November 2022 Edition

Edition 8 November 2022

In This Edition
  1. FOR CONSIDERATION
  2. CANDIDATES ENDORSED BY PPA
  3. HOUSING
  4. SOCIAL JUSTICE
  5. CLIMATE AND ENVIRONMENT
  6. COMMUNITY UPDATES

Calendar of Events

TU 11/8ELECTION DAY
TH 11/10 6:340-7:30 PMPacifica Housing 4 All virtual webinar on the Housing Element, see invitation
FRI 11/11 11a-12nArmistice Day Vigil with the Pacifica Peace People, southwest corner of Manor and Palmetto
SAT 11/12 10 AMArbor Day celebration, Oceana High School’s Little Theatre
SUN 11/13 through SAT 11/19United Against Hate Week, see event calendar
MON 11/14 7 PMCity Council, in person
MON 11/21 7 PMPlanning Commission
TH 11/24Thanksgiving
MON 11/28 7 PM

City Council, in person

SAT/SUN 12/10-11 11AM-5PM

Winter Art Faire, Sanchez Art Gallery
SAT 12/17 12n-5pMerry Manor Art Walk, see description

 

Photos have been contributed by Leo Leon and Mark Hubbell

Pacifica Voice is eager to receive articles on issues important to our community. Please send them to editors@pacificavoice.us for consideration.
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FOR CONSIDERATION

My flag representing Pacifica – Dylan Van Earwage

“The Flag is a representation of our city in every element. The Majestic Gold Represents our beaches while the green represents the vast green forests and mountains, and the blue, of course, represents the Pacific Ocean. The sun in the middle represents our community.” -Dylan Van Earwage (Age 11)

A Hate Crime Against Pacifica Resource Center – Anita Rees

On Friday 10/28 just before noon, one of PRC’s back office windows was broken by a man in a grey truck. He deliberately stopped in front of PRC at the corner of Palmetto & Santa Maria and threw a rock at our window. I have no idea why someone would think throwing a rock at PRC was better than talking to us about what made them commit such a violent act against us. Was it the Pride Flag we proudly hang in that window? Was it that they don’t agree with the services we provide to our unhoused neighbors? Was it random?

Whatever the reason, I am disheartened and saddened to know someone in our community thought throwing a rock was the solution to their anger. Thankfully, no one was sitting at the window. While no one was physically hurt, we at PRC are emotionally shaken, shocked, and worried that this violence might continue against us or our neighbors.

PPD responded quickly and is investigating the incident as a hate crime. I thank PRC Office Manager Dulce Adonis and PRC Executive Assistant Michelle Hofland for managing the situation and insuring our staff’s safety. Thank you, also, to City of Pacifica Parks and Facilities Superintendent Gino Assereto for covering the hole in the window until we can get it replaced and Public Works Director Lisa Petersen for coordinating within her department to help.

Please help us find who did this, so they can get the help they need. If you were on or near Palmetto at Santa Maria on Friday before 12p and saw something or you have any information about what happened at PRC, please contact PPD non-emergency line at 650 650-738-7314 or by email police@pacificapolice.org or contact the Silent Witness Hotline at 650-359-4444.

Yours in peace and appreciation.

United Against Hate

Have you seen United Against Hate signs around your neighborhood or city? They are part of a growing movement with a simple goal: to unite communities against hate.

Civic leaders created United Against Hate in response to a rise in expressions of hate. Like many grassroots movements, United Against Hate relies on the power of civic action, calling on neighbors and residents to post signs, hold events and connect with each other to stand united against hate in all its forms.

In honor of this year’s United Against Hate Week, November 13-19, San Mateo County Libraries is helping spread the word about this powerful grassroots movement. Stay tuned for events we’re planning for this special week.

Our mission is to strengthen our community by creating an inclusive sense of place and environment for learning.

County of San Mateo is honoring United Against Hate Week with upcoming events, online resources and items to print including posters. We will be at TransACTION Day of Change in honor of Transgender Day of Remembrance on Friday, November 18, at 3:00 PM at the Courthouse Square in Redwood City.

