Julie Andrews has revealed how she felt when she met her Mary Poppins co-star Dick Van Dyke for the first time.

Andrews, 88, starred opposite Van Dyke, 98, in the classic 1964 movie musical. She opened up about the memory during the two-hour CBS special “Dick Van Dyke 98 Years of Magic,” which aired Thursday (Dec. 21).

“If I remember correctly, it was very hot in early September and the Disney team had built a large stage out in the back of the studio and created a shade roof out of a huge tarp,” the Sound of Music actor explained. “When I arrived on the first day, Dick was already working with the choreographers and dancers.”

She continued: “I had never done a film before, and I had given birth to my beautiful daughter Emma almost six weeks earlier, and I quickly realized that I had better pull up my socks and get in shape.” I found It's pretty daunting, I can tell you that.

Andrews remembered Van Dyke as “young, as fit as can be and truly stunning to look at,” adding that the Chitty Chitty Bang Bang actor “couldn't have been kinder, genuinely sweeter and more helpful.” I like to think so “We hit it off straight away.”

“It was so nice to see him imitating the animated penguins or trying to ride the pony on the carousel. Become a magical chimney sweep. Actually, I think it was a very enjoyable film for the entire company,” she said.

“Mary Poppins” star Dick Van Dyke (Getty Images)

Andrews' first film role as the eponymous Mary Poppins, a magical nanny who brings fun and imagination into the lives of the two Banks children, earned her an Oscar for Best Actress. The next year she received an award for her starring role in 1965's The Sound of Music, followed by a third nomination in 1982 for the comedy musical Victor/Victoria.

Van Dyke, who played Bert in the original, returned for the 2018 sequel Mary Poppins Returns to play Mr. Dawes Jr., the son of Van Dyke, the greedy director of London's most important financial center also starred in the 1964 classic.

In early February, the Bye Bye Birdie actor revealed his secret to staying so young. “Having a beautiful young woman half my age taking care of me—that works!” Van Dyke told Yahoo!.

He credited his wife, 52-year-old makeup artist Arlene Silver, with helping him maintain a “positive attitude” and go to the gym “three days a week” to work out.

“I encourage everyone to do that because that’s how people age,” he said. “It's just a matter of stiffening up and not exercising the muscles and lungs. Practice is the answer.”

The post Julie Andrews remembers ‘daunting’ first assembly with Dick Van Dyke appeared first on Los Gatos News And Events.

Sports // San Francisco Giants

Nov 21, 2022Updated: Nov 21, 2022 6:54 pm

Aaron Judge of the New York Yankees smiles after a solo home run by Harrison Bader in the sixth inning against the Houston Astros in game four of the American League Championship Series at Yankee Stadium on October 23, 2022.

Elsa/Getty Images

The Aaron Judge stove is officially too hot to touch.

The 2022 AL MVP was seen in a San Francisco hotel in a video posted by MLB Network Monday night. Shortly after the video was posted, it was reported that Judge is in the Bay Area to meet with the Giants, one of his top suitors this offseason. Judge will meet with the team Tuesday, according to an MLB.com report, which called the Giants “one of the biggest threats to the Yankees in the Judge sweepstakes.”

Twitter

— jonmorosi Twitter

In the clip, Judge is asked what he’s doing in the city. He tells the person behind the camera that he’s “visiting some friends and family. That’s about it, that’s about it,” before winking. Judge is from Linden, a small town about 100 miles east of San Francisco. His parents still live there.

Of course, the real major breaking news from this clip is what’s happening under Judge’s chin. The 30-year-old appears to be rocking a bit of stubble as he’s prepared to explore his options during the most captivating free agency saga this winter.

The Yankees famously have a rule against facial hair on their players. Could this be a sign that Judge is preparing for a life where he no longer has to abide by such tyranny? The money might ultimately matter more, but such a change probably couldn’t hurt.

Gabe Fernandez is a sports reporter for SFGATE. You can reach him at gabe.fernandez@sfgate.com.

The post Aaron Decide noticed in San Francisco for SF Giants assembly appeared first on Los Gatos News And Events.

