MAC: The Final Meeting of 2024
At their final meeting of 2024, the Castro Valley Municipal Advisory Council (MAC) heard updates from the Chamber of Commerce and the School District.
Castro Valley/ Eden Area Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Gary Slate told the MAC that the organization is experiencing positive growth, surpassing their membership numbers from before the pandemic. The Chamber currently has 401 members, up from 220 in January of 2023 and a goal of surpassing 500 members in 2025.
Slate touted events such as the Fall Festival, the summer Fam Festival, and the Light Parade as ways the Chamber reaches out. He said they support local business with promotional events such as ribbon cuttings and online outreach, as well as networking opportunities.
Slate said that operating a small business is never easy and people especially need support in the unincorporated area where things can be confusing.
“The Chamber is even more important in the unincorporated area because you can’t just go to City Hall for everything,” said Slate. “One permit may be in Alameda; you might have to go to Hayward for others. We are there to help.
The Chamber is also promoting the Best of Castro Valley/ Eden Area and voting is now open to support your favorite local businesses in nearly 100 categories such as Best Pizza, Best Florist, and Best Handyman. Voting is now open at cvea.voterfly.com through January 7, with winners announced January 16.
The MAC thanked the Chamber for their work in supporting Castro Valley businesses in 2024.
“I see the positive change,” said MAC member Tojo Thomas. "I see the way you guys are working hard for our businesses.”
The MAC was a bit less complimentary to the Castro Valley Unified School District during their presentation– scolding them for removing police school resource officers from schools and asking hard questions about what can be done about worrying youth bullying incidents that have taken place on and off campuses.
Superintendent Parvin Ahmadi told the MAC that things are going well generally in the District, with the CVUSD bucking statewide trends declining enrollment and chronic absenteeism.
Ahmadi said the Castro Valley public schools have a 94 percent attendance rate for the 9,565 students currently enrolled, well above the 70 percent statewide average. She reported that Castro Valley Students are above state and county averages in both English and Math standards per California Assessment of student Performance and Progress testing
She told the MAC that some highlights in the District recently have included a financial course requirement for graduating seniors, planned sports field upgrades, dual enrollment classes with local colleges, an upcoming culinary academy at the high school, and Spanish immersion class options.
The MAC asked how the CVUSD would handle an influx of students if the proposed state-mandated housing increases came to town and Ahmadi said that building new schools is “practically impossible” and a new high school, for example, would cost upwards of $300 million.
A handful of speakers said that they’d like to see police returned to patrolling campuses. The District’s contract with the Alameda County Sheriff’s Office was ended after more than 25 years in 2020, amid the BLM movement and calls to defund the police generally. Ahmadi said the District still regularly meets with the Sheriff’s Office and student safety remains a priority and there are 11 social workers available and wellness centers at all of the secondary schools.
But some on the MAC said they would like to see the officers formally returned to the schools to deter buying, fights, harassment, and more.
“It sounds like, on paper at least, a lot of good things are happening,” said MAC member Xochiyolt Martinez. “But I have to speak up for those parents about the bullying. This should not be happening. This is unacceptable. How can children thrive if they are being bullied? Harassed? Traumatized?”
Member Thomas said that his own family has been victimized and MAC Chair Chuck Moore said that having officers on campus would have a cooling effect much like spotting a cop car out while driving makes speeders slow down.
Moore also told Ahmadi he’d like to see more vocational programs in schools. MAC Vice Chair Bill Mulgrew said he’d like to see the CVUSD come back before the MAC at least twice a year with more frequent updates.