East Palo Alto Today Lifecycles...East Palo Alto Today Page 12 January - February 2010 Emergency...

East Palo Alto Today 1 January - February 2010

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E.C. Scott - Conversation with a Blues Visionary Photos courtesy of Cedric Thomas

Cedric Thomas

East Palo Alto Today

With a tena-cious grip onthe Blues tra-dition and an

acute understanding of con-temporary taste, E.C. Scottuses the same skills that apainter uses to mix paint tomix the musical genres of“Soul,” “R&B” and “Funk.” Ifyou haven’t seen her frontingthe band “Smoke” she has avery large following of fansand devotees. You can findher performing at what’s turn-ing into a blues Mecca in SanFrancisco, “Biscuits andBlues,” or on her show, E.C’sJook Joint.

Having started as a gospelsinger Scott, whose givenname is Ecrettia, became con-flicted about leaving the reli-gious calling for the moresecular popular music. Havinga strong religious background,Scott said blues was consid-ered the “devils music.” “WhenI was a kid, we couldn’t listento anything but gospel music.When artists like Shirley

Cesar, Inez Andrews, Al-bertina Walker and Mavis Sta-ples came to town we wereright up front. We were truegospel people,”she said.

Her greatest musical influ-ence was her godfather, SlimSlaughter, a piano player. Un-certain of her niche, she askedhim, “What kind of music do Ido?” His response, “You dopop music.” “Anyone askswhat you do, you do popmusic. You just gotta stay fo-cused, stay focused.” She saidthe reason for that approachwas to help her avoid“poverty” by steering her awayfrom the blues.

As her career began totake off, she expected her

godfather to becomepart of her workingband. He explainedthat she would“need to find artistsher own age.” Hetold her, “You have alot to offer the world.You need to get outthere and just getthe experience.”

Although shewanted her godfa-

ther to attend every event, hestated, “this is your job you dothis.”

“At my first CD releaseparty he was there. It was aproud moment for me to seehow proud he was of me,” shesaid.

Scott’s fans and blues ad-dicts of can thank her sisterfor introducing her to theblues, since it was her sisterwho steered her towardartists, like Aretha Franklin,whom she listened to in herteenage years.

“It is now harder to find theblues,”Scott said. “You have toseek out the stations that playit.” With nostalgia in her lushrich voice, she harkened back

to times past when radio sta-tions carried the blues banner.

“As far as commercialradio goes, there isn’t any,”she said. “The Bay Area hadone. That was KDIA.” Thosenot afraid of dating themselvesremember the Alternate Mod-ulation (AM) R&B radio iconfrom the early to late 60’s.Scott’s been quoted as sayingthat she “wants her music tohave that old R & B flavor witha new sound. I like that warmold school feeling you gotwhen you heard Soul music, Ilike keeping that, but at thesame time I think everythingneeds to change and keep upwith the times. The artists oftoday are adding all differenttypes of flavors to their musicand I’m enjoying adding thosenew things to my music,”Scottsaid

Many think that to be suc-cessful as a blues singer, asinger must have lived theblues. To this Scott said, “Tosay I’ve lived it [the blues] I’velived life and life has its upsand downs. Like anyone I’vehad that, that’s a part of it.”When asked to define a blues

singer she said, “We are inter-preters of the music.” Whenasked about the difference be-tween a blues singer and asoul singer, she respondedwithout hesitation, “I would sayboth of them are starving.”

She further stated, “Theblues is like a diamond be-cause [as] there are many[facets of a diamond], thereare many types of blues. Eachfacet represents a type ofblues [such as] Soul, Tradi-tional, and Delta Blues.”

Engaging, profound, andhighly cerebral, this artistknows exactly who appreci-ates her “blues diamonds.”Defining them demographi-cally, she said, “If you look outin the audience it would bepredominately white, but thatdepends on where you’relooking. Blues music statisticssay [the age group] is forty-fiveand over.” She continued,“Blues has a crossover appealto a rock audience and to aHip-Hop audience. I think theblues is universal. I think thereis a very large diverse audi-

EC Scott is shown here as she hostsher show called EC’s Jook Joint at thePalo Alto Media Center

continued on page 14

E.C.Scott

East Palo Alto Today Page 12 January - February 2010

Emergency preparedness continued from page 1

whom they should contactwhen the traditional proce-dures of emergency responseare not fast enough, are nolonger appropriate or are inad-equate. An initial printing of1,000 flipbooks is now sched-uled. This initial run will be fol-lowed by a full-scaledistribution of flipbooks, whichwill contain translations in themajor languages spokenwithin the East Palo Alto com-munity. These flipbooks will bedistributed throughout EastPalo Alto when funds from theAssociation of Bay Area Gov-ernments (ABAG) are avail-able to cover the costs.Duringhis presentation to the council,Schapelhouman (a 29-yearveteran of the Menlo Park FireDistrict) enthusiastically notedthat East Palo Alto’s opportu-nity to display leadership relat-

ing to emergency prepared-ness would not have to waituntil another Loma Prietaearthquake occurs. Accordingto him, the city could show itsleadership abilities now.Schapelhouman said that EastPalo Alto’s plan for such a ca-tastrophe is so superior to thatof such neighboring communi-ties as Atherton and MenloPark that East Palo Alto’semergency plan is being usedas the blue print for developingthose cities’ plans as well.“You’re leading the way andshould be very proud of thatbecause it’s a big deal,”Schapelhouman told councilmembers. Ryan Zollicoffer, theMenlo Park Fire ProtectionDistrict’s Emergency ServicesCoordinator, reinforcedSchapelhouman’s views. Zolli-coffer said, “I don’t think you

[East Palo Alto] give your-selves enough credit. Lookingat your emergency operationplan I did make the recom-mendation to our Chief that asa jurisdiction the town of Ather-ton and the city of Menlo Park[should] adopt your plan. Ifound it to be a very throughplan and I would like to con-gratulate you on the proactivesteps you have done in the

past.”Going forward, the EastPalo Alto City Council is ex-pected to approve the Emer-gency Plan early this year;thus, allowing for staff trainingon new policies and proce-dures to be completed byMarch 31, 2010. With thosetwo steps out of the way, thecity can then move to com-plete the final step in thisprocess: a full-scale simula-tion.As Davis said, “By May of2010 we should be able to im-plement a series of steps toget us to the city wide drill thatinvolves actual drills involvingthe community and mock sce-narios.” As Schapelhoumanelaborated, “The piece that isgoing to be critical here is thatthe community has involve-ment.”Resident Arnold Hartaccurately summed up the di-alogue when he noted, “This is

a project that is going to takethe entire community to put to-gether. Because when we dohave a disaster, and I’m notwishing anything upon us, butone will come eventually. Thepolice department, the com-munity services department,the city staff, [are] not going tobe able to encompass that andhandle that independently. It’sgoing to take volunteers andresidents to step up to theplate and also have a hand inassisting.”East Palo Alto’s finalemergency master plan is stillto be approved by the citycouncil.

Richard Hackmann is theCo-Founder & Executive Di-rector of the Center for Com-munity Action and the currentChair of the Palo Alto YoungProfessionals.

Chief Harold Schapelhouman

tion plans; sample transcript,progress report & report card;a Change of Address form sofamilies continue to receivetranscripts, etc. when theymove; “How to Compute YourGPA”; Attendance PolicyFAQs (CA, M-A, Seq, Wd),“How Can I Earn ExtraCredit?”

“I really needed this work-shop tonight,” one student saidat the end of the evening. TheFamily Night Planning Com-mittee included Assistant Su-perintendent Debbie MooreWashington, Parent Involve-ment Coordinator DorthyBurnside, OmbudsmanCarmina Chavez (district);

teacher Carolyn Wade, par-ents Pam Reliford and Debo-rah Long (Carlmont); facilitiesmanager Brien Oliver (Menlo-Atherton); teacher AtibaWilliams and the Redwoodstaff (Redwood); teacher TajaHenderson (Sequoia); coun-selors Francisco Negri andSharlett Downing, psycholo-gist Karen McGee, parentGwen Rubin (Woodside).

