California has one of the lowest firearm mortality rates in the nation, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. This is largely because California has enacted some of the strongest and most effective gun safety laws in the nation.
Marilyn Ezzy Ashcraft is the mayor of Alameda. (photo courtesy of Maurice Ramirez)
As a California Assemblymember a decade ago, our current state senator, Nancy Skinner, D-Berkeley, authored the first of these “red flag” laws designed to keep firearms out of the hands of those threatening violence to themselves or others.
Last fall, Skinner and Alameda City Attorney Yibin Shen co-hosted a workshop on “red flag” laws, known as gun violence restraining orders (GVROs), for Bay Area law enforcement personnel, district attorneys and city attorneys.
GVROs can also be valuable resources for the public in circumstances involving domestic violence, suicide risk (including youth suicide) and self-harm. Alameda Police Chief Nishant Joshi explains that GVROs are civil court orders intended to keep guns away from people believed to be a danger to themselves or others.
Law enforcement, family members, employers, co-workers and school employees can request a GVRO by completing a form citing specific facts for a judge to review. If the judge believes the facts support the request, the judge will approve a GVRO to prevent the person at risk from possessing a firearm. Deputy City Attorney Doug McManaway, who specializes in GVROs, offers these general tips:
• If the situation is an emergency (i.e. individuals are in immediate danger of harming themselves or others or are actively engaged in violence against themselves or others), call 911. GVROs are useful tools, but citizens should not spend time completing a form and filing it with the court if they are in imminent danger.
• Only certain individuals — law enforcement, immediate family members, employers, co-workers or employees of a school the person of concern attends — can go to court to request a GVRO. If you do not fall within one of those categories but you believe individuals in possession of guns would be a threat to themselves or others, contact the Alameda Police Department nonemergency line (510-337-8340) or the City Attorney’s Office (510-747-4750) to request that law enforcement pursue a GVRO.
• A self-help guide compiled by the California court system provides useful information to assist members of the public who are considering whether to seek a GVRO is available online at selfhelp.courts.ca.gov/GV-restraining-order.
If you’re feeling depressed, contemplating suicide or concerned that a loved one may be doing so, call or text 988 to be connected to crisis counselors who will provide free and confidential support 24/7.
Election Day: Despite news media predictions that the March 5 primary will be a low-turnout election, Alamedans take democracy seriously and vote in large numbers in every election. This is no exception.
All registered Alameda County voters will have received a mail-in ballot by now. The return envelope requires no postage but must be signed, dated and include your address, postmarked by Election Day, March 5, and received by the Alameda County Registrar of Voters by March 12.
You can also return your ballot to one of these three official drop boxes in the city of Alameda (include the information noted above on the envelope): Alameda City Hall, 2263 Santa Clara Ave.; the College of Alameda, 555 Ralph Appezzato Memorial Parkway; and the Bay Farm Island Library, 3221 Mecartney Road on Alameda’s Bay Farm Island. Ballots can also be deposited 24/7 at any official Alameda County drop box until 8 p.m. on Election Day.
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If you prefer to vote in-person, six accessible voting locations in Alameda will be open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. this Saturday through Monday (March 2-4) and from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Election Day, Tuesday, March 5: South Shore Center: 2130 Otis Drive (near OfficeMax); the College of Alameda: 555 Ralph Appezzato Memorial Parkway; the First Congregational Church of Alameda: 1912 Central Ave.; Bohol Circle Incorporated: 1815 Union St.; the California Historical Radio Society: 2152 Central Avenue; and Independence Plaza: 703 Atlantic Ave. (open for voting starting Feb. 24). Be sure to vote, then wear your “I voted!” sticker proudly.
Calling All Foodies!: Alameda Restaurant Week is March 1-10. Let’s support local restaurants that are still recovering from COVID-19 pandemic measures. Visit alamedarestaurantweek.com to find multicourse menus offered at set prices in restaurants across the Island. Try your favorite locations and a new one or two!
Post a photo of your amazing meals on Instagram and tag #arw2024 or upload a photo using the form on the website to be entered in a raffle to win Alameda restaurant gift cards — bon appétit!
Keep yourself and others safe. VOTE! Eat local! Be “Alameda Strong!”
Marilyn Ezzy Ashcraft is the mayor of Alameda.