85,000 Kaiser Permanente healthcare workers to hold strike authorization vote Monday over what they claim are unfair labor practices, say chronic under-staffing is driving a growing patient care crisis

By Renée Saldaña, Press Secretary, SEUI – United Healthcare Workers West

A strike may be looming at one of the nation’s largest employers.

On Monday August 28, Kaiser workers in California, including Antioch, will start to vote to authorize a strike over unfair labor practices. The voting ends September 12th.   The unions will strike dates soon after we get the results of the vote. The contract expires for a large bulk of the Kaiser workers in the coalition (58,000) on September 30th, so a strike could potentially start as early as October 1.

We are expecting a majority of the workers to vote in favor of a strike. We will keep you posted on any other developments.

On Thursday, August 24, healthcare workers employed by Kaiser Permanente announced details of a potential strike authorization vote at a hybrid in-person and virtual press conference.

Following the UPS labor settlement with the Teamsters, the labor negotiations covering 85,000 Kaiser healthcare workers – represented by the Coalition of Kaiser Permanente Unions – have now become the largest single-employer labor negotiations occurring in the United States. The Coalition unites healthcare workers at Kaiser Permanente facilities in California, Colorado, Oregon, the District of Columbia, Hawaii, Maryland, Virginia, and Washington.

At issue, healthcare workers say, are a series of unfair labor practices related to contract bargaining, along with simmering staff concerns related to unsafe staffing levels that can lead to dangerously long wait times, mistaken diagnosis, and neglect.

If Kaiser executives don’t take swift action to rectify the unfair labor practices that detailed at the press conference, workers say they’ll have no choice but to strike. Workers also say the company needs to immediately and substantively address the growing care crisis at its hospitals and clinics.

Barring a breakthrough in the ongoing negotiations including a resolution of the unfair labor practices in question, the healthcare workers announced the strike authorization vote date and plans.

“Kaiser cannot keep bargaining in bad faith and committing unfair labor practices. Kaiser is facing chronic under-staffing because workers can’t afford to live in LA on the low wages they pay us,” said Miriam de la Paz, a unit secretary at Kaiser Permanente in Downey, California. “If Kaiser’s millionaire executives won’t work with us on a plan to hire more people so we can give every patient the attention they deserve, we’re prepared to vote for an unfair labor practice strike.”

“We want Kaiser to stop committing unfair labor practices, and bargain in good faith. It’s heartbreaking to see our patients suffer from long wait times for the care they need, all because Kaiser won’t put patient and worker safety first,” said Paula Coleman, a clinical laboratory assistant at Kaiser Permanente in Englewood, Colorado. “We will have no choice but to vote to strike if Kaiser won’t let us give patients the quality care they deserve.”

“Our patients expect more from a healthcare system that reported $3 billion in profits in the first half of this year alone, and so do we,” said Nahid Bokaee, a Pharmacist in Sterling, Virginia. “Kaiser can afford to end this dangerous understaffing, but they choose not to. For the sake of our patients and our colleagues, we’re prepared to authorize a strike because Kaiser cannot keep bargaining in bad faith and committing unfair labor practices.”

BACKGROUND

The Kaiser healthcare workers are members of the Coalition of Kaiser Permanente Unions, which represents more than 85,000 healthcare workers in seven states and the District of Columbia. In April, the Coalition began its national bargaining process. The Coalition and Kaiser Permanente last negotiated a contract in 2019, before healthcare workers found themselves on the frontlines of the COVID pandemic that has worsened working conditions and exacerbated a healthcare staffing crisis.

Tensions have been rising as the workers’ contract expiration looms. Earlier this month tens of thousands of healthcare workers picketed Kaiser hospitals across the U.S. to protest the company’s growing care crisis.

Workers say that Kaiser is committing unfair labor practices and also that under-staffing is boosting Kaiser’s profits but hurting patients. In a recent survey of 33,000 employees, two-thirds of workers said they’d seen care delayed or denied due to short staffing. After three years of the COVID pandemic and chronic understaffing, healthcare workers at Kaiser Permanente are calling on management to provide safe staffing levels.

Even as some frontline healthcare heroes live in their cars and patients wait longer for care, Kaiser released new financials this month indicating they made ​​$3 billion in profit in just the first six months of this year. Despite being a non-profit organization – which means it pays no income taxes on its earnings and extremely limited property taxes – Kaiser has reported more than $24 billion in profit over the last five years. Kaiser’s CEO was compensated more than $16 million in 2021, and forty-nine executives at Kaiser are compensated more than $1 million annually. Kaiser Permanente has investments of $113 billion in the US and abroad, including in fossil fuels, casinos, for-profit prisons, alcohol companies, military weapons and more.

