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Let the debates begin

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Two Hayward City Council candidate forums are coming up this Saturday.

One at 10 a.m. at the Linekin building, 22248 Main St. The second at 1 p.m. at the Georgian Manor clubhouse, 1419 Buckingham Way.

Here are seven questions from Prospect Hill residents that Frank Goulart, host of the first forum, circulated to candidates in advance of the event:

1. What will you do to alleviate the deluge of traffic which will cut through our neighborhood because of the mini-loop? Specifically, first, what will you do to prevent cut through traffic from Foothill on Hazel and City Center Dr/Maple Court? And second, what will you do to prevent cut through traffic from Mission on Hotel, Simon and Sunset?

2. During morning commutes and especially in the evening, prostitutes are working Mission Blvd. between A Street and Grove. The streets and alleys fronting this area are often littered with used condoms. I am also concerned that this promotes related crimes such as drug use and theft. What amazes me is that the Mission Blvd. corridor often has patrol cars from the Hayward Police department as well as the Alameda Sheriff’s department, so there is a regular police presence. What will the candidates do to address this issue? Also, short term enforcement efforts do not seem to work. The prostitutes go elsewhere (ie, to the other jurisdiction) until the enforcement campaign stops.

3. How will either of the power plants be beneficial to the citizens of Hayward?

4. There are a number of properties along Mission Blvd. between A Street and Grove that currently house used car lots. Some of the lots are vacant or change business owners regularly. The empty lots such as the former Volkswagen dealership, are magnets for graffiti and illegal dumping. What will the candidates do to address this issue? What redevelopment plans, does the City of Hayward have for this corridor. Hopefully the plan is not to put in more low income housing since there is already a large percentage of low income housing west of Mission. If the city is trying to revitalize downdown there is a need for more higher income housing within several blocks of downtown who might actually shop or dine downtown.

5. The owners of the Palace Card Club are intending to relocate and expand their business to the former Kumbala site on Foothill Boulevard. Do you believe revenues generated will outweigh the potential for increased crime and prostitution?

6. Do you favor district elections and why or why not?

7. What part should the city take in funding the zucchini festival, farmers markets and the Thursday street parties?

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  • J. W. Kyle

    A lengthy discussion on the subject of Street Parties, Foreign language films at the new theater and the strengthening of ‘diversity’ was recently submitted to City Council and City Manager with ‘CC’ to Daily Review. It is also a matter of record at City Clerk’s office.

    Those potential city council persons, incumbents or otherwise, appearing or sponsoring a candidate’s forum ought to pick up a copy from the City Clerk’s office. One thing is for sure… Review writers seem unable to recognize a worthwhile topic.

  • monica ruiz

    Great questions! I definetly want to hear the candidates responses. I plan on attending the Linekin bldg. forum.

  • monica ruiz

    Today’s paper states that the forum begins at 10 am and the blog states 11 am.

  • The paper is correct. The blog will be fixed. It’s 10 a.m. Thanks, Monica.

  • J. W. Kyle

    As to question # 3

    I favor development of the steam generation of power plant known as the Russell City project. The great unanswered qustion on the Tierra project at corner of Depot and Clawiter centers around the fact that the approach pattern to Oakland’s International airport runway 69 is a sraught line from the end of the runway to the intersection of Clawiter and Depot Rd. Sit in the parking lot at the Chiropratic collehe and come to a neat undersatnding of the concern!

    The problem with the position on the line of approach to Oakland is that ‘Carrier’ aircraft are frequently as low as 2,000 feet; the FAA requirment is that they maintain 2,500 feet south east of State Rte 92 but are often at 2,000′ on the west side of that freeway.

    Then the problem becomes a matter of concern centered on the thought that no one has described the actual rate of ascent for the ‘heat plume’ emanating from the 14 stacks ejecting expended natural gas. These are reciprocating diesel style engines which reach full power three (3) minutes after start. 14 of those can create quite a plume, don’t you agree or, at least suspect that to be the case?

