NorCalUrban

Another homicide in EPA this weekend. Another young life cut short. This one was closer to home, since it was the son of one of the other tenants in our building. I'm tired of the violence. You can read the news report here. Pastor Bains knew this young man well. I found strength in the U2 song 'Drowning Man' this morning. I'll take it as words from God and a prayer for the family. Take my hand You know I'll be there If you can I'll cross the sky for your love For I have promised Oh, to be with you tonight And for the time that will come Take my hand You know I'll be there If you can I'll cross the sky for your love And I understand These winds and tides This change of times Won't drag you away Hold on, and hold on tightly Hold on, and don't let go Of my love The storms will pass...the storm will pass... It won't be long now...it won't be long now... His love will last His love will last...forever Take my hand You know I'll be there...

See the entire article here. Menlo Park's City Council tonight will consider an innovative approach to preventing foreclosure for struggling homeowners - but one that comes with a big up-front price tag for the city. "To me, the most important thing is to keep people in their homes and not disrupt families, not take kids out of school," said Councilman Andy Cohen. "This is the only program on the horizon that does that." The Foreclosure Prevention Program targets owner-occupied homes with mortgages more than 90 days past due. Program administrators would approach the bank that holds the defaulting mortgage and ask it to sell the mortgage at the home's current fair market value - the same amount the bank would receive if the home went through foreclosure, but with fewer expenses and less time and trouble for the bank, said David Shapiro, CEO of the EARN Group, a Los Gatos company that develops real estate financing tools. A local community bank would then ref...

This recently happened on my street. I'm thankful that the police made this arrest, but I also have great concern for the families that live on our street. Please pray for those of us who live on Saratoga Ave! We're prayng for the Kingdom of God to impact and change our neighborhood. The police team also arrested two Pacific-Islander men, whose names were not available, for having two guns, including a loaded Uzi machine gun with 300 rounds of ammunition. The two also had scales for weighing drugs and night-vision goggles. Packaged narcotics for sale were also seized in the arrest, which occurred in the 1100 block of Saratoga Avenue in East Palo Alto. You can see the whole article at Palo Alto Online. This is in response to the recent shootings and violence that I blogged about here. Update: Here is another version of the story.

“SPECIAL COMMUNITY MEETING” - WITH MAYOR ABRICA & POLICE CHIEF DAVIS COMMUNITY MEMBERS ARE INVITED TO ATTEND A “SPECIAL MEETING” HOSTED BY MAYOR REUBEN ABRICA AND POLICE CHIEF RONALD DAVIS TO DISCUSS THE RECENT SPATE OF VIOLENCE AND THE CITY’S RESPONSE TO IT. THE SPECIAL MEETING WILL BE HELD ON: DATE: WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 10, 2008 TIME: 6:00PM – 8:00PM LOCATION: COMMUNITY ROOM AT CITY HALL, 2415 UNIVERSITY AVENUE, EAST PALO ALTO Light Refreshments will be provided. For more information, please contact Patty Del Castillo, Executive Assistant to Chief Davis at 650-853-3155

Five shootings in 5 days with nine hurt, one overdose and another homicide over a week ago. It's been an especially violent couple of weeks in EPA. What's been particularly shocking is that some of the victims have been children and women. This is revealing the insidious nature of the shootings. There is a meeting today with some faith leaders and the police department as well as other prayer events stirring. Here is the official press release from yesterday's shootings:  At approximately 08:44 P.M., East Palo Alto Police Officers were summoned to the 2800 block of Illinois Street for a Shot Spotter Activation. While police officers responded to the 2800 block of Illinois Street, police officers learned that a possible shooting victim arrived at a home on the 1600 block of Michigan Avenue. In a divided response, police officers responded to the 1600 block of Michigan Avenue and the 2800 block of Illinois Street. When police officers arrived on the 2800 block of Illinois ...

My coworker Jenni Ingram (aka 'Reflections of Reality) recently blogged about her job at Northern California Urban Development (NCUD). See her blog here. We've recently been blessed to bring on two new staffers. Gilbert Chaidez came on as a program developer to work with the development of our youth programs. He was funded through a generous grant from the Silicon Valley Community Foundation. As Jenni mentions in her blog, she was doing double duty as admin support and Youth Program Manager. Through her leadership our programs have grown so much we were able to bring Cynthia Ruiz on as admin support. This frees Jenni to focus her attention on the youth programs. Jenni's blog has a great update on what we're doing. Check it out!  I've known Cynthia for many years through my time at  BCM. She's a wonderful young leader who has grown up in East Palo Alto. We're blessed to have both Gil and Cynthia on our team. You can see more about them on our website here...

