El Servicio Meteorológico Nacional emitió una advertencia de calor excesivo que incluye a San José desde el martes 2 hasta el sábado 6 de julio, por lo que tres sitios abrirán más allá del horario comercial habitual para servir como “centros de enfriamiento” durante este período de tiempo.
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El Servicio Meteorológico Nacional ha emitido una advertencia de calor excesivo que incluye a San José desde el martes 2 hasta el sábado 6 de julio, por lo que tres sitios abrirán más allá del horario comercial habitual para servir como “centros de enfriamiento” durante este período de tiempo.
While cooling off, residents have access to bottled water, free Wi-Fi, and outlets for charging devices.
The cooling centers are:
Centro comunitario de Camden: 3369 Union Ave., San José, 95124
Parque agrícola Emma Prusch: 647 S. King Rd., San José, 95116
Centro comunitario Roosevelt: (se admiten mascotas de 13:00 a 21:00 h) 901 E. Santa Clara St., San José, 95116
Durante las advertencias de calor excesivo, el Centro Comunitario Roosevelt está designado como apto para mascotas y permite que los perros y gatos de 13:00 a 21:00 horas permanezcan en el centro de enfriamiento con sus dueños acompañantes.
Sin embargo, las autoridades que los perros deben estar atados en todo momento, mientras que los gatos deben viajar en jaulas o con arnés si están adiestrados para ello.
No se permiten mascotas sin correa, y cualquiera que muestre agresividad o comportamiento disruptivo hacia otra mascota o asistente deberá abandonar el centro.
In that sense, the authorities specified that owners are fully responsible for their pets and must bring their own food, water and supplies to care for them.
Habrá áreas designadas para que las mascotas hagan sus necesidades, y todos sus dueños son responsables de ayudarles con la limpieza en caso de que ocurra algún accidente.
Todos los centros comunitarios y bibliotecas de San José están abiertos durante el horario comercial habitual para que los residentes se mantengan frescos.
Sumado a ello, las autoridades aconsejan que en esta temporada de calor, los residentes beban mucha agua; limiten la actividad física; nunca deje personas o mascotas en un automóvil estacionado y cerrado; permanezcan en áreas con aire acondicionado, siempre que sea posible; refrescarse con un baño o una ducha; usar ropa fresca; no abrigar demasiado a los bebés; cubrirse la cabeza; usar gafas de sol y protector solar; descansar a menudo en áreas sombreadas; y monitorear con frecuencia a sus familiares, amigos o vecinos con necesidades especiales, discapacidad y/o adultos mayores.
Everything is ready for the celebration of the Fourth of July in Redwood City, with a series of activities and a parade, the city seeks to commemorate the date. Photo: July 4th parade 2023, P360P.
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Redwood City is ready to celebrate Independence Day this July 4th. With a series of activities and a parade, the city seeks to commemorate the date and provide events for the whole family, ranging from the artistic to the educational.
The annual July 4th Parade in downtown Redwood City is the largest Independence Day event in Northern California, attracting thousands of spectators each year from all over the state.
Most of the Parade's budget is used for cash prizes for participants, many of whom are winners from Redwood City.
The parade will begin promptly at 10:00 a.m. on Thursday, July 4, and people will know it's time when they hear the cannon.
Winding through historic downtown Redwood City, the parade has a 1.3-mile route, where 54 organizations will participate.
Other activities include a pancake breakfast with the Redwood City Fire Department at Fire Station 9 (755 Marshall Street), which costs $10 and benefits the Redwood City Firefighters Association. The event will take place from 8:00 to 11:00 a.m.
From 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Redwood City's City Hall Plaza will host chalk art, as various artists create temporary paintings in different spaces.
The Downtown Festival, which will take place from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., seeks to support local organizations and artists at the annual Festival. There will be craft booths, food and entertainment for the thousands of festival-goers immediately following the parade.
In addition, from 7:00 p.m. to 9:15 p.m., a pre-fireworks concert will be held at the Redwood City Harbor featuring the Love Struck Band.
Love Struck is a Bay Area favorite, seven-piece cover dance band.