    Does the heat plume affect aircraft stability when passing over or through that disturbance? What rate of heat ascent has ben determined? None is reported, probably not a concern until after the first crash when the onboard recorders will not have the technology to explain anything other than ‘loss of control’ i.e. ‘pilot error’!

    No one has answered the question, especially the FAA’s local District office which insisted, erroneously, that they examined the route and found no buildings or othewr constructions along the approach path. Geez, get a brainless employee to do the job and FAA will do anything or nothing as their mood of the moment dictates!

  • J. W. Kyle

    What in the world would cause copncern over the re-location of the card club ? Shucks, there is no place safe in Oakland, even the restaurants are take over targets … but heck, all that cash laying around in a new expanded card club isn’t such a big concern !

    Or is it?

    Perhaps some recall my short letter to the editor on or around March 13th in which the scribble alluded to the retail sales concept of synergism. Next thing you know, Emeryville’s ‘Oaks Club’ will want to move to Hayward for the synergistic advantages.

    Don’t worry, eventually HAPA will get around to opposing it; perhaps not immediately but eventually. Look what their effort with 238 Bypass did for Hayward’s auto Row!’

  • J. W. Kyle

    District elections? Naw, there arn’t too many smart people living west of I-880; why make it tough on council candidates ? Hell’s bells, they might have to work a little harder at campaign time than they do with their effort expended in Mobile Home Parks.

    If you want to curtail the expense of social problems west of the railroads, what we must do is carve the city up into election districts, empower the people and they will take greater interest, not only in City concerns but those of the school district as well.

    The separate imnages of the school district and the City are so intertwined, largely because of the use of the name Hayward, that you can not improve one without attending to the other. Creation of district elections in matters of the schools would aid development of greater interest in local, non-partisan elections if the number of trustees in the school district was expanded to seven. Thus the districts might more closely overlap.

    Here is an example of the problem. The two most heavily utilized schools are Cherryland and Longwood.Both are est of the tracks. There are no other k-6 SCHOOLS with a heavier attendence than those two….. yet the ‘powerless parents’ find those two schools to be last on the list of schools to be ‘modernized’ in the 4th vote required for success of the Master Plan’s last $205 million bond issue.

    What makes it all appear really insane is that Treeview School which sits directly above the Hayward/Calaveras fault isn’t even mentiooned in HUSD’s Masterfull Masterplan.

    That fault line is expected to rip within 30 years at a very high number on the scales. Wiil we survive the disdain expected from others when or if even one child is injured or killed ?

    If you think real estate values are low because of the forclosure problem, just think about the development of attitude towards Hayward when a child dies or is hurt due to this obvious neglect.

    Shucks,Hayward prices will drop to a level about three grains of sand below whale excrement!

  • John, the Russell City plant will also be fired by natural gas. You refer to it as steam-generated (comment #5, first sentence), which is partially correct but it’s really more like a hybrid. The steam turbine and heat recovery system is supplemental to two big combustion turbines.

  • J. W. Kyle

    Matt,

    One is Turnine type using natural gas while the Tierra project is internal combustion using diesel concept but with fourteen separate engines and stacks.

    In the Russell City concept just two ‘stacks’ at which, by comparison with similar tpes. I am told by FAA expert, the velocity at top of stack is just 70 feet per second, well away from approach pattern to OAK # 29 runway, while 14 stacks will be present at Calwiter and Depot. 14 sttacks, all at full power within 3 minutes where velocity and height of plume are not reported.

    Follow an eighteen wheeler on I-5 keep 1 eys on the road while the other eye is on the truck stack whose diameter is a fraction of the diameter of that which is proposed.

    Then, ask yourself if you want to pursue the question with California Energy Commission which never answered my enquiry

  • J. W. Kyle

    I failed to describe the diesel type as using natural gas; the difference being the piston size and compresion heat to fire the mix. New type being introduced here but not too widely in use elsewhere… information on exhaust, especially when all 14 engines are in use simulataneously, would seem germane to community concern; why FAA, Aviation and Energy Commission industry have not responded? I couldn’t even guess.