San Francisco’s 47-year-old mayor, London Breed, grew up in this city of postcard views, but much of that was not part of her youth. “I grew up in poverty,” she said. “I grew up in public housing, so I wasn’t really exposed early on to all of the beauty that you see now. I didn’t know some of these neighborhoods even existed in San Francisco.”

For this mayor who has risen from poverty, fighting the city’s inequality is one of her major challenges. In an area that’s home to many of the world’s most valuable companies, San Francisco now counts 8,000 homeless people, the fourth highest rate of any US city, and that has been made worse by some of the country’s highest housing prices.

Smash-and-grab robberies, along with car break-ins, have become their own postcard, underscored by the fact that police solve less than seven percent of those property crimes, infuriating both residents and the city’s more than $6 billion tourism industry.

Correspondent John Blackstone asked Breed, “You said yourself, many people in the city don’t feel safe here any longer.”

“Yeah, and I think that’s why we’re working on it,” she replied, “with making sure we’re able to add more police officers. We’re working on it by having alternatives to policing, to respond to people who are dealing with mental health challenges.”

San Francisco Mayor London Breed with correspondent John Blackstone.

CBS News

After Breed was elected four years ago, she picked up a broom and planned to spent tens of millions of dollars a year cleaning the streets. In total, San Francisco is spending one billion city, state and federal dollars on homelessness.

“Every single morning there are people who work for the City and County of San Francisco cleaning up where you wouldn’t even know it’s the same neighborhood,” Breed said. “And even before noon, we’re dealing with some of the same challenges of the litter and the feces and the urine and some of the other issues that many of us are frustrated over.”

Those frustrations, particularly over crime, may be making this famously liberal city a little less liberal. In a recall this month, voters threw out the district attorney whom critics called “soft” on crime. That followed the recall in February of left-leaning school board members who’d focused on renaming buildings rather than reopening them during the pandemic.

On the national stage, politics here are a juicy target for critics on the right. On Fox News, conservative commentator Jesse Watters described San Francisco as “a tech mecca surrounded by a filthy moat of degeneracy, lawlessness, criminals and drugs.”

It is rhetoric with a long legacy, that was amplified in 2007 when a San Francisco Democrat, Nancy Pelosi, became the first female Speaker of the House. Republicans talked disdainfully about “San Francisco values.” On “The Bill O’Reilly Show,” former House Speaker Newt Gingrich said, “I mean, Nancy Pelosi represents a San Francisco values ​​system.”

Blackstone asked Breed, “What are San Francisco values?”

“I think San Francisco values ​​really consist of pushing the envelope and willing to try things that may make people uncomfortable for the purpose of really turning people’s lives around,” she replied.

“But it seems to me the problem that San Francisco faces is that, for people on the right, it’s become shorthand for ‘liberal crazies.'”

“Yeah, and again, there’s nothing I can do about that, other than to make sure that we’re taking care of our city,” said Breed. “We’re cleaning it up, we’re keeping people safe, and we’re doing the things that make the people who live, work, and visit here happy.”

In December the mayor broke from the city’s often-lenient policies when she announced plans to get tough on crime: “And it comes to an end when we take the steps to be more aggressive with law enforcement, more aggressive with the changes in our policies , and less tolerant of all the bulls*** that has destroyed our city.”

San Francisco has been struggling with homelessness, and a rise in car break-ins and other property crimes.

CBS News

Blackstone asked, “I looked at the police dashboard. The retail theft, that’s up this year. Is your crackdown on crime working?”

“I don’t think it’s a fair assessment, to take statistics and then to equate them to a major headline around San Francisco being dangerous,” she said, “especially in light of when you look at our homicide rate, in particular, and when you look at the number of cases we’ve been able to solve, and the number of people that we’ve been able to hold accountable.”

FBI violent crime statistics confirm: at least 65 other cities have higher rates of murder, rape and assault than San Francisco. But highly-visible crimes, like car thefts and shoplifting, are up nearly 17% so far this year compared to last year.

Breed said, “I don’t think numbers mean anything when something happens to you. And so, ultimately, we’ve gotta do a better job with improving how people feel in the city.”