Love Struck is comprised of extremely talented and professional musicians. They have played with such musical luminaries as Rock & Roll Hall of Fame guitarist Roger Fisher of HEART, blues bassist Johnny Ace, blues slide guitarist Ron Thompson, and members of the band Cold Blood, to name a few.
Finally, at 9:30 p.m., the fireworks celebration will begin at the port of Redwood City, which can be seen from the entire central peninsula.
Of course, the event has a food area, so don't worry about it. To learn more about the celebration you can access the site www.parade.org.
San Mateo County supervisors on Tuesday, June 25, approved more than $3.3 million in grants for early childhood education in communities from Daly City to Pescadero.
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The supervisors of the the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors On Tuesday, June 25, the City of Daly City approved more than $3.3 million in grants to support early childhood education in communities from Daly City to Pescadero.
The grants support The Big Lift, a collective impact collaboration that seeks to increase kindergarten readiness and improve third-grade reading proficiency in targeted school districts.
The Big Lift project is led by three agencies: San Mateo County, the San Mateo County Office of Education, and San Mateo County Libraries, with support from numerous other public agencies, nonprofit organizations, and business groups.
The grant recipients are the City of South San Francisco with $127,000; the Institute for Human and Social Development, $331,000; Coastal Children's Program, $127,000; Peninsula Family Service, $225,400; Millbrae Elementary School, $189,818; and Pacifica Unified School District, $214,401.
Also, the Ravenswood City School District with $269,434; the Bayshore Elementary School District, $296,721; Cabrillo Unified School District, $318,600; La Honda Pescadero School District, $338,234; San Bruno Park School District, $363,000; and the South San Francisco Unified School District with $510,600.
Funding totaling $3,311,208 comes from the Measure K half-cent local sales tax.
The goal of Big Lift is to ensure that children are reading proficiently by the end of third grade. The initiative serves preschool through third grade students enrolled in school districts with third-grade reading proficiency rates below the county average.
The Big Lift improves third-grade reading through a range of activities, including high-quality preschool education: preparing children to thrive in kindergarten with literacy improvements in preschool.
Plus, Summer Learning: Helping kids maintain their skills over the summer while having fun; and Early Elementary Literacy Instruction: High-quality literacy instruction based on the science of reading from transitional kindergarten through third grade.
In family matters, it helps parents support children's literacy development at home and in home-school partnerships.
The most brutal cases of genocide that have shocked the world in recent times were examined by nearly two hundred specialists from all continents, who met in more than forty panels in Los Angeles, California from June 23 to 26.
At the opening of the event, Kimberley Morales Johnson, a member of the Tongva indigenous people, revisited the wars of extermination against her people, ancestral owners of the territory on which the current city of Los Angeles was founded.
Research was presented on the Jewish Holocaust, and the cases of Cambodia, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, with the partition of countries such as: India, Cambodia, Bangladesh, Rwanda, Namibia, Congo, Armenia, the former Yugoslavia, Yanomami indigenous people in Brazil, migrants to the United States, missing persons and indigenous people harassed by oil and mining companies in the southern cone of Latin America, including the Yanomami on the Brazil-Venezuela border.
In her keynote address, Marcia Esparza addressed the case of Guatemala and the disastrous consequences of the 1954 intervention from which state terrorism arose.
Cakchiquel expert Lolmay Pedro García Matzar and Brigittine French spoke about the need to use the native language when collecting testimonies about the genocide in Mayan lands.
At the closing of the event, Camilla Boisen spoke of the “moral horror” represented by the current genocide against the Palestinian people, and the way in which the Israeli occupation forces use the arguments of “natural law” and “just war” invoked more than 500 years ago by Spanish theologians to legitimize the extermination of the American Indians.
In the closing lecture, Shibley Telhami lamented that more than 80 percent of American specialists in the history of Palestine-Israel relations have chosen the path of self-censorship.
The Revenge of the Captives, a novel that mixes reality with fiction by the Chilean author, journalist, screenwriter and writer Carmen Gloria López, a book published in 2022 that addresses the role of women in times of war and which is Camilasbooks' recommendation this Saturday.
With a mix of reality and fiction, the novel “La vengance de las cautivas” (The Revenge of the Captives), by Chilean journalist, screenwriter and writer Carmen Gloria López, narrates the experience of a group of seven Spanish women who survived the siege of Villa Rica. A book published in 2022 that addresses the role of women in times of war and which is Camilasbooks' recommendation this Saturday.