All are welcome in our libraries to read, learn, play, make, discover and explore. Find related children’s book recommendations from our staff.

CANDIDATES ENDORSED BY PPA

Christine Boles

Progressivism: a candidate’s thoughts and suggested next steps.

Progressivism is defined as a “Way of thinking that holds that it is possible, through political action, for human societies to improve over time.”

We’re all optimists! That’s why we’re all here with the Pacifica Progressive Alliance – to learn, engage, and use our talents and experience to make our city and county better. We envision a Pacifica that is peaceful and just. We desire to be better stewards of our finances and environment, assure we care for our most vulnerable, and invite diverse voices to speak and be heard.

Progressive voices and values are so needed right now – when women’s rights to healthcare are at risk, when voting rights are being restricted, when divisive and hateful rhetoric inflames violence, and when a Country puts world peace and food stability at risk through an unjust and illegal invasion of another sovereign nation.

Our democracy is at risk; and in Pacifica, our progressive voices are needed too. Our current majority on City Council has failed us:

  • RV ban – violated civil rights and cost us about a million and counting, – Lack of building any affordable housing for over 25 years,
  • Lack of leadership on fighting climate change and planning for adaptation, – Approval of a General Plan that did not address our hazards,
  • Approval of development projects that don’t look at safety or environmental issues.

As you know I’ve been deeply involved in many of these issues for several years, asking hard questions, and suggesting better policies and solutions. I am probably not the most popular person in the room at our Council meetings.

Members of the City Council have worked hard to elect my opponent – a nice guy but with no experience or training to work on these complex issues. Does Council’s support of a candidate, with less skill, compromise our ability to debate issues to assure decisions are the right ones for Pacifica?

It troubles me that all the Council advocated unanimously for one candidate in District 2. The Council created an inequitable influence which impacts voters of District 2, reduces impartiality, and decreases voter opportunity to evaluate candidate merits without prejudice. I am discouraged that other Democratic leaders endorsed my opponent without ever talking to me. It seems that there is an imbalance in many of our endorsement committees in favor of corporate special interests or of maintaining a status quo. Progressive candidates do not have equal representation.

I really want to encourage each of us to get involved with these Democratic organizations now, so that we can hopefully change the dynamics for the next election cycle in 2 years. And let’s start work soon to find and mentor potential candidates for Districts 1 and 4.

We have a lot coming up in Pacifica that needs vision and smart, compassionate leadership. One person or one Council cannot solve these issues. Our city is short-staffed, and staff are overworked. We will all need to step in and help until we can build a stronger economy and tax base. If we all pitch in, the optimist in me believes we can actually start to build affordable housing, improve our policing and transportation, update our Climate Action Plan, and move to a more just society for all our residents. Let’s do it!

Paul Chervatin by Jessi Chervatin

Spoiler alert, this is a sappy, romantic story about my love for my husband, Paul Chervatin. Perhaps what caused me to write this article is an unpleasant attack on my husband last week at a candidate debate forum. Students from one of the local high schools organized a forum last Wednesday for Pacifica City Council and San Mateo County Supervisor candidates to come together at the Pacifica Community Center from 4-6pm. Unfortunately, this fell during work hours and Paul was not able to make it. I attended since I work from home and I wanted to be supportive of the students that worked so hard to organize the event.

During the forum, Paul’s opponent looked squarely at me and said “I think it’s funny that Paul is a realtor and talking about how bad it is for candidates to take SAMCAR money, it’s just funny because he’s in real estate and he’s trying to make real estate sound bad.” I was shocked by this brazen attack, especially when Paul wasn’t there to defend himself. I raised my hand and said “I’m Jessi Chervatin, Paul Chervatin’s wife, and I want to clear the air about what Sue just said about my husband. She thinks it’s “funny” that being a real estate agent he’s taking a stance against taking money, endorsements, or influence from the real estate lobby, SAMCAR. I don’t think that’s funny, I think that’s brave! It takes courage to stand up for the values you believe in. I have no issue with real estate as a job, but I do have an issue with SAMCAR meddling in local elections, funding candidates, and asking the candidates they fund to vet all council decisions related to housing or real estate via SAMCAR. We don’t need outside interests influencing our local decisions and Paul is fighting against that which shows he has integrity and courage. This is the reason I love him and married him: because he’s caring and wholesome and stands up for what he believes in, even if it’s hard.” Afterward people said, “I’m really glad you said that” and others said, “you should share your love story!” Here I am doing exactly that because everyone I know that has the opportunity to meet Paul realizes what a rare breed he is: he’s genuinely kind, honest, and wholesome. First, I’ll start by sharing that when I met Paul I was running a tech startup in San Francisco and had no time for dating.

