Cupertino community briefs for the week of Jan. 29 [The Cupertino Courier, Calif.]
Jan. 23 Taste of History
Chef, lawyer and artist Jocelyn Jackson will the guest speaker at “Dreaming and Imagining,” an online event hosted by the Euphrat Museum of Art at De Anza College. Jackson founded Justus Kitchen in Oakland and is also a founding member of the People’s Kitchen Collective.
The event, set for Feb. 4, 6:30-7:30 p.m., is the next in the Euphrat’s year-long series, “Reclaiming Our Humanity: A Taste of History.” It’s meant to “examine history through ancestral foods, stories, song and daily practices that strengthen the power of dreams.”
Pandemic creates “weird boom time” for some Bay Area remote workers [The Cupertino Courier, Calif.]
Jan. 10 Millions of California workers have faced at least one of two gut-wrenching situations this past year: losing their jobs or risking their lives by showing up in person at work during a pandemic.
But for the others the “work-from-home” contingent things have been, well, mostly fine.
“My career, knock on wood, is taking off,” said Penny Bailey, a recruiter at a San Francisco-based startup that builds software for online teamwork. Bailey got her new job and a raise three months into the pandemic. “I feel really good about my income, and that’s new for me. That contrast isn’t lost on me. I feel this weird guilt.”
Cupertino community briefs for the week of Jan. 15 [The Cupertino Courier, Calif.]
Jan. 9 Library ends late fines
The Santa Clara County Library District has eliminated late fines for all materials, including books, magazines, music and movies, effective, Jan. 1. Existing late fines will also be forgiven so that patrons can start the year with a clean slate. Patrons may not see existing fines removed from their accounts until later in the month. Fees for lost items will remain, and the processing fees have been reduced for most items.
County libraries also recently launched a new auto-renewal feature that automatically extends due dates on eligible materials. There are a few requirements for eligibility, including more available copies than holds, and not reaching the maximum number of five renewals. Patrons will receive notifications with each successful auto-renewal.
Community leaders look ahead to the new year [The Cupertino Courier, Calif.]
Dec. 27 While the issues that plagued us in 2020 will still be with us in the new year, plenty of local residents were happy to show the old year the door. Community leaders are expressing cautious optimism about what 2021 has in store for the South Bay as the pandemic wears on.
“As a city, we’re working hard to keep our residents safe while taking into account the many understandable concerns relating to the economy, our schools and our local businesses,” says Cupertino Mayor Darcy Paul. “City Hall is responding well. Thanks to a great deal of foresight and work by our staff and community, we were, for instance, able to transition to remote work quickly.”
Cupertino community briefs for the week of Dec. 25 [The Cupertino Courier, Calif.]
Dec. 20 Audubon Society awarded open space grant
The Santa Clara Valley Audubon Society is among 10 organizations recently awarded a Measure Q grant by the Santa Clara Valley Open Space Authority. The society, headquartered in McClellan Ranch Park in Cupertino, received $79,608 for its Oak Savanna Citizen Science Project.
In total, the authority awarded over $875,000 as part of the 2020 cycle of its Urban Grant Program. Funding a variety of projects, including environmental education on the topics of food and agriculture, as well as environmental stewardship, the program focuses on providing access to nature within the urban areas of the Authority’s jurisdiction.