Described by the reviewer herself as a “very powerful book,” this text places us in 1610 in Santiago de Chile, where a trial is held to gather the testimonies of these seven women captured by the Mapuches during the Arauco war.
The historical novel challenges the concepts of heroism, patriotism and honor, while also raising the question of the role of women in times of war within a nation, a fact that had not been raised before, Camilasbooks said.
And women, in a way, are also witnesses of many things, but from a different point of view. In this case, the story obviously does not take place on the battlefield itself, but it does involve other types of problems and situations for the people who participate in the war.
“This is a perfect account, I think, of the silenced female voices in times of war, where we have many themes such as motherhood, violence, rage, courage and survival. I think it is also a very controversial theme in the midst of resistance,” she said.
To learn more about this book and others, don't miss this Saturday's review on Camilasbooks.
She fled Guatemala at a very young age because she could not accept rejection, violence from society, or even death for her sexual orientation and gender identity. Zafiro Rivera has lived in San Francisco, California, since 1992, where she faces daily challenges such as transphobia, homophobia, and discrimination, acts of hate that, despite her struggle, continue to persist.
Always beautiful, with an infectious smile and full of enthusiasm, Zafiro went from being a victim to raising her voice to fight for the rights of trans women and the LGBTQI+ community, especially those of Latin origin, who, out of fear, shame or ignorance, have been left behind in the protection of their rights.
Zafiro Rivera, a transgender woman, former sex worker, and current activist. Photo: Eric Alcocer.
Zafiro Rivera, a transgender woman, former sex worker, and current activist, has seen fellow activists die from addiction problems and, for this reason, has not remained silent in the face of the problems faced by girls like her.
“Many transgender women in San Francisco face stigmas and problems such as transphobia, discrimination, lack of job opportunities, access to decent housing or immigration status that allows them to have better living conditions,” Zafiro Rivera told Península 360 Press.
For Zafiro, being a trans girl is not easy. “We face many challenges, especially in our places of origin. We face transphobia, discrimination, even among ourselves, but we also experience these problems in cities like San Francisco.”
“That’s why we do the marches,” Zafiro said, while she adjusts her hair and confirms that she looks beautiful. “We have to make ourselves present so that our voices are heard, to make ourselves visible, so that people understand us and comprehend us a little more. It is important that the population knows and respects gender diversity.”
There and here, the same problems
Her vanity prevents her from doing so, but Zafiro is fully aware of the problems that trans girls face in San Francisco and other towns, the same ones that have persisted for years despite California being one of the most progressive states in terms of LGBTTTIQ+ rights.
“Problems like lack of housing, health insurance, immigration, many things that girls need. There is help, but sometimes there are barriers to people getting that help: language, immigration status, all of these are things that prevent girls from being able to access those services,” she stressed.
Paying bills, rent, food and clothing is something we all go through in our adult lives, but what happens when you can't get a job because of your sexual preference or gender? While it's true that discrimination for any of these reasons is prohibited, it is a constant practice behind closed doors, which is why many trans women are forced to become sex workers.
“Many of us have to resort to sex work because we are not given work because we are transgender girls, so it is an option that we have to make, although many girls do find and can do work like any normal person,” she explained.
As an activist and health promoter, she acknowledged that, in the past, she resorted to sex work as a way to obtain resources.
“I am currently in an organization that works for people living with HIV, that supports Latinos and members of the LGBTQI+ community. I always talk to other trans girls to let them know that they can get ahead,” she said.
According to data from the Trans Employment Initiative (TEEI), an organization that supports transgender and gender non-conforming (GNC) people, 47 percent of transgender people in the United States reported having been unfairly fired or denied employment.
In turn, 76 percent say they have experienced harassment in the workplace. Trans people are twice as likely as the general population to be out of work, despite the fact that trans people are also twice as likely to have a bachelor’s degree. As a result, San Francisco’s trans and GNC community faces widespread poverty and homelessness.
two souls
Transphobia, homophobia, discrimination, lack of professional employment opportunities, housing, and comprehensive personal development are problems that occur daily among members of the lesbian, gay, trans, bisexual, queer, and intersex (LGBTQI+) community living in California, especially when they are immigrants and/or Latinxs.