Every so often I would go on one of the social dating apps and try my luck. Usually no luck! Paul laughs that the first time he saw my dating profile he thought “wow, she’s not humble at all!” My profile was a string of words and read something along the lines of “Smart, funny, beautiful Latina techie woman.” He’s right, I wasn’t humble and I was intentional about that because I didn’t want any man that felt uncomfortable with a highly confident woman to waste my time, or worse, break my heart.

I remember seeing Paul’s profile and thinking “Oh my gosh, no way he can put up with my sassy self, he seems too sweet!” He had a great write up, not as short as mine, but not a novella either. It was clear to me that he admired and respected his mom for raising him as a single mother on a modest income. He had a couple of pictures, one from college where he had shaggy Kurt Cobain type hair and nerdy glasses. “He has to be a Berkeley guy” I told myself, and smirked when I saw that he did, in fact, go to Berkeley! I liked his profile and we started to talk. A few days later I got asked to join a meeting in Germany and without hesitation I packed my little carry on and disappeared to Europe for 2 weeks. When I returned, I was so behind with work that it took me another week to get back onto the dating app. Our relationship almost ended there.

Fortunately, I went back online, and we planned a date. Our first date was a disaster! Paul got stuck in Outside Lands traffic on the Bay Bridge trying to get from Alameda to San Francisco and I still showed up late, which now Paul understands is my default. We somehow ended up talking about politics and I got irritated. It was clear he was smart and far better versed in historically relevant examples, and I wasn’t used to being wrong. On our second date he took me to an Irish dive bar and shared some of the things he’s passionate about: world history, sports, he played basketball and football which makes sense since he’s almost 6’ 4”, and he shared his passion for helping others.

The “helping others” part sounds cliché but it is genuine coming from Paul. He told me about his grandpa, William Prevo, a horse rancher from Wyoming that taught Paul about civic duty. He fought in World War II and was stationed in France where he met Paul’s grandma. Despite the language barrier the two of them fell in love, got married overseas, and started a family. Paul’s grandpa believed that every one of us has an obligation to make our country better, and he led by example. After the war he and his wife and kids left his hometown in Wyoming and moved out to California where he worked as a public servant for the rest of his life. Grandpa Prevo worked for municipalities and counties all over California as a personnel administrator. Paul told me that sometimes between moves or when finances got particularly tough his mom would send him to live with Grandma and Grandpa Prevo for several months. During these times his grandpa instilled in him a deep sense of civic engagement and the belief that our local communities can be made better, or worse, by the decisions of our elected officials. Paul told me he saw how dedicated his grandpa was to serve his community and it made a strong and lasting impression on him. This made me want to get to know Paul better.

Even though Paul was raised by his mom, she really wanted him to get to know his dad’s side of the family too. Paul spent a lot of time with his paternal grandparents: Fernando and Paola Chervatin. The Chervatins immigrated here as refugees following World War II when their town in Northern Italy became absorbed by communist Yugoslavia and anyone that didn’t get on board with the communist regime was either killed or exiled. Fearing for their lives, Paul’s grandparents sought refugee status to escape with the help of their church. At the time, the Catholic Church was helping many Italians escape assassination by seeking refuge in America. The Church sponsored their move to Duluth, Minnesota. The winters in Minnesota were way too cold for them and nobody spoke Italian, so they soon felt out of place in the Midwest. They had heard from friends about a community in Oakland where everyone spoke Italian, so they packed their few belongings and moved out to Oakland.

