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The reason why additional space is not required is because passing traffic can use what is called “lane-sharing.” So instead of passing traffic trying to squeeze by the cyclist and the white line, which causes nothing but concern for both parties involved, allow the passing cars to move to the left and drive on the lane marker, or partway into the neighboring lane if its clear. Otherwise wait for other traffic to clear, and then lane-share and pass. It’s as easy as that.

If you do start this lane-share early enough and correctly you will have plenty of clearance.

Cyclists can help the situationas well. Your assistance can help unlock a difficult situation when cars are stacked up behind you. Instead of ignoring them, become the enabler. Make a sweep-around motion with your left hand so the drivers realize that they should safely pass you. That’s not so hard, either. You’ll be amazed how quickly things get sorted. You’ll feel less pressure realizing that the inconvenience is minimal.

A 12-foot-wide lane is pretty narrow for cyclists without a clear shoulder. For traffic below 44 mph it is recommended An outside lane width of 14 feet is recommended for traffic traveling under 44 mph. For higher speed traffic the recommended outside lane width is 16 feet.

With these wider lanes motorists and cyclists are happier and more comfortable because the emotional stress of passing is reduced.

You might notice that some roads have wider fast lanes in the range of 14 feet, and narrower outside lanes like 12 feet. This would be a good reason for you to send a letter to your traffic engineering department to correct this error. It won’t create a problem for emergency vehicles on their way to a response and it will make cycling easier in your community.

So a 12-foot-wide fast lane, and a 14-foot-wide outside lane is more acceptable. Traffic engineers are generally willing to make these changes when repaving. Ask for no outside lane stripe as well.

Wynn Kageyama is the certified cycling instructor who will be conducting a Beginning Road Cycling class starting Sunday, July 10, through the Castro Valley Adult School. For more information or to register, call 510-886-1000 or visit www.cvadult.org

A Year to Celebrate, Despite the Challenges

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Wednesday, 27 July 2011 15:14

By Paula Evans

SPECIAL TO THE FORUM

As the school year wraps up, I am compelled to reflect on the year’s challenges and our celebrations.

Jerry Green, Director of Castro Valley Adult and Career Education, recently reported at the Castro Valley School Board meeting that the adult school last year provided educational services to 7,495 students in and around our community, a close-knit region the adult school has served for the past 45 years.

That is an impressive number in light of what the news media has been reporting on the dismantling of many California Adult School programs by local school districts.

The strength and effectiveness of the instructional programs offered through Castro Valley Adult and Career Education is due in large part to the support from the Board of Education and the district administration under the leadership of Superintendent Jim Negri, Adult Director Jerry Green and Assistant Principal Judy Gestring who continue to implement their vision of providing high quality instructional programs to a diverse population of community members.

Most importantly, this success is due to a dedicated staff of instructors and support staff who are passionate about what they teach, the services they offer and the difference they make in the lives of students.

Budget cuts, the economic downturn and ongoing uncertainties about the future are still challenges the adult school and district faces. Through careful fiscal management, restructuring of courses and fees, Castro Valley Adult’s core programs are intact and gaining strength, particularly in the areas of Adult Basic Education, Adult Secondary Education and Career Training.

With a strong emphasis from the State Department of Education on literacy and career training, CV Adult recently developed an innovative ABE (Adult Basic Education) program to serve the increasing amount of adults who are returning to school after job loss.

A significant number of these adults need basic skills instruction leading to GED or high school diploma completion.

Students meet on a weekly basis with caring instructors in a computer lab equipped with resources to aid their progress in reading, writing, and math. Once basic skills have been strengthened, students matriculate into the Adult Secondary Education program to study high school subjects.

For more info on the programs and services offered, contact Castro Valley Adult and Career Education, 510-886-1000, visit us in person at 4430 Alma Avenue, Castro Valley, on our website www.cvadult.org or on Facebook.

Online Lenders Offer Low Rates, Liabilities

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Sunday, 28 August 2011 15:38

By Carl Medford, CRS

Special to the Forum

Lured by promises of lower rates and costs, homebuyers are opting for internet-based lenders over local brick-and-mortar institutions.