Angel Fabian Vera, Executive Director of BAAITS, American Indian Two Spirits, Bay Area. Photo: Omero Sanchez
This was denounced by Ángel C Fabian-Tlahuizpapalotl, executive director of American Indian Two-Spirits Bay Area (BAAITS) ‒ Two-Spirit Indian-American of the Bay Area‒, an organization with a presence in various parts of the United States, dedicated to human rights, promoting culture through spirituality, as well as focusing on art with people who identify as two-spirit, such as Native Americans or indigenous LGBTQI+ people.
“I think that something that still exists, unfortunately, is discrimination. I was just giving a presentation to leaders of a health organization, and there is still a lot of work to be done in the community,” Vera told Península 360 Press.
The activist said that there are “indigenous people in the transgender community who identify as such, unfortunately, they experience the highest rates of homelessness and joblessness, where abuse persists. There are people who are discriminated against, the highest rate is in the transgender community, and many who identify as two-spirited.”
Vera regretted that “many indigenous youth who are part of the community also figure among the highest rates of people who think about suicide, who are discriminated against, who suffer from harassment in schools. The good thing is that there are also many beautiful things in this population.”
He stressed that “among the double-spirited population, we have a lot of courage, a lot of strength to move forward, especially because of our indigenous identity, our customs, our culture, our ancestral and original languages, which are very strong and very much alive.”
Proudly gay and positive
For Juan Pablo Medellín, who identifies as a gay, cisgender Latino man, immigrant and proudly Mexican, “although there has been progress in the rights of the LGBTQI+ community, discrimination for various reasons can be present, there are laws that protect us but we have to continue working to enforce them.”
Juan Pablo Medellín, originally from Mexico City but raised in Aguascalientes, had to turn to a social organization from a very young age to receive information about sexual and gender orientation.
In this regard, he recalled that “this whole gay pride month movement began in New York City, a few decades ago, because at the time there was a lot of repression against people of the same gender who gathered together.”
“Ultimately, for me, it is a way of living, of being ourselves, being honest with ourselves. There are many people who question 'pride of what?' It is not about showing off, which is one of the things that people complain a lot about, but rather it is a personal issue, about being able to be who we want to be, because the LGBTQI+ community has always been discriminated against and violated,” she said.
Juan Pablo recalled that the attacks against the community “have reached the point where many people have to live a life of lies, lead double lives, pretend to be someone they are not; that is why it is a source of pride to say 'this is me, no matter who it may bother', for me that is the importance, to accept ourselves first,” he stressed.
Originally from Mexico City but raised in Aguascalientes, from a very young age he had to turn to a social organization to receive information about sexual and gender orientation, as well as on the subject of HIV. “I am very grateful for the help I received at the time, because it was the way I was able to find peace of mind in this regard.”
“I came to San Francisco six years ago. For me, it has been a place that offers many advantages to people in the community. I say this because the two biggest challenges I have had in my life have been coming out of the closet as a teenager and being diagnosed with HIV, which fortunately these days is no longer comparable to what it was in the 80s or 90s, but it is still something that changes your life because you are a victim of stigma.”
In favor of an “inclusive pride”
BAAITS Executive Director Ángel Fabian Vera mentioned that, in many ancestral cultures, being part of the LGBTQI+ community was something admired, not under a community or under an acronym, it was simply because one could be freer, but it was not something out of the ordinary.
He explained that double-spirited people, as they were known, “were and continue to be special, but during colonization, specifically in our Latin American cultures, Catholicism tried to erase much of what already existed in our native communities.”
“We, as double-spirited people, were in charge of our families, of ceremonies, we were medicine people, of rituals in our communities, but that was taken away from us by colonization,” she explained.
In this regard, he asked the general population to be in favor of inclusive pride, because, unfortunately, in the case of the double-spirited population, discrimination can come from other members of the community.
"We have to continue moving forward, demanding that attention be paid to the problems that we know exist, that are experienced daily by our population. The demand must be, above all, with our leaders, who are the ones who make decisions regarding public policies," he added.
Important data:
LGBTQI+ is an acronym that refers to lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, queer and intersex people. The term has evolved over time to include all gender identities and sexual orientations, hence the “+” symbol.