Grandpa Chervatin earned a living as a gardener at the University of California, Berkeley. He didn’t earn a lot, but he worked hard and saved his money and eventually bought his house in Rockridge where Paul would often visit him. Grandpa Chervatin would often say how proud he would feel if Paul got into the school where he was a gardener and Paul took that to heart. Paul told me he gave himself a big bold outlandish goal to get perfect grades and get into Berkeley to make his grandpa proud, and he did it! Getting into Berkeley, Paul told me, was the honor of a lifetime for Paul’s grandpa as well as for Paul.

In our family I was raised to prioritize integrity over fame or fortune. My hometown in Oregon is called Hood River and growing up it had about 5,000 year-round residents. The locals are families that have been there for 2-3 generations, or more. My parents have been there over 40 years, and in the same house since 1997, so they are finally earning “local” status! In Hood River if you don’t know someone then you ask their last name and find out that you went to school with their sibling, mother, cousin, etc. Everybody knew our family because I was the prom queen, my younger sister was also the prom queen, and my baby sister was the homecoming queen. It’s a small town and everyone feels connected and familiar. There is no room for dishonesty and people trust each other. In many ways, it reminds me of Pacifica. As Paul was talking about the hard-work ethic and sense of doing good for others that he learned from both sets of grandparents it reminded me a lot of my family and my upbringing. Paul, I realized, was compatible with my family values.

As it turns out, Paul was quickly accepted by my zero-B.S. tolerating father, which hadn’t happened with anyone I had ever dated before Paul. I think dads have a special sixth sense about the men their daughters date! I know my dad has been right about his assessment of every man I’ve ever dated. I know my mom has prayed for me to find someone kind, caring, thoughtful, respectful, and wholesome. When my mom met Paul she told me “This is the man I have been praying for to enter your life. Today, God has answered my prayers.” It made me cry. During the pandemic Paul and I moved up to Oregon for 2 months since my parents have a small 14-acre cattle ranch and we thought it would be good for us to help out on the farm while we could. Living under the same roof as my parents as a grown adult with my husband could have been bad, but it ended up being a lot of fun! It gave my parents and sisters the opportunity to get to know Paul on a deeper level, and they love him even more because of it. Years later after getting to know Paul my parents continue to sing his praises. My mom and dad both adore Paul because of the way he treats me and everyone around him, they even call him “son”. It warms my heart every time. Paul gives my mother the peace of mind that I finally found a genuinely sweet man that has a “heart of gold” as she puts it. I am very attracted to Paul, so I was relieved when every one of my hard to please friends and everyone in my immediate and extended family confirmed that he’s a man of integrity and worthy of being married to me. I had been worried that I was evaluating Paul through love-goggles, but he passed my friends, sisters, and parent’s approvals. I constantly ask myself why I didn’t find Paul earlier in my life, he could have saved me so much heart ache…  I am just glad I found him and that he and I get to raise a family together here in Pacifica where we plan to grow old and someday hopefully die together in peaceful sleep. Morbid perhaps, but that’s our dream and the reason Paul and I have worked so hard on his campaign for city council: Pacifica deserves to have someone as caring and kind as Paul looking out for the best interests of our people.

Laura Parmer-Lohan

Laura Parmer-Lohan, Pacifica Progressive Alliance Endorsed Candidate for San Mateo County Supervisor, D3

Dear Pacifica residents,

You deserve to know the truth about your local candidates, who is funding them and what affect it might have on you and your neighbors. In the interest of accountability and transparency, I feel a responsibility to update you on the latest on my race for County Supervisor. 

Laura Parmer-Lohan and Jane Fonda, Actor/Activist & Founder of The Jane Fonda Climate PAC
  • My opponent, Ray Mueller, is supported by nearly $100,000 in campaign funding from contributors including Chevron, Phillips 66, and Marathon Oil.
  • I have received no such funding. I am proud to say that our community-driven campaign has received contributions from hundreds of individuals, neighborhood groups and organizations such as yours, CAL FIRE firefighters and Planned Parenthood Advocates Mar Monte. In fact, the Jane Fonda Climate PAC has endorsed me for my pledge to refuse support from Big Oil.
  • When elected, I will hold corporate interest groups, including Big Oil, accountable for their actions and refute the influence they are trying to peddle for their self-interest. And I will invest in wildfire prevention, drought mitigation and protect our open spaces, beaches, and forests for future generations to enjoy.