Check this out this link! Samuel, his best friend Malik and other students at East Palo Alto Academy were interviewed on TV  where they were asked about their views on Obama.  The students has some interesting and revealing comments. With all the politics, it may be easy for some to overlook the significance and importance of the first truly viable African-American candidate for president. Obama's nomination to especially many young people in our community speaks volumes about who they are and what they can become. This is an exciting and important time in our history.  Please join me in praying for both our candidates, but especially Obama. I've felt impressed that I should pray specifically for his safety during the next months.  Follow the link and check out the interview! What about you? How significant do you feel is Obama's nomination?

Today was the last game for the mighty East Palo Alto Kubs, Sam's baseball team. They were playing for 2nd place in the league against Lodge, their rivals. The winner would have sole possession of 2nd place and receive a trophy (which each kid coveted greatly). It was a tough game. Lodge came out hard and behind their great pitching remained in front through six innings. But behind the Kubs solid defence (led by their catcher, Sam) they kept the score close.  Being the home team they had the last at bat.  In the bottom of the 6th (ending) inning, the Kubs were trailing by one run. The bottom of the order was batting. Jasmine, our rookie was up. For whatever reason Lodge pulled their pitcher and replaced him with a closer.  After going to a full count Jasmine walked and was replaced with a pinch runner, Jason. Next up was another rookie, Andre who also reached base on balls. The leadoff hitter, Samuel Liotti, was up. On the first pitch, Sam crushed an 'against the fence' ...

This year is Samuel's last year in little league. It seems like yesterday he began playing in the Junior Giants program in Jack Farrell Park in EPA. This year, after some coaxing from his head coach Bruce,  I decided to be an assistant coach. The last time I coached was when Sam was in pitching machine league about three years ago. I've been pleasantly surprised how much fun this has been. The Ravenswood Kubs have a real shot at the league championship this year, after struggling over the last few years. They are a great group of kids.  Samuel has been on a tear in his hitting lately. He's batting lead off and for the last three games has been smoking the ball. Yesterday he batted three times, with a single, double and his first home run in little league. (In pitching machine league he once hit for the 'cycle'.) But this home run was no cheap shot - it cleared the center field fence in the deepest part of the yard. Thanks to Coach Bruce and others for searching for ...

Charisse Domingo's  (from YUCA) photos, thoughts and work about the violence in 2007. 

CUs NATIONWIDE COME TOGETHER TO OPEN CU BRANCH IN UNDERSERVED AREA OF EAST PALO ALTO Branch Is First Credit Union in Area Currently Served By One Community Bank, Several Check-Cashing and Payday Lending Establishments March 21, 2008 From coast to coast, several credit unions have banded together to help Community Trust Credit Union in Modesto, CA open up a branch in East Palo Alto. The community of more than 40,000 residents, mostly low-income and Latino, is currently served by one small community bank as well as a number of check-cashing and payday lending establishments. Many banks left the 2.5-square-mile city in the 1980s. On March 15, Community Trust Credit Union of East Palo Alto held its grand opening celebration with more than 150 members, community and credit unions leaders, residents, and legislative officials in attendance. Palo Alto, CA-based Stanford Federal Credit Union and Addison Avenue Federal Credit Union, and San Francisco-based Patelco Federal Credit Union joined u...

Someone asked me about this figure this week - now I know. EPA has the highest unemployment rate in the county, says the  Palo Alto Daily News. "With an unemployment rate of 9.8 percent, East Palo Alto has the highest proportion of jobless residents of any city in San Mateo County, according to the state Employment Development Department. That's pretty high, considering the county owns the second-lowest unemployment rate - 4.0 percent - of the state's 58 counties."

Last night we recalled the difficult events of two years ago...  The photo is the widow of slain East Palo Alto officer Richard May at last night's memorial. The Palo Alto Daily News reports: "Besides marking the beginning of a new year, the month of January in East Palo Alto has become a reminder of how quickly violence can take lives. Two years ago Monday, police Officer Richard May was allegedly gunned down by Alberto Alvarez, a now 24-year-old member of the East Palo Alto-born and -bred Sacramento Street Gang. Alvarez was on parole at the time and is awaiting trial. About 60 people gathered at the St. Francis of Assisi Church to remember May, a man who friends and family said cared deeply about East Palo Alto and the residents he was hired to serve and protect. His widow, Diana, told the crowd that she was perusing his old laptop, on which he did all of his police work, when she realized how attached her husband had become to the city. "He had plans for East Palo Alt...

Article found  at EPA.net. Community Trust Credit Union of East Palo Alto Is Open For Business Community Trust Credit Union of East Palo Alto opened its doors for business on Wednesday, December 19, 2007. After three years of planning, much hard work, and unwavering faith, the dream of a mainstream financial institution owned and governed by the residents of East Palo Alto is a reality. Why is this important? Because the people of East Palo Alto and surrounding communities will now have easy access to high quality, low-cost financial services to take care of their everyday needs and a way to build assets for the future. Community Trust Credit Union (CTCU) is a full-service, not-for-profit financial institution that has been established since 1961. Under the leadership of President and CEO Joe Duran, CTCU has become one of the most respected community development credit unions in the country largely because of its mission “to provide excellent personal service” to all of its mem...