While saving money is great, there can be risks associated with online lenders. So much so, in fact, that many Central Alameda County Realtors warn against using online mortgage originators.

Historically, the primary issue has been bait-and-switch — promised low rates and/or fees simply don’t materialize at closing time. By then, the buyer has no ability to switch to another loan.

In response, recent regulations mandate that standardized Good Faith Estimates must be used. Unfortunately, some online lenders try circumventing this by using non-standardized “fee worksheets.”

Many buyers argue that online rates and fees often appear better than those offered locally. While that may be true, better rates aren’t everything. Realtors frequently complain about online lenders, citing lack of communication, time zone differences, delayed closings and even blown deals.

Talk to anyone involved in recent home purchases and you’ll hear a common theme: lenders are making the buying process much more difficult.

Increasing regulations, tighter restrictions and lender scrutiny have added significant hurdles in getting transactions funded and closed. Adding an out-of-area lender simply contributes to the degree of difficulty.

“When you work with a local lender, you can communicate in person,” states Michael Tacconi with Pacific Funding Group. “Given how complicated and confusing the mortgage process can be, being able to meet face-to-face is an advantage you simply won’t get with online lenders.”

Although a lender funding in California must be licensed here, they are often based in other states and frequently don’t understand the process or documents in California. This is a huge issue.

We’ve had to go through the California purchase agreement line-by-line with out-of-state lenders who couldn’t understand what we were doing and were consequently putting the brakes on the deal.

They often don’t understand our market, either. Recently, a Kansas-based lender refused to fund a central county loan because the buyer was paying more than the property’s list price — because of multiple offers. Evidently, that’s not the way the market works back there. We actually had to explain to the lender, “We’re not in Kansas anymore.”

Since you are buying a home locally, we recommend using a local lender. The process will be easier and, at the end of the day, you’ll have the keys to your new home, not just a promise of a low rate.

Carl Medford is a licensed Realtor with Prudential California Realty in Castro Valley and a licensed general contractor. This article is sponsored by the Central County Marketing Association at www.ccmgtoday.com

Trojan Talk: School Pressure

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Friday, 20 May 2011 11:25

By Nic Barradas

SPECIAL TO THE FORUM

As a student, I constantly contemplate the pressures that I have to do well in school. My parents are always on me about doing well.

I have the pressure to succeed from colleges so that they will accept me. Sometimes competition with other students or maybe a teacher’s encouragement drives me to do better.

But rarely have I thought about it from a teacher’s perspective; what affects their decisions about grades, and how it affects me as a student.

In a recent interview with a teacher at CVHS who wished to remain anonymous, I was given insight into what goes through a teacher’s mind when they have to maybe fail a student or negatively affect a student’s future.

“There’s a big push for academic rigor, that means our courses have to be harder, and more college preparatory. But if our courses are harder, not as many students are going to be getting A’s.

“If we teach more academically rigorous courses, our grades are going to be more spread out. You might have a few A’s, but more B’s and C’s. But there is a push for students to go to college. So if we have this standard for academic rigor, how do we create that and then ensure students get into college,” the teacher stated.

“I know that if you have B’s and C’s, students really start to get stressed about it. The more difficult the class, the more stress we are putting on students. So how do you balance those two? Between academic rigor, and making sure your students have grades good enough to get into college.

“Because the system is so competitive, if you have a C and you are applying to UC, you’re out of luck. Teachers know this, when we see that we are giving a C to a student, it doesn’t always mean that they are unintelligent or that they’re not motivated, but maybe that they just didn’t grasp the material. It’s really hard to give them that C, because you want them to go to a good school,” the teacher continued.

So, maybe the problem is that we are evaluating schools based on how many of their students go to a four-year University, not on whether they are able to do well or even complete the program. Say CVHS’s classes were all easy and that students at CVHS earned a 4.0 GPA on average. Well great, we would all get into college, but how many of us would be competitive at that level?