Carole Groom is the only woman on our San Mateo County Board of Supervisors, and she will be terming out after this election. I am honored that Supervisor Groom has joined organizations such as Planned Parenthood and Vote Pro Choice in supporting my candidacy.

I will stand for all our neighbors across our diverse communities. We need strong, unbiased representation now more than ever and I will work for you. I would be honored to have your vote on or before November 8th. Thank you!

HOUSING

Two stories from Ayudando Latinos A Soñar (ALAS) – Joanne Rokosky

Coastside Faith in Action

Ayudando Latinos A Soñ Latinos (ALAS) is a non-profit organization in Half Moon Bay that supports the Latino coastal community. Recently the ALAS Affordable Housing Committee began visiting local clergy and congregations in Half Moon Bay to request help persuading the city to prioritize affordable housing for families. As a member of Coastside Faith in Action, I had an opportunity to meet with two members to hear their stories.

Carolina, her husband, and daughter fled violence in El Salvador three years ago. She and her daughter managed to come to Half Moon Bay, but her husband was detained by immigration and eventually returned to El Salvador. On arrival, Carolina shared one room with five people; but when her brothers-in-law came, her father-in-law rented a two room apartment for all of them. To manage the $5,000.00 deposit plus two months rent – grand total $12,000 – the father-in-law took out a loan from a family member. No bank would lend to him. To afford the rent, her father-in-law works two jobs: 6 am to 4 pm at Rocket Farms, then 6 -9:30 pm at a local restaurant. All the adults work and contribute to the rent, which increased and is now $3800/month. Carolina was a preschool teacher in El Salvador but here she works cleaning houses and helping her father-in-law.

Carolina’s $700/month rent provides her a shared room of approximately two by four meters. She and her seven-year-old daughter sleep together in a twin bed. Carolina’s daughter has no place to play except their shared bed; and when her aunt or grandmother need to sleep, the daughter must stay very quiet. Her parents-in-law and brothers-in-law share the other room, and they all share the bathroom and kitchen. Carolina described the rigid schedule required to use the bathroom, beginning with her father-in-law at 5 am.

Anai is from Mexico. Her husband left her when he learned she was pregnant with twins, so she became a single mother of three children. In order to find work to support them, Anai came alone to the United States, and her children remained behind with Anai’s mother. Everyone is stressed by the situation. Anai hates being away from her children, saying, “It hurts a lot.”

Anai, with her current husband and infant, arrived in Half Moon Bay about five years ago and lived in a tiny room for $900/month. When her son was six months old, they were told to leave and briefly moved to Los Angeles where the situation proved even worse. Upon return to Half Moon Bay, they rented a single room for $1600/month. Here they were told not to make noise after 7 pm and to “shut up the kid.” After six months, Anai’s family found another room for $1500/month but without cooking facilities. In frustration they left and slept in their car for a month. Someone offered a room to Anai and her son but not to her husband, and he continued to sleep in their car. Desperate and with their son very unhappy, they found an apartment to share with the families of her two brothers. Collectively, they had to pay a deposit of $15,000 and $3800/month plus garbage, water, and electricity. The two families with children paid $2000/month each, and the family without a child paid $1700.

They lived together for five years, but eventually the stress of being crammed together in a single room with young children, a tiny kitchen, and an argumentative neighbor led to conflicts. Anai and her family found another place to rent, but only for six months. Four of the six months have passed, and Anai has no idea what will come next. She is very stressed and worried, and her five-year-old son is affected by being told to be quiet and not play. Anai grieves being here without her other children. Additionally, Anai suffers from severe sciatica which periodically causes debilitating pain impacting her work as a housecleaner.

