BERKELEY
Berkeley District 4 Councilmember Kate Harrison resigned Feb. 23, and voters will select her replacement in a special May 28 election. U.S. citizens who are at least 18 years old and live in District 4 — which includes areas of downtown and central Berkeley — have until 8 p.m. May 28 to register and vote for their new councilmember.
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Eligible Berkeley voters can see if they live in District 4 by using the city’s council district lookup tool online at bit.ly/3JHXyKR. Register by May 13 to get a mail-in ballot, which qualified voters can complete and deliver immediately by mail or drop box.
Those eligible can register, vote and deliver ballots in-person to a vote center. Voters can return their ballots by mail if postmarked by May 28. The return envelopes are postage-paid, so they don’t need to add postage to the return envelopes but do need to sign the backs of them to ensure their votes will be counted.
— city of Berkeley
WEST CONTRA COSTA
Discounted compost bins, accessories available to residents
Composting at home is a great way to recycle organic waste and help reduce the amount that goes into landfills, which in turn reduces the production of greenhouse gases. This also supports California Senate Bill 1383, which mandates that state residents and businesses properly sort organic waste and recycling from their trash.
RecycleMore (also known as the West Contra Costa Integrated Waste Management Authority) is offering a subsidized program to let West Contra Costa County residents, businesses and schools buy compost bins and accessories at a discounted rate. The current offer is 80% off compost bins and $20 off compost accessories.
“The authority is very excited to offer such a great program to make composting supplies affordable to residents,” said Peter Holtzclaw, RecycleMore’s executive director. “The cost for a bin can be only about $30, depending on which bin they purchase. Now, it will be much easier for the community to take advantage of this offering and do something good for themselves and the environment, as well as help comply with the state law with minimal effort.”
To see what products are available or purchase them, visit recyclemore.com/compost online, or contact RecycleMore partner Triformis at sales@triformis.com or (310) 641-6767, ext 2.
— RecycleMore
RICHMOND
Sorority hosting free women’s self-care seminar Saturday
The Contra Costa Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc. will host a free women’s self-care seminar to uplift, empower and engage the community from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday in the Richmond Recreational Complex at 3230 Macdonald Ave.
The seminar entitled “I Choose Me: Mind-Body-Spirit” is for women 18 or older and will feature speakers highlighting the necessity for mental health care, physical fitness and spiritual awareness.
“As women we are often everything for everyone and we fail to take care of ourselves,” said Nadirah Stills, who chairs the sorority’s Physical and Mental Health Committee that is spearheading the event. “This will be a time for women of all ages to connect, learn and choose to take care of themselves. We’re inviting the community to a seminar focused on choosing self and the importance of doing so to build a life worth living.”
There will also be raffles, gifts and lunch will be served. For online details or to register for this event, visit bit.ly/3QvC8nZ.
— Delta Sigma Theta Sorority
Homeowner sought to accommodate tiny house ADU project
THIMBY, or Tiny House in My Backyard, in collaboration with TentMakers Inc., seeks to pilot Richmond’s “Tiny House on Wheels” ordinance to provide permanent homes for unhoused people. Accordingly, we’re constructing a mobile accessory dwelling unit (ADU) to be placed on a property with existing housing.
To facilitate this, THIMBY co-founded the Tiny House Building Academy, an organization providing education and on-site construction experience to individuals from marginalized backgrounds, preparing them for careers in the industry.
As THIMBY’s construction nears completion, their biggest priority is finding a homeowner to accommodate the ADU on their property, a process facilitated by THIMBY and TentMakers. The tiny house would be located in the host’s yard for a minimum of one year and would be managed by TentMakers, with minimal necessary involvement from the homeowner.
The ADU is equipped with solar panels and consumes less water, energy and space than larger homes. If you’re interested in hosting the ADU, please fill out our survey online at bit.ly/3w6jkoh. Also, check out our info packet at bit.ly/3Ukuzmi and website (shac.studentorg.berkeley.edu/thimby3) for more details, or email THIMBY at garrett@tentmakersinc.org.
— Garrett Pohlman
BERKELEY
Bay Area Book Festival’s separate Family Day this weekend
This year, for the first time ever, the Bay Area Book Festival is dedicating a whole separate day for its free family programming and showcasing it all at the Berkeley Public Library downtown from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday.
Bring your little ones, your middle-graders, your teens for a full day of interactive, unforgettable fun in the city’s main library at 2090 Kittredge St. The Family Day event is in conjunction with the 10th annual Bay Area Book Festival happening the weekend of June 1-2. For more details online, visit baybookfest.org/familyday.
— Bay Area Book Festival
Humane Society’s Pints for Paws fundraiser set for June 1
In honor of the upcoming National Beer Day, the Berkeley-East Bay Humane Society (Berkeley Humane) has announced that tickets are now on sale for their 10th anniversary craft beer festival, Pints for Paws.
Voted Best Fundraising Event in the East Bay for several years running, Pints for Paws will take place from 2 to 5 p.m. June 1 at 2700 Ninth Street in Berkeley. This event, which will start an hour earlier for VIP ticket holders, sells out every year.
Community volunteers organize this dog-friendly event for ages 21 and older with all proceeds going to support the medical and behavioral needs of shelter dogs and cats. To learn more or to purchase tickets, visit berkeleyhumane.org/pints-for-paws online.
— Berkeley Humane
Group seeks donations for emergency aid to Gaza residents
Amidst the ongoing attack on Gaza, the Berkeley-based Middle East Children’s Alliance (MECA) and its partners are providing emergency assistance to families who have fled their homes to seek shelter with relatives as well as procuring emergency medical supplies for hospitals and clinics.
Every single person in Gaza is desperately hungry. Children and babies are the most vulnerable, and at least 27 have starved to death. Pregnant women can’t get enough food to give birth to healthy babies or to nurse them. The impact on their physical and mental development will be severe and could even be passed on to future generations.
Right now, MECA’s partners and volunteers in northern Gaza are delivering 600 food parcels with flour, lentils, rice, beans, and more. The cost now is $118. We are also working to get fresh produce from farmers.
Six hundred food parcels may seem like almost nothing, but for the 600 families who will get food, it is everything. MECA partners and volunteers are determined and working incredibly hard. With your support now, we can get more food to more people in the days and weeks ahead.
Food is scarce, expensive, and vanishes quickly. MECA must keep raising funds so that whenever something is available we can buy it. Please make the most generous contribution you can online at bit.ly/3U15LhW. For more information, visit mecaforpeace.org/about-us.
— MECA
To submit an item for our “In brief” section, please email it, at least three days before print publication, to njackson@bayareanewsgroup.com. Each item should be 90 to 180 words and include a short headline along with the name of the group or individual to credit for it.