The Family Night spon-sors were College Track,One East Palo Alto (1EPA),East Palo Alto Youth Con-sortium, and Sequoia Dis-trict schools: Carlmont,Menlo-Atherton, Redwood,

Sequoia, and Woodside. The Sequoia District will

hold its Seventh AnnualAfrican-American Baccalaure-ate on Sunday, May 23, 2010,at 3 PM, at Mt. Zion BaptistChurch in Redwood City.

Dorthy Burnside is theSequoia District Coordinator ofParent Involvement and YouthDevelopment. She can bereached at 650-369-1411,ext.2317 or by email at [email protected]

The Target Success logo ofthe Sequoia District Parent In-volvement & Youth Develop-ment Program

Gertrude Chapman The Total Being Health

Experience

Family Night continued from page 5

By Oscar Dominguez

EPA Today Contributor

The Total Being Health Ex-perience was founded by EastPalo Alto resident GertrudeChatman, a certified massagetherapist and cosmetologist oftwenty years.

In 1996, Chatman openedher first independent studio,Oasis Skin and Body Refreshin Palo Alto to rave reviews.While she enjoyed her clien-tele and her time in businessin that city, she found that shewanted to do more.

Noticing that massagetherapy and other holistic serv-ices were not easily accessibleto the residents of East PaloAlto and nearby communities,Chatman undertook to remedythis situation and in Februaryof 2008, The Total BeingHealth Experience opened its

doors in East Palo Alto. The Total Being offers

massage therapy to residentsof all local communities andseeks to target those of underserved populations.

Its mission is to educateand provide an ever expand-ing array of holistic care serv-ices to all.

The Total Being will open Au-gust 1st at it’s new location insideof the Renaissance/ StartUp En-trepreneurship Center.

But one does not have towait to take advantage of Chat-man services, it is possible tobook an apppointment withChapman now by phoning (650)720-1120 or by sending her anemail [email protected].

Oscar Dominguez is the pro-gram manager for RenaissnceStart Up in East Palo Alto.

Students listen to motivational speaker and author WilCason during the second annual African-American FamilyEducational Night on January 28 at College Track in EastPalo Alto.

By Paul Mavrogeorge


With the holiday season be-

hind us, many Americans have

shifted their focus to setting

their “New Year’s Resolu-

tions”. The problem is, more

often than not, people give-up

within the first few months.

You and reach your goals and

keep your resolutions with 7

easy tips!

1. Evaluate 2009 for suc-

cess and failures: Sit down

with a pen and paper and think

about January through De-

cember of 2009, and write

down your successes in one

column and your failures in an-

other.

2. Identify what could have

been done differently: For the

“failures” column, identify what

you could have done differ-

ently in order to avoid that fail-

ure. Next, identify what you did

in order to accomplish your

“successes”.

3. Determine goals and

keep it simple: Write down

which steps you want to imple-

ment. Remember, don’t set

yourself up for failure by set-

ting unrealistic goals; simplic-

ity is key. Your simple goals

will help you achieve your

larger, long term goals. Take it

one step at a time.

4. Keep steps focused on

the solution: We’ve heard the

saying “keep your eye on the

ball” for a reason – its good

advice!

1. Have a Plan and track

your progress: Buy a calendar

so you can plan your actions

for the coming weeks or

months, and decide when and

how often to evaluate. Then,

record whether or not you stick

to that plan. Keep track of

each small success you make

toward reaching your larger

goal and it write it down so you

can reflect on your progress.

2. Predict potential disas-

ters: Decide how you will deal

with the temptations that will

sidetrack you from your reso-

lutions. This could include call-

ing on a friend for help,

practicing positive thinking,

and self-talk. In addition, it is

best to tell your friends or fam-

ily about your resolutions be-

cause having a support group

will help you stay motivated

and on track.

3. Reward yourself: Cele-

brate your success by treating

yourself to something that you

enjoy, but will not contradict

your resolution.

Paul Mavrogeorge is a li-

censed family and marriage

therapist. He provides work-

shops through his firm Mavro-

george Consulting

Tips for achieving goals

Henrie

Cross-Out


New EPA Sanitary DistrictBoard Members

Why we can’t wait continued from page 5

Martin Luther King, Jr.’sdream is nowA reality that we canReally see and feel inThis world andIn this point and time.Nowhere can it be doubtedwhat trueLove can really do toUnited people and help breakaway fromThe past that has been aHeavy burden forEveryone of us to carry.Righteousness prevails;Keeping hope alive andIn the wondrous real of possi-bilities.No one can dispute theGreatness that helped us toget here. We

Just need to alwaysRemember Dr. Martin LutherKing, Jr. andBarack Obama, the 44thPresident of the United States of America.A dream has beenRealized in the heartsAnd souls of billions in theCommunities, nations, andthe world.Kindred spirits have causedthis to happen.Our time has come toBoldly and proudly makeA positive difference forever-more. Let’s nowMake some joyful noise forA job well done!© Poetess Kalamu Chaché

2009

Martin’s Dream

There are two newlyelected board members forthe East Palo Alto SanitaryDistrict. The district providessewer service to most of EastPalo Alto and parts of MenloPark. It has provided thisservice since its founding in1939.

In the November 2009Special Election, the incum-bent Joan Sykes-Miessi andprevious board member Den-nis Scherzer were elected tofill the two availale seats onthe East Palo Alto SanitaryDistrict’s Board of Directors.

With all eight precincts re-porting both Sykes-Miessi and

Scherzer tied with 33.9 per-cent of the vote.

The East Palo Alto Sani-tary District Board meets thefirst Thursday of every monthat 7:00 p.m. Sykes-Miessiand Scherzer serve with threeother board members.

Information about the EastPalo Alto Sanitary District canbe found on its website at:http://www.epasd.com/The district’s office is locatedat 901 Weeks Street in EastPalo Alto.

The phone number is (650)325-9021 and the email ad-dress is: [email protected]

Joan Sykes-Miessi Dennis Scherzer

mission, the NeighborhoodWatch, the Ravenswood LittleLeague, and the local StreetBeat. Tommie and his long-time friend, Peter Evans, wereinstrumental in establishingthe Martin Luther King, Jr.Baseball Park and later the re-modeling of it to include a soc-cer field and snack bar. Hesupported the RavenswoodLittle League passionatelywith many young men aroundtoday able to testify of his con-cern and care for them. An-other concern of his was theup-keep of the San Francis-quito Creek, resulting in itseventual restructuring.

A former Grand Master ofGolden West Grand Lodge, hewas a founding member of

San Andreas Lodge #70 inSan Jose and was DeputyGrand Master of Hiram of TyreGrand Lodge of California.Tommie was dedicated to hisLodge and worked tirelessly tosupport his fellow Masonicbrothers.

He is preceded in death byhis beloved parents WillieCatherine Burton and TomRoberts, and two sisters, IreneBrown and Bertha Quirk.

He leaves to cherish hismemory, his loving and de-voted wife, Mamie Roberts,his wife of 56 years; his lovingchildren, Sonja Tracy andByron McHenry; his grandchil-dren, Anjuli Marie, Ahmad Mo-hammad, Yusef Bassam andRosetta Mamie; his great-

grandson, Atticus Tommie; hishonorary grandson, ElijahMcKenzie; his brothers, Virgusand Frank Roberts; his sister-in-law, Malesta “Peggy” Lamb;his brothers-in-law, Paul New-ton and Daniel Quirk; fourteennieces and nephews; a host ofcousins, great-nieces andnephews; his extended familyReverend Joe Sharper andWini Sharper, Teresa McFer-ren, Marie McKenzie, RuthCossey, Mary Thurman,Patrick McKenzie, JuliannaBrown, Jacqui Roberts, Mo-hammad Shahin.

He is also survived by ahost of lodge members,church family and friends.

Tribute continued on page from page 11

lnation does not change theappearance of the body for thefuneral service.

Myth: High profile individu-als in need of a transplant aregiven preferential treatment.Fact: Organs are distributedbased upon medical guide-lines such as blood type, bodysize and tissue type as well asyour place on the waiting list.