Among the improvements the mayor is proud of is a transformed corner in a tough neighborhood. “The corner of Hyde and Turk, this used to be a notorious area where there was a lot of drug-dealing and drug-using and all kind of things going on there. You go there today and there’s a park, a brand-new park there, and kids are now using the park.”

The Turk-Hyde Mini Park was created for preschoolers in the heart of the Tenderloin.

CBS News

Blackstone asked, “Let me ask you just to explain San Francisco to an outsider.”

“Ooh, that’s a hard one!” Breed laughed. “Complicated. Unique. Beautiful. Crazy. Wild. Fun. Innovative. Challenging. All of those things and more.”

Like any other American city, San Francisco has plenty of problems, but much like any other big city mayor, London Breed is her city’s biggest fan: “I love San Francisco, even though it’s a complex city with all of its challenges, its issues . But it’s a place of beauty. It’s a place of hope. It’s a place of opportunity.”

For more information:

Story produced by John Goodwin and Christine Weicher. Editor: Ben McCormick.

trending news

The post San Francisco Mayor London Breed on assembly her metropolis’s challenges appeared first on Los Gatos News And Events.

Friends of the Urban Forest members plant trees along Linden Street in Hayes Valley in 2010.

Friends of the Urban Forest

San Francisco’s urban tree canopy is one of the smallest in the nation — and some fear it’s on the decline. While the reasons for this are myriad and complex, new plantings have struggled to keep pace with removals or mortality rates, reports show, leaving thousands of sidewalk basins barren and treeless.

Trees have also been inequitably distributed across The City, which is all too clear on hot, fogless days when neighborhoods like SoMa and Bayview are degrees warmer than areas with ample canopy cover.

It’s why The City has outlined a goal to plant 30,000 new street trees in the next 20 years as part of a plan to green up underserved communities and reduce The City’s greenhouse gas emissions by using trees to sequester carbon.

But for now, the goal remains just that. Public Works, the agency that manages The City’s street trees, estimates it needs to plant about 4,000 trees a year, including 1,500 new ones and 2,500 replacements, to keep pace. But with limited resources, the agency is struggling to meet these requirements.

“The reality is, we’re not going to meet that goal because of the funding,” said the department’s interim director, Carla Short. “I think we’re sort of trying to still use that as an aspirational goal and still do our best to push for it.”

During the pandemic, Public Works’ tree funding was de-appropriated, and its staff was reassigned to disaster response teams, causing its Bureau of Urban Forestry to cancel equipment orders, freeze hiring and cease maintenance contracts. However, even once that funding was reinstated, the department struggled to get projects back on schedule.

This budget cycle, Mayor London Breed declined to allocate General Fund money to the Department of the Environment, which it requested to fund its climate action plan that includes a chapter on healthy ecosystems. Some say The City’s investment in maintaining the urban forest has also missed the mark.

“We are treading water at best with the funding The City puts toward street tree planting,” said Brian Wiedenmeier, executive director of Friends of the Urban Forest, who expressed disappointment about Breed’s decision to withhold funding from the Department of Environment.

Drought’s great

To complicate matters further, the drought, made more extreme by a warming world, is taking a toll on the city’s trees — and not just those that push their knobby roots into the concrete.

“If you’re talking about street trees, to me, that’s just half the issue,” said Denise Louie, a native plant enthusiast who’s concerned about the fire risk posed by drought-stressed trees in The City’s open spaces, such as the tall stands of Eucalyptus in Glen Canyon near her home.

Warmer, threer conditions mean many more trees require constant watering, another service and investment Public Works and other organizations, like Friends of the Urban Forest, do not have. Short noted that watering alone makes up about three quarters of the cost of a street tree.

“The cost of planting a tree in San Francisco is a lot more expensive than places that have seasonal rains or more consistency in the rains than we do,” she said.

The entire tree population in San Francisco is under increasing pressure from the changing climate at a moment when it’s been enlisted as part of the solution. Because trees suck carbon from the atmosphere, San Francisco’s urban forest is seen as a critical piece of The City’s plan to achieve net-zero emissions by 2040, a goal outlined by the mayor last year.

