We Remember 2022 – Year in Review

Let’s face it, 2022 was a comeback year for a lot of us. COVID-19 cases eased up enough that more in-person events came back. Several of those events also celebrated major anniversaries, including 100 years for the Rowell Ranch Rodeo, 50 years for the Fall Festival, and 10 years for the Light Parade.

Our community spent time honoring our heroes this year, including John "Coach" Brosnan, Jensen Ranch's Mrs. Galloway, Houston Astro's Jason Castro, and CV’s Poet Zoe Dorado.

We also got a chance to give our input on major improvement projects in town, including the new Valley View Park and Somerset Avenue. Additionally, Castro Valley was not shy about voicing its opinion about topics like the January 6 attack on the US Capitol, the war in Ukraine, and LGBTQ+ murals at schools.

 This year was also a mid-term election, which saw more women voted into our leadership: a new Alameda County Sheriff, County District Attorney, California State Senate, California State Assembly, East Bay Municipal Utility District (EBMUD), and Eden Township Health representative.

Here’s a monthly breakdown of the major stories that the Castro Valley Forum brought to you: 

January: Castro Valley students were the first in the county to get COVID take-home test kits thanks to the tenacity of the Castro Valley Unified School District (CVUSD). The district also voted that the football field at the high school should be named after "Coach" John Brosnan. Signage designs were revealed in September. And the School Board authorized spending $150,000 for Ethnic Studies Training at the high school in anticipation of the upcoming state graduation requirement. 

February: Castro Valley volunteers helped add up the number of homeless in our area as part of the bi-annual "Point in Time Count," which we later found increased by 22 percent. County District Attorney Nancy O'Malley helped open a transitional housing complex for sex-trafficked teens as part of Ruby's place network. We also reported on how the Chabot Theater movie house survived and thrived during COVID and how one local costume designer has gone on to work for the Royal Ballet in Britain. 

March: Hayward Area Recreation & Park District (HARD) allowed residents to tour the new Valley View Park site off Sydney Way and Carlton Avenue. We celebrated 21 years of Aran and her Art Studio. Another artist—Julia Kosivchuk—held a fundraiser for refugees fleeing her home of Ukraine, which was under attack. Our high school journalists at Castro Valley's Olympian also helped report on Ukraine War by contacting people who lived there.

April: Four candidates vying for the California State Assembly District 20 seat held a debate. It was also the month the Castro Valley Sports Foundation inducted 16 new people to its Hall of Fame, including Carson Sand, Miranda Nild, Steve Goss, Jamie Pawid Haas, Denise Noleroth Bunger, Calvin Gaziano, Matt Kern, John Willits, Ayla Granados, Amanda Medrano, and the late runner Jack Welch. Don Christiansen, “Coach Chris,” CVHS track coach Dooney Jones, Castro Valley Track Club founder and coach Jim Phillips were also honored. Since April includes Earth Day celebrations, we also put the spotlight on Forrestr, a non-profit that plants trees, picks up trash, and develops pocket parks.

May: Spring was all about the Rowell Ranch Rodeo. Can you believe it's been around for 100 years? Besides the action in the corral, we also wrote about the Rodeo Parade, and this year's Rodeo Queen, Oliva Sherman, who is a Castro Valley native. A new book by Rick Kelly—"Mapping the Evolution of Castro Valley Rancho to Ranch Homes"—gave us a new light on our early days. This was also the first time the public could provide input on three redesigns for Somerset Avenue, making it safer for pedestrians and bicyclists. 

June: Summer brings thoughts of graduation, but it was also the return of the Castro Valley Car Show to our Boulevard. The community also showed its support by voting in the 2022 Primaries. Local leaders spoke up about protecting the rights of LGBTQ+ people following an incident during a drag event at the San Lorenzo Library. The Forum was also honored by the House of Representatives, Alameda County, and the City of San Leandro with the announcement of Fred Zehnder Day on June 28.

July: The Castro Valley Rotary installed Lytrel Carter as its new president. Officials warned us about an uptick in crimes against Asian Americans and the dangers of fire in our surrounding green spaces as we incurred another drought season. The California Highway Patrol said it would be closing its Castro Valley office in about a year and moving to a new facility in Hayward. Have no fear; the CHP says they're still patrolling our streets.

August: The dog days of summer were full of updates. CVUSD shared its progress for Measure G building upgrades and news that it is expanding its AVID college-readiness program. 

September: This month marked the return of the Fall Festival this year (its 50th) under the management of the Castro Valley/Eden Area Chamber of Commerce. Local businesses also found they could be eligible for funding to update their facades. We reported on the debate over LGBTQ+ murals at Castro Valley public schools and wrote a profile on the two candidates for County District Attorney. 

October: We fondly remembered Karen Jonke, the owner of Krayon's Gallery, who passed away this year. We also celebrated Jensen Ranch's Nancy Galloway, who was awarded Teacher of the Year by the county. This was the month that we also put a spotlight on the EBMUD candidates.

November: Baseball's World Series included our own Jason Castro, who helped the Houston Astros get to the playoffs. He also announced his retirement from baseball this year. The DA helped honor victims of domestic violence this month. And Castro Valley saw the return of the 10-year-old Light Parade, where hundreds of people came down to strut their stuff, including Santa and Mrs. Claus.

December: We finished the year strong with the Castro Valley Soccer Club hosting a State Girls tournament with all-girl referees. We also shot a rocket around the moon and back, thanks to CVHS graduate David Stadelman. Another CVHS senior—Zoe Dorado—was named as a Finalist for National Award for her poetry.

So, where will 2023 lead us? No one can be sure. But you can count on the Castro Valley Forum being on your doorstep every week to give you the local perspective.

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