Creating the Blueprint is a key step in developing Plan Bay Area 2050+.

Public engagement is a fundamental element of the plan update process.

September 6th workshop in Contra Costa; Deadline for comment: September 7, 2023

The Plan Bay Area 2050+ Blueprint will integrate strategies across the four elements of the plan — the economy, the environment, housing and transportation — to create a more equitable and resilient future for all.

Beginning in summer 2023 and wrapping up in late 2024, staff will develop the Blueprint over two phases: the Draft Blueprint and the Final Blueprint. Given Plan Bay Area 2050’s solid foundation of 35 strategies, the Draft Blueprint phase for Plan Bay Area 2050+ will focus on making targeted refinements to select plan strategies. (See Plan Bay Area 2050 Executive Summary)

Assumptions for the select Blueprint strategies will be refined to reflect ongoing implementation efforts from Plan Bay Area 2050, while also leveraging findings from previous planning efforts that may be relevant to the post-COVID environment.

Equity and performance analyses will also be conducted during the Draft Blueprint phase to evaluate how the plan’s strategies are supporting progress towards making the Bay Area more affordable, connected, diverse, healthy and vibrant for all.

Furthermore, Transit 2050+ — the comprehensive re-thinking of the six transit-related strategies in Plan Bay Area 2050’s transportation element — will develop an integrated regional transit network that will be incorporated into the Final Blueprint.

While still remaining fiscally constrained per federal planning requirements, the focused plan update approach will consider whether to pursue targeted updates to — or to reaffirm — the Regional Growth Forecast (while maintaining its forecast methodology), as well as to the External Forces, the Growth Geographies and the Needs and Revenue Forecasts.

Culminating in late 2024, the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) and the Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG) will consider adoption of the Final Blueprint, which will then move forward in the plan update process as the preferred alternative for environmental review.

Getting Involved

Creating the Blueprint is a key first step toward updating the plan itself, and thus the Blueprint planning phase will require iteration and deep engagement of the public, partners and elected officials.

A first step in developing the Blueprint is to better understand what has changed as the region emerges from the pandemic. This summer, MTC and ABAG staff will be traveling across the region to speak to the community to understand how life has changed for individuals as the Bay Area enters the “new normal.”

MTC and ABAG are taking input from community members and partners to help inform the development of the Draft Blueprint.

You can make your voice heard in a variety of ways! Attend a pop-up workshop near you; participate in our survey; or submit comments via email, telephone or mail.

Find an event near you and join the conversation to help staff better understand how the last three years have impacted life across the Bay Area.

Participate in Our Survey

A first step in updating the plan is to better understand what has changed for you as the region emerges from the pandemic. MTC and ABAG want to learn how the “new normal” may be impacting your life.

• Participate in the survey in English(link is external)
• 快來參與中文版的問卷調查(link is external)
• Participa en la encuesta en español(link is external)
• Tham gia khảo sát bằng tiếng Việt(link is external)

The survey will close on September 7, 2023.

The survey also will help inform the development of Transit 2050+, a parallel long-range planning effort that will produce a first-of-its-kind plan to re-envision the future of the public transit network in the nine-county Bay Area, and the expenditure plan for a potential transportation revenue measure. The revenue measure is key in advancing implementation of Plan Bay Area.

Join a Pop-up Workshop

This summer, MTC and ABAG staff will be traveling across the region to speak to the community to understand how life has changed for individuals as the Bay Area emerges from the pandemic. Attend a pop-up workshop near you and tell us what the “new normal” means to you.

Contra Costa County

Diablo Valley College — Pleasant Hill Campus

Wednesday, September 6, 12 to 3 p.m.

321 Golf Club Road, Pleasant Hill, CA

About Plan Bay Area

Plan Bay Area is a long-range regional plan jointly developed and adopted by MTC and ABAG every four years.

Payment plan for low-income customers, penalty waivers for all bridges, Express Lanes

The Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC)’s Bay Area Toll Authority (BATA) today launched a public information campaign to raise travelers’ awareness of two new programs available through the Bay Area FasTrak® customer service center to help people with overdue tolls, penalties and fees get out of debt.