Carolina finished our conversation with this plea, “Look at us. The rents may not seem high to you; but for us, paid the minimum wage of $16.90/hour, it is prohibitive. Yet we are the people on the Coastside working in the markets, the hotels, the restaurants,and the fields, cleaning houses, doing yard work, babysitting, pet sitting, and caring for seniors. We need rent proportional to income. We only need a small, (affordable) place, a peaceful place – where we can cook, take a nice long bath, and hang out with our kids – a place that is appropriate and dignified. We need housing. We need it now.”

Pacifica Housing 4 All invites you to a webinar on our Housing Element – Suzanne Moore

Every eight years, communities are obligated to evaluate their future housing needs and develop a plan. Pacifica’s deadline for the Housing Element is January 31, 2023.

Pacifica Housing 4 All believes housing is a human right, is necessary for life and health, and is critical for the wellbeing and resiliency of our community.

Pacifica’s 6th Housing Element is qualitatively different: Pacifica is challenged to build 1,933 new units between 2022 and 2030. State law mandates fair housing, equitably scattered through our community, of various levels of affordability.

Pacifica’s 2015-2023 Housing Element identified “goals, objectives, and programs (that) strive to encourage and incentivize the maintenance, preservation, improvement, and development of housing affordable to persons of all income levels and special needs categories.” In spite of the plan, few building permits have been issued since 2015, and 81% were for above-moderate-income units. Pacifica has failed to build low-income housing for three decades.

Learn about Housing Element best practices from community leaders:

  • Housing Leadership Council on the Fair Housing mandate,
  • Legal Aid of San Mateo County on Anti-Displacement,
  • HIP Housing on housing preservation,
  • MidPen on nonprofit housing.

A virtual presentation Thursday, November, 10th 2022 6:30-7:30 PM Log on at: https://tinyurl.com/ynf8r9p4

Simulcast through Pacific Coast Television at Comcast Channel 26
Spanish translation available.
Please attend, learn, and participate. Our Housing Element is our commitment to create housing for all.

City of Pacifica Housing Element Community Survey

Prepared for the City of Pacifica, California.
The City of Pacifica is preparing its 8-year housing plan, formally known as the Housing Element of the General Plan for 2023-2031. The Housing Element addresses the housing needs of all segments of the population through a variety of policies and programs. Please consider sharing your perspective in this brief survey. Your feedback is important to shape Pacifica’s future housing policies and programs. Survey responses will not be attributed to individuals.

Housing Element Survey

HIP Housing Calendar Project Winners

HIP Housing is thrilled to announce the twelve winners of its popular annual calendar competition! Receiving close to 250 entries this year, the competition invites children in San Mateo County from kindergarten through fifth grade to draw a picture of a home and share a quote about what home means to them. The top twelve entries are compiled into a colorful calendar complete with information about HIP Housing’s affordable housing programs and distributed to 3,000+ homes and businesses across the county!

One of the calendar winners, a fourth grader named Melanie, calls Pacifica home! Her entry will be featured in the month of December. Along with her artwork, Melanie provided this quote:

“What my home means to me is that we have a roof over our heads and that is good because not everyone has one and it can keep you dry from rain. Another reason why my home is special is because I have a family that lives with me and they care and love me.”

Check out all the other beautiful drawings and quotes via our website today!

All winners will receive a gift certificate for their efforts and will have an opportunity to present the printed 2023 calendar at a meeting of their local City Council in the coming months, alongside a HIP Housing Board member. The calendar will also be available for sale on the HIP Housing website from early December onwards. Don’t miss out!

Learn more about how you can help others find a home this holiday season by contacting HIP Housing at (650) 348-6660, or by visiting our website at hiphousing.org!

SOCIAL JUSTICE

Pacifica Peace People

Pacifica Peace People supports the call from the wider peace movement re: the War in Ukraine to demand diplomacy, negotiation, talks, diplomacy, negotiation, talks. Russia has restarted the shipments of grain to the global South — threatened by hunger and famine — this is a hopeful indication that continued diplomacy, negotiation, talks will be productive to end the war and destruction. We support US humanitarian aid in Ukraine; we call for an end to arms shipments and military aid. To date, US has authorized $40 billion for weapons to Ukraine.  We say, no more! Please contact your Congressional representative and US Senators to let them know war is not the answer. And always promote the abolishment of nuclear arms; stop the arms race — just DO IT. 