Myth: Your religion prohibitsorgan donation.Fact: All major organized reli-gions approve of organ andtissue donation and consider itan act of charity.

Step 3: Begin a Dialogue

For too many of us, end-of-lifedecisions are often made inthe midst of tragedy. Thisstems from the fact that manyfamilies are not comfortable

with the notion of discussingtopics that are perceived asbeing, “difficult” or “unpleaant.”If you are considering becom-ing a donor, gather your familytogether to discuss your feel-ings. If you decide to sign upto become a donor, inform

your family of your decisionand be prepared to answerany questions that they mayhave about your decision. It isimportant that your familyhonor your decision and areprepared to serve as your ad-vocate for donation.

Step 4: Become a Donor

Once you have made the de-cision to become a donor,there are a few ways to get started:•In California, you can now

mark “YES” on your DMV ap-plication; a pink donor dot willbe printed on your driver li-cense or identification card; • Or register with theDonate Life California Organ &Tissue Donor Registry. Signup to be an organ donor byvisiting: www.donateLIFEcali-fornia.org or call 1-888-570-4900 for more informationStep 5: Get Involved

Whether you have just signedup to be a donor or you are stilldeciding, but are touched bythis cause, there are severalways that you can get in-volved:

•Commit to talking to at least 5friends, family, co-workers, orchurch members about howorgan, eye and tissue dona-tion you can help save some-one’s life•Have each friend/colleaguetalk to five more friends aboutorgan donation•Contact the California Trans-plant Donor Network(www.ctdn.org ) if you are in-terested in serving as a volun-teer for special events,speaking presentations andhealth fairs in your communityAyanna N.S. Anderson is thecommunity development coor-dinator for the CaliforniaTransplant Donor Network,which is located at 1000Broadway, Suite 600 in Oak-land, CA 94607. The mainnumber is (510)251-7003.

Alan Cochrane !! holds a picture of his brother who died wait-ing for a heart.

worth the risks involved.While many questioned

Michelle Obama, I would havequestioned Cindy McCain.Even today, considering someof the terrible things that havetaken place in America's past,I would like to go to Cindy Mc-Cain, even to Sarah Palin, andask, “Given what has hap-pened in American history,would you still say that youhave always been proud ofyour country?"

If we are to correct prob-lems, then we must acknowl-edge that they exist. We mustshine the light on them andwork to heal what needs to behealed.

Of course, not everythingin America's past was wrongor bad, but failing to under-stand the past and to learn thelessons from both the goodand the evil that took placecondemns us to being igno-rant of the truth. Not knowingthe truth can lead to wrongconclusions, bad deci-sions and regrettablechoices, choices that canhaunt a person for the rest

of his or her life. Having correct information

can lead to good decisionsthat bring positive choices andoutcomes.

It's important that we allknow the truth about our coun-try, so we can work to correctwhat is wrong and celebratewhat is right.

In this time of economicstrain, we must not allow our-selves to be pitted againsteach other. We all share acommon history, commongoals and a common future.

Given the past, the presentproblems and the possibilities,we must make sure we worktogether to create a newAmerica which embodies fair-ness and justice for all.

It's something we can onlywork towards, no matter howmany one step forward andtwo steps back the work en-tails. After all, the beginning ofthe year is usually a time forrenewed hope.

Personally, I hope you'lltake the time to listen to aradio show I taped with talkshow host Byrd Hale and

guests Dee Uhila, Susi Feltch andAndrés Connell. We all discussthe topic from King to Obama:How Far Has America Come?You can get more details aboutthis show on page 19 in this issueof EPA Today.

I'm sure almost everyonewould agree that we can't changethe past. But, we can, by takingcorrective actions in the present,positively affect the future qualityof our life and the quality of life inour country.

My favorite quote, whichmakes this point, is a Sanskrit say-ing that states:Yesterday is alreadya dream andTomorrow is only a vision,butToday, well lived, makes Every yesterday a dream of hap-piness andEvery tomorrow a vision of hope.

As the poet Alfred Lord Ten-nyson wrote, "Come my friends,‘Tis not too late to seek a newerworld." I would add that it is nottoo late to work together to makeour country the type of country inwhich we can all truly beproud.

Being proud of my country continued from page 6


First Source Hiring continued from page 3

diploma, and 30.5% of themhave less than a 9th grade ed-ucation.

A low educational attain-ment is one of the key reasonsto the high unemployment inEast Palo Alto, since unem-ployment and educational at-tainment is closely correlated.To put it in perspective, for in-dividuals with “less than a highschool diploma," the unem-ployment rate in the US wasalmost 16% in May 2009;however, for those “with abachelor’s degree”, was about5%. (US Bureau of Labor Sta-tistics).

When jobs become avail-able in East Palo Alto, TheFirst Source Hiring Programencounters vast numbers ofunemployed residents whoapply; nevertheless, only one(1) in seven (7) are selected,which makes the entireprocess appear suspect.While it’s always the focus ofthe FSH Program to makesure FSH jobs and theprocess for applying and se-lection is open, informativeand fair to the entire commu-nity, there are more applicantsthan open positions, and themore competent applicantsraise to the top of the hiringlist. Thus, not everyone getshired.

In the case of Mi PuebloFood Center, who openedtheir doors at the retail centerin November 2009, over 2,500people applied for 200 jobs!Mi Pueblo exceeded the FSHrequirement of 30% and hired50% of their workers, 101 EPA

residents; however, that left2,300 people who were verydisappointed that they werenot hired.

Trying to beef up the FSHprogram, staff is identifyingand announcing to the com-munity outside employmentopportunities for residentsthrough a variety of employ-ment organizations, temporaryhiring companies, and Penin-sula Works.

To get the word out aboutemployment opportunitiesstaff plans to develop an infor-mational webpage linked tothe City’s website. FSH staffhas been meeting with localretail management to monitorand minimize residents beinglaid-off during any local retaildownsizing plan.

In addition to the FSH pro-gram, Council applied, and theCity received a grant from theDepartment of Labor (DOL)for employment training.Council allocated $100,000 tohire 50 local youth this pastsummer to participate in theSponsored Employment Pro-gram,(SEP).

The SEP 50 East Palo Altoyouth were trained, mentored

and employed at several localorganizations. The studentslearned skills necessary to be-come, and to remain em-ployed, students earnedmoney and gained an under-standing of how importanttheir academic attainment is tofuture employment.

The SEP students gradu-ated and were presented witha special achievement gradu-ation certificates from theState Assembly by Assem-blyperson Ira Ruskin and localSupervisor Rose Jacobs Gib-son.

The remaining $327,000was allocated to the “GreenJobs” Training Initiative. TheEast Palo Alto Green Jobs Ini-tiative (GJTI) will increase theemployability of 150 unem-ployed or underemployedEast Palo Alto residents,which will receive training atJob Train (formally OICW)which will provide vocationalassessment, basic skills in-struction (math, life skills andemployment success training),vocational green industry em-ployment training and jobplacement services to helpstudents transition into suc-

cessful careers. For further information con-

tact Brian Johnson at JobTrain (650) 330-6466. The high unemployment ratein EPA is a reflexion of thedeep recession in the US, andthe tremendous job lossessuffered in CA, which experi-enced the largest job loss inthe nation in 2009, 579,400jobs.

Therefore, reducing unem-ployment in EPA is a longrange effort that will in part de-pend on macroeconomic fac-tors such as the speed of theglobal and national economicrecovery. However, local ef-forts to combat unemploymentare also critical.

Among the important localefforts include improving ourresidents educational attainment and technical train-ing via programs such as theGreen Jobs Initiative, support-ing the creation of local jobsby supporting the creation ofsmall businesses by privateentrepreneurs, and expandingthe city’s tax base by bringingcommercial development op-portunities that create jobsthat match our resident’s jobskills profile.

