San Pablo Avenue is a major economic force in El Cerrito, supplying the community with everything from nail salons to novelty shops. Now, a new plan to regulate future development along this major thoroughfare is nearing completion.

Watch the slideshow below to learn more.

Faces in Focus is a series of profiles on local businesses and residents who are making an impact in El Cerrito.

On a recent Saturday morning in El Cerrito, a small group of East Bay citizens decided to forgo sleeping in.  Instead, coffee in hand, they gathered at the dead-end of Adams Street in El Cerrito to participate in one of Friends of Five Creeks’ weekly work parties to restore local creeks to their natural beauty.

Two hours later, the results were tangible: an ugly chain-link fence that had marred the edge of the creek lay bundled neatly on the ground, much of the blackberry underbrush had been cleared, and the sun sparkled on the water.

Watch the slideshow below to hear what inspired some of these volunteers and see the impact of their work.

For more information on volunteering with Friends of Five Creeks or Friends of Baxter Creek, contact Susan Schwartz (f5creeks@aol.com) and Ocean Halbert (oceansdesign@gmail.com).

BY SWETA VOHRA//

Voters got out early. Campaigns continued for one last day. Signs filled the streets, walls and lawns.

A look at El Cerrito throughout the day.

BY N’JERI EATON //

On the final day of the election, dozens of volunteers gathered at the West Contra Costa Unified Campaign office for one last push for Obama.

After eight hours, team leader Rick Guerrero announced that their efforts resulted in over 8,000 phone calls today.  “Just two weeks ago, we were happy with 3,000 calls in a weekend,” said Guerrero.

Juanita Vaughns brought two highly-motivated volunteers to the office: her 10-year-old grandson Jared and his friend Camellia. Vaughns has noticed her grandson’s fascination with the presidential election. This past Friday, Jared even dressed as Barack Obama for Halloween, wearing a suit and an array of buttons.  “They know so much about what’s going on,” said Vaughns. “I can’t say that I was doing this at 10.”

Watch the slideshow below of Jared and Camellia calling for Obama.

After two years of construction, the grand opening of the city hall this month marks a new green direction for the city.

Team leader Juanita Hughes trains first-time callers Sydney Matherson and her mother Sheri Freeman-Matherson

BY N’JERI EATON//

In the last critical days of the presidential election, volunteers at the West Contra Costa United Democratic Campaign Headquarters are spending the weekends working the phones for Obama to get out the vote and clear up any confusion. Since its grand opening on September 6, the headquarters has held an Obama phone bank event every Saturday.  This past weekend, the organization expanded its efforts to include Sundays for the first time. The numbers have been steadily increasing each weekend since phone banking began.  According to Marco Calavita, the office data manager, 60 people made more than 3,000 calls on Saturday.

Juanita Hughes, an office team leader, is leading the phone banking efforts.  Hughes says she is constantly on the search for volunteers, even approaching people in grocery stores and parking lots.  She said the key to her argument is bragging rights.  “Many of us will be able to say we voted for Obama,” said Hughes.  “But how many of us will be able to say we volunteered?”  While most people have volunteered through the Obama website, on this Sunday, people walked in off the street.  One woman came in just because she had an hour to spend in between her Sunday errands.

For some volunteers, the phone bank was a family affair.  Mothers worked side-by-side with the daughters.  In one room of the office, Sydney Matherson and her mother Sheri Freeman-Matherson placed calls on their matching cell phones.  Matherson, a 17-year old senior at the Oakland School of the Arts, was volunteering for the first time.  “I think part of it is that I can’t vote so I feel like I should be doing something to help,” she said.

Across the table from Matherson sat her mother.  Seeing her daughter’s interest in the campaign has in return inspired her.  “She’s watched all of the debates, knows all of the issues.  I’m very impressed,” said Freeman-Matherson.  “She should know because it affects all of us.”

In another room, Beth Harris greeted volunteers and potential voters at the door as her daughter made cold calls at a nearby table.  This is the first campaign that Harris has worked on since George McGovern in 1972.  “I decided to volunteer because I feel our electoral process has been greatly endangered by the current administration,” said Harris.  “We need to reach a critical mass and get enough people to vote.”

For her daughter Liza Wallace, 17, this is her second time working on a presidential campaign.  In 2004, at the age of 13, she was making calls to voters on behalf of John Kerry.  Despite always being too young to vote, Walker has used her frustration to fuel her volunteering efforts. “I’m really mad that it’s the most important election of my life and I can’t vote.  It sucks so I’m making up for it,” she said.