The term LGTBIQ+ began to be used in the 1990s, although over time it has been adapted to new groups in the world.
History of gay pride celebration
International LGBTIQ+ Pride Day, also known as Gay Pride Day or simply Gay Pride, is celebrated every year on June 28 with the aim of urging tolerance, equality and dignity for gay, lesbian, bisexual, trans, queer, and intersex people, among others.
The celebration is on June 28 because that date commemorates the Stonewall riots (New York, USA) of 1969, which marked the beginning of the homosexual liberation movement.
These riots consisted of a series of spontaneous and violent demonstrations against a police raid that took place in the early hours of June 28, 1969, in the pub known as the Stonewall Inn in the New York neighborhood of Greenwich Village, one of the few spaces of freedom for the homosexual community that was frequently harassed by the city police.
The Stonewall Inn's regulars had had enough of this homophobic harassment and that day the police wanted to arrest several of the 200 people who were in the bar for reasons as simple as two men or women dancing together or not wearing clothing considered traditional for their sex.
During CNN debate with Biden, Trump lies on immigration issues, accusing Biden of allowing millions of unauthorized immigrants into the country, arguing that the country's southern border is open.
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With 130 days to go until the presidential elections in the United States, tempers are high, a situation that was reflected during the first debate between the Democrat and current president, Joseph Biden, and the Republican and former president, Donald Trump, the latter pointing out and pointing out the poor management of the current administration in immigration matters, for which he resorted to lies.
This Thursday, a presidential debate was held between the two presidential candidates, an unprecedented event so far in advance of the elections, and before both the Democratic and Republican conventions take place, so the presentation of sensitive issues such as immigration was one of the critical points of the night.
Amid all the back-and-forth, Trump accused Biden of allowing millions of unauthorized immigrants into the country, arguing that the country's southern border is open.
Here are three fact checks of claims made during the debate related to immigration:
“He decided to open our border, open our country,” Trump said of Biden during the debate.
This is not an accurate statement, as while unauthorized crossings have reached a record number during the Biden administration, the border is not “open.” In fact, it could be said to be more reinforced than ever.
The federal government has added more sections to the walls on the southern border, while military operations have increased in various parts of the area, and the number of expedited expulsions has grown.
It is noteworthy that a large majority of Republican lawmakers have not allowed a $118 billion border agreement to be passed in the Senate. This bill would have given the U.S. executive the power to close the border with Mexico to asylum seekers when the daily average of illegal crossings exceeded 5,000.
Trump also claimed that immigrants are committing crimes, calling it “immigration crime.” It is true that there are cases of people who entered the country illegally and have committed serious crimes, however, data shows that the vast majority do not commit crimes, and there are even Northwestern University study which examines a 150-year period and found that immigrants are less likely to commit crimes than people born in the U.S.
In this regard, the Republican argued that immigrants arrive in the United States illegally from "mental institutions" and "asylums."
In the debate held on CNN, Trump said that immigrants who arrive in the country illegally are housed in “luxury hotels” while veterans are on the streets.
He also stated that during his administration (January 20, 2017 - January 20, 2021), the country had the “most secure border in history.”
“We have to get a lot of these people out and we have to get them out fast because they are destroying our country,” Trump said during the 90-minute debate in Atlanta.
While he did not explain how he would carry out mass deportations, Trump has repeatedly said he would carry out a mass deportation campaign of undocumented immigrants using local law enforcement, the National Guard and potentially the U.S. military.
“And because of (Biden’s) ridiculous, insane and very stupid policies, people are coming in and killing our citizens at a level we’ve never seen,” Trump said, without providing substantial evidence.
After moderator Jake Tapper pressed both candidates on their immigration plans by asking, “Why should voters trust you to solve this crisis?” Trump dodged the question, instead making sweeping assessments about immigration based on isolated crimes.
In response, he reiterated his promise to deport millions of undocumented immigrants if he wins a second term.
Tapper countered: “Does that mean they will deport all undocumented immigrants in the United States, including those who have jobs, including those whose spouses are citizens and those who have lived here for decades? And if so, how will they do it?”
Trump not only did not answer, but he diverted the conversation towards terrorism and crime, which, according to him, immigrants bring with them.
