EAST BAY
Blood donors can cross the items “save lives” and “find a Halloween costume” off their to-do list. Vitalant, one of the nation’s largest nonprofit blood and biotherapies healthcare organizations, is rewarding all blood donors Sunday through Oct. 5 with a spooktacular free “Instant Halloween Costume” T-shirt.
Related Articles
In brief: Oakland Assemblymember Bonta’s candidate security bill OK’d
Oaktoberfest returning to Oakland’s Dimond district Oct. 5-6
In brief: Piedmont venue to host Festival Opera series starting Sept. 22
Not having a robust blood supply can be a scary situation. Every two seconds, someone in the United States needs blood. This could be a little girl in an intensive care unit or a mother with Stage 3 leukemia. September is National Preparedness Month, and the blood on hospital shelves helps save lives when emergencies strike.
Donors of all blood types, especially Type O, are needed every day to replenish what is used to help patients. In an emergency, Type O-negative is crucial when there is not time to determine a patient’s blood type, and Type O-positive can help anyone with Rh-positive blood.
Recent changes by the FDA now let more than 60% of the population donate blood. Review recently updated eligibility requirements and make an appointment at vitalant.org or 877-25-VITAL (877-258-4825). Select a time and place to donate blood in the East Bay and Benicia from this list of blood drives:
• 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Sept. 17 at Walnut Creek’s Mount Diablo Unitarian Universalist Church;
• 2 to 6 p.m. Sept. 18 at Oakland’s Grand Lake Kitchen;
• 11:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Sept. 19 at the Benicia Clock Tower (Benicia Fire Department);
• 9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Sept. 25 at the Contra Costa Water District in Concord;
• 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sept. 25 at Berkeley’s Alta Bates Summit Medical Center;
• 2:30 to 6:30 p.m. Sept. 26 at the Benicia Farmer’s Market.
Donors can also give at one of six Vitalant donation centers in the Bay Area. Vitalant provides hospitals and patients across the nation with a safe blood supply, specialized laboratory services, transfusion medicine expertise and world-renowned research. Learn more at Vitalant’s website above.
— Vitalant
Republican club hosts Breitbart editor Pollak at reception
The East Bay Republican Club (formerly the Piedmont Area Republican Women Federated) held their annual fall reception on Sept. 5 at a private home in Alameda.
The speaker was Joel Pollak, the senior editor of Breitbart News, who discussed his 15th book, “The Agenda: What Trump Should Do in His First 100 Days,” and his popular book, “How Trump Won.”
He discussed his parents’ immigration to the United States from South Africa, and the how they valued the legal process of becoming U.S. citizens. He suggested that Americans would benefit from more focus on local issues rather than national issues, since local issues are tangible while national issues are ideological and divisive.
More information about the club can be found online at eastbayrepublicanclub.org.
— Jeanne Solnerdal
OAKLAND
Japanese sister city group to host Moon Viewing Festival
Free and open to the public, the Oakland Fukuoka Sister City Association (OFSCA) will present is 55th annual Moon Viewing Festival from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. Oct. 13 in Oakland’s Lakeside Park Garden Center at 666 Bellevue Ave.
A bonsai garden open house will take place from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. Also planned are Diablo Taiko-Japanese drums and performances by the student delegates of the Asian Pacific Children’s Convention and Las Lomas High School.
Japanese Bento box dinners will be available on a prepaid basis for $22. To purchase one, send a check by Oct. 1 to OFSCA, P.O. Box 13022, Oakland CA 94661-3022 or pay online at tinyurl.com/2024-OFSCA-bento-order.
— OFSCA
Assemblymember Bonta’s candidate security bill approved
A bill from Assemblymember Mia Bonta, D-Oakland, on candidate security, AB 2041, passed its final vote through the Legislature on Sept. 1 and is awaiting Gov. Gavin Newsom’s signature. Bonta released the statement below in response.
“Stalking and harassment have become all too common in today’s politics, especially for candidates who are female, LGBTQ+ and candidates of color. These tactics only serve to hurt our political process by intimidating wonderful potential candidates out of participating in our political system.
“I’m proud that my bill, AB 2041, to increase security opportunities for political candidates, has passed through the Legislature and is heading to the governor’s desk. I’m grateful for the bipartisan support this bill has received to prioritize safety and look forward to Governor Newsom signing this critical bill.”
AB 2041 would make California’s political candidate finance policies reflect the modern-day political climate. With the threats to elected officials and candidates running for office increasing at an alarming rate, according to Bonta’s office, the updates provided by this bill are long overdue.
