RICHMOND
Elected officials, park district and city representatives and community leaders will come together at 11 a.m. Friday for a groundbreaking ceremony to celebrate the start of the Point Molate Bay Trail Extension Project’s construction.
The event marks the start of construction of 2.5 miles of new San Francisco Bay Trail from the city of Richmond’s Point Molate Beach Park to the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge. The trail extension project includes a 600-foot boardwalk; interpretive panels highlighting natural and cultural history; and a connection to the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge’s existing bike and pedestrian path.
The Point Molate Bay Trail Extension Project is a partnership with the city of Richmond, which owns 1.25 miles of the 2.5-mile trail extension project area. The East Bay Regional Park District (EBRPD) is leading the design, permitting and construction of the trail extension, which is an important step toward expanding public access at Point Molate.
Point Molate Beach Park is at 527 Stenmark Drive in Richmond. For more EBRPD information online, visit ebparks.org/whats-new.
— EBRPD
State grants business $1.62M for safer, scalable battery tech
Richmond-based battery innovator Enzinc Inc. has been selected for a $1.62 million award from the California Energy Commission to develop its zinc-based battery technology for grid energy storage.
The grant is part of the state commission’s $30 million Energy Storage Innovations program, funded through the Electric Program Investment Charge (EPIC). Enzinc’s project will focus on refining its proprietary rechargeable zinc electrode for safer, longer-lasting and more affordable batteries using Earth-abundant, nonflammable materials.
“As the demand for safe, scalable and sustainable energy storage solutions grows, this award reinforces the critical role zinc-based technologies can play in ensuring a resilient grid,” said Dr. Michael Galluzzo, a chief Enzinc scientist.
This grant follows Enzinc’s recent $8 million Series A funding round to scale up manufacturing. The company aims to develop battery systems that support California’s climate and grid reliability goals — without the need to build new gigafactories thanks to compatibility with existing manufacturing equipment.
— Deborah Knuckey
BERKELEY
City hosting National Night Out block party on Tuesday
As neighbors around Berkeley come together next week for Tuesday’s National Night Out, they also have the option to come to a city-hosted block party featuring activities for kids and food for all. While getting to know neighbors at nearby events is the foundation of building a community, the city’s event in central Berkeley is a chance to meet people from around town and connect with city police, fire, parks and recreation staff.
The city of Berkeley’s Stop the Violence National Night Out Block Party from 3 to 7 p.m. Tuesday on McGee Avenue between Oregon and Stuart streets will have giant inflatable kids jumping structures, carnival games, food and more. Registration is optional for this free event co-hosted by McGee Avenue Baptist Church and the city of Berkeley Recreation Division’s Teen Program.
In coming to this or other National Night Out events, join city staff to build a safer, healthier Berkeley. Whether you choose a gathering near you or the city-run block party, meet others in your community Tuesday for National Night Out. For more details online, visit bit.ly/4obX9Dq.
— city of Berkeley
ALBANY AND EL CERRITO
Festival’s next film Aug. 14 is ‘The 9 Lives of Barbara Dane’
The Albany FilmFest and Berkeley Film Foundation Present are presenting a monthly series of independent documentary films by award-winning East Bay filmmakers that began in June. One film each month through October will focus on people fighting back when their lives and freedoms are threatened.
Panel discussion and interactive audience question-and-answer sessions with the filmmakers and guests follow the screenings of all films, which are being shown at Rialto Cinemas Cerrito theater at 10070 San Pablo Ave. in El Cerrito. The festival next’s film is “The 9 Lives of Barbara Dane,” showing Aug. 14.
In this exuberant dance of a documentary, American history gets a shakeup through the story of Barbara Dane, a powerhouse blues, jazz and folk singer whose unbending principles guide her through notoriety, obscurity and, finally, music legend. Pick a 20th century social justice movement, and this mysterious unsung hero of American music was probably there.
Standing strong with her singular confidence, Dane emanated the people-powered connections of folk, the defiance of blues and the elemental cool of jazz while propelling major historic events with boldness and subversion that cut through commercial artifice and earned her a 5” FBI file.
The film features Bonnie Raitt, Jane Fonda, Gary Giddens and many more, along with Dane’s performances with the Chambers Brothers, Tammy Hall and Louis Armstrong. Visit albanyfilmfest.org online for more details.
— Larsen Associates
To submit an item for the Berkeley Voice and El Cerrito Journal’s “In brief” section, which is now published in print on each month’s first Friday, 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.