My Town: Alameda

Four contenders are seeking election in November to the District 9 seat being vacated by Loni Hancock that serves the area west of the East Bay hills from San Leandro on the south to Rodeo on the north and includes Oakland, Berkeley and Richmond.  

A crowd gathered Saturday in Alameda for a joint Broadcast Legends and California Historical Radio Society tribute to Hart at Historic Alameda High School's Kofman Auditorium.  

The Sunol-Ohlone Regional Wilderness will celebrate the season with its annual Spring Wildflower Festival, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday. There's also a 2-mile wildflower walk from 2 to 4:30 p.m. April 10 at Tilden Nature Area near Berkeley, guided by naturalist Trent Pearce.  

The Sunol-Ohlone Regional Wilderness will celebrate the season with its annual Spring Wildflower Festival, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday. There's also a 2-mile wildflower walk from 2 to 4:30 p.m. April 10 at Tilden Nature Area near Berkeley, guided by naturalist Trent Pearce.  

Laura A. Oda

Stargell Commons will be built near the Alameda Landing shopping center and will feature 32 housing units.  

Darin Moriki/For Bay Area News G

The proposed city charter amendment would create an elected, five-member Rent Control Board, funded by annual fees paid by landlords, that "would have the power to establish rents, issue rules and regulations, conduct investigations and hearings, impose a rental housing fee on landlords, and impose penalties for noncompliance." It would also establish a maximum allowable rent, based on those effective on May 5, 2015, that would increase annually by 65 percent of the percentage increase in the Consumer Price Index. Tenants and landlords, however, could ask the proposed Rent Control Board to adjust the maximum allowable rent for individual rental units.  

"People and their Pets: Disaster Preparedness and Response" will take place from 10 a.m. to noon Saturday in the Council Chambers at City Hall, 2263 Santa Clara Ave. No reservations are necessary. The workshop will teach people how to create a family emergency plan, and what a disaster kit should contain, including what's needed to keep your pet safe after an emergency.  

Tina Aedo/FAAS

Warm temperatures also bring opportunities for our pets to escape or get injured. A loose latch on the gate and a stiff breeze can lead to unexpected adventures. Here are some suggestions to keep your furry family member safe at home.  

D. ROSS CAMERON

Alameda was smaller when I first arrived upon getting out of the service after World War II. Waters of the bay lapped at a shoreline only a block south of Clinton Avenue and our attachment, Bay Farm Island, was no more than a few blocks of houses, Godfrey Park and some farmland.
Then a controversial vote changed the landscape and more; Utah Construction was authorized to turn mud into sand by dredging it up from the bay's bottom. The process created what we now know as South Shore with its acres and acres of homes and widespread business area.