Pacifica Peace People invite you to stand in silent vigil with us to honor Armistice/ Remembrance Day, November 11. This year marks the 104th year since WWI, “the war to end all war,” ended at 11:00 am on the11th day of the 11th month. We stand in solidarity with all those who reclaim the original meaning of the day: solemn remembering and working for peace. Come to the vigil 11:00 – 12 noon Friday, November 11, 2022 in front of Walgreens [Manor/Palmetto].

“Our only hope today lies in our ability to recapture the revolutionary spirit and go out into a sometimes hostile world declaring eternal hostility to poverty, racism, and militarism.” MLK

Pacifica Peace People considers addressing racism an important part of cultivating a culture of peace in line with our mission: Acting locally for peace globally.” We have offered community events under the heading “Pacifica Talks Race,” in the past. An upcoming special event, offered by the Pacifica Historical Society, Sunday, November 13, 2022 at 4:00 pm at the Pacifica Coastside Museum; 1850 Francisco Blvd.; Pacifica, CA is something you won’t want to miss!

Come to hear Steve Okamoto speak about Executive Order 9066 [February 19, 1942], authorizing the forced internment of Japanese-Americans. Okamoto’s family were sent to the Tanforan Assembly Center in San Bruno. Another site was Sharp Park internment camp on today’s archery range which held internees during World War II.

Mr. Okamoto is a former Foster City Council member and a member of the Tanforan Assembly Center Memorial Committee. We urge you to mark your calendars and attend this event.

CLIMATE AND ENVIRONMENT

Arbor Day is November 12, 2022  – Paul Totah

Please join us for our Fourth Annual Arbor Day celebration Nov. 12 at Oceana High School! We will gather at Oceana High School’s Little Theatre at 10 a.m. to hear a presentation by Pacifica Mayor Mary Bier, hear a poem by our new poet laureate Toni Mirosevich, see a presentation by students, and congratulate the winners of the student art contest.

If you would like to plant a tree, send an email to treecitypacifica@gmail.com with your name, email address, phone number and ages of those who wish to participate. Trees will be assigned on a first-come, first-serve basis.

The event is sponsored by the City of Pacifica, Tree City Pacifica, Ocean High School, the Rotary Club of Pacifica – which provided two grants toward the cost of the trees and green bags – and Recology which provided enriched topsoil.

Note that if any scout troop that wishes to participate, we need each family to contact us individually. (In past years, scout leaders would ask us to reserve trees as a group. Scouts may still participate as a group, but we need a firm commitment from each scout or scout family wishing to plant a tree.)

Students and staff at Oceana High School will also join us in this activity, and we are looking forward to a great day to help grow Pacifica’s urban forest and continue our status as part of the Tree City USA program!

Please park in the north lot, which is closest to the Little Theatre on the north end of the campus, where we will be gathering at first at 10 a.m. To access that lot, coming from the south, drive north on Oceana Blvd. past the school. You’ll see a road on your right; drive up that road to the parking lot; coming from the north, drive southbound on Oceana Blvd. Before you come to the school, you’ll see the road on your left. Follow it to the parking lot.

Pacific Beach Coalition

Pacifica Beach Coalition recent celebrations:

Click Here Learn more about how to volunteer for Beach Cleanup in Pacifica, Daly City, Foster City, Half Moon Bay and Montara

Click here to Check out the November Newsletter by Lynn Adams & Nancy Enge

The Pacific Beach Coalition in Pacifica, California is seeking an Executive Director (ED) who shares a deep commitment to its mission and the environment, solidifying the programs, operations, and organizational excellence to ensure sustained growth. The Executive Director will work alongside the President to lead the organization and fulfill its mission and vision, focusing primarily on finances, fundraising, and business operations. Click here for more information.

COMMUNITY UPDATES

2nd Annual Merry Manor 2022 – Art Walk & Neighborhood Social

The second annual Merry Manor is happening this year on Saturday, December 17th from 12 to 5pm. Merry Manor started last year, in 2021, and the event was a huge success.  Merry Manor is a local art walk and neighborhood social. Everyone is welcome to come walk the neighborhood!