Redwood City nombra a Tanisha Werner nueva directora de Ingeniería y Transporte, iniciará sus funciones el 15 de julio, cuenta con más de 18 años de experiencia de responsabilidad progresiva en ingeniería civil, con especial atención a los proyectos de infraestructuras que benefician al público.
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La administradora de Redwood City, Melissa Stevenson Díaz, anunció el nombramiento de Tanisha Werner como nueva directora de Ingeniería y Transporte.
“Estamos encantados de dar la bienvenida a Tanisha de nuevo a Redwood City”, declaró Stevenson Díaz. “Su experiencia en ingeniería y su compromiso con el servicio a la comunidad la convierten en la persona perfecta para este puesto. Esperamos contar con su liderazgo para impulsar las iniciativas de infraestructuras y transporte de nuestra ciudad.”
Werner, quien iniciará sus funciones el 15 de julio, cuenta con más de 18 años de experiencia de responsabilidad progresiva en ingeniería civil, con especial atención a los proyectos de infraestructuras que benefician al público.
Recientemente, Werner ocupó el cargo de directora adjunta de Infraestructuras en SamTrans, donde trabajó en la gestión del diseño y la construcción de infraestructuras críticas para la transición a cero emisiones.
Anteriormente, ocupó el cargo de subdirectora de Obras Públicas/Ingeniera Municipal en la ciudad de Menlo Park, allí supervisó un Programa de Mejoras Capitales de 100 millones de dólares y dirigió un equipo responsable de la revisión del desarrollo privado y de las secciones de servicios públicos.
La carrera anterior de Werner incluyó puestos de responsabilidad progresiva en las ciudades de Sunnyvale y Santa Clara, y en el Distrito Regional de Espacios Abiertos de la Península Media. En particular, comenzó su carrera de servicio público en Redwood City como ingeniera adjunta, gestionando programas de repavimentación de calzadas y proyectos de mejora de capital.
Werner posee un máster en Administración Pública por la Universidad Estatal de San José y una licenciatura en Ingeniería Civil por la Universidad Estatal de Fresno.
“Me siento honrada de tener la oportunidad de dirigir el Departamento de Ingeniería y Transporte de Redwood City. Esta ciudad ocupa un lugar especial en mi corazón como punto de partida de mi carrera de servicio público. Me comprometo a aprovechar mi experiencia para mejorar las infraestructuras de nuestra ciudad y a trabajar en colaboración con nuestra comunidad para alcanzar nuestros objetivos”, expresó Werner.
Como directora de Ingeniería y Transporte, Werner supervisará las funciones de uso y desarrollo del suelo, incluyendo el desarrollo del suelo, la ingeniería y el transporte.
Además, tendrá la responsabilidad funcional del Capital Improvements Program (CIP) de la ciudad, que abarca los servicios públicos, los proyectos cívicos y las inspecciones de la construcción.
H5N1 virus, also known as bird flu, San Mateo County Health is participating in a statewide program to provide personal protective equipment to poultry and dairy farm workers.
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In response to the possibility of infection with H5N1, also known as bird flu, San Mateo County Health is participating in a statewide program to provide personal protective equipment to poultry and dairy farm workers.
Cases of H5N1 have been detected among birds in the Bay Area and in other animals, including dairy cows, nationwide.
While there have been three recent human cases reported nationwide among workers in close contact with dairy cows, there are no known cases of H5N1 in humans or livestock in California to date.
According to health authorities, the current risk to the general public is low, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention The CDC recommends that dairy farm workers and others who handle raw milk, as well as slaughterhouse and poultry farm workers, have personal protective equipment, including an N95 mask or other approved respirator, gloves, goggles, and a face shield available if needed.
County Health is providing, upon request, a one-time supply of PPE to farms, businesses and organizations that employ or provide services to dairy farm workers, raw milk handlers, and slaughterhouse and poultry workers, the county said in a statement.
According to CalOSHA (California Occupational Safety and Health Administration) regulations, the use of PPE is voluntary when there are no confirmed occupational exposures to H5N1, but respirators must be provided and worn when employees work closely with animals or products known or suspected to be infected with H5N1, including animal excrements and other materials that have been in contact with the animal.