You can easily find the percentage of how many CVHS students went to a four-year university last year, it’s 40%. But we don’t have a measure of their success in college or after. High School should be about preparing yourself for the next step in your life not about the GPA.

Nic Barradas is a senior and student journalist at Castro Valley High School.

Column: MAC and the Castro Valley Sign

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Thursday, 05 May 2011 13:36

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By Cheryl Miraglia

SPECIAL TO THE FORUM

Once again there seems to be a lot of misinformation floating around about the CV sign. Contrary to the April 27 article implying otherwise, the MAC did not decide to place the sign anywhere. The motion was to investigate further.

There are those who think that a decision made 14 years ago should be it and never discussed again although we could all name a myriad of issues over the last century where popular opinion was for or against something only to have it reverse in subsequent decades due to a changing population, consciousness and environment.

Likewise, there are those who believe that an online survey with a difference of 60 votes in a population of over 65,000 should be the deciding factor.

Generally, surveys are deluged with people voting against an issue but this one did not result in the landslide that many expected. While there are now about 220 known opponents of the sign, there are 160 proponents and the case could be made that nearly 65,000 people would be fine having it installed somewhere or leaving it in storage for infinity.

I would agree with the resident who wrote that we have far more important issues to discuss than this sign. When someone comes to the Council and asks for consideration of an item, the council can either choose to ignore them (not good public process) or it can choose to do due diligence in investigating it and possibly taking action.

The Council really wanted to hear from as many residents as possible. In addition to local media coverage, I thought perhaps a survey might be a good tool to help us reach out so I designed and posted the survey and wrote an editorial to try to get people involved, hoping that we would hear from a groundswell of people before the fact.

That did not happen. Approximately .5% of our community took the time to participate in the survey and a very few by attending one of the two publicized meetings.

Yet, the survey gave us a lot of good feedback and insight into the issue and there was actually consensus on certain things. Many who were opposed were because they didn’t think it represented Castro Valley and/or because they didn’t want it welcoming people at a gateway location.

Well, even the majority of people who thought it should be installed somewhere (a) did not believe it should be a welcome sign at a gateway to our community and (b) thought it should be installed as art and/or as part of our history even though they didn’t feel it represented CV.

So the MAC requested that the Art Commission do further investigation regarding the feasibility of the top three non-gateway sites, interact with the artist regarding same as well as her willingness to modify the sign, and investigate any costs and available funding (including the status of the original maintenance fund set up for the sign) and report back so that the Council could make an informed decision.

The MAC’s charter allows us to address issues other than land use that affect the quality of life in Castro Valley. While the second and fourth Mondays of the month are for land-use issues, the third Monday of the month is the general meeting for non-land-use issues (6 p.m. at the Castro Valley Library).

The next meeting on the subject of the sign will be held when the Art Commission has gathered the requested info and notice of that meeting will be publicized via Castro Valley media.

Cheryl Miraglia is Chairperson of the Castro Valley Municipal Advisory Council. Contact her at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Excessive Water: A Foundation's Worst Nightmare

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Thursday, 21 April 2011 13:48

By Carl Medford, CRS

Special to the Forum

April showers bring May flowers… and, in many parts of Alameda County, building issues as well.

It’s been a banner year for rain and we’ve all watched in horror as some Bay Area homes have been affected by water-saturated soils.

Some have been hit by water-induced landslides, others have had their foundations undercut. Either way, it’s a homeowner’s worst nightmare as their long-time residences have suddenly become uninhabitable.

Extensive rains can cause serious problems for any home. If careful attention is not given to drainage, water can build up in crawl spaces and, over time, cause problems such as mold and warping of hardwood floors.

A common mistake is to install a patio or sidewalk that actually directs water towards the residence. In severe cases, especially for homes built on slab foundations, excessive water can enter the living area and cause significant damage.

Homes built in hilly regions are prone to more serious issues with water runoff being the primary concern. Much care must be given to ensure that water is diverted around the house and towards proper storm drains. Water not directed correctly across a property can build up and saturate the soil around the home. Over time, this can lead to severe foundation issues such as cracking, shifting and outright failure.