If signed into law, the bill would increase the lifetime cap and extend security expense eligibility to the candidate’s or elected official’s family and staff. According to the California Women’s List’s 2023 Report, nearly two-thirds of women candidates (65.38%) experienced harassment during their campaigns, compared to 50% of men.
The report’s data was even more stark for women candidates of color — 54.76% of whom experienced stalking at least once during their campaigns (28.57% reportedly experiencing stalking frequently or very frequently). For LGBTQ+ women candidates, according to the report, 53.33% experienced stalking during their campaigns.
Bonta represents the East Bay 18th California Assembly District encompassing Oakland, Alameda and Emeryville. She also chairs the Assembly Health Committee.
— Assemblymember Bonta’s office
Oaktoberfest to return for 17th year on weekend of Oct. 5-6
Oakland’s Dimond district will host its one-of-a-kind Oaktoberfest fall festival for its 17th year on the weekend of Oct. 5-6, welcoming thousands of visitors with more than 200 craft beers, five entertainment stages, food, arts and ecology.
The Dimond will continue its tradition as an entertainment destination, begun in the early 1900s when beer gardens and German vacation resorts lined the boulevard. Oaktoberfest will bring world-class beer to the tented beer halls, serving steins of traditional German flavors and regional craft brew favorites.
Oaktoberfest 2024 will take place at the intersection of Fruitvale Avenue and MacArthur Boulevard from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Oct. 5 and from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Oct. 6. Admission is free, but beverage package purchase options are available. For details online or to buy drink packages or reserve a dining hall, visit oaktoberfest.org.
— Dimond Improvement Association
PIEDMONT
Festival Opera artist recital series at venue starts Sept. 22
Festival Opera’s 33rd season will continue into autumn with a trio of Sunday afternoon artist recitals at the intimate Piedmont Center for the Arts.
The series will launch at 4 p.m. Sept. 22 with “Lucky in Love,” presenting mezzo-soprano Kindra Scharich and pianist Jeffrey LaDeur. It will continue at 4 p.m. Oct. 27 with “Nothing to Fear,” featuring contralto Sara Couden and pianist Derek Tam.
The series will conclude at 4 p.m. Nov. 17 with “Muses and Musings of an Impresario” — a birthday celebration with special guest artists to be announced — showcasing baritone Zachary Gordin, who is also Festival Opera’s general director, and pianist Daniel Lockert.
Earlier in the company’s season, Festival Opera presented two annual “Opera in the Park” concerts at Orinda Community Park and Walnut Creek Civic Park, featuring beloved community park programs of grand opera and Broadway musical highlights.
For the mainstage production at Walnut Creek’s Lesher Center for the Arts, Gordin and guest stage director Céline Ricci presented a double bill of two one-act operas regarding love and betrayal: Francis Poulenc’s riveting mid-1950s monodrama “La Voix Humaine” based on iconoclast Jean Cocteau’s play and baroque masterpiece “Dido and Aeneas” by Henry Purcell based on Virgil’s epic work “The Aeneid.”
For series tickets and more online information, visit festivalopera.org. The arts center is at 801 Magnolia Ave. in Piedmont.
— Festival Opera
City’s adult school offering French classes beginning Oct. 7
Planning that long-postponed trip to France? Or do you just want to sharpen your French skills or learn some new ones? French classes at all levels will start the week of Oct. 7 at Piedmont Adult School. Classes will be taught by Jean Monnier, an instructor at the school since 2007.
Monnier, a native French speaker, brings a wealth of experience and knowledge to his teaching. He grew up in France’s Brittany and later moved to the United States, where he received a bachelor’s degree in English and a master’s degree in comparative literature from UC Berkeley.
After teaching French at UC Berkeley for five years, Monnier moved back to France, where in the city of Tours he received his Ph.D. in French literature. Later moving again to America, he settled in Oakland and taught at Head Royce and Campolindo high schools.
In addition to teaching, Monnier’s fascinating career has included stints as a journalist for French national television and as an interpreter during the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics. He has written multiple papers and books on French involvement in the California Gold Rush and other topics.
“I love teaching at the Adult School because my students are so motivated and excited to learn,” Monnier said. “We have great conversations about culture, politics, government and the like. The atmosphere is very friendly and social.”
In addition to French, Piedmont Adult School offers Spanish and Italian classes, as well as classes in art, business, computers, exercise and more. Check out classes and register online at piedmontadultschool.org or by calling 510-594-2655.
— Piedmont Adult School
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