Bring your own mug – stops on the walk will be offering refreshments to visitors. There will be lots of goodies and last-minute gifts to buy. This year, our artists and makers will be selling candles, ceramics, prints, digital art, paintings, hats, quilts, jewelry, sculptures and more!  The Manor neighborhood is filled with creative people.

Sixteen artists are participating this year with thirteen stops:

  1. Cindy Cook, a ceramic artist, will be participating for the first year (Arroyo Drive),
  2. Hank Strohbeck joins the event again and will open his home studio to share his paintings, watercolors and mixed media. Jean Strohbeck has unique photography (Milagra Drive),
  3. Kristina Ayala of Pufferfish Press will have original linocut prints, cards, totes, bags, stickers and hand-built ceramics (Milagra Drive),
  4.  Ken Engelhard, a metal sculptor, has a backyard filled with amazing sculptures that you may have seen in the Silicon Valley Open Studios (McKinney Ave),
  5.  Dana Miller will be displaying her beautiful quilts (McKinney Ave),
  6.  Jude Pittman & Jamey Brzezinki will open their home studios and share paintings, prints and digital arts (Milagra Drive),
  7.  Jeffrey Richards, a ceramicist, makes amazing sculptures reflecting our dreams (Miller Avenue),
  8.  LLK Designs had beautiful jewlery (Miller Avenue).
  9. Food for Faces is your stop for great hats(Edgemar Ave).
  10. Evergreen Eclectic Co. had kawaii (cute) pins (Edgemar Ave).
  11. Small Craft Goods is your stop for candles and soap (Edgemar Ave).
  12.  Amy Darwin has creative handmade ceramics (Vista Mar Ave).
  13. Pacifica Sea Glass jewelry & Coastal Mermaid Art illustrations are a must see stop (Lockhaven Drive). You may want to drive to this stop.

Follow MerryManorPacifica on Instagram for updates and artists features. Please email MerryMerryManorPacifica@gmail.com if you have any questions.

San Mateo County Libraries

All are welcome in our libraries to read, learn, play, make, discover and explore. Find related children’s book recommendations from our staff.

I Am Enough
by Grace Byers

Ages 4-7

Loving who you are, respecting others, and being kind to one another.

Some Bodies
by Sophie Kennen

Ages 5-8

Through playful rhymes and colorful artwork, all the things that make our bodies special-from the texture of our hair to the color of our eyes-are celebrated.

Something Happened in Our Town
by Marianne Celano

Ages 4-8

A child’s story about racial injustice.

All Are Welcome
by Alexandra Penfold

Ages 4-8

Discover a school where all young children have a place, have a space, and are loved and appreciated.

Skin Again
by Bell Hooks

Ages 4-8

The skin I’m in is just a covering. It cannot tell my story. If you want to know who I am, you have got to come inside and open your heart way wide.

Art Guild of Pacifica’s Winter Art Faire

The Most Artful Time of the Year

The Art Guild of Pacifica welcomes the holidays with Winter Art Faire, their annual holiday art show and sale, at Sanchez Art Center. The two day event will be held Saturday, Dec 10 and Sunday, Dec 11, with extended hours of 11 am –5 pm.

A showcase for local artists and artisans, Winter Art Faire provides a relaxed and welcoming atmosphere and is a great place to find unique items for the special people in your life, and YOU! There will be local artisan vendors selling jewelry, flowers, stoneware, ceramics, jam, scones and tea inspired gifts,and cards. Additional artists will feature photography, small drawings, watercolor and acrylic paintings, original prints, mixed media work, and much more.

Artists and artisans will be on site providing time to talk with artists, including those Sanchez studio artists who open their doors during the overall event. Additionally, it’s a great opportunity to spend time looking at art; all three galleries will be filled with the works of the Art Guild of Pacifica members. You will find some real treasures here, so make Winter Art Faire a gift-buying stop, and enjoy artful holidays! Sanchez Art Center is located only a little over a mile east from Highway One, at 1220 Linda Mar Blvd, Pacifica. Free parking in the lot or on the