ALAMEDA
Alameda Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) training is back and rolling out a new hybrid basic CERT training program. The training will introduce participants to the Alameda CERT program, local hazards and city preparedness, all from the comfort of their homes through a Zoom meeting.
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The city’s CERT program will also get participants started on the new California online self-paced basic CERT training course. Once students complete the online curriculum, they will be invited to participate in an entire weekend of in-person, hands-on skills training and a final exercise.
The Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) course provides training to Alameda residents and employees of Alameda businesses to help increase self-sufficiency in the event of a disaster. Participants learn skills that will enable them to provide emergency assistance to their families and neighbors.
Those interested in basic CERT training can add their names to the interest list online at bit.ly/3TzE4N4, and the Alameda CERT program will notify them when the next class is scheduled.
Are you already a CERT graduate? Check out the Alameda CERT program’s graduate website, find continuing education classes, upcoming training exercises and other events at veoci.com/v/p/dashboard/vd2s63khje.
For more information, contact the Alameda CERT office at cert@alamedaca.gov or 510-337-2129 or contact Alameda CERT program coordinator Capt. Dallas Andrews at dandrews@alamedaca.gov or 510-337-2131.
Fourth annual fair housing workshop April 18 at City Hall
The Alameda City Attorney’s Office will hold its fourth annual fair housing workshop, which will be free and open to the public from 9 a.m. to noon April 18 at City Hall in the City Council Chambers at 2263 Santa Clara Ave. in Alameda.
This year’s event will be full of helpful information on local and state housing laws, including tenant relocation and other current topics; fair housing rules for tenants and management; disability rights; and the mediation program and other services at the City Attorney’s Office.
Speakers scheduled are Lisa Greif (Bay Area Legal Aid); Angie Watson-Hajjem (ECHO Fair Housing); Nathanael Hill (chief of the local branch of the U.S. Housing and Urban Development Department); Gary Rhoades (a fair housing attorney); and professional staff from the City Attorney’s Office and rent program.
Everyone is welcome, and refreshments will be provided. Admission is free, but registration is required online at bit.ly/3vBJS0n.
— city of Alameda
Hornet on Saturday to observe Vietnam War Veterans Day
Starting at 11 a.m. Saturday, USS Hornet Sea, Air & Space Museum officials invite the public to join them in honoring U.S. veterans of the Vietnam War.
National Vietnam War Veterans Day (the actual holiday is March 29) is a day to remember and honor the 9 million Americans who served during that war, as well as the 58,000 names on the Vietnam Memorial wall in Washington, D.C.
The USS Hornet CVS-12 was an anti-submarine aircraft carrier that served three tours off the coast of Vietnam at Yankee Station in the latter years of her active service. Most of the ship has been left in the exact state it was when it was decommissioned in 1970. Included in the Hornet museum’s collection are several aircraft from the Vietnam War era, including a US-2B Tracker, F8U-1 Crusader, TA-4J Skyhawk, UH-34D Seahorse, SH-2 Seasprite, SH-3H SeaKing and a F4J Phantom II.
Bill Collier, who was a U.S. Marine helicopter pilot during the Vietnam War and flew for Air America afterward, will be the Hornet’s special guest speaker. Collier flew the UH-34D Seahorse helicopter on display onboard the Hornet and will share his experiences March 30.
The Hornet museum will also have a special Vietnam War temporary exhibit up all weekend. For more details online, visit bit.ly/4cmzYAt.
— USS Hornet
Kiwanis Club bestows eighth-grade Hope of America awards
The Kiwanis Club of Alameda (KCA) celebrated nine exceptional eighth-graders earlier this month as the club’s 2024 Hope of America awardees. The KCA invited the students, their teachers and their families to a luncheon held at the Elks Lodge in Alameda, and the total attendance with Kiwanis members was record-breaking for the event.
Alameda Mayor Marilyn Ezzy Ashcraft and Alameda Unified School District Superintendent Pasquale Scuderi presented their congratulations, with each student receiving a plaque from KCA President Dawna Dowdell-Dos Santos and the mayor’s official certificate.
Special guests this year included the family of the late Gene LaFollette, a long-standing Kiwanian who presented these awards for many years. His daughter, Madelyn, introduced her mother, Carolyn, and siblings, Allison and James. Her tribute to her father was a highlight of the event, as were the teachers’ tributes to their students.
The Hope of America Award is given to outstanding eighth-grade students who continuously demonstrate leadership, character, peer outreach, community service and school spirit. Every school in Alameda with an eighth-grade class invites teachers to nominate students matching these criteria.
The Alameda Kiwanis Hope of America committee makes its selection based on the responses received. For more information, visit alamedakiwanis.org online.
— KCA
City Attorney’s Office available to help renters with issues
Paul, an Alameda resident valuing his privacy, faced intrusion when a new owner, Piou, bought his apartment. Piou incessantly sent notices for unspecified “inspections” yet never appeared, disrupting Paul’s routine. Matters worsened when Piou, unannounced, entered Paul’s unit to take listing photos.
Paul confronted Piou, hoping to resolve the issue amicably. Instead, Piou unleashed a torrent of insults, derogatory language and even threats of eviction. Paul, unwilling to relent, penned a letter to cease the unwarranted entries, prompting Piou to suggest Paul move out if he was unhappy.
Determined to stay, Paul sought help, filing a complaint with the Alameda City Attorney’s Office. Piou’s actions breached Paul’s rights as a tenant. Management can enter a tenant’s home only in certain limited scenarios — such as an emergency, to make agreed-upon repairs or to show the unit to possible buyers.
Simply making “inspections” is not valid grounds to enter. In any case, management must always give 24-hour written notice before coming in. Also, management cannot invade a tenant’s privacy, such as looking through their things or taking photos, whilst conducting an inspection.
The Alameda City Attorney’s Office helped to educate Piou about the law and his responsibilities. The harassing “inspection” notices have stopped, as have the invasions of Paul’s privacy. The names and facts in this story have been changed, but it is similar to cases the office has handled.
If you have a question about the law or a complaint in the city of Alameda, contact the office at 510-747-4775, or email rfenix@alamedacityattorney.org. The Alameda City Attorney’s Prosecution and Public Rights Unit enforces the law and educates the public on issues including tenants’ rights, workers’ rights and consumer protection.
— Rico Fenix, paralegal-investigator, Alameda City Attorney’s Office
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