Here’s some news from the Hayward Area Historical Society. Each year, they honor local residents, organizations and businesses that are history minded, and for 2011 they’re seeking the public’s help in coming up with some candidates. They’d like to hear from you by the end of the mo nth.

Click on the link at left to cue the theme from "2001: A Space Odyssey."

The Daily Review received one in 2006, a few years before I landed at the paper. I took a photo of the black obelisk award, attempting for some kind of dramatic perspective.

Submissions can be made by mail:

ATTN: History Award Nominees

Hayward Area Historical Society

22392 Foothill Blvd.

Hayward, CA 94541-2710

By phone: (510) 581-0223 ask for Alison

By email: alison@haywardareahistory.org

Find press release after the jump, but feel free to also bounce some ideas around in the HayWord comments, too, it could be fun!  Read the rest of this entry »

Councilman Bill Quirk sent out this message today regarding his run for Hayashi’s assembly seat. It includes a link to his campaign website for more information. Not sure who all else is gunning for the seat except for Jennifer Ong. Here’s more information about the district. Here’s Quirk’s statement:

I have decided to run for California State Assembly because I believe that my 7 years on the Hayward City Council give me the experience needed to make a difference in Sacramento. My primary concern is to get Californians back to work. I have been endorsed by Alameda County Supervisor Nadia Lockyer, Former Senate President Pro Tem Don Perata, Mayors Michael Sweeney of Hayward and Marshall Kamena of Livermore and many others.  You can go to my website http://www.electbillquirk.com/ to get more information on my positions and endorsements. Please let me know by return email if you are willing to give me your endorsement. Read the rest of this entry »

We had a story on Hayward’s diversity and how it compares with other places in the Bay Area. Turns out that according to one way of measuring things, a tract off Tennyson Road is the most diverse in the state. It’s an imperfect measurement, and doesn’t take into account subdivisions within the race categories that by all means would add to an area’s diversity. Read the story for an explanation of what is meant by “most diverse.” Here’s the breakdown of Tract 4377.01:

POPULATION IN 2000: 4227
POPULATION IN 2010: 3649 (-578)

HOUSING UNITS: 1107

PERCENT VACANT: 9%

LAND SQUARE MILES: .1869 Read the rest of this entry »

It’s oral and written history time over at the Hayward Area Historical Society, where they want to hear your fondest memories of Hayward, Cherryland, Castro Valley, San Lorenzo, Mt. Eden, Ashland, Fairview or old Russell City. They’re putting together an exhibit for the new museum space, which is under construction in the former Kumbala building at Foothill and Russell in downtown Hayward. The exhibit, scheduled to open in the fall, will feature memories of residents tied to the Hayward area, both of the recorded and written variety.

We were just talking about good ideas for the Hayward mural, here’s another chance to share some of your treasured or poignant moments. Deadline is April 30.

Read some examples, find out how to submit after the jump. Bonus: Historical photos, courtesy HAHS! Read the rest of this entry »

I figured I’d put this in its own post because I have the press release info pasted after the jump. I’m already committed to another Thursday evening meeting, but Review will be staffing this … The East Bay Greenway path sounds interesting: Read the rest of this entry »

I hear Alameda County Board of Education trustees were deadlocked over two candidates at a special meeting last week. This press release just came out: Read the rest of this entry »

Back from a week’s vacation, getting caught up with goings-on. These appeared while I was gone:

An interesting story that popped up on my Google alerter. It has to do with a Ninth Circuit decision that holds it is illegal to hire inexperienced, uncredentialed  interns as “highly qualified” to teach subjects at the neediest schools. It stems from a lawsuit filed by folks in Richmond, Oakland and Hayward.

And here’s a story on homes approved for the area by the Costco on Hesperian. The city agreed to give the developer some wiggle room on what they have to build, and when.

Here — this one was weird and certainly had people talking. It’s not often  you have a dead bear turn up outside an Ashland market.

Anyone check out the City Council meeting last week? I still have to watch the replay, but I was interested in that smoking ordinance revision workshop.

And anyone seen/heard about the Waiting for Superman film that’s in limited release? It looks like you’d have to take a trip to San Francisco to see it right now, but I’ve heard it’s an eye-opener. If you know anyone who has seen it and wants to talk about it, a colleague of mine is working on a story about it for later this week.

So I’m off this week. Just got back from a short camping trip — don’t much care for publicly announcing when I won’t be home, so I didn’t. But I’m back in town now yet still not actively at work, although I’ll be attending tomorrow night’s forum to gather more thread for the school board candidate story. But I’m officially off until Monday.

Here’s the info on this week’s candidate forums, which ran as a brief in the Review:

CANDIDATE FORUMS: There will be a forum for Hayward Unified school board candidates from 6 to 8 p.m. Wednesday in room 804 at Chabot College, 25555 Hesperian Blvd.

The event is sponsored by the college’s political science department and Chabot College Foundation.

Organizers said all candidates are expected to attend.

There will be another forum at 7 p.m. Friday at the Westminster Hills Presbyterian Church, 27287 Patrick Ave. That event, sponsored by the Hayward Demos Democratic Club, the Greater Hayward Democratic Club and GLOBE, will be followed by a forum for candidates running for the Hayward Area Recreation and Park District board.

Good news! We have some additional hands around here these days: Chris Metinko, who was covering Alameda County issues for the Oakland Tribune, joined us to take over the unincorporated areas beat.

That includes Castro Valley, San Lorenzo, Fairview, Ashland and Cherryland. Like the rest of us, he’ll tackle all aspects of the areas, including schools, crime and planning/land use/neighborhood issues. In addition, he’ll be taking on stories out of Cal State East Bay and Chabot College.

Chris is a very welcome addition. If you have stories out of our neck of unincorporated AlCo, let him know. He’s at 510-293-2479 or cmetinko@bayareanewsgroup.com.