EL CERRITO
The city of El Cerrito is pleased to announce a groundbreaking ceremony at 10 a.m. March 6 for the El Cerrito del Norte Transit Oriented Development Complete Streets Project. This celebratory event will take place in front of the Mayfair Station development at 11600 San Pablo Ave. in El Cerrito.
“The city is excited to deliver transformative street improvements surrounding the El Cerrito del Norte BART station, providing upgrades and enhancements for pedestrians, bicyclists, transit-riders and drivers,” said El Cerrito Mayor Tessa Rudnick. “These comprehensive improvements will serve to support quality of life, transportation, access and economic vibrancy in El Cerrito and in the del Norte area.”
As envisioned in the 2014 San Pablo Avenue Specific Plan and 2016 Active Transportation Plan, the project is intended to support the safety and well-being of pedestrians, transit riders, bicyclists and motorists. The “Complete Street” improvements that are being implemented are meant to provide lasting economic and environmental quality-of-life benefits to existing and future residential and commercial developments locally and regionally.
The city and its funding partners invite the community to celebrate the construction of this vital project at next week’s groundbreaking ceremony. The project spans several streets near the El Cerrito del Norte BART station and “Uptown” area of the San Pablo Avenue corridor.
For decades, the San Pablo Avenue corridor has been an auto-focused roadway with missing crosswalks and bicycle facilities. After an extensive planning and design process that started in 2012, a vision was formed to transform these streets into “Complete Streets” that balance the needs of multiple transportation modes.
With design, funding, permitting approvals and a general construction contractor now in place, the city is celebrating the start of construction on this eagerly anticipated project with this event. For more details online, visit el-cerrito.org/spasp.
— city of El Cerrito
BERKELEY
Legislator introduces bill to limit use of ‘forever chemicals’
State Sen. Nancy Skinner, D-Berkeley, recently announced the introduction of SB 903, the Ending Forever Chemicals Act. SB 903 would prevent the sale and use of products containing per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances — toxic chemicals commonly known as “PFAS” — unless the use of PFAS in the product is necessary and there is not a safer alternative available.
PFAS are also known as “forever chemicals” because they are expected to linger in the environment for hundreds of thousands of years. Due to the widespread use of PFAS, forever chemicals have now been found in water supplies, food, soil and more, making their presence ubiquitous throughout the environment. PFAS are associated with a range of harmful health effects, including multiple types of cancer.
“California has led the nation in addressing PFAS, including banning forever chemicals in food packaging, cosmetics, firefighting foam, children’s cribs and playpens, and other products,” Skinner said. “But PFAS still remain in hundreds of products sold and used in our state, and these forever chemicals are increasingly found in our drinking water, our food, our clothes and our bodies. With SB 903, California will end the unnecessary use of forever chemicals and significantly reduce the harm PFAS poses to our environment and our health.”
PFAS are used in a wide range of products because of their stain- and water-resistant and nonstick properties. Forever chemicals are used in clothing, packaging, plastic food ware, cleaning products, ski waxes, menstrual products, metal products, paints, propellants, coatings and much more.
Under SB 903, the sale of all products with PFAS would be banned by 2030 unless the California Department of Toxic Substances Control determines that the presence of PFAS in a product is unavoidable because no safer alternative exists and the product is needed for human health and safety or the functioning of society.
According to a new data report by the Natural Resources Defense Council, PFAS has been found in water systems serving at least 25.4 million Californians. A study commissioned by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention identified PFAS in the breast milk, umbilical cord blood or bloodstreams of 98% of participants.
A 2023 report by the U.S. Geological Survey estimates that 98% of Americans have PFAS in their blood. In addition to being associated to higher rates of kidney and testicular cancer, exposure to PFAS has been linked to high cholesterol and harmful impacts on the liver, kidneys and immune, nervous and reproductive systems. PFAS are unnecessarily used in numerous products due to the fact that safer, viable alternatives are available.
Skinner represents California Senate District 9, which includes Berkeley, Richmond, Oakland and Alameda, and chairs the California Legislative Women’s Caucus. For more information, visit bit.ly/3IjHSwJ online.
