News Briefs: 3rd Dyke March town hall announced

  • by Cynthia Laird, News Editor
  • Wednesday January 15, 2025
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People took part in the 2022 San Francisco Dyke March. Photo: Jane Philomen Cleland
People took part in the 2022 San Francisco Dyke March. Photo: Jane Philomen Cleland

After two town hall meetings were held last fall, the recently formed San Francisco Dyke March interim steering committee has announced a third town hall will be held on Zoom Wednesday, January 22, from 6 to 8 p.m. The meeting is free but participants will need a ticket, according to an email announcement.

The Dyke March did not officially take place last year; traditionally, it is held the Saturday evening prior to the Pride parade in June. As a result, an interim steering committee was formed to organize and plan a Dyke March for 2025. The interim steering committee consists of Crystal Mason, board chair; board members Celestina Pearl and Ruth Villaseñor; and project director M Rocket.

The interim steering committee has set up a governance committee, which has met twice, the email stated.

In the email, the committee stated that the first order of business is to sort folks into committees so that the time-sensitive planning logistics and fundraising can begin. "The governance committee is working as fast and furiously as possible to set up enough structure to be able to hold the SF Dyke March in 2025, while also building the early foundations for a three to five year rebuilding-development plan," the email stated.

Interested people are still welcome to take an online volunteer survey.

For more information, email [email protected]

East Bay Regional Parks board simplifies fees

The new year means simpler parking fees and no dog fees for East Bay Regional Parks, the agency announced in a news release. The park district's board voted on the fee changes at its December 3 meeting and they took effect January 1.

The new fee schedule includes a flat $5 parking fee at East Bay Regional Parks where kiosks are present. The flat fee makes it simpler and easier for the public to visit East Bay Regional Parks, the release stated. Previously, parking fees ranged from $3 to $6 depending on the specific park. The new fee does not apply to Del Valle Regional Park in Livermore on weekends and holidays April through Labor Day, which has a flat $10 entrance fee on those peak days that covers parking and other fees.

Dog fees have also been eliminated for 2025, according to the release. Dogs are required to be on leash in designated areas, including trailheads, parking lots, paved trails, and picnic areas. Dogs must also be on leash around horses and in parks where cattle are present. The dog fee was $2. Visit ebparks.org/dogs for more information.

A dog permit is still required to walk more than three dogs at a time, according to the release. Professional dog walkers are required to obtain a permit regardless of how many dogs they walk at one time. Visit ebparks.org/permits for details.

The updated fee schedule for 2025 also includes changes to swimming fees, day camp fees, special event fees, concessionaire fees, parking citation penalties, and vehicle release fees.

East Bay Regional Parks fees help recover, in part, the costs of providing a service, the release stated. The updated fee schedule streamlines pricing and better reflects the cost of services and impacts on the park district, according to the release.

To view the fee schedule for 2025, visit ebparks.org/sites/default/files/2025-Fee-Schedule.pdf.

Simon secures $2M to help reconnect Oakland's Chinatown

Freshman Congressmember Lateefah Simon (D-Oakland) announced $2 million in federal funding to reconnect Oakland's Chinatown community to the waterfront by maintaining and enhancing pathways under Interstate 880. According to a news release from Simon's office, I-880 has long split Chinatown from the waterfront neighborhood, limiting residents' ability to access opportunities or simply travel safely between destinations. The grant will fund enhancements to the I-880 underpasses that currently separate Chinatown, increasing safety measures, expanding accessible walkways and bike paths, and ensuring the long-term health of the Chinatown community.

"For too long, the I-880 has divided and harmed Oakland's vibrant Chinatown community," Simon stated. "As someone who is legally blind and is transit dependent, I know personally how accessible and safe transit options are the difference between surviving and thriving.

"This project will help bridge the gap between Chinatown and other portions of Oakland and begin to rectify harmful infrastructure decisions that have divided the neighborhood and foster community building with historically disadvantaged families," she added.

According to the release, Simon and California's two Democratic U.S. senators, Alex Padilla and Adam Schiff, secured this grant through the U.S. Department of Transportation's Reconnecting Communities Pilot grant program created by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which was signed into law by President Joe Biden in 2021.

In the 118th Congress that ended January 3, former Congressmember Barbara Lee (D-Oakland), whom Simon replaced, and Padilla and lesbian former senator Laphonza Butler (D-California) advocated for the Oakland Chinatown I-880 Underpass Activation Project, the release stated.

Dr. Erica Pan. Photo: Courtesy CADPH  

Pan to serve as CA health director
Governor Gavin Newsom announced January 7 that Dr. Erica Pan will become the next director and state public health officer of the California Department of Public Health. Pan will assume her new duties February 1.

In a news release, CADPH stated that Pan will work collaboratively with partners to help implement Newsom's public health policy goals to support healthy individuals, families, and communities.

Pan will replace Dr. Tomás Aragón, who previously announced his retirement and will step down January 31. Before becoming head of CADPH, Aragón was health officer for the San Francisco Department of Public Health.

"I am confident Erica will take CDPH to the next level with her deep understanding of public health, strong servant leadership, compassion and work ethic," stated Aragón. "She brings to this role a unique combination of skills, along with a demonstrated commitment to equity, that will help her deliver results for the people of California."

Pan has more than 20 years of public health leadership experience, the release stated. Before joining CDPH, she served as the Alameda County health officer. Pan held various roles at the Alameda County Public Health Department since 2011, including director of the Division of Communicable Disease Control and Prevention, and deputy health officer.

"It is an incredible honor to serve California in this role at a critical time when we need to empower and engage the public to have confidence in the science and evidence that has saved lives and promotes a healthy California for all," Pan stated. "Dr. Aragón has been an inspiration and mentor to me from early on in my public health career and he is a respected public health leader who has led CDPH to 'become the best at getting better.' I aim to build on his legacy, and I'm committed to a smooth transition for the Department."

Pan is also a clinical professor in the Department of Pediatrics, Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases at UCSF.

Pan joined CDPH in July 2020 as the deputy director for the Center for Infectious Diseases and State Epidemiologist. During that time, she helped lead the state through the COVID-19 pandemic, multiple infectious disease outbreaks, Ebola planning, and the current bird flu situation.




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