The Ravenswood indus-trial area presents a great op-portunity to bring newcommercial development andjobs to the City. For this pur-pose, the City has initiated thecreation of the Ravenswoodand Four Corners SpecificPlan, which is a process towork with the community tocreate a new land use vision

for the RBD/4 Corners area.Given the small size of theCity, the RBD offers one of thelast opportunities for the Cityto address some of its mosturgent challenges such ashigh unemployment, low pub-lic revenue generation, andthe lack of parks. Informationon the Specific Plan is avail-able online at:

w w w . c i . e a s t - p a l o -alto.ca.us/economicdev/dum-barton.html.

The first Community Work-shop on Land Use Alternativesfor the Ravenswood/4 Cor-ners Transit Oriented Devel-opment Specific Plan (SpecificPlan) will be held on Thursday,February 18, 2010 at 6:30pmin the Community Room.

These efforts along withthe First Source Hiring policyand program play a key role increating and securing jobs forlocal residents.

Local East Palo Alto resi-dents can get more informa-tion about availableemployment by checking theFirst Source Hiring informationtables at City Hall at 2415 Uni-versity Avenue or 1960 TateStreet, East Palo Alto, or byregistering with the FSH office.Residents can call the FirstSource Hiring Hotline at (650)853-3159 or Marie McKenzieat (650) 853-3147.

Marie McKenzie is the Rede-velopment Project Manager andcoordinator for the First SourceHiring Program.

ence.” This conclusion isbased on her through un-derstanding of the vicissi-tudes of audience taste.She states, “I think there isa misconception out thereabout who enjoys theblues. I have a T.V. showcalled E.C.’s Jook Joint. It’sthe first and only bluesvideo show on television.We’re on 247 stationsacross the United States.We just did an eleven weekrun on KOFY 20 in SanFrancisco. We’ve beenasked to come on boardKOFY as part of the regularprogramming. The e-mails

between KOFY and myselfand the e-mails I receivedfrom being on access tele-vision are great. I wouldsay 80% are from peoplewho were couch surfingand ran across the showand didn’t know that wascalled blues.”

Scott is known for herability to write catchy, mem-orable lyrics, but wheredoes she get the inspirationto compose? Exuberantlyshe says, “There are bless-ings and I’m alwaysamazed when I get themand I do take the time tothank Him for the bless-

ings. When it flows it justkeeps going. Its like ‘Wow!”It just keeps going and Ilaugh. Some of those lyrics,they’re so strong. I con-sider them divine, cause I

don’t think I could do it bymyself.” She describes herlong time collaborator LarryBaptiste, as “her partner incrime.” Mr. Baptiste hasco-written with Ms. Scott onmany favorites such as,“Come Get Your Love” and“You Got The Wrong Number.”

When told that there are thosewho would like to perform and em-ulate her success, she quips, “Re-ally? They know me and still saythat?” She admonishes, “Workhard at your craft, know more thanjust singing, know about the busi-ness. It’s not enough to just knowabout singing.

“You need to know everything.

You need to know how to bookyourself, you’ve got to know howto market yourself. Let your brainbe a sponge and absorb every-thing about the business, [then]you won’t have to rely on some-one to tell you about the business.”

E.C. Scott’s Jook Jointcan be seen on the MediaCenter Public Access Ch.27. For more informationabout her show, go tohttp://www.communitymedi-acenter.net/

Cedric Thomas is alover of music and an en-thusiastic volunteer.

Some of the local retailers who participate in East PaloAlto’s First Source Hiring Program.

EC Scott’s Jook Joint continued from page 11

them into position -

Primary teeth must last fiveto ten years or longer. As apermanent tooth reaches thestage of development when itis ready to emerge through thegum, the roots of the primary

tooth begin to break down anddissolve. Gradually, the per-manent tooth pushes the pri-mary tooth out and takes theplace the primary tooth hasbeen reserving for it. If a pri-mary tooth is lost too soon, the

permanent tooth has no guideto follow and the teeth next toa missing tooth may drift intothe space meant for anothertooth. This can cause the adulttooth to come into the wrongposition.

In conclusion, baby teeth arevital in many ways during achild's development, andshould be cared for until theynaturally fall out.

Dr. Virginia P. Humphrey, IIis a doctor of dental surgery

(DDS). She maintains a dentaloffice at the RavenswoodShopping Center. You can getmore information about herfrom her ad which is on page10 in this issue.

Caring for baby teeth continued from page 4

EC Scott stands with KarenAdams, the production man-ager and staff producer at theMedia Center in Palo Alto.


food. Well, if any of these commis-

sioners had ever attended anytraining sessions sponsoredby the league of Cities, theCounty or the State of California,maybe they would have used an-other method/level of judgment.

Now let’s take a look at the staffthat recommended and supportedthis horrible decision. I would usethe salary schedule 2006-2007and you can add a probable 15-20% increase per year for 2008-2009. City Manager, Alvin James$183,409.84;Chief of Police,Ronald Davis,$160,842.80 20 police officers between $102,322.00 and $162,938.41Redevelopment director, CarlosMartinez $114,451.16Project Manager,Sean Charpen-tier $74,761.94;City Attor-ney , Vince Ewing, $190,000(Minimum);Senior Planner, JohnTarr. $66,000.

It is quite interesting that noneof these people live here and withthe exception of the police officersand the city attorney none of thesefolks have a vested interest in thisCity. This accusation is verified bythe fact that in the year 2009:

(A) The City manager(James) resigned because hewas being paid 20% less thanother city managers. This manquits and the three amigos(Abrica, Romero and Martinez)voted to bring him back for 906

hours at $154.00 p/h, until a re-placement is found even thoughthere is his handpicked AssistantCity Manager (Mr.Gordon), whoin 2007 was paid $156,410.33

(B) The Chief of Police(Ronald Davis) applied for the Po-lice Chief’s job in Oakland. (maybeother cities as well) and came in#2 behind the former chief of LongBeach, CA. I would suppose thatattempted move had something todo with salary as well .

We, the community must askthe question: How do these publicofficials and their top level staff ex-pect to “pay” themselves and theirstaff. The only way to accomplishthe goal of paying the City’s enor-mous debt, is to collect on prop-erty tax and RETAIL SALES.Again, why would these people(Abrica, Romero and Martinez)allow a non taxpaying business orthe lowest taxpaying business tooperate in a tax generating retailcenter. It defies all logic, unless we,(the community) stay satisfied withliving here raising our families, pro-tecting our investments and enjoy-ing our environment in probablythe 2nd most dangerous city inNorthern California. There areshootings, killings, assaults andburglaries almost daily in our com-munity. The reason our police offi-cers make the money mentionedearlier it’s not because they arepaid so well, but because theywork so many hours. There is adirect relationship between levels

of crime and a well- funded PoliceDepartment. Again, the methodof funding a well equipped , wellpaid and high morale Police De-partment can only be realized bycollecting property taxes and retailsales tax.

Mr. Romero along with MiPueblo’s staff, stated over andover that there would be no ir-reparably harm done to local busi-nesses or employees. As a matterof fact, the Council Majority andtheir clones on the Planning Com-mission would not engage in anymeaningful discussion as it relatesto a “study” on this very concept.Commissioner Glover and theother agent-provocateurs, re-quested a detailed study on “im-pact on local grocery stores”,(Commissioner Glover) made themotion but Commission ChairSkinner in his infinite wisdom,moved the date up and time wasnot allowed to complete the study.To this date there have not beenany expressions of concern as itrelates to any harm done to localbusinesses and employees not ei-ther the City Council majority andPlanning Commission.

I wonder if the Planning Com-mission and the City Councilwould be interested in that studyas of today. I wonder if the com-munity would be interested in thissame information.

Let’s examine this:1) 7-Eleven – down as much as30%

2) Three Brothers Tacos – downas much as 60% - major lay off3) Pal Market – down 30% - withlay off4) La Estrellita – encourage byCity staff to spend over $800.00on improvements and was nevertold that the City was in negotia-tion with a major competitor. Thismarket is down almost 60% withmajor lay off5) Country Time Market – down70% and considering selling out– major lay off6) Garden Market – down 55%with major lay off7) Oakwood Market – down 48%- major lay off and consideringselling out8) East Side Market – down 70%- considering selling out9) Kiosk (front of Home Depot) –down 70% - and lay off, localemployees10) Togos – a ghost town mostdays and so is Firehouse Barand Grill.