Skinner introduces bills to create more housing in state
Skinner has also announced the introduction of her 2024 Housing Package, which includes legislation designed to spur the creation of more housing, reduce housing costs and expand homeownership. The housing package by Skinner, who was recently named chair of the Senate Housing Committee, includes:
• SB 1211, which would open the door for more accessory dwelling units (ADUs), also known as second units or backyard cottages, on properties with multifamily housing;
• SB 1210, which would reduce the cost of housing by lowering and capping utility hook-up fees, such as for water, sewer, electrical and gas service, on all new housing units;
• SB 1212, which would increase opportunities for homeownership by barring hedge funds and other corporate investment entities from buying single-family homes in California.
“California has made progress toward addressing our housing supply and affordability crisis, but there is still plenty of work to do,” Skinner said.
“My 2024 Housing Package builds on our accomplishments by spurring the creation of more ADUs, which have added much-needed new housing to existing residential areas; by capping costly utility hook-up fees on new residential construction; and by easing the path to homeownership by blocking big corporations who are gobbling up single-family homes with all-cash offers and outcompeting families.”
Over the past decade, California has enacted numerous laws designed to incentivize the creation of ADUs, which are generally cheaper to build than other housing and provide much-needed infill development. Today, ADUs are the fastest growing sector of the housing market. A decade ago, California was permitting only about 800 ADUs per year. Now, that number is more than 20,000 annually. For more information, visit bit.ly/42UAott online.
— state Sen. Nancy Skinner’s office
UC gallery’s Palestinian film, art exhibit opens this week
Officials at UC Berkeley’s Worth Ryder Art Gallery are proud to announce the opening of “Stitching Keffiyehs: Moving Images from Palestine,” a contemporary film and video art exhibit curated by Tamar Beja, Asma Kazmi and Gazelle Samizay.
This important exhibition features works by renowned artists from Palestine and the Palestinian diaspora including Razan AlSalah, Zeina Barakeh, Mona Rouhana Benyamin, Samia Halaby, Mona Hatoum, Jumana Manna, Larissa Sansour and Oraib Toukan.
At a time when Palestinian voices are increasingly censored and denied platforms for expression, “Stitching Keffiyehs” provides a vital space for dialogue and reflection on themes such as land, exile, war, occupation, ecological decline, technology, femininity and the body. The exhibition includes film and video art from 1987 to 2022 and offers a rare glimpse into the rich tapestry of Palestinian culture and experience.
“Stitching Keffiyehs” is running from Wednesday of this week through March 13 with an opening reception scheduled for Feb. 28th at the Worth Ryder Art Gallery in room 116 at Cal’s Anthropology and Art Practice building. For more details online, visit art.berkeley.edu/event-calendar/stitching-keffiyehs.
— Worth Ryder Art Gallery
HERCULES
‘Team Up to Clean Up’ pilot program events start Saturday
At its Jan. 23 meeting, the Hercules City Council passed a 5-0 motion to establish a new volunteer “Team Up to Clean Up” pilot program for city beautification. This new initiative is meant to enhance community safety and cleanliness through a series of monthly volunteer cleanup days held at different locations in Hercules.
“We are thrilled to launch this pilot program that will unite our dedicated community members around the mission of making Hercules an even more beautiful place to live, work and play,” said Hercules City Councilmember Tiffany Grimsley. “I look forward to rolling up my sleeves and joining this collaborative effort to improve the Hercules environment and bring our community together.”
In December, the City Council approved Grimsley’s request to ask staff to develop a community cleanup pilot program. In recent months, the city has buildt a list of volunteers who are passionate about keeping the community beautiful. This core group will serve as the foundation for the six-month pilot program.
In authorizing the pilot program, the council also allocated $1,500 from the General Fund to cover program expenses, such as trash bags, gloves, safety vests, tools and giveaways over the duration of the program.
During the clean-up events, volunteers will receive safety vests, trash bags and tools, accompanied by a safety briefing upon check-in. Participants are encouraged to bring their own gloves (disposable gloves will be available at check-in). Volunteers will then collect litter from preselected locations and leave filled trash bags and their clean-up tools at the check-in location for city staff to pick up.
In exchange for their volunteerism, each participant will receive a small giveaway to express the city’s appreciation. The first clean-up event will take place Saturday at Refugio Valley Park. Residents can register online at hercules-ca.civilspace.io/en/projects/team-up-to-clean-up.
— Tripepi Smith
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