Welcome to Monitor Notes, a weekly roundup of news items, event announcements, and updates on past Bay Area Monitor articles.
League Town Hall
Join the League of Women Voters for a virtual town hall with California Assemblymember Buffy Wicks (pictured) tonight at 5. The event will focus on Wicks’ 2021 legislative package with policies to help working families, renters, and Californians recovering from the pandemic’s economic fallout. Wicks represents California Assembly District 15, including Berkeley, Albany, Emeryville, Piedmont, and some of Oakland in Alameda County and Richmond, Kensington, El Sobrante, San Pablo, and Hercules in Contra Costa County. The event is a group effort hosted by LWV Berkeley-Albany-Emeryville, LWV Oakland, LWV Piedmont, and LWV West Contra Costa County. Submit questions for Wicks beforehand.
Are You All In?
The LWV Napa County is hosting a May 19 discussion at 5 p.m. about the documentary film, All In: The Fight for Democracy, which examines the issue of voter suppression in the U.S. Watch the film, produced by Georgia Democrat Stacey Abrams, ahead of time on Amazon Prime. But if you don’t get to it, the event will feature film clips highlighting the history, barriers to voting, and the current fight to make every vote count.
New Ferry Route
As residents resume local travel, the City of Berkeley and San Francisco Water Emergency Transportation Authority (WETA) asks for feedback about the Berkeley ferry service. They are collaborating on a feasibility study to develop a new pier with public ferry service and recreational access — available as soon as 2026 — at the Berkeley Waterfront. Take the survey and stay tuned for additional information. A second community workshop will occur this summer. But both the Berkeley City Council and WETA board of directors recently presented studies, outreach, and planning that you can wade through here.
What’s the Future of Housing?
May is Affordable Housing Month, and there is a wide range of virtual events to support and learn about housing and racial justice in the Bay Area. Events dwell on topics like the future of housing in Silicon Valley and a tour of micro home sites for vulnerable residents, as well as rethinking the suburbs. Scan the complete list of events to find out more. Which one do you plan to attend?
Flock Together
Birdability is an organization that makes birding more accessible to people who face mobility, vision, neurodiversity, and other challenges that keep them from going on outings. Chris Okon (pictured), a board member at the Golden Gate Audubon Society, shares her story in a new blog about how her multiple sclerosis diagnosis kept her off the trails until the Birdability community helped her to “rejoin the flock.” Through a partnership with Birdability, the Audobon Society shares resources that improve inclusivity to birding. This includes a crowd-sourced map of accessible birding locations. Get a bird’s eye view of additional resources here.
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