Ecumenical Hunger Program needs your help... Hoping for 11th-hour donations East Palo Alto food bank 'could use a couple hundred more' hams, turkeys With Christmas Eve almost here, the Ecumenical Hunger Program in East Palo Alto is hoping a last-minute wave of donations - from turkeys to toys - will remedy what workers there say has been a dismal year. On Thursday afternoon, as volunteers packed boxes of food for several people waiting in line, Arnold Hart reckoned the food bank had about 60 turkeys and hams left, significantly less than what is needed today and Saturday. "We could use a couple hundred more," Hart said. Like many charitable organizations around the Bay Area, the Ecumenical Hunger Program is seeing a drop in donations, possibly from a shaky housing market and rising energy prices. Ecumenical primary donor, the Second Harvest Food Bank, which serves about 400 nonprofits in Santa Clara and San Mateo counties, has barely reached half its three-month holid...

News article on the Pastor Bains' "Lord's Gym" project: EAST PALO ALTO — Pingpong balls whizzed by Pastor Paul Bains' head as he played his own game, paddle in hand. He stared at his opponent across the table and prepared to strike. Whack! The ball smacked the net. Bains placed the paddle on the table and went about his business — creating positive peer pressure. Around him, at-risk teens played inside Lord's Gym Community Center on their lunch break last week. "You have to touch their hearts so you can help them change their minds," Bains said. "We talk to them about staying in school and going to college. These kids have potential. They have energy." For the last few weeks, the center has been a haven for the community's youth. To them, Bains is known as "Preach," "Uncle Paul" or "Pastor Paul." The 46-year-old is the pastor at St. Samuel Church of God in Christ on East Bayshore Road and a senior chaplain...

Thanksgiving seemed to come quickly this year. I've been so involved with the credit union construction project and focused on opening day I haven't had much time to think about the holidays. Now that it's here, I'm glad to slow down and reflect. While the drywall finishers wanted to work on Friday, I decided to take the time off. With all that's going on, the early mornings and late nights, I'm feeling spent and relish some time off and away. We're headed to the Modesto area to spend the holiday with Melissa's family. Melissa's brother Fabian is hosting the meal at his home. We'll hang out with he and his family for the weekend, returning home Saturday or Sunday. Samuel, as always is excited to see his family. Sometimes I swear that he'll move over there as soon as he can. Thanksgiving has always been my favorite holiday. While consumerism is beginning to creep in (I've been heard it called 'gray Thursday, the day before the big shop...

The San Jose Mercury News reports on a recurring problem with East Palo Alto teens: Carlmont High School freshman Joshua Brass was kicked out of a morning advanced English class after walking in late or missing almost every class the first few weeks of school. But it's not because he skipped class or hit his alarm clock's "snooze" button too many times. It's because for the first month of school, buses to his school were as much as one hour late three-quarters of the time. Joshua and the hundreds of other East Palo Alto students who are bused 10 miles to Carlmont in Belmont have missed many hours of lectures and class work - time that's especially precious for East Palo Alto students, whose dropout rate is double the district average. "The worst part is that many kids are so conditioned that the bus comes late, they don't have a sense of urgency about getting to school," said Larry Moody, a board member of the Ravenswood City elementary school ...

Sam's playing fall ball right now for an East Palo Alto team. Here's some pics from his game last Saturday. Speaking of baseball. Good news: Yankees come back from a 14 1/2 game deficit to make it into to playoffs. Bad news: they are fighting for their lives against the Indians, who they dominated throughout the regular season. I can barely think straight right now! Facing elimination, the Yanks came back to win last night's game on a solid outing by rookie pitcher Phil Hughes after Clemens was booted. Johnny Damon came through. Whew - the Yanks finally looked like the Yanks! Redsox sweep the Angels to move on - man do I have great disdain for the Redsox. 4:30 today is another game...

We live in a very unique and exciting place. I would say that our area is one of the worlds leaders in many areas, certainly technology but also medicine, education, philanthropy and many other arenas. We live and rub shoulders with trend setters and world shakers every day. However, there is a out of control feel to life here that can sometimes take charge, where enough is never enough. With crazy housing costs, even folks who would be considered wealthy and rich other places are only middle class here. The New York Times did very interesting article on life and riches in Silicon Valley called "Millionaires Who Don't Feel Rich" I've excerpted some of the article below. It's a glimpse into the lives of folks right across the bridge from East Palo Alto and eastern Menlo Park. The article shows the mid set of people who live in our region. It eludes to the cost of living in our area and what it takes to love here, but also the 'golden treadmill' and the te...