Volunteers were given a sheet with a list of names, numbers, and their city of residence.  Since California is already predicted to go to Obama, the callers focused their efforts on battleground states.  This weekend, thousands of calls were placed to voters in New Mexico.

The goals of the calls were to find out if residents are supporting Obama, and if so, inform them of the early voting process in the their state.  The information gathered was then entered into a national database used by the Obama campaign.

During a routine phone call on Saturday, team leader Rick Guerrero discovered an incident of voter disenfranchisement.  In a neighborhood of Albuquerque, a woman was going door-to-door with a clipboard in hand.  The resident told Guerrero the woman said he could vote for Obama just by filling out a form and signing his name.  He was then told this was his official vote and he would not have to go to the polls.

Guerrero informed the man that the process was illegal.  After encouraging the man to alert his neighbors about the situation, Guerrero immediately called the Obama campaign and reported the incident.  By the end of the day, Guerrero had found a similar case of voter fraud in Las Cruces.  “There’s rampant voter disenfranchisement in New Mexico,” said Guerrero.

It is the dedicated work of Guerrero and the dozens of other volunteers that has impressed Susan Swift, one of the office managers.  “We’re building bridges and communities.  We need everyone here working together,” said Swift.  “I hope people are willing to be active in the community even after the election.”

The West Contra Costa County United Democrat Campaign Headquarters will be conducting phone banks every weekend until the election on November 4.

For more information, check out their website:
http://westcountydemocrats.org/volunteer.html

BY FERNANDO GALLO//

The Gauchos took on the Alameda Hornets for their homecoming game on Oct. 10. See the action up close in this slideshow.

BY MATT DURNING //

On October 6, 2008, the new, long-awaited El Cerrito City Hall opened its doors at 10891 San Pablo Avenue for the first time.

Watch our photo slide show below to see images from this historic local event.

PLUS: This weekend there are two chances to experience the new City Hall for yourself.

City Hall Gallery Opening Reception, Friday, October 17, 7:00 p.m. Hosted by the Arts & Culture Commission

City Hall Celebration and Open House, Saturday, October 18, 10:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Visit the new City Hall; learn about the features of the building and enjoy a complimentary lunch. Event also includes a re-dedication of the Veterans Memorial Garden at 12:00 p.m.

BY N’JERI EATON //

Three Richmond teenagers were arrested in El Cerrito in connection with a series of strong-arm robberies on a path near the BART tracks last week. The teens – two 16-year-old boys and a 13-year-old girl – are suspected of six robberies in a three day period.

The paths behind the El Cerrito Plaza and Del Norte BART stations have been a prime location for robberies. According to the El Cerrito Police log, 17 robberies have been reported since March along these paths.

BART employee Victor Martinez has been working as a station agent at El Cerrito Plaza for the last five years. He said muggings are “rare” but when they do happen, they are always a shock.

At the Del Norte BART station just a few blocks away, robberies are a more common crime. An unidentified station BART employee at the station said robberies happen “all day, everyday.” Despite the presence of a BART police station at Del Norte, thefts seem to plague the area.

Martinez believes thefts, often perpetrated by teenagers, signify a larger problem.

“It’s a tragedy that you’re seeing teenagers do it. To me it’s a social tragedy,” he said. “It’s telling me that something is going on here where our youth are not being mentored or guided.”

The Del Norte station agent said that iPods and high-end cell phones are the most frequently stolen item because they have a quick resell value. BART has encouraged commuters not to wear the white earbud headphones that come with iPods.

Laptops are another hot commodity for thieves. Martinez says that he warns commuters to not buy easily recognizable laptop bags.

“I tell them, they’re better off getting a backpack with a pillow in it,” Martinez said.

For more safety tips, watch this slideshow.

Both the station agents and the official BART Safety Guide say that staying alert and aware of their surroundings is the best way for passengers to stay safe. The Del Norte station agent suggests that passengers pass through the station as quickly as possible.

“If you want to be unsafe then hang out at the station,” he said. “Its not a matter of if but when.”

For more information, click on the following links

Video Guide to Passenger Safety
http://www.bart.gov/news/barttv/?&cat=34&id=295

Contact information by zone for BART Police
http://bart.gov/about/police/contact.aspxBART Safety Tips