Every food related businesshas been hurt immeasurably bythis decision. There is no recordof McDonalds or Taco Bell losses,but they have suffered obviouslosses and lay offs.

I suggest to you that the onlyway to remedy mistakes/errors ofthis magnitude is to deal directlywith the City Council. All familiesthat have been impacted by theselay offs and can no longer feedtheir families, buy school clothes,repair their cars, pay tithes, etc;

should remember this action onelection day.

All the neighbors of thesefamilies affected who can nolonger afford to do home repairs orafford rent or mortgage, to all of uswho live here, where our youngare still shooting each other(sometimes 2 – 3 times per day),to all of us who are again afraid towalk to visit our families or neigh-bors, who are afraid to be in thestreets or allow our family mem-bers to be outside after dark, tothose of us who come home fromwork to find our home burglarizedand the Police Department don’thave a fingerprint kit due to lack offunds, to those of us who live in acommunity where police officersmake over $100. 000 per year, notbecause they certainly deserve itbut because they work so manyhours, and to those of us in EastPalo Alto, who understand that thedays of electing folks to office be-cause they look like us or becausethey are likeable people but haveabsolutely no business sense giverise to the fact that our environ-ment will remain the same.

We must vote in the nextCity Council election to reaf-firm our dreams.

You will hear from meagain before the next CityCouncil Election (June 2010).

R.B. Jones is a former EastPalo Alto City Council memberwho served as the city’smayor.

Deferring dreams continued from page 7

Tree planting at the 49er AcademyBy Sharon Kelly


Thanks to a grant from thePalo Alto Community Founda-tion, Canopy partnered withCollective Roots in the firstphase of the creation of a veg-etable/herb garden and fruittree orchard at the 49ersAcademy in East Palo Alto. Aconcept plan was designedwith the garden in the centerand fruit trees around thesides. The garden will beplanted later this spring/sum-mer.

With the help of local certi-fied arborists and fruit tree ex-perts Kevin Raftery and DaveMuffly, Canopy’s Program Di-rector, Sharon Kelly assessedthe soil, selected the treespecies and designed the

placement and planting.Sharon worked closely withthe faculty and staff of the49ers Academy to coordinatethe planting and involve stu-dents and families from theschool.

The planting took place onthe Martin Luther King Juniorholiday, also our National Dayof Service. Canopy worked

with the Oshman Family Jew-ish Community Center to pro-vide a service opportunity formembers and recruited addi-tional community volunteers,including experienced CanopyPlanting Leaders and a groupfrom Stanford’s Kappa SigmaFraternity.

Canopy plants ‘Rain orShine’. On the gray stormy

morning of January 18th, vol-unteers arrived to a classroomadjacent the planting areawhere they enjoyed tea, hotcocoa, fruit and snacks whilethey signed in, received an in-troduction about Canopy andput on gloves and trash bagrain ponchos, if needed.

The wind and rain did notlet up for our planters. Follow-ing a brief planting demonstra-tion, volunteers set to workdigging holes, planting, stak-ing, tying and mulching ournew fruit trees. The tree vari-eties included: Bartlett Pear,Granny Smith Apple, FujiApple, Satsuma Plum, SantaRosa Plum, Mission Fig,Pineapple Guava, Fuyu Per-simmon, Mandarin Orange,Navel Orange, Meyer Lemonand Oroblanco Grapefruit.

This wonderful variety of treeswill give children an opportu-nity to learn about where foodcomes from and providehealthy snacks for future stu-dents.

Sharon Kelly is theCanopy Program Director.

Photo courtesy of CanopyVolunteers dig holes in which to plant trees at 49ers Academyin East Palo Alto.

events. But expanding themarket is a community effort,and we need to work togetherto make it happen. If you arefrom a community group, thinkabout how your organizationcan participate. Maybe youcan provide live entertainmentor staff an informational booth.If you are a community mem-

ber interested in helping to or-ganize, consider joining theMarket Advisory Committeewhich meets twice a month atthe Collective Roots office.This year, we also had our firstcommunity members beginselling at the market. Claraand Reverend Bob Hartleysold their collards, zucchini,

tomatoes and other cropseach week until the autumnweather started slowing downthe garden.

Through the Backyard Gar-dener Network, we hope to en-courage other communitymembers to grow their ownfood, and possibly sell it at themarket. The Backyard Gar-

dener Network is a resourcefor community members whoare already gardening or justbeginning to learn. If you areinterested, or know someonewho might be, make sure tocontact us by phone at (650)324-2769 or visit our websiteat www.epafarmersmarket.orgLast but not least, we want to

say thank you to all the or-ganizations and people whohave helped to make theFarmers’ Market a successthis year. See you next sea-son!

Mark Medeiros is the mar-ket manager for the East PaloAlto Community Farmers’Market

Looking to the next season continued from page 4

Photo courtesy of CanopyTwo volunteers mulch thenewly planted trees.


By Renee North


I like fine wine, the wisdomof parental advice improveswith age. Research showsyour mother was even rightabout standing up straight, asshown by new studies findingthat people with better posturereally are healthier and actu-ally live longer.

Think of someone over 80who looks and lives the wayyou want to when you get tobe that age. Now ask yourself,“How is that person’s pos-ture?” Even though most peo-ple in their 80s suffer thebent-over slump of age, you’reprobably thinking of someonewho still stands tall and erect.

Not only are there intuitivereasons why people with goodposture are healthier and moreactive, but poor posture alsohas a dramatic effect on an-other growing problem facingolder adults: falls and poor bal-ance. According to the Na-tional Safety Council, over 1.5

million people over 65 are se-riously injured each year infalls, which cause nearly14,000 deaths, with anotherquarter suffering debilitatinginjuries that affect them for therest of their lives. In addition,poor posture affects how wellyour heart can pump blood,and even how well you canbreathe.

As a clinician, posture ex-pert and author of StandTaller~Live Longer: An Anti-Aging Strategy, Dr. StevenWeiniger often advises peopleto feel for themselves the dif-ference posture makes in howyour body works with this sim-ple demonstration:

“While slumping forward ina chair, take a breath in andnote how deeply you canbreathe. Then, scoot your bot-tom back in the chair, pull yourshoulders down, lift your headup and sit tall. Note the signif-icant difference when you takein a deep breath while main-taining strong posture.”

Unfortunately, most of us

are spending more time thanever slumped in front of a TV,computer, or video game, andour poor posture is gettingworse. If you stop to thinkabout it, you're likely slumpingas you read this (unless youjust straightened up a bit).When you spend 18 hours aday with your body folded intoa chair, you'll go back to theslump as soon

as you stop thinking aboutit. The problem with improvingposture is, no matter howgood your intentions, just try-ing to stand up straighter sim-ply doesn't work (case in point:are you slouching again?).

Renée North, CertifiedPosture Exercise Professional(CPEP) has this advice for im-proving posture. “In order tomake a change, we must re-train our motion patterns, andthis begins with becomingaware of our posture first, andthen developing new habits.Incorporating a One-Leg Bal-ance into daily life is a greatplace to start. Make this exer-

cise an immediate part of yourdaily routine and you will seeand feel a difference.”

Weiniger’s One-Leg Bal-

ance

Your posture is ultimatelyhow your body is balancing.Even if someone is standingcrooked, mechanically theyare balanced or they would falldown! Standing on one foot isa way of seeing how goodyour idea of where you are inspace agrees with where yourbody really is.

Try this: Stand up, tall andstraight. Lift your left leg soyour thigh is level with theground. Count to 20. Repeaton the other side.

You should be able to bal-ance on each leg for 20 sec-onds. If you can't, youprobably need to work on im-proving balance.

LifeHabit Tip: Try to bal-ance on one leg at least threetimes a day. If you are wobbly,hold on as you lift your leg, butfocus on standing up with

strong, tall posture, keepingyour feet pointing straightahead and pelvis level.