Poultry and dairy farm operators, as well as community organizations that serve poultry and dairy farm workers, can request a 30-day supply of PPE for at-risk workers by emailing the County Health Department at HS_MHOAC@smcgov.org.
The deadline to place an order is July 9, 2024. The PPE ordering program is available only to commercial operators and farmworker support organizations and not to individuals.
Personal protective equipment is intended for immediate use and to allow time for facilities to obtain and distribute their own supplies. Materials cannot be returned to CDPH or County Health.
Location of the senior farmworker housing plan at 555 Kelly Ave. in downtown Half Moon Bay, California. The city council rejected appeals and approved the project on Wednesday, June 26, 2024. (Google Earth via Bay City News).
Construction of affordable housing for the community's elderly farmworkers will go ahead, the Half Moon Bay City Council decided Wednesday, rejecting efforts to delay the project.
Council members listened to arguments from applicants, appellants and the public for nearly three hours before deliberating and ultimately voting unanimously to support the project.
The January 2023 shooting in Half Moon Bay, where a farmworker allegedly shot and killed seven coworkers at Mountain Mushroom Farm, exposed the poor living conditions in the area. The tragedy prompted the city to initiate plans to develop affordable housing for its farmworkers at 555 Kelly Ave. in the downtown area.
“In the immediate aftermath of the horrific shooting, a light flooded into the city of Half Moon Bay and brought to light the living conditions of farmworkers,” said Lilli Rey, president of Ayudando Latinos A Soñar’s board of directors.
The nonprofit provides resources and assistance to families and individuals in need in California's coastal communities. They will provide services directly to residents of low-income housing at 555 Kelly Ave. in a Farmworker Resource Center.
Multiple appeals were filed raising concerns about the location, building size, and the lack of a comprehensive parking plan in the project. Several members of the public also reiterated the same uncertainties during public comment.
“I have a problem with this project and this is how it has changed since it was originally approved. It has changed from four stories to five stories,” said David Gorn, a member of the Half Moon Bay Planning Commission. “It has changed from studio apartments to larger apartments. When it changes, it adds almost twice as many people than what was originally approved.”
The project began as a four-story building with 40 studio apartment units. The developers then changed the units to a mix of 26 one-bedrooms, eight two-bedrooms and six studios, while adding another floor.
Mercy Housing is leading the development of 555 Kelly Ave. It is an organization that creates and manages low-income housing across the country.
Mercy compromised on community concerns about building height by reducing the floor-to-ceiling height on each level so that the resulting building height increase would be just five feet above four stories, said Ramie Dare, director of real estate for Mercy Housing California.
Opponents of the project said emotions were getting in the way and that the city should use logic to evaluate its decision and wait to ensure a more carefully planned project.
But there has also been pressure from above since California Gov. Gavin Newsom sharply criticized Half Moon Bay for the delay in a statement issued in May.
“This delay is egregious and puts the well-being of Californians at risk. The state Housing Accountability Unit is reviewing the city’s actions and will take all necessary steps to hold Half Moon Bay accountable if the project does not move forward as required by state law,” Newsom said at the time.
Council members had mixed opinions about the project during deliberations. Robert Brownstone and Harvey Rarback supported the plan. Rarback had an issue with limited parking spaces, but suggested negotiating with Our Lady of the Pillar Catholic Church next to the project site, which has plenty of parking spaces.
“If people are waiting for a comprehensive parking solution downtown, they’re going to be waiting for a while, and I don’t think this project can wait for a while,” Rarback said.
Councilwoman Deborah Penrose said she had attended the meeting hoping to propose a motion to reject the project and request that the original plan for four stories and 40 studio units be returned. But hours of public comment and hearing the urgent needs for these homes from the community led Penrose to move forward with the new plan.
“I have to act with my heart and not my head,” Penrose said. “It may end up hurting a lot of people because of traffic conditions and parking and the rest of the needs of the community. If that’s the case, I’ll have made a mistake, but I’m willing to do it because that’s what my heart tells me to do.”
Ultimately, all council members sided with the project's supporters, demonstrating their priority of getting older farmworkers improved housing rather than waiting any longer to create a perfect plan.
“We cannot allow perfection to be the enemy of good,” Rarback said.
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