BERKELEY
A new apartment building in northwest Berkeley is taking lottery applications till 5 p.m. Oct. 13 for 16 affordable units created through the city’s below-market-rate program.
The 170-unit Jones Berkeley apartments at 1500 San Pablo Ave. includes 16 apartments reserved for “very-low-income” households — those making $45,700 to $65,250 a year, depending on the unit type. There are four studio apartments, five one-bedroom apartments, six two-bedroom apartments and one three-bedroom apartment. Find details about the available units, rent, income limits and selection process on the Alameda County Housing Portal at bayareane.ws/3ct05Y2, where you can also complete your application online.
Units will be awarded by a lottery that will be held Oct. 22. Being selected through the lottery does not guarantee that your rental application will be approved. Your application must be reviewed for income documentation to determine if you meet eligibility requirements. Details about the lottery procedures are available on the Jones Berkeley website at jonesberkeley.com.
To learn more about affordable housing resources in Berkeley, visit cityofberkeley.info/affordable. The city does not own or operate any housing. For questions on the application process and lottery for these units, please contact Jones Berkeley directly at jonesberkeleymgr@greystar.com or 415-793-9976.
— city of Berkeley
ALBANY/EL CERRITO
Enjoy group’s new “pop-up” signs along Cerrito Creek
When air quality is safe, please enjoy a stroll along Cerrito Creek at the foot of Albany Hill. Along the wide, level trail of the creek, look for Friends of Five Creeks’ (F5C’s) new “pop-up” signs highlighting nuggets of the rich and diverse plant and animal life in this rare urban oasis (see an online map at bayareane.ws/32SjPky).
You can start your stroll on the south side of the creek from Pierce Street between the large Albany Hill condos and Pacific East Mall from El Cerrito’s Creekside Park, at the south end of Santa Clara Avenue, fording the creek on stepping stones or the willow F5C grew for the purpose from the north end of Madison Street in Albany. F5C staff hope that finding changing, rustic signs here and there will enrich your visits to the natural areas that their volunteers work to protect. Please tell F5C what you think.
— F5C
RICHMOND
Richmond Art Center increases online student offerings
Richmond Art Center is opening its fall 2020 class registration with expanded online art class listings. The fall 2020 session offers more than 40 classes by nearly 30 different teaching artists, including old favorites and beloved teachers as well as new offerings for kids, adults and families.
Oil painting, figure drawing, ceramics and watercolor classes are back. Listed alongside media chosen especially for online at-home learning and offering students new means for expression; journaling, digital art, Zoom games, and embroidery.
“We have something for everyone!” says José Rivera, RAC’s Executive Director. “Including new intergenerational classes where people of all ages can learn together and from each other. These are difficult times, and I’m continually amazed by the ingenuity of our teaching artists in adapting and innovating to find ways for people to stay creative and move forward through art.”
The fall 2020 session features classes for adults, kids, teens and mixed/all-ages groups. New classes include Jade Fair’s Planting Creativity (herbalism and mixed media), Lauren Ari’s Inward Spiral (guided drawing for play and relaxation), Charlyn Griffith-oro’s XENOGENESIS (Black sci-fi making space), Leah Yael Levy’s Comics Lab (comics and visual storytelling) and Feral Fabric’s Backpatch, Banner and Flag Workshop (sharing messages through fabric).
And Date Night returns! On Oct. 2 from 7:30 to 9 p.m., the monthly night of socializing and art-making will be hosted by artist Dawline-Jane Oni-Eseleh, who will teach participants to make their own “zines” (BYOB, and there is a sliding scale to participate). Search class offerings and register online at richmondartcenter.org/class-catalog.
— Richmond Art Center
ALBANY
City offers voters ballot measure, candidate information
Nov. 3 is Election Day and right around the corner! Be sure to register to vote at registertovote.ca.gov. For City Council and Albany Unified School District Board of Education candidates information, visit bayareane.ws/2Rw92Gn.
For Albany ballot measures information, visit bayareane.ws/2ZH1HIi. For any other information on the Albany candidates or Albany ballot measures, contact Albany’s city clerk, Anne Hsu, by email cityclerk@albanyca.org or call 510-528-5763. Voter information guides are scheduled to be mailed out by Alameda County Registrar of Voters between Sept. 24 through Oct. 13. Vote-by-mail ballots are scheduled to be mailed out to registered voters by the Alameda County Registrar of Voters between Oct. 5 and Oct. 27. Please visit the Alameda County Registrar of Voters Vote-by-Mail FAQ web page for more information at acvote.org/resources/vbm-faqs.
— city of Albany
EAST BAY
Lyft expanding Jobs Access Program for the unemployed
San Francisco-based ride-share company Lyft has announced that it is expanding LyftUp’s Jobs Access Program, a program initially launched last October that offers free or discounted rides to people making their way through the employment pipeline. The program’s expansion is meant to support the economic mobility and recovery of the tens of millions who are unemployed or underemployed, especially in communities of color, as job opportunities start to become more available. In Oakland, Lyft will work with Goodwill and United Way to distribute ride credits to individuals in their communities to help them access opportunity and mobility.
The expanded Jobs Access program includes access to bike-share, in addition to ride-share, for the first time. It also includes a new digital hub to make it easier to take action and to get access to rides if you need them, connecting individuals with the option to donate-a-ride to Goodwill or United Way to help support services and transportation needs. For more details about the program, visit lyft.com/blog/posts/jobs-access-program online.
— Lyft
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