Strengthening posture canrelieve postural neck and backpain as well as help you getthe most benefit from any ex-ercise because your form getsnaturally better. If you focus onposture each day and work tostrengthen balance, align-ment, and motion, over timeyou’ll be surprised not only atthe difference in how you feel,but even how others see you.The bottom line is, when youkeep moving you feel goodand age well.

Dr. Steven Weiniger is theauthor of Stand Taller~LiveLonger: An Anti-Aging Strat-egy. Get information about hisbook at www.StandTallerLive-Longer.com

Renee North is a CertifiedPosture Exercise Professional(CPEP) and trainer (NASM-CPT) working as an instructorfor other professionals in thehealth and fitness industry.

hecho de que en el año 2009: (a) El Administrador de la

Ciudad (Mr. James) renuncióa su puesto porque a él se lepagaba aproximadamente20% menos que otros Admin-istradores en otras Ciudades.El renuncia, y los tres amigos(Abrica, Romero y Martinez)votan para traerlo de regresopor 906 horas a $154.00 p/h,hasta que se encuentre unreemplazo, aun cuando ya élha escogido un Asistente deAdministrador de la ciudad(Mr.Gordon), que en el 2007se le pagó $156.410.33.

(b) El Jefe del Departa-mento Policía (Ronald Davis),solicitó el trabajo de Jefe delDepartamento de Policía enOakland. (quizá otras ciu-dades también), y fué la se-gunda opción, detrás delanterior Jefe de Policia deLong Beach, CA. YoSupongo que esa decisióntenía algo que ver con elsalario.

Como comunidad debe-mos hacernos esta pregunta:Cómo estos funcionariospúblicos y su personal es-peran “pagarse” a ellos mis-mos?. La única manera delograr la meta de pagar laenorme deuda de la ciudad,es colectar impuestos depropiedad y de VENTAS.Una vez más porqué estaspersonas (Abrica, Romero yMartinez) permiten un negociono que no paga impuestos oque paga el impuesto másbajo, funcionar en un CentroComercial generador de im-puestos. Desafía toda la lóg-ica, a menos que nosotros, lacomunidad estemos satisfe-

chos con vivir aquí, criar anuestras familias, protegernuestras inversiones y gozarde nuestro ambiente, en loque es probablemente la 2daciudad más peligrosa delNorte de California. Hay dis-paros, matanzas, asaltos yrobos casi diariamente ennuestra comunidad. La razónque nuestros oficiales depolicía ganan el salario quetienen, mencionado anterior-mente, no es porque lespagan muy bien, es porquetrabajan demasiadas horas.Hay una relación directa entreniveles del crimen y un Depar-tamento de Policía bien finan-ciado.

Una vez más, el métodoapropiado para financiar unbien equipado, bien pagadoDepartamento de Policia, conuna moral muy alta, sola-mente puede lograrse con lacolección de impuestos depropiedad e impuestos deventas.

Sr. Romero juntamentecon el personal de la tienda MiPueblo, indicaron repetida-mente que no habría daño ir-reparable a los negocioslocales o a los empleados. Dehecho, la mayoría del consejoy sus imitadores en las Comi-siones del planeamiento noparticiparían en ninguna dis-cusión significativa rela-cionada con un “estudio” eneste mismo concepto. LaComisionada Glover y losotros agentes-provocadores,solicitaron un estudio detal-lado en “impacto que pro-ducen las tiendas decomestibles”, (La Comision-ada Glover) dió su

aprobación, pero el Comision-ado Skinner con su sabiduríainfinita, cambió la fecha por lotanto ya no hubo tiempo paraterminar el estudio y cumplircon el plazo determinado. Aesta fecha no ha habidoninguna expresión de preocu-pación relacionada al dañohecho a los negocios localesy empleados, tampoco departe de los Consejeros de laCiudad la Comisión delPlaneamiento.

Me pregunto si laComisión del Planeamiento yel Consejo de la Ciudad es-tarían interesados en ese es-tudio hoy. Me pregunto si lacomunidad estaría interesadaen esta misma información.

Examinemos esto:1) 7-Eleven – disminu-

ción de ventas aproximada-mente 30%

2) Three Brothers Tacos- disminución de ventas aprox-imadamente 60% - extensareducción de empleados

3) Pal Market - disminu-ción de ventas aproximada-mente 30% - con reducción deempleados

4) La Estrellita - motiva-dos por el personal de la Ciu-dad para invertir alrededor de$800.00 en mejoras al edificioy nunca fueron enterados deque la ciudad estaba en nego-ciaciones con un competidorimportante. Esta tienda tieneuna disminución de ventasaproximadamente 60% conextensa reducción de emplea-dos

5) Country Time Market- disminución de ventas aprox-imadamente 70% y con-siderando vender - extensa

reducción de empleados6) Garden Market - dis-

minución de ventas aproxi-madamente 55% extensareducción de empleados

7) Oakwood Market -disminución de ventas aproxi-madamente 48% - y con-siderando vender - extensareducción de empleados

8) East Side Market -disminución de ventas aproxi-madamente 70% - y con-siderando vender

9) Kiosk (frente alHome Depot) - disminución deventas aproximadamente 70%- con reducción de empleadoslocales

10) Togos - un local fan-tasma la mayoría de los días,asimismo lo es Firehouse Barand Grill

Cada negocio rela-cionado con alimentos ha sidoinmensurablemente lastimadopor esta decisión. No hay in-formación de las pérdidas deMcDonalds o de Taco Bell,pero han sufrido pérdidas ob-vias y reducción de emplea-dos.

Sugiero a ustedes que laúnica manera de remediar er-rores de esta magnitud seatratar directamente con losConsejeros de la Ciudad.Todas las familias que hansido afectadas por éstos de-spidos, y no pueden alimentarmás a sus familias, comprarropa para la escuela, repararsus carros, ni siquiera darlimosna en la Iglesia, etc;deben de acordarse de estadecisión el dia de elecciones.Todos los vecinos de estas fa-milias afectadas que nopueden permitirse el gasto de

hacer reparaciones en suscasas ó pagar sus rentas óhipotecas, a todos nosotrosque vivimos aquí, donde nue-stros jóvenes todavía se estándisparando (2 - 3 veces pordía), todos nosotros quetememos caminar para ir avisitar a nuestras familias ovecinos, porque temen andaren las calles o permitir quenuestros miembros de familiaestén afuera cuando ya es denoche, a todos nosotros queregresamos a casa despuésdel trabajo nomás a encontrarnuestro hogar asaltado y elDepartamento de Policia notiene suficientes materialespara tomar huellas digitalesdebido a la carencia de fon-dos, a nosotros que vivimosen una comunidad donde losoficiales de policía ganan másde $100. 00 por año, noporque lo merecen sinoporque trabajan demasiadashoras, y a todos nosotros enEast Palo Alto, que entiendenque los días de elegir a per-sonas para posiciones guber-namentales, porque separecen a nosotros o porqueson agradables pero no tienenabsolutamente ningún sentidode lo que significa esa posi-ción, confirma el hecho de quenuestro ambiente seguirásiendo igual.

Tenemos que votar en laspróximas elecciones parareafirmar nuestros sueños

Ustedes oirán de mí otravez antes de las elecciones deConsejo de Ciudad (Junio del2010). SinceramenteR.B. Jones

Donde los sueños difieren continuado de la página 9

Reasons and ways to improve poor posture


to the issue of poverty. Allagreed that a community with-out poverty would mean neigh-borhoods in which youth andfamilies are surrounded by anenriched environment of edu-cation, supportive adults andwell distributed community re-sources. Everyone alsoagreed that a great deal ofhealing would be required toaccomplish that outcome.

The working definition ofpoverty used during these vi-sioning sessions was “the dep-rivation of basic capabilitiesthat provide a person with thefreedom to choose the life heor she has reason to value.”These capabilities includegood health, education, socialnetworks, and command overeconomic resources, and influ-ence on decision-making thataffects one’s life. Three ques-tions formed the basis for par-ticipant reaction and insight:

1. What does poverty looklike in our area?

2. If the Community werehealed of poverty, what wouldit look like?

3. What are you willing todo to make “healing” happen?

The findings are as follows:What does poverty look like

in our area? 1.Youth participants framed

the lack of community and ed-ucational support as a demon-stration that the communityand educational institutions didnot care for them.

