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Minor Setback for a Safe Modern Library

On March 9th, in closed session, the West Contra Costa Unified School District (WCCUSD) Board instructed their staff to inform the City of El Cerrito that the WCCUSD has higher needs for the western portion of the temporary Korematsu middle school campus.  This is the area that Hilltop Elementary school and Korematsu Middle School used during construction of their permanent campuses.  WCCUSD says they need the entire area for the temporary Fairmont Elementary School and a possible new permanent elementary school.   Fairmont, one of 21 schools vying for reconstruction, is the last major WCCUSD campus in El Cerrito to be rebuilt.  City Council supports rebuilding Fairmont Elementary in the fastest timeframe possible and encourages the WCCUSD to rank Fairmont high and needing immediate reconstruction as a result of over crowding (140% enrollment) and the special needs student inclusion program.  A safe modern library remains the highest priority for City staff and this decision is only a minor set back.  The City is continues to consider the WCCUSD Moeser Lane site along with the Contra Costa Civic Theater site, San Pablo Avenue sites and rebuilding at the existing Stockton Avenue site.  More information to follow this summer.

Greg Lyman
VP-Treasurer

 

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SACRAMENTO LOBBY DAY FOR HEALTH CARE EQUALITY – MAY 16, 2016

 

Please join Health Care for All – CA and many other organizations seeking health care equality for a march and rally at the State Capitol on Monday, May 16th.  For many years this Lobby Day has been instigated by CaHPSA (California Health Professional Student Alliance) to support single payer health care for California.  This year the focus will be on joining many organizations together in support of SB 10 to get health care coverage for undocumented adults.  We will have a bus leaving from the Ashby BART station at 8:30am that day or from the Richmond Target Store at 8:50am to Sacramento.  The bus will take riders to the start of the march which is about one mile to the Capitol.  For those who don’t wish to march, the bus will take riders to the Capitol for the rally.  The bus will return to the East Bay starting at 1pm.  We will “pass the hat” to help pay for the bus and food, but no one will be turned away for lack of funds.  Anyone who wishes to ride the bus needs to make a reservation for the bus by contacting Don Bechler, of Single Payer Now, at dbechler@earthlink.net (cell: 415-810-5826).  For those who would like to join the Leadership Conference on May 15th in Sacramento for training on SB10 and training for lobbying, go to Health4All.eventbrite.com.   This is a wonderful chance to join with a coalition of diverse organizations as we work towards universal, comprehensive health care coverage in California.  For further information, contact Jonee Grassi, joneemg@aol.com, 510-681-6021.

Jonee Grassi
ECDC Member

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ABOUT MEMBERS’ CORNER

We’ve had an inquiry about the inclusion of non-Club material in the newsletter’s Member’s Corner.

Members’ Corner is a forum for you, the Club membership! We know that you, as public-spirited residents of our fair city, are involved in many other fine volunteer activities — and that those activities can only be enriched by being promoted. So we, in the person of your venerable Vice-President of Publications, decided to give you a little corner to self-publicize.

Of course, this means YOU have to write something about your meritorious doings and mail it to me at ecdc.pubs@gmail.com. It’s called participatory democracy. And by the tenth of each month, please!

/KC