Once a foundation begins to fail, repair costs can escalate quickly. Want to sell? Foundation issues can kill a pending transaction: nothing gives a potential buyer greater cause for concern than the words, “foundation issues.”

Retaining walls present their own range of concerns. There are many types: home improvement stores sell a variety of retaining products used by do-it-yourselfers to tame slopes. On the more serious side are engineered concrete walls reaching 6 feet or higher. Just like foundations, water needs to be diverted around them or serious problems can occur.

San Leandro building officials emphasize that retaining wall work will require permits if the wall is more than 4 feet tall from the bottom of the footing to the top of the wall. Engineering may also be required: it’s something best left to the pros.

Concerned about water? Proper drainage is key. French drains, trenches and a variety of other remedies are available. Hire professionals to ensure it’s done right: the last thing you want during the next downpour is to discover that your property isn’t as permanent as you’d hoped.

Discount Brokerages Going Broke

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Friday, 15 April 2011 09:31

By Carl Medford, CRS

Special to The Forum

Back in the heyday of rocketing home prices, discount brokerages sprouted like mushrooms on a midnight lawn and commission “discounts” and “rebates” were rampant.

Backed by the new power of the Internet, companies such as Zip Realty garnered market share as they started rebating monies back to buyers completing transactions with them. Others like Redfin joined the game in an effort to change the commission landscape.

In the new market, however, it’s a different story. With many smaller discount brokerages going the way of the dodo bird, the big players are changing their tune as well.

Zip Realty is pulling out of 11 markets across the nation because their discount model is losing them money — $5.1 million dollars in third quarter 2010.

In the press release announcing their change in strategy, they stated they were beginning to emphasize personalized service and the experience of their agents over the “classic” commission rebates and discounted fees upon which the company was founded. Read, “Discount commissions are losing us money; we need to switch to a more traditional brokerage style.”

“Truth is,” declares Lori Parks of Prudential in Castro Valley, “current lower prices and resulting diminished commissions don’t leave much room for rebates, if any.”

Redfin has also drawn lines in the sand by refusing to handle transactions that won’t net them a profit. They insist they need $6,000 per transaction and that they’ll offer rebates above that amount. Want to buy a home in San Leandro under $200,000? They won’t handle it. Why?

Their website states, “Because these homes don’t generate enough of a commission to cover our $6,000 minimum fee.” They will, however, gladly refer the transaction out to a “partner agent” who’s willing to work for less. In other words, they’ll get a percentage of the transaction without taking the hit to their bottom line. Want to buy a short sale through Redfin? Sorry. They refer those out as well.

They have real cause for concern: of the 3,118 transaction sides in the Central County over the past 12 months, Zip Realty accounted for only 7 sales and Redfin racked up a whopping ... 4. Contrast that with the dedicated Realtors of the Central Alameda County who, day-in-and-day-out, are working to help buyers and sellers regardless of the list price or the fact that it may or may not be a short sale. These Realtors won’t offer a “rebate,” but you can count on full service and ... a sale.

‘The Last Supper’ in Stained Glass

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Thursday, 07 April 2011 09:39

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Sherry Brewer said she feels as if “the Lord asked me” to design and craft a stained-glass version of “The Last Supper,” the famous Leonardo da Vinci’s 15th Century painting at her “I Love Stained Glass Shoppe” on the Boulevard.

By Robert Souza

CASTRO VALLEY FORUM

“It has been a true work of inspiration to everyone who works here or comes into the shop,” said Brewer, who told the Forum a number of churches have shown interest in acquiring the large, handcrafted artwork when it is completed.

Local artists, including Doug Savich of San Leandro, have been working with the shop’s employees for the past year on the eight-by-three-foot stained-glass and copper window that will contain roughly three thousand individually cut and prepared pieces of colored glass.

“Customers who come in are beside themselves...some even break into tears because they are so moved by it,” added Brewer who plans to display the fully assembled work in her shop.

The “I Love Stained Glass Shoppe” is located at 3315 Castro Valley Boulevard.

School Matters • 03-23-11

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