Bay Area FasTrak® now offers a payment plan program for individuals with outstanding toll debt whose household income is no more than 200 percent of the federal poverty level (about $60,000 for a family of four). The Bay Area Toll Payment Plan is open to all who have received toll violations on Bay Area bridges or express lanes. For those who qualify, violation penalties will be waived and any remaining balance of at least $100 can be paid off over time in the payment plan.

This program is intended to provide a way for people with overdue tolls, fees and penalties to get out of debt, and it is not limited to Bay Area residents.

Eligible participants may apply at the program website at bayareatollpaymentplan.org or by mailing or faxing a paper application. Both the website and the paper application are available in English, Spanish, Chinese and Vietnamese.

To ensure those who are income eligible are aware of and have assistance applying for Bay Area Toll Payment Plan, BATA is conducting extensive outreach to social services and housing agencies, as well as to dozens of community-based organizations and other human services programs.

BATA and partner toll agencies last month also began offering full or partial one-time violation penalty waivers that are available to all customers, regardless of income. BATA, the Golden Gate Bridge Highway & Transportation District and MTC’s Bay Area Infrastructure Financing Authority unit will waive all penalties associated with toll violations on their facilities on a one-time basis. The Alameda County Transportation Commission, the San Mateo County Express Lanes Joint Power Authority and the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) each will waive one penalty per customer for toll violations on their Express Lane facilities.

The one-time penalty waivers will be available to customers through September 2024. To obtain a waiver or to find out if you have overdue toll violations, customers must call the Bay Area FasTrak® Customer Service center at 877-BAY-TOLL (877-229-8655) and pay all outstanding tolls and any DMV fees owed. Eligible customers who choose to enter into a payment plan must make their first payment to receive the penalty waiver.

MTC is the regional transportation planning, financing and coordinating agency for the nine-county San Francisco Bay Area. BATA manages the Bay Area’s FasTrak electronic toll payment system and administers all toll revenue from the Bay Area’s seven state-owned toll bridges.

Chance at shark dive trip, $10 e-gift card for donors in August

Claims COVID vaccines don’t pose risk to blood transfusion patients

By Martin Gagliano, Regional Communications Manager, American Red Cross, Northern California Coastal Region

After a summer of declining donations, the American Red Cross needs the public’s help to prevent a blood shortage. When a donor makes and keeps an appointment to give blood or platelets in the weeks ahead, they can help ensure trauma patients, those undergoing cancer treatment, and people with lifelong blood disorders can get the blood they count on.

Right now, the Red Cross especially needs type O negative, type O positive and type B negative blood donors, as well as platelet donors. Donors of all blood types can schedule an appointment to give by downloading the Red Cross Blood Donor App, visiting RedCrossBlood.org or calling 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767).

The Red Cross is teaming up with Warner Bros. for the theatrical release of Meg 2: The Trench to celebrate a summer of sharks and help stave off a summer blood and platelet shortage. All who come to give through Aug. 12 will be automatically entered for a chance to win a three-night New York getaway for two with a private shark dive adventure at Long Island Aquarium. Those who come to give throughout the month of August will also get a $10 e-gift card to a movie merchant of their choice. Details are available at RedCrossBlood.org/Movie.

Upcoming blood donation opportunities Aug. 1-15:

Contra Costa County

Brentwood

8/2/2023: 9 a.m. – 3 p.m., Summerset at Brentwood III, 1581 Regent Drive

8/15/2023: 9 a.m. – 3 p.m., Immaculate Heart of Mary Catholic, 500 Fairview Avenue

Danville

8/4/2023: 11:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m., The Grange Hall, 743 Diablo Road

Hercules

8/4/2023: 9:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m., City of Hercules, 102 Civic Drive

Pleasant Hill – Contra Costa Blood Donation Center, 140 Gregory Lane

8/1/2023: 12:15 p.m. – 6:45 p.m.,

8/2/2023: 12:15 p.m. – 6:45 p.m.,

8/3/2023: 11:45 a.m. – 6:15 p.m.,

8/4/2023: 7:45 a.m. – 2:15 p.m.,

8/5/2023: 7:45 a.m. – 2:15 p.m.,

8/6/2023: 7:45 a.m. – 2:15 p.m.,

8/7/2023: 7:45 a.m. – 2:15 p.m.,

8/8/2023: 12:15 p.m. – 6:45 p.m.,

8/9/2023: 12:15 p.m. – 6:45 p.m.,

8/10/2023: 11:45 a.m. – 6:15 p.m.,

8/11/2023: 7:45 a.m. – 2:15 p.m.,

8/12/2023: 7:45 a.m. – 2:15 p.m.,

8/13/2023: 7:45 a.m. – 2:15 p.m.,

8/14/2023: 7:45 a.m. – 2:15 p.m.,

8/15/2023: 12:15 p.m. – 6:45 p.m.

