"Alameda lined up $400 million in federal funds to build a veterans clinic. Then Trump stepped in" (SF Chronicle) reported by Rachel Swan
Over the course of a decade, the federal government invested nearly $400 million to transform a defunct naval base in Alameda. The site would get new life as an outpatient clinic and columbarium for veterans, nestled alongside a sprawling waterfront park.
Then, in August, the Trump administration quietly torpedoed the project, declaring it dead without telling the people who toiled to see it through.
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Congresswoman Simon's website has more details on this topic, as well as the full letter sent by her, Representative Pelosi, and California's two senators to Trump's Secretary of Veterans Affairs.
"Attorney General Bonta Blocks Unlawful Funding Cuts to Disaster Preparedness Program" press release
California Attorney General Rob Bonta and a coalition of 20 states today secured a permanent injunction blocking the Trump Administration’s unlawful attempt to shut down the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) bipartisan Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) program. Since 2020, FEMA has made billions of dollars available under the BRIC program to prepare for and mitigate the risks from disasters before they happen. California is the largest beneficiary of this program and could receive over a billion dollars for future projects that FEMA had selected for grant funding before the program was unlawfully terminated.
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Alameda, Oakland, and community groups have been in line for over $50 million of BRIC funds to prepare the shores of San Leandro Bay for sea-level rise. Hopefully this permanent injunction re-opens the possibility of federal funds for these much-needed infrastructure improvements.
In any case, this example speaks to the ongoing need for flexible funds and in-house staff capabilities so that the City of Alameda can plan against and pursue as many external grant opportunities as possible, while being prepared for some of those opportunities to not necessarily work out.
In any case, this example speaks to the ongoing need for flexible funds and in-house staff capabilities so that the City of Alameda can plan against and pursue as many external grant opportunities as possible, while being prepared for some of those opportunities to not necessarily work out.
"Frank Blackburn, whose S.F. fire ‘genius’ saved Marina after Loma Prieta quake, dies" (SF Chronicle) reported by Sam Whiting
I've been meaning to blog about this obit for a while. While the fellow may not be directly related to Alameda, his notable accomplishment is:
When the Loma Prieta earthquake sparked a massive fire in San Francisco’s Marina district on the evening of Oct. 17, 1989, live images of the blaze transmitted from the Goodyear blimp to the TV monitors at Candlestick Park — where Frank Blackburn, an assistant chief with the city fire department, was attending Game 3 of the World Series while off duty.
Blackburn stayed calm, because he knew exactly how to fight the blaze. The second-generation firefighter had studied the horse-drawn wagon response to the city’s catastrophic 1906 earthquake when hydrants ran dry. He had devised a plan to pump water from San Francisco Bay through a complex system of fireboats, miles of hose and small portable hydrants that could miraculously maintain high pressure after the water mains failed. He’d even orchestrated a complicated fire drill along the Embarcadero just six days before Loma Prieta.
With phone lines jammed and communications haphazard, Blackburn was still on his way to the scene in his official chief’s car when his plan was executed.
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In Alameda's most recent Capital Improvement Plan (on p. 44), the city began investing in a new emergency water supply system — with the first purchase in this fiscal year being turn-table reels that sound quite similar to some of Blackburn's components used in the Marina response: The reels will be used to store existing fire hoses in a manner that can be more quickly deployed as needed at any location around the city. The fire hose is then connected to the city's fire boat, which can rapidly pump bay water into it for use by on-land firefighters.
While the threats of wind-blown wildland fires are extremely low here as compared to other areas in California, there are potential risks to Alameda's "domestic" water-supply after an earthquake, which could make it a challenge to fully respond to structure fires. These new tools will equip Alameda's firefighters to be effective similar to how Blackburn and his colleagues succeeded in the Marina District of San Francisco in 1989.
While the threats of wind-blown wildland fires are extremely low here as compared to other areas in California, there are potential risks to Alameda's "domestic" water-supply after an earthquake, which could make it a challenge to fully respond to structure fires. These new tools will equip Alameda's firefighters to be effective similar to how Blackburn and his colleagues succeeded in the Marina District of San Francisco in 1989.
"USS Hornet board wants to move ship to San Francisco" (KRON4 News) reported by Alex Baker
“To be able to relocate to somewhere on the waterfront of San Francisco would be a game-changer for us in terms of visibility and attendance revenue,” USS Hornet Museum Board Chairman Sam Lamonica told KRON4 News.
The board says it is actively working to bring the Hornet to San Francisco. However, the timeframe for any potential move would be at least five years with research, preparation, and towing all factoring in.
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How many times has such a move been proposed but not acted upon? I see it was proposed in 2005 and given some more study in 2011. Nuclear wessels are very large ships... and turn quite slowly, organizationally speaking as well.
"The ube king of Alameda bakes his claim to the throne" (Oaklandside) by Alix Wall
To end this round-up of Alameda-related news articles on a sweeter note:
Last year, Henry Awayan was just Henry Awayan, owner of the Alameda-based specialty cake bakery Whisk Cake Creations. If you wanted a custom birthday or wedding cake made with lemon curd and raspberries, or mocha crunch, he was your guy. But as of Nov. 2, he’s now the “Ube King.”
It’s not a moniker he would have necessarily chosen. In fact, it was only when he showed up for a recent appearance, and someone said, “The Ube King is here,” that he decided to embrace it.