“Carbon is one of the easiest benefits to see in a tree,” said David Nowak, an emeritus research forester with the US Forest Service. “You can directly see it occurring — as you see a tree grow, it’s sequestering carbon.”

But, he added, “It’s not just about the carbon. By having the forest there, you get multiple other benefits at no cost: You get cooler air temperatures, cleaner air and less flooding because the trees absorb the water … People like the vegetation, and it actually helps improve human health; it reduces noise and (boosts) wildlife.”

While Nowak asserts that both natives like Monterey Cyprus and non-native trees like Blue Gum Eucalyptus can provide such services, Louie argues that the native plants that have adapted to this region over thousands of years are best suited to boost the region’s biodiversity. “We need to appreciate what’s left of our natural heritage,” she said.

Native plant advocates

In general, proponents of native plants want The City to do more to help reestablish the native flora that was here before urbanization.

“San Francisco has taken some strong steps to expand the role of biodiversity in our urban tree selection, but we are still missing the mark,” said Susan Karasoff, a Yerba Buena Plant Society member. “To support our city’s local biodiversity, we need locally appropriate native plants, but fewer than 1% of our current trees are native.”

While Short concedes that most trees going into sidewalks are non-natives, she said she’s proud of the work being done to look for species better suited to hotter, three climates — climates that might become normal for San Francisco.

“I am a big fan of native species. However, they are often not the best choice for the built environment,” said Short, who has a background in conservation ecology. “A Coast Live Oak in a sidewalk is never going to be what it should be. It’s never going to provide the same level of benefits that it could” if planted in an open space.

But native or non-native, trees alone will not be a panacea for a warming world, Nowak said.

“To think that we’re going to plant enough trees in this world to offset all the emissions from the automobiles and fossil fuels we’re burning — I don’t think it’s going to happen. I don’t think it can happen mathematically,” Nowak said. “But I argue this: If I could only plant one tree in the world, I would plant it in an urban area.”

jwolfrom@sfexaminer.com, @jessicawolfrom

The post San Francisco not assembly its purpose to plant 4,000 bushes yearly to cut back emissions | Information appeared first on Los Gatos News And Events.

OAKLAND (KPIX) — It was an emotional night for many students in the Oakland Unified School District Monday as they faced the possibility of losing their schools. Hundreds of community members showed up for the school board meeting to oppose the campus closures and consolidations proposed for the next two school years.

In 2006, Oakland embraced a small-school model to better serve impoverished neighborhoods. But there are those on the school board who think that was a financial mistake and they’re looking to change it. And they’re not wasting any time doing it.

READ MORE: Native Americans Accuse Gilroy City Leaders Of Ignoring Objections To ‘Mission Bell’

The proposed closure list was released to the public on Sunday. Six schools — Brookfield, Carl Munck, Prescott, Grass Valley, Parker, Community Day School — are recommended for closure at the end of this academic year. Two other schools — Horace Mann Elementary and Korematsu Discovery Academy — would close after next year, with their students then being reassigned to other schools.

Additionally, three schools would merge onto other campuses after this school year with Manzanita Community School moving to join Fruitvale Elementary the following year. The community just found out about the possible closure last Friday and it has organized quickly to try to save this school.

The Manzanita Community School held a Monday night viewing party, as parents, teachers and students united to fight the possible school closure. On Zoom, roughly 1600 people raised their hand for a chance to speak during the board meeting.

“Teachers have really helped me to get my children to the right path of education,” said Manzanita parent Tania Chi.

“You’re looking for family involvement but your also looking for that personal touch, said Pablo Pitcher Deproto. “When you have a smaller school, you just have more of an ability to reach those students.”

OUSD says it has too many small schools which makes it difficult to upkeep facilities and drives down salaries for teachers.

“Part of the narrative is we can’t give the teachers raises unless we close schools is incredibly offensive to pit us and our salaries against our school communities,” says Carrie Anderson, a teacher at Manzanita Community School.

