Nobody needs that many “friends” in a world where we can barely communicate with 140 characters. Make the limit 1,000 Zuckerberg, and I bet you a pint of apple cider people will use the product more. The most prized feature you as a “Facebooker” is overlooking is the Unfriend button. Take 5 minutes to go through your Friends List. I’ll bet you drop a good 25% with just one round of Unfriending. And I’ll bet even more money that you won’t even miss the Facebook Friends you dropped. And they won’t miss you.
You guys were just a number on each other’s Friends List. But the good news is you’re now free to connect with the people you actually want to connect with. That’s a Facebook I can get excited about again. Who will you Unfriend from your Friends List today? Which real friends will you choose to further connect with?
Saul Juan Antonio Cuautle is the Founder & CEO of Minds of Steel a tech startup building fitness coaching software that helps you “Discover Your Inner Superhero.” He’s the author of the books, A Superstar Love Story: Powering Through the Friends Zone and Long Live: Beating Cancer Through Happyness and Selfies. Please visit his website: www.bringbackfit.com for additional information.
Recently I had the thrilling opportunity to catch the multi-dimensional vocalist and storyteller Yolanda Rhodes in her home studio practicing with Czech guitarist Peter Suk. They were reeling out their repertoire of ‘global’ songs, streaming through traditional Czech folk numbers, basso nova classics and Latin romantics, as well as Peter’s own compositions. All of which were sung by Ms. Rhodes with such eloquence and grace I was literally moved to laughter and tears.
El Ravenswood (ER): Where did you grow up and what was your family like? Well, I was born at the Presidio Letterman Hospital in San Francisco, but grew up here, in East Palo Alto, from the time I was a small child. I was the 2nd child in a family of six—the only girl. Both of my parents came from farming families and were used to living on hundreds of acres and wanted their children to grow up without the inhospitable environment of the City. ER: Was there music in your home growing up… We had very little music in our home growing up, and yet I was always very sensitive to the
sounds of my busy environment. However, I did want to do music--to perform it. I never had any feed back with regards to music---no lessons, no church experience--didn’t step into a church until I was 14, which was unusual for a black family. Both of my parents told us stories. My father was always telling stories about his life, about his mother who was a mid-wife, and through those I learned about intuition---there were always elements of unspoken messages being told. And so the stories gave me value. ER: You have been classically trained as a singer, yes? Well, I have been unconventionally trained. It started when I was JULY - AUGUST 2016 EL RAVENSWOOD 21
about 20 and I was working as a park ranger and saw an advertisement in the S.F. ‘I Chronicle for something called g son my ed am a concert’. I prepar and y’ oop from the musical ‘Sn I said, went to the audition (and as at sic mu my I had no feedback for al ion fess pro y this point!). The ver me ed ask me, director who heard y to sing another piece---but I onl to had so ed, had one piece prepar e leave it at that. Later, that sam tta Mo o tav operatic director, Gus ed a called me back and we develop . ship tion rela deep mentor/friend c rati ope an as He was ver y gifted ras translator and had staged ope his as so ld, from all over the wor
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e mentee I had a great resourc d fon y ver e hav I me. to le availab LPs his ing play him of s memorie h of the ‘golden voices of the 20t d foun pro his h oug Thr y’. centur able mentoring and guidance I was y ver a from sic mu ch to approa able spiritual place, and have been e plac able ner vul t tha to expose said within me, which essentially f”. rsel you to “be ER: Did you use your inner storytelling with your music? Yes, I did. I use storytelling all the ling time and sometimes I use storytel as a subtext for the lyrics, and and sometimes I will have the story . ther toge ving wea ic the mus
the ER: So how did you get from are you re classical works to whe today? o Well, I feel honored that Gustav my in beg to gave me my wings musical adventure and I began to explore other kinds of music--reggae, African High Life, performing with all kinds of als, groups doing background voc me For a. are the travelling all over and s ent elem music had so many h it qualities, and what I’d done wit an beg I n the so , still wasn’t enough Tim h wit ed to study jazz. I play with Enos, exploring ways to work like es plac at jazz, taking classes and the Stanford Jazz Workshop
Well, I feel honored that Gustavo gave me my wings to begin my musical adventure and I began to explore other kinds of musicreggae, African High Life, performing with all kinds of groups doing background vocals, travelling all over the area.
Berkeley Jazz School. I enjoyed it, but it was so hard to get the instrumentalists together…so then I went back to classical, and later found that I loved world music and wanted to explore that too. I feel like you need all of it, like a multi vitamin. ER: Do you have a ‘Day Gig’ to support your music? Yes, I do, have day gigs, to support my music, as an independent contractor. For many years I have worked with school districts all over the area. Since I grew up in a household of storytelling, there
was always a story of some sort being told, and in my head, I was always taking lessons, at least that’s how I saw it. So, back in the 90s, I was waiting for my son’s music lesson to finish and noticed a flyer for a storyteller who was charging quite a bit of money for his services. And I thought, wow, I could do that, so I took down the number for the agency that was listed on his flyer. I called them up and asked them what kind of things were they looking for to address the needs of the children they were serving. Then
I put together a program to meet those needs that was based on the California academic curriculum--language, art, history, and cultural diversity. My main personal requirements were that I had to get back in time to get my son from school and I that I could incorporate my artistr y and include my storytelling into it. I worked in the schools in Santa Clara, San Mateo, and Marin counties, the East Bay, even as far out as Sacramento and Stockton. All kinds of people and groups would call me up to do workshops for kids, teachers, business groups, etc., all stories for making a point. ER: Do you have any upcoming events in the works? On July 18th I am doing a storytelling program at the San Ramon library. At the moment I don’t have any music events coming up, but hopefully in the future.
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