San Ramon

8/11/2023: 11 a.m. – 5 p.m., San Ramon Valley Seventh-day Adventist Church, 2260 Camino Ramon

Alameda County

Alameda

8/5/2023: 9 a.m. – 3 p.m., Alameda Community – Twin Towers United Methodist, 1411 Oak Street

Berkeley

8/10/2023: 11 a.m. – 5 p.m., Congregation Netivot Shalom, 1316 University Avenue

8/11/2023: 9 a.m. – 3 p.m., JCC East Bay, 1414 Walnut Street

Newark at Fremont – Newark Blood Donation Center, 39227 Cedar Boulevard

8/1/2023: 11:45 a.m. – 6:15 p.m.,

8/2/2023: 11:45 a.m. – 6:15 p.m.,

8/3/2023: 11:45 a.m. – 6:15 p.m.,

8/4/2023: 8:15 a.m. – 2:45 p.m.,

8/5/2023: 8:15 a.m. – 2:45 p.m.,

8/6/2023: 8:15 a.m. – 2:45 p.m.,

8/7/2023: 11:45 a.m. – 6:15 p.m.,

8/8/2023: 11:45 a.m. – 6:15 p.m.,

8/9/2023: 11:45 a.m. – 6:15 p.m.,

8/10/2023: 11:45 a.m. – 6:15 p.m.,

8/11/2023: 8:15 a.m. – 2:45 p.m.,

8/12/2023: 8:15 a.m. – 2:45 p.m.,

8/13/2023: 8:15 a.m. – 2:45 p.m.,

8/14/2023: 11:45 a.m. – 6:15 p.m.,

8/15/2023: 11:45 a.m. – 6:15 p.m.

Oakland Blood Donation Center, 5450 College Avenue

8/1/2023: 12:15 p.m. – 6:45 p.m.,

8/2/2023: 12:15 p.m. – 6:45 p.m.,

8/3/2023: 10:45 a.m. – 5:15 p.m.,

8/4/2023: 7:45 a.m. – 2:15 p.m.,

8/5/2023: 7:45 a.m. – 2:15 p.m.,

8/6/2023: 7:45 a.m. – 2:15 p.m.,

8/7/2023: 12:15 p.m. – 6:45 p.m.,

8/8/2023: 12:15 p.m. – 6:45 p.m.,

8/9/2023: 12:15 p.m. – 6:45 p.m.,

8/10/2023: 10:45 a.m. – 5:15 p.m.,

8/11/2023: 7:45 a.m. – 2:15 p.m.,

8/12/2023: 7:45 a.m. – 2:15 p.m.,

8/13/2023: 7:45 a.m. – 2:15 p.m.,

8/14/2023: 12:15 p.m. – 6:45 p.m.,

8/15/2023: 12:15 p.m. – 6:45 p.m.,

Pleasanton Blood Donation Center, 5880 W. Las Positas Boulevard, Suite 34

8/1/2023: 11:45 a.m. – 6:45 p.m.,

8/2/2023: 11:45 a.m. – 6:45 p.m.,

8/4/2023: 7:45 a.m. – 2:45 p.m.,

8/5/2023: 7:45 a.m. – 2:45 p.m.,

8/6/2023: 7:45 a.m. – 2:45 p.m.,

8/7/2023: 11:45 a.m. – 6:45 p.m.,

8/8/2023: 11:45 a.m. – 6:45 p.m.,

8/9/2023: 11:45 a.m. – 6:45 p.m.,

8/11/2023: 7:45 a.m. – 2:45 p.m.,

8/12/2023: 7:45 a.m. – 2:45 p.m.,

8/13/2023: 7:45 a.m. – 2:45 p.m.,

8/14/2023: 11:45 a.m. – 6:45 p.m.,

8/15/2023: 11:45 a.m. – 6:45 p.m.,

San Francisco – Blood Donation Center, 1663 Market Street, unless otherwise noted