Chi thinks the closure would have a huge impact on the largely low-income families at the school.

“I think parents would have to get up and move,” she said. “They would have to make a lot of schedule re-arranging throughout their day, and we don’t have a lot of help throughout the day.”

Oakland Unified officials said they are seeking community engagement by holding the special meeting Monday night. However, that meeting comes just one day after the list was released.

“How are we going to engage?” said Regina Morones, a Manzanita staff employee since 2006 when the school was founded. “How are we going to say anything? How are we going to show up at the board meeting if it’s on Zoom? So, to me, it’s all a strategy to make sure there’s as little push back as possible.”

Board President Gary Yee said OUSD has too many small, under-enrolled schools and it’s a financial burden preventing the district from providing adequate service to the community. He said larger, more regional schools would save money that could be put toward higher teacher salaries and a more effective operation.

READ MORE: Man Found Dead At El Cerrito Library

Though the district is not currently in a financial crisis, Yee said there’s no use waiting for things to get worse.

When he was asked if it was reasonable to take a vote only eight days after the closure list was released to the public, Yee replied, “Ummm…I understand the anger and the worries and the concern. I believe the process is one that is comprehensive and sufficiently detailed for us to consider.”

As for holding the public meeting the day after the list was revealed, Yee added he didn’t expect that anyone’s minds would be changed anyway.

“It’s super hard for people to consider something other than what they’re familiar with,” he said.

District 5 Director Mike Hutchinson alerted the community about the 6 schools on the closure list.

“We have no financial crisis,” sats Hutchinson. “We have a mismanagement crisis.”

Hutchinson is outraged that some of his fellow school board members are trying to push through school closures, especially during a pandemic.

Hutchinson adds, “There’s been no engagement, no process, they gave a ten day timeline to close schools permanently. The biggest issue is we don’t have an emergency going on right now that says we have to make these decisions in the next few days.”

But what the community gets from Manzanita seems pretty important. The school keeps a storeroom stocked with food, clothing and school supplies for families that can’t afford them. But they also have everyday staples like toilet paper and toothbrushes.

Afterschool program director Angela Phung said that could change if they had to move to a regional school.

“They wouldn’t be able to get what they need for their families,” she said.

OUSD’s mission statement says it strives to be a “full-service community district.” Parents with children at the schools being impacted by the proposal are left wondering how far they will have to travel to access it.

Board members say they plan to vote on the proposal eight days later at another special meeting scheduled for February 8th.

MORE NEWS: Curry Heats Up Late To Lead Warriors Over Rockets, 122-108

Andrea Nakano contributed to this report.

The post Large Turnout At Assembly to Talk about Proposed Oakland College Closures – CBS San Francisco appeared first on Los Gatos News And Events.

SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) – My journey to understanding the homeless problem in San Francisco took me to Fisherman’s Wharf – where I found a young man sniffing the sidewalk with a stuffed animal under his arm.

His name is Cory Harris. He is 25 years old.

“I’m from San Diego, but the coronavirus and cleanup have just moved away.”

I asked him how long he’s been homeless. He pretty much tells me his whole life.

“Just a shame … moving from house to house, no real parents who could take care of it.”

At some point he was a foster child.

But now: “I sleep outside … I have a sheet.”

I asked if he was trying to get any services … any help.

A closer look at the homeless crisis in San Francisco

“I tried, but they didn’t really want to help me, they refused me.”

Cory says the last place he went for help was on Larkin Street Youth Services.

So I decided to go next and find out why it didn’t work out with Cory.

It turns out that it might be because he’s just a bit too old to qualify for her help.

They let me and my camera in one of their shelters on Ellis Street on the edge of the Tenderloin known as the Lark Inn.

This is reserved for young people between the ages of 18 and 24.

Those who qualify will receive welcome kits of toiletries and linens.

Once inside, colorful murals with uplifting messages greet you.

While a sunny landscape cheers this hallway, the actual bedrooms are a bit bleak.

There are cement floors, replacement furniture, plastic bins, and metal lockers for storing items.

Some beds are currently not sleeping because they are only half full due to the pandemic.