2.Poverty has broken thefamily safety net making chil-dren and adults venerable.There are families withoutfood, clothing, or even wash-ing powder to wash theirclothes. Heads of householdsfeel like they are in a life ordeath situation.

3.Many in the Latino com-

munity feel tolerated but notwelcome in policy-making cir-cles. Deportation causing a lotof problems with families suchas abandoned children

4. There is a sense thatlocal government is ineffectiveas evidenced by ubiquitouspotholes, a lack of sidewalks,defaced signs, not enoughstreet lighting, and abandonedproperties.

5. With regard to safety, thecommunity experiences theshrill of constant sirens, has nosense of safety, of the 32 stu-dents who participated in theyouth session 24 out of 32heard gunshots within lastmonth; 21 out of 32 have lostsomeone to gun violence. Dur-ing the youth session it wasmade clear by youth that theyand their families were/are de-sensitized to the violence inand around their homes. Manyof the high school studentsverbalized that living with vio-lence was just part of living inthe community.

6. With regard to health,the community experienceslong waits in waiting rooms,poor acess to good healthcare.

7. Role models and youthadvocates feel overwhelmed

by the high numbers of nega-tive role models which appearmore available and influentialto youth when parents areworking and youth are unsu-pervised in the community

8. There are not enoughsafe parks, community centersand open spaces with trees.There’s a lack of access tohealthy entertainment and af-fordable sporting and recre-ational programs for children.

9. Gangs are filling the so-cial gap.

10. Lack of communityagencies serving the popula-tions that mostly need it andfamilies lack information aboutexisting resources and oppor-tunities to move ahead

11. All participants agreedthat the current K -12 educa-tion has been broken for a longtime and could not be relied tosupport an adequate educa-tional foundation for the major-ity of the communities youth toenter college and meaningfulcareers.

If the Community werehealed of poverty, what wouldit look like?

1. The community wouldstill be here, but not pushedaside by gentrification. There

would be pride in being fromEPA and the community wouldretain its diversity – striving,not just surviving.

2. More of the city’s budgetwould be devoted increasingand maintaining infrastructure,Community Centers, parksand places for families togather in our city. There wouldbe greater collaboration be-tween Churches, Schools, andAgencies.

3. All organizations col-lectively working on commongoals under a similar umbrellawith long term resources to de-liver coordinated services inthe community using a contin-uum of healthcare as a part ofa network.

4. Immigrant communitieswould be incorporated into thecommunity. There will be cul-tural openness at all levels,more civic participation and re-spect for and learning abouteach other cultures.

5. K–12 education wouldsupport youth to gain the nec-essary skills to excel in highereducation and pursue theirdreams. There would be ahigh school in the community.

6. A healed communitywould be a place where fami-lies are safe and secure fromthe threats of violence, crimeand gangs. A community withsuperior child development,prenatal care, parent educa-tion, and great k-12 educa-tional options.

7. A healed communitywould be a place where youthknow and experience the com-munities love, investment,support, safety and education.The community would recog-nize and utilize the strength ofyouth.

What are you willing to do

to make “healing” happen? Most participants agreed

that they are willing to learnhow to build trust and to worktowards more holistic ways tobuild community. Everyone iswilling to get involved andmake the Promised Neighbor-hood Initiative a reality in thiscommunity. The participantsare willing to roll up theresleeves and get involved in acommunity wide outreach ef-fort that includes every mem-ber of a family, communityleaders, faith community andother stakeholders in the EastPalo Alto and Belle Havenneighborhoods.

Conclusion

After nine sessions withover 100 people the facilitatorand visioning session teamconcludes that these visioningsessions will be informative forthe leaders and communityworkers. The findings couldand should be used to outlinethe priorities for potential re-shaping of East Palo Alto andthe Belle Haven communitiesin a way that will support cur-rent families entering and re-maining anchored in themiddle class with pre-Kthrough 12 grade educationdesigned to enable children toenter college and viable ca-reers.

Participants are in agree-ment with the premise inherentin the president’s PromisedNeighborhood Initiative andsincerely expressed a desireto be a part of movement.

For more information aboutthis report contact:Gail Ortega, Executive Direc-tor,The Built to Last Collabora-tive at 650-353-6618 or sendan email to:[email protected]

Making it happen continued from page 1

Photo courtesy of Henrietta J. BurroughsThis picture shows some of the attendees at one of the MakeIt Happen visioning sessions.

By Henrietta J. Burroughs


People passing throughfour different areas of EastPalo Alto had every reason todo a double take during theholiday season last year.

After all, it is not a normalsight to see tree displays orcolorful displays near treesthat describe or mark local his-torical events.

The Ravenswood HistoryTree display stood on WeeksStreet and was erected to dojust that: depict memorablefacts about East Palo Alto’shistory.

The unusual tree display-was constructed by LelandFrancois who is a guidingforce behind the RavenswoodTreasures Community HistoryProject.

The project has operated inpartnership with the Free-At-

Last Gardening Club that lastyear hosted the Four Cornersof Our Community projectwhich featured the outside his-tory and gardening displays.

According to Francois, theRavenswood Treasures Com-munity History Project plansto display numerous printedarticles that cover more than50 years of East Palo Alto’shistory.

These displays are sched-

uled to occur from Decemberof 2009 to December 2010.

Francois said that the dis-plays coincide with the factthat East Palo Alto will hostthe regional meeting of Mid-peninsula historians who arescheduled to convene in thecity on June 5. He said that themeeting is the second regionalmeeting of the decade.

The printed displays thatwill be distributed throughout

the city will be accompaniedby floral displays which will bechanged daily.

Francois said “the regionalmeeting will help recognize,research and retrieve dis-placed historical data coveringsome 100 years of commer-cial contributions made byearly and present communitymembers to the vast Californiaagricultural industry.”

“Few questions remain,”he said, “among historians re-garding East Palo Alto's pastand the last 1990's decade,when this community wasblessed with the East Palo AltoHistorical and Agricultural So-ciety and through the guid-ance of the organizationsfounder Mr. Trevor Burrowesand his team of surveyors, asmany as 450 structures whichremained from the early1920's, 30's and 40's WeeksPoultry Colony were thor-

oughly documented and manyregistered with both state andfederal preservation agen-cies.”

If one looks deeper withinthe historical geography ofEast Palo Alto, one can easilyfind the reminiscence of theOld Town of Ravenswood andthe miraculous links betweentoday and 100 years ago: theelevated tank houses, rows ofgreenhouses and the pair ofmassive 200 year old blackwalnut trees which standsguard in front of 820 WeeksStreet.

To find out more about thedisplays, the regional meetingand his Ravenswood Gar-denKits, contact Leland Fran-cois at (650) 949 2757, wherehe asks that you leave historytree information requests only.Call (650)210-6122 or send an email to:[email protected]

Preserving some of East Palo Alto’s past

Photo courtesy of Leland FrancoisThe Ravenswood History Tree dsplay was erected in front ofthe 200 year old black walnut tree on the property at 820Weeks Street, the home built in 1995 for Charles Weeks.


Amazing Grace Book review for Once is Lost

San Francisco native Sara Zarr on a teen's struggles with faith and depression

By Bella Hernandez


Sara Zarr gripped her cof-fee cup firmly in one hand andher newest book, Once wasLost, in the other as she spokeabout what inspired her towrite the novel. Zarr visitedPalo Alto High School on Nov.16 to introduce her latest novelabout faith, alcoholism andfamily relationships. When Imet Zarr, I had only read acouple pages of her book andI had not liked what I read be-cause the book's plot was verydepressing, so I was not surewhat to expect from Zarr'svisit.