8/1/2023: 11:45 a.m. – 6:45 p.m.,

8/2/2023: 11:45 a.m. – 6:45 p.m.,

8/3/2023: 11 a.m. – 4 p.m., The Ritz-Carlton, 600 Stockton Street

8/4/2023: 7:45 a.m. – 2:45 p.m.,

8/5/2023: 7:45 a.m. – 2:45 p.m.,

8/6/2023: 7:45 a.m. – 2:45 p.m.,

8/7/2023: 11:45 a.m. – 6:45 p.m.,

8/8/2023: 11:45 a.m. – 6:45 p.m.,

8/9/2023: 11:45 a.m. – 6:45 p.m.,

8/11/2023: 7:45 a.m. – 2:45 p.m.,

8/12/2023: 7:45 a.m. – 2:45 p.m.,

8/13/2023: 7:45 a.m. – 2:45 p.m.,

8/14/2023: 11:45 a.m. – 6:45 p.m.,

8/15/2023: 11:45 a.m. – 6:45 p.m.,

Santa Clara County

Gilroy

8/10/2023: 10 a.m. – 4 p.m., Interfaith – The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Gilroy, 7999 Miller Avenue

Los Altos

8/11/2023: 10 a.m. – 4 p.m., The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Los Altos (Grant Road), 1300 Grant Road

Morgan Hill

8/8/2023: 10 a.m. – 4 p.m., Interfaith – The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Morgan Hill, 1790 E. Dunne Avenue

Mountain View

8/2/2023: 9 a.m. – 3 p.m., Intersect at Mountain View Chinese Christian Church, 175 E. Dana Street

San Jose Blood Donation Center, 2731 North First Street (unless otherwise noted)

8/1/2023: 12:15 p.m. – 7:15 p.m.,

8/2/2023: 10 a.m. – 4 p.m., Emmanuel Baptist Church, 467 North White Road

8/2/2023: 12:15 p.m. – 7:15 p.m.,

8/3/2023: 10:45 a.m. – 5:45 p.m.,

8/4/2023: 7:45 a.m. – 2:45 p.m.,

8/4/2023: 9 a.m. – 3 p.m., Central Christian Church, 2555 Meridian Avenue

8/5/2023: 7:45 a.m. – 2:45 p.m.,

8/6/2023: 7:45 a.m. – 2:45 p.m.,

8/7/2023: 12:15 p.m. – 7:15 p.m.,

8/8/2023: 12:15 p.m. – 7:15 p.m.,

8/9/2023: 9 a.m. – 3 p.m., Administrative Office Building (AOB), Building H, 2325 Enborg Lane

8/9/2023: 12:15 p.m. – 7:15 p.m.,

8/10/2023: 10:45 a.m. – 5:45 p.m.,

8/11/2023: 7:45 a.m. – 2:45 p.m.,

8/12/2023: 7:45 a.m. – 2:45 p.m.,

8/13/2023: 7:45 a.m. – 2:45 p.m.,

8/14/2023: 12:15 p.m. – 7:15 p.m.,

8/15/2023: 12:15 p.m. – 7:15 p.m.,

How to donate blood

To make an appointment, simply download the American Red Cross Blood Donor App, visit RedCrossBlood.org, call 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767) or enable the Blood Donor Skill on any Alexa Echo device to make an appointment or for more information. A blood donor card or driver’s license or two other forms of identification are required at check-in. Individuals who are 17 years of age in most states (16 with parental consent where allowed by state law), weigh at least 110 pounds and are in generally good health may be eligible to donate blood. High school students and other donors 18 years of age and younger also have to meet certain height and weight requirements

Amplify your impact − volunteer!  

A stable blood and platelet supply is critical to national preparedness. Additionally, as we approach the beginning of what is expected to be another active hurricane season, the Red Cross urges everyone to get ready now and consider becoming a volunteer to help people affected by the growing number of climate-driven disasters.  

Support impacted communities by assisting at Red Cross shelters, using your professional skills as a licensed health care provider or becoming a member of the Red Cross Disaster Action Team. To learn more, visit redcross.org/volunteertoday.