“My experience is that it’s a place where you can lay your head at night when you have nothing else.”

This firsthand perspective is from Dale Jones, a resident of the Lark Inn.

I met the 22-year-old, originally from Contra Costa County, while he was at the Youth Services Access Point on Larkin Street on Golden Gate Avenue.

Dale didn’t want to go into details about how he got homeless in San Francisco, but rather described what his life was like before he found a place at the shelter.

“Couch surfing, house-to-house bouncing in the year before I came here, I lived with seven different family members, a couple of different houses in a hotel, a couple of times on an Airbnb.”

Now he tells me that he is making optimal use of the resources available to him and that he reports to his clerk here once a week.

“I’m already on the waiting list for basically cheaper apartments that will help me pay, so just go through it.”

The access side vibe is more of a college student cafe than a bureaucrat’s waiting room.

Even 12-year-olds can stop by here and have warm meals.

You have access to laundry and showers, a wardrobe and toiletries.

Below are resources to get a GED, college financial aid, or job search help.

Dale is now enrolled in a job program hoping to work as a security guard and then enroll in college.

He likes knowing that he can visit this place every day.

“At least I know they let me work Monday through Friday. At the moment I have a set program, before which I was literally from house to house, from couch to couch, day after day. “

Larkin Street Youth Services says the work to end young people’s homelessness is rare, brief and one-time.

Sherilyn Adams is the executive director.

“We know that around 50% of people over the age of 18 who are homeless had their first experience between the ages of 18 and 25, right? So we know the faster we intervene to prevent chronic homelessness. The other bit is, the longer you are outside, the more damaging it is to your health and wellbeing. “

While at the access point, I met a familiar face.

“What’s the matter with you since I last saw you? Just to survive. “

Cory was there to shower and get something to eat.

However, the 25-year-old will probably find it more difficult to find a place to sleep than it was a year ago.

“We don’t have a great system in San Francisco for the 25-35 year olds in general. Because the age range of people who are homeless is 70, 75 … and we prioritize people based on how long they have been homeless.

“And it is sometimes very difficult for people who are newly homeless and live in this way from 25 to 35 years.”

Meanwhile, Cory continues to try to get the help he needs.

“I’ve looked around [for housing]… no luck yet. “

Larkin Street Youth Services would not confirm whether they would assist Cory in finding help, but said they are able to assist those who join the system before they are 25 and will continue to receive after they are 25 .

They say they have accommodated over 400 young people so far this year.

KRON4 will continue our efforts to investigate the situation on the streets, but we also need your help. If there’s anything you think we need to see or hear, email OnTheStreets@KRON4.com

The post Assembly the youth experiencing homelessness in San Francisco: Their tales appeared first on Los Gatos News And Events.

Civil Air Patrol’s San Francisco Bay Group 2 celebrated their return to face-to-face meetings this month with a training day, orientation flights, beacon hunting competition, and other educational activities at Livermore Airport, home of Tri-Valley Composite Squadron 156.

“This activity was the catalyst needed to get our organization out of the pandemic and foster a stronger sense of community,” said Lt. Col. Shawn Lawson, Group 2 commandant.

He said about 160 cadets, adult members, parents and visitors attended the celebration.

The volunteer Civil Air Patrol is the United States Air Force’s civil helper and provides air support in emergencies. Bay Group 2 includes 10 seasons based in Livermore, Concord, San Francisco, Oakland, Hayward, Palo Alto, San Carlos, San Jose and Watsonville.

Because of the pandemic, CAP squadrons have met virtually since March 2020 and did not resume face-to-face meetings until June.

The post San Francisco Bay Group 2 of the Civil Air Patrol Returns to Assembly In Particular person at Livermore Airport | Information appeared first on Los Gatos News And Events.

While planning to return for face-to-face meetings, South San Francisco school officials agreed that the district should continue to broadcast meetings online in hopes of maintaining the community’s increased engagement during the pandemic.

The Board of Trustees of the South San Francisco Unified School District unanimously agreed to keep broadcasts of online meetings on Thursday, May 27th, as they prepare to do so, Thursday, June 24th, for the first time in more than one Year to begin face-to-face meetings.

