San Leandro History Museum and Art Gallery Open Weekends During Topaz Exhibit

The San Leandro Public Library will open the traveling exhibit Topaz: Artists in Internment Their Visual Work and Words on February 18 at the San Leandro History Museum and Art Gallery at 320 W. Estudillo Avenue.  The Museum and Art Gallery will be open weekends until March 31, from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. for this exhibit.  A special opening reception will be held on Saturday, February 25, from 2:00 to 5:00 p.m.  Poet Lawson Inada, a poet-musician in the tradition of Walt Whitman and James A. Wright, will be reading excerpts from his book Legends from Camp, a masterwork of American poetry.  View the flyer here.

Join the San Leandro Library in kicking off its new Big Read Program on Saturday, March 3, from 2 - 4 p.m. with a cooking demonstration of Mexican cuisine! A reading will be made both in English and Spanish from author Rosario Castellanos' The Cooking Lesson, a short story presented in Sun, Stone and Shadows: 20 Great Mexican Short Stories, an anthology of some of Mexico's finest authors edited by Jorge Hernández.

The event will  also  coordinate registration to all event attendees who are interested in signing up for a Sun, Stone and Shadows Big Read Book Club.  All registrants will receive a free copy of this anthology while supplies last! Copies  will be available in either English or Spanish.  Light refreshments will be served. View a listing of all Big Read events here.

And, before the 2 p.m. kickoff,  join Coffee with the Mayor at 1 p.m. in the Lecture Hall. Mayor Cassidy is holding this special Coffee meeting especially for San Leandro’s Spanish speaking community, and the meeting will be translated into Spanish. City Manager Chris Zapata will also be introduced.

For  more information about this event or the other Big Read 2012 events, which run from March to May 2012, please contact the Main Library’s Information Desk at 577-3971.  Read the full press release here.

The February issue of City News is here.  This publication will be posted on the City's website each month and include news, events and updates of interest to the community.  Members of the community can receive an email notice of the new update by signing up through E-Notify.

The City of San Leandro is in the process of updating its Americans with Disabilities Act Self Evaluation and Transition Plan.  We welcome your review of the drafted Plan of the City's programs and services, and welcome your comments or recommendations.

An update on projects and happenings in the Community Development Department during the month of January 2012 can be viewed here. Highlighted articles include:  the elimination of Redevelopment Agencies in California, Introducing Lit San Leandro Workshop, a preview of planning activities for February, March and April, an overview of industrial vacancy rates and a monthly business tip.

Sports camps, swimming, arts, music, trips, volunteering... the list goes on and on! There is something for everybody from tots to seniors and individuals to families in the San Leandro Recreation and Human Services Spring Activities Guide! Don't miss out on an opportunity to learn something new, meet new friends, get in shape and get involved in our community! Our Spring guide will also features a sneak preview of up upcoming summer programs.  For information on our current course offerings, please visit https://online.activecommunities.com/sanleandrorec/Start/Start.asp. 

To visit the Recreation and Human Services Department homepage, please click here.

AC Transit's East Bay BRT project has just released their Final Environmental Impact Statement/Final Environmental Impact Report (FEIS/FEIR) for public review.  A copy of the document is available at the San Leandro City Clerk’s Office, San Leandro Main Library and at the following web site: http://www.actransit.org/final-environmental-impact-statementfinal-environmental-impact-report-feisfeir/.  The public comment period will close on March 19, 2012.

The City of San Leandro continues to participate in the FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) Flood Insurance Rating System and achieved a Class 8 designation that enables residents in FEMA-designated flood zones or Special Flood Hazard Area (SFHA) to receive discounts of up to 10 percent on flood insurance.  The flood zone is in the southern and western parts of the city, generally surrounding the flood control channel running from East 14th Street near Bayfair Center to San Francisco Bay.  For more information, click here.

For access to the City's flood zone webpage, please click here.