In her presentation, Zarrshared that she is a Presbyte-rian and that like Samara, shealso had her doubts about herfaith growing up. She wouldoften be angry and confused.On her blog,www.sarazarr.com she sharesthat Once was Lost was in-spired by the disappearance ofa girl named Elizabeth Smartfrom her hometown in SaltLake City, Utah. She also ex-

presses how she felt like an"honorary pastor's kid" sinceher mother was the churchsecretary and she rarelymissed a week of church. AfterI met Zarr, I noticed how down-to-earth she is and how closelyshe identifies with the maincharacter, so I picked up thebook and gave it another try.

In Once was Lost, Samarafeels that she is expected tohave an impeccable life andparents, but instead she is spi-raling down into a dark depres-sion. Her mother has a severedrinking problem that leads toher being sent to New Begin-nings, a rehabilitation centerwhere she will stay until thecourt decides otherwise.Samara's father, the pastor, is

more involved with the churchmembers than with Samara,who is slowly losing faith inGod because of her own per-sonal tragedies. When ayoung girl from her communitygoes missing, the little faithSamara has left ,dwindles,leaving behind questions anddoubt. No one escapes suspi-cion for the disappearance ofthe girl, not even Samara's fa-ther.

Zarr writes through a 15-year-old's point of view, accu-rately conveying the emotionsof a troubled teenage girl. Atfirst I was wary about readingthis book because it is writtenby an adult, therefore makingit difficult for them to writethrough the eyes of ateenager.

However, Zarr exceededmy previous expectations andas a result, I felt very attachedto Samara's story. The feelingsSamara expressed are feel-ings I have experienced my-self ,such as my faithweakening when things in mylife are adverse.

But one does not have to

believe in God to read thisbook; anyone can make a con-nection with Samara, as wellas her mother, who alwaysfeels pressured to show othersthat she is an exceptional wife,or her father, who finds himselfevading discussions with hisdaughter that involve senti-ment.

Once was Lost has a prag-matic approach to writing

about people who appear tobe one way but really leaddouble lives such as Samara'sfamily. When Samara attemptsto communicate with her fa-ther, I felt choked up, andwhen she describes thetragedies in her life, my eyeswould start to tear.

Zarr's writing style capti-vates me and has motivatedme to read her other novels,Story of a Girl and Sweet-hearts. Both books are com-pletely different than Oncewas Lost, but all three are sto-ries that carry powerful mes-sages about teen strugglesand how teens overcomethem through faith and forgive-ness. Zarr provides an intrigu-ing and captivating story thatshows us how even those whoappear to be flawless strugglebehind closed doors.

Bella Hernandez is an EastPalo Alto resident who is asophomore at Paly. She wrotethe above book review for herschool magazine Verde. Thereview is reprinted here in EastPalo Alto Today with her per-mission.

Bella Hernandez

Book Author Sara Zarr


Community Calendar

Shedding LightKZSU FM 90.1 Radio

February 2 and16 from 7:30

p.m. until the meeting is

adjoured - East Palo Alto

City Council meeting at2415 University Avenue,Community Room. See thecity council agenda when itposted at http://www.ci.east-paloalto.ca.us/citycouncil/agendas/index.html

February 6, 2010

Cooley Landing Open

House - 10 a.m. to 4 p.m atCollege Track - 1877 BayRoad, East Palo Alto.

February 6, 13, and 21

Free H1N1 Flu Clinics

Offered by the County of SanMateo. For more informationabout H1N1 (swine) flu andvaccine updates visit

www.smhealth.org/flu or call theCounty Flu Hotline at (650) 573-3927

Saturdays: February 13, 27

and March 13, 20 at 10 a.m. to2 p.m. Free tax return prepara-

tion at the East Palo Alto FamilyYMCA, 550 Bell Street @ Uni-versity

On Tuesdays and Thursdays:February 4 - April 15 th

1 p.m. – 8 p.m. free tax prepara-tion at JobTrain

February 9, 2010, 6:00 to 8:30p.m.. W1F1 101 meeting at EPACity Hall RSVP necessay toOEPA, 650.330.7462

February Beat Meetings:

Beat Two and Beat Four areplanning a potluck for theirnext Beat meeting. If you areinterested in bringing a dishto share, please call 650-853-5939 and let us knowwhat you are bringing andwhich meeting you will at-tend. Please be sure to leavea contact number so that wecan reach you if we need to.

Beat One Date: Tuesday, February 23,2010Time: 6:30pm - 8pmLocation: Community Roomat City Hall, 2415 UniversityAvenue, EPA, CA 94303

This episode of the show was recorded live on Monday, January 25, 2010 at 1 p.m on KZSUFM 90.1 radio. To hear this show and to get more information about this episode of the show goto the homepage of the East Palo Alto Today website at http://www.epatoday.org. and scrollthrough the show pictures until you reach the title From King to Obama: How Much Progress HasAmerica Made? .

Beat TwoDate: Thursday, February 4,2010Time: 6:30pm - 8pmLocation: Ecumenical HungerProgram, 2411 Pulgas Av-enue, EPA, CA 94303

Beat ThreeDate: Thursday, February 11,2010Time: 6:30pm - 8pm Location: Palo Mobile Es-tates, 1885 East BayshoreRoad, EPA, CA 94303

Beat FourDate: Monday, February 22,2010Time: 6pm - 7:30pmLocation: Woodland Apart-ments, 1761 Woodland Av-enue, EPA, CA 94303

Community Planning Or-

ganizing Meeting

Saturday, February 13,

2010 - 11:00am - 1:00pm

Faith Missionary BaptistChurch835 Runnymede St.East Palo Alto

You've set goals, named benefitsand created a vision - time to so-lidify it and organize to engagethe City's planning process. Thefuture of East Palo Alto NEEDSYOU!

February 17, 2010 -

6 p.m. to 8 p.m.

Emergency Preparedness

Meeting

Location: 219 DemeterStreet, EPA, CA 94303For CERT members, Neigh-borhood Watch Groups andanyone else who may be in-terested in helping.

Weekdays in February

First time homebuyers are in-vited to visit East Palo Alto’sHousing Services Depart-ment at 2277 University be-tween Bell and Runnymede.Contact (650)853-3109 formore information.

February 19, 2010 - 7:30

p.m. Life is a Dance, AnAfrikan History Month 2010Movie Event Benefitting TheHaiti Earthquake Relief Ef-fort! Eastside Performing ArtsCenter, 1941 Myrtle Street,East Palo Alto, CA. Spon-sored by the JobTrain/School After School for Suc-cessful Youth & Eastside Col-lege Preparatory School,inAssociation with the EastPalo Alto/Belle Haven Com-munity Youth Group.Call (650) 330-6451 or (650)688-0850

Ryan Zollicoffer, Henrietta J. Burroughs and Captain John Chalmers on the set of Talking

with Henrietta after their discussion on the show.

Dee Uhila, Susi Feltch, Henrietta J. Burroughs, Byrd Hale and Andres Connell sit in the KZSUstudio after their discussion on the topic of From King to Obama: How Much Progress Has Amer-ica Made?

Officials in the City of East Palo Alto are currently reviewing a proposed Master EmergencyPreparedness Plan to adopt for their city. On this edition of Talking with Henrietta, Ryan Zol-licoffer, show host Henrietta J. Burroughs and Captain John Chalmers talk about the proposedemergency plan and the steps city residents can take to prepare for potential disasters. Theirdiscussion can be seen on Channel 27 on the Midpeninsula from Sunday, January 31 untilSaturday,February 13 This edition of Talking with Henrietta can also be seen on [email protected]., Tuesdays@8 p.m., Wednesdays@3 a.m. and 11 a.m., Thursdays@8 p.m. and Fri-days@3 a.m. and 11 a.m. Viewers can see the show on the web at the above days and timesat www.midpenmedia.org.

Talking with Henrietta

Local TV CoverageEmergency Preparedness: Creating a Master Plan

East Palo Alto Today Lifecycles...East Palo Alto Today Page 12 January - February 2010 Emergency...

Documents

Transcript of East Palo Alto Today Lifecycles...East Palo Alto Today Page 12 January - February 2010 Emergency...