But while the Trustees shared the belief that online broadcasts should continue even after members of the school community were invited back to meetings, questions remained as to whether remote public comments would be allowed.

Trustee John Baker advocated remote attendance, claiming that this lowers the barrier to entry for those interested in giving their opinion on matters to the board but not having the flexibility to attend meetings.

“It has produced a lot more democracy, it has produced a lot more participation from members of the community,” he said.

However, he measured this perspective by noting that although he preferred to keep public comments from a distance, the more critical issue was the board continuing to broadcast meetings online for community members to watch from home can.

Trustee Pat Murray claimed otherwise, suggesting that public comment should only be allowed when a person is attending a meeting – as soon as public health conditions permit.

Claiming that context is lost when a person comments remotely, Murray said she believed it was preferable for a person to speak to the board so that officials could better grasp their position.

“I think it’s really important that we have these nuances when trying to understand our community,” she said. “That they are there and talk to us.”

Board chairwoman Daina Lujan said she felt the same, but for different reasons.

After months of conducting online meetings, Lujan found that it can be difficult to moderate meetings, especially those with large groups of people who want to talk about key issues.

Personally, she said that time management for meetings is easier as the moderator is better able to read the room and to the best of his ability to ensure that the meetings are not late at night.

But online, Lujan said, it is harder to tell how many people will be interested in speaking, and this reduces their ability to conduct meetings efficiently.

She also added that she felt that personal comments had a greater resonance than virtual ones.

“It’s something to be said that you are actually able to make eye contact and hear sound,” she said.

The problem is one that school districts and local governments are grappling with as public health conditions improve, gatherings are allowed again, and meetings in boardrooms and town halls forced online by the pandemic resume.

Proponents of online meetings and public commentary generally advocate relying on technology to expand access, and point to an increase in participation over the past year from community members who take advantage of the flexibility of remote agreements.

However, critics often note that the increase in participation has lengthened the length of meetings, leading to many meetings lasting late into the night and raising concerns about the wisdom of sometimes making political decisions after midnight.

Currently, those wishing to attend meetings of the South San Francisco School Committee are encouraged to email their comments to the board in advance of the meeting or attend live via a remote public comment. Looking ahead, officials expressed an interest in continuing to accept the statements sent via email, but remote public comments could be eliminated once members of the community can again attend meetings.

No final decision has been made on this issue and further decisions will be made at a later meeting. But Baker said if officials attempt to ban public commenting remotely, they should consider broadcasting the sessions on YouTube and moving away from Zoom to save on administrative costs.

With a view to the meeting on June 24th, the board members can hold personal meetings in the district office and finally return to the boardroom of the Baden High School as soon as the parishioners can attend.

Lujan noted, however, that the board’s decision could ultimately be overshadowed by any orders from Governor Gavin Newsom, who is expected to provide clearer guidance on such issues once the state moves away from its tiered color system in a few weeks’ time.

On similar matters, the board agreed to read a statement at the beginning of each board meeting that the meeting was taking place on land originally inhabited by indigenous peoples.

Baker suggested the recognition to signal the board’s commitment to social justice.

“It’s a way to formally acknowledge and reflect on what was essentially an extermination of the indigenous people and the trauma they suffered under colonialism,” he said.

Baker said he had noticed similar recognition is being made at other public gatherings across the state, and he felt that adoption in South San Francisco would be in line with a variety of similar initiatives by his school board.

To that end, the board is considering changing the name of Junipero Serra Elementary School based on the missionary’s treatment of Native Americans, and recently changed the South San Francisco High School mascot to abandon the Native American imagery.

The rest of his colleagues supported the proposal, and Superintendent Shawnterra Moore said officials will return using the proposed language at the next board meeting so that the board can review the official adoption.

Baker said the recognition was the least the board could do to honor the history of the region.

“It’s better than what we’re doing now,” he said.

The post South San Francisco Unified College District Board reimagines public assembly insurance policies | Native Information appeared first on Los Gatos News And Events.