Regarding the COVID-19 vaccines and blood donations:

• Amid ongoing conversation about COVID-19 vaccinations and blood donation, America’s Blood Centers, the Association for the Advancement of Blood & Biotherapies (AABB), and the American Red Cross reiterate the safety of America’s blood supply and assure the public that vaccines do not pose a risk to patients receiving blood transfusions. 
• Blood donations from individuals who have received a COVID-19 vaccine approved or authorized for use in the U.S. are safe for transfusion. Similar to other vaccines such as those for measles, mumps or influenza, COVID-19 vaccines are designed to generate an immune response to help protect an individual from illness, but vaccine components themselves do not replicate through blood transfusions or alter a blood recipients’ DNA. 
• In summary, there is no scientific evidence that demonstrates adverse outcomes from the transfusions of blood products collected from vaccinated donors and, therefore, no medical reason to distinguish or separate blood donations from individuals who have received a COVID19 vaccination. 
• All blood collection organizations in the U.S. are required to follow Food and Drug Administration guidelines and regulations to collect, process and distribute blood products for patients in need. The FDA explicitly allows donors who have recently received approved or authorized COVID-19 vaccines to give blood as long as they are healthy on the day of donation and meet all other eligibility criteria. On multiple occasions, the Food and Drug Administration has confirmed that there is no evidence to support concerns related to the safety of blood donated by vaccinated individuals. 
• All Americans, including both blood donors and blood recipients, should feel confident that receiving a blood transfusion is safe. COVID-19 vaccines do not replicate, and all blood donations offer the same life-saving therapeutic benefits, regardless of the vaccination status of the donor. 

Also, here is a joint statement from the AABB, the America’s Blood Centers (ABC) and the American Red Cross: https://www.aabb.org/news-resources/news/article/2023/01/30/blood-community-issues-new-joint-statement-to-combat-misinformation-regarding-vaccines-and-the-blood-supply

About the American Red Cross

The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides comfort to victims of disasters; supplies about 40% of the nation’s blood; teaches skills that save lives; distributes international humanitarian aid; and supports veterans, military members and their families. The Red Cross is a nonprofit organization that depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to deliver its mission. For more information, please visit redcross.org or CruzRojaAmericana.org, or visit us on Twitter at @RedCross.

The San Francisco/Bay Area First Family of Song

Where music is more than just a family affair

Of America’s Got Talent and JCPenney TV commercial fame!

DOORS OPEN: 6:30PM   SHOW: 7:00PM

Tickets: $35 General Admission. $69 Premier Seating & Early Entry at 6:00 p.m. – available at THE CURTIS FAMILY C-NOTES – 2023-05-14 – – Yoshi’s – Oakland CA (yoshis.com)

As seen on TV, television commercials and shows like, America’s Got Talent, known to the world as The Curtis Family C-notes, a family band, where music is more than just a family affair, it’s a way of life, with the mother, father, and their five children (Mama C, Papa C, Zahara, Nile, Isis, Kiki and Phoenix). Papa C aka Maestro Curtis, a seasoned veteran in the music industry has produced and performed with icons like Maurice White (Earth, Wind and Fire), played with the Count Basie and Duke Ellington orchestra, to name a few. His wife, Nola Curtis aka Mama C, a seasoned performer in her own right, has made her mark as a vocalist and professional figure skater. Along with their five children have become known as a multitalented gifted band of seven.

The family recently released their debut album, “Awaken”, that was submitted in the first round of voting to the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (NARAS) by Grammy music director, Larry Batiste, for consideration for Best R&B album of the year. The San Francisco Standard sponsored their CD release party, where Mayor London Breed, community leaders, music industry legends like Lenny Williams of Tower of Power and others were in attendance, in fact, the Mayor MC’ed the introduction of the family that night.

The Curtis Family members are committed community activists who focus on helping seniors, youth and the homeless. The Family has performed for the Golden State Warriors, the San Francisco Giants, America’s Got Talent and for political leaders and dignitaries from around the world. The Curtis Family has the distinction of being dubbed “The San Francisco/Bay Area First Family of Song”. The band was sought out by one of the biggest retail giants in the country, JCPenney, to make a 2021 Christmas Holiday commercial which aired for weeks, both nationally and internationally singing “Joy, Comfort and Peace”. At present the family is being vetted for their own television sitcom by major network and film producers. (See video slide show of some of their work)

Maestro Curtis PhD, and his wife Nola are proud faculty members of the San Francisco Community Music Center where all 5 of their children are also students; they all take pride in being a part of an institution that ensures high quality music education that is accessible to people of all ages, backgrounds and abilities, regardless of financial means. (www.sfcmc.org mission statement excerpt)

For more information on this family and its members: www.thecurtisfamilycnotes.com

Yoshi’s is located at 510 Embarcadero West in Oakland. For more information visit www.yoshis.com or call (510) 238-9200

Paid Advertisement

By Harlo Pippenger, Consultant, San Francisco Bay Ferry

San Francisco Bay Ferry is proud to sponsor the 6th Annual Black Joy Parade in Oakland, a hyper-positive celebration of the Black experience and community during Black History Month. Visit their booth at the festival to learn more about getting around the Bay Area and California by ferry.

San Francisco Bay Ferry offers daily service connecting San Francisco to Oakland’s Jack London Square, a short distance from the Black Joy Parade and Festival.

WHAT: The Black Joy Parade is an annual event featuring a festival and procession that brings together the community to highlight Black joy past, present, and future. The parade includes live music, art, vendors of all kinds, food, games, sponsor activations, dance, and more.

WHO: Black Joy Parade, sponsored by San Francisco Bay Ferry

WHEN: Sunday, February 26, 2023. Parade starts at 12:30pm, festival starts at 12pm.

WHERE: Downtown Oakland, CA. The parade begins at 14th and Franklin Streets in downtown Oakland. Festival entrance is at 19th and Franklin Streets.

Begins January 21st

By Laura Kindsvater, Communications Manager, Save Mount Diablo

CONTRA COSTA, STANISLAUS, AND SAN BENITO COUNTIES— Explore some of the East Bay’s premiere hiking and natural areas with Save Mount Diablo in 2023, including places rarely open to the public. The Discover Diablo outings series offers guided hikes, themed walks, and other outdoor activities: mountain biking; rock climbing; trail running; meditation in nature; plein air painting events; and property tours. All are free to the public. Trailblazers of all ages and skill levels are welcome to choose appropriate outings from our extensive offerings.

In response to growing demand, Save Mount Diablo is offering a total of 36 excursions. The ever-popular tarantula walk will be offered twice, and we are offering two plein air painting walks, two meditation hikes, and a trail run in 2023.

We will also be offering rock-climbing outings, mountain-biking events, and bilingual hikes in Spanish and English.

Generously sponsored by the Martinez Refining Company, the 2023 Discover Diablo free public hikes and outings series will begin on January 21.

“Through the Discover Diablo series, people are fortunate to be able to explore and discover the beauty of Mount Diablo with experienced guides,” said Ann Notarangelo, Community Relations Manager for the Martinez Refining Company. “Our refinery has sponsored these hikes since 2017 in the hopes people will enjoy learning more about the mountain, while spending quality time with family and friends.”

The Discover Diablo program was started by Save Mount Diablo in 2017 to connect local communities with the spectacular natural world of the Mount Diablo area and to build awareness about land conservation.

Hikes and outings take place on one of Save Mount Diablo’s conserved properties or on park lands in the Diablo Range. These include Mount Diablo State Park, East Bay Regional Park District, Walnut Creek Open Space Foundation, Stanislaus County, and National Park Service lands.

Discover Diablo hikes are guided by experts steeped in the natural history and lore of the region, who both educate and entertain while emphasizing the breathtaking beauty that the Diablo Range has to offer.

Save Mount Diablo hopes the Discover Diablo series will spark a passion for the Diablo Range and deepen people’s connections to the land and nature. All Discover Diablo hikes are subject to, and will honor, all applicable COVID-19–related restrictions then in place for our area.

According to Ted Clement, Executive Director of Save Mount Diablo, “It is the goal of the Discover Diablo program to build connections between people, Save Mount Diablo, and the land, helping our communities develop a strong sense of place and a deepened appreciation for our collective backyard. Most importantly, we want to cultivate a love of the land in participants, as that is what it will take to ensure the precious Mount Diablo associated natural areas are taken care of for generations to come.”

There is something for us all to discover in the nooks and crannies surrounding Mount Diablo and within its sustaining Diablo Range, so be sure to hit the trails in 2023 and find your own individual inspiration!

RSVP required. To ensure everyone has an equal opportunity to attend, registration for hikes and outings in March onward will open two months prior to each hike’s date.

See our schedule of upcoming hikes and outings below or view and RSVP online here:  https://savemountdiablo.org/what-we-do/educating-and-inspiring-people/discover-diablo-hikes-outings/

You can also download and print a flyer of the schedule here: http://bit.ly/DiscoverDiablo

Questions about hike program details and RSVP information: Denise Castro, Education and Outreach Associate, Save Mount Diablo C: 925-286-9327, dcastro@savemountdiablo.org