I want to wish all of you a very a happy holiday season. As we end this year, it is a time to reflect on some of the many issues and accomplishments we have addressed this year here in San Leandro. We have had some challenging times, but let us not forget about some of the good things that we have been able to do through our organization.

We spoke up about the increase in crime and Connie Stephens was instrumental in forming a group called Citizens for a Safer San Leandro (www.safersanleandro.org). This group has managed to get the attention of the City and the Police Department about the crime issues that are confronting our City. We now have better access to this information through a new Web site (www.slpdinfo.org). The group has also implemented a program for motion-activated sensors for our homes which, along with other improvements, will lead to less crime in San Leandro. Her organization has also worked to encourage the formation of neighborhood watch groups in our area and throughout the city.

We also have had some very lively meetings with a lot of input from members of the EHOA and other homeowners’ associations regarding thevision for our downtown and the Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) strategy. This type of energy from our organization and others has been beneficial, as it has allowed us to let the City know that we do care about future
plans for our community. Our opinions matter, and we want our voices to be heard by City staff and our elected officials.

I also invite you to visit www.downtownsanleandro. com this month to fill out a survey about the businesses you would like to see downtown. Our next EHOA meeting will focus on the types of businesses we would like to see in our downtown and perhaps a letterwriting campaign to prospective businesses. We also want to explore some creative ideas for ways that we
can improve the downtown.

Frank Lynn has been appointed as the Secretary of the EHOA board. I am excited to work with Frank. He has endless energy and is so very passionate about our community. Frank was the moderator for our recent TOD-related meeting with Mayor Santos and Councilmen Michael Gregory and Bill Stephens. I think everyone found this meeting to be informative; however, there are still many issues we need answered before the TOD project should move forward.

We welcome Frank to the board and look forward to having him as a board member. We still have vacancies on the board for vice president, advertising, membership and beautification chair positions. If you are interested, please let me know. I can be reached at 510-635-3035. We encourage new ideas and member volunteers.

Best wishes for a peaceful and wonderful holiday!

I would like to introduce myself to all of you as the new President of the EHOA. Prior to being the president I served on the Board as the Welcoming Chair. The Welcoming Chair position provided me an avenue to welcome new residents to our City. I also became more familiar with the EHOA and the vision it had for the people in our neighborhood in the City of San Leandro and its other residents. I would like to acknowledge Deborah Cox and Denice Ballas for all of the hard work that they have done over the course of the years. Deborah and Denice have been responsible for many important projects that have improved our neighborhood. The one in particular that comes to my mind is the beautification project on MacArthur Boulevard. Deborah and Denice worked endlessly to get the merchants to paint their buildings and clean up their storefronts. It was a complete success including the beautiful sign that now identifies our neighborhood. There have been other projects as well and it goes without saying that all of us have appreciated the dedication of your public service to our neighborhood.

As the new President, I am looking forward to keeping you informed about the very important issues and events that concern our City. I hope to have meetings that will spark your interest and will encourage you to attend and participate in this very important organization. We hope to bring you speakers that will keep you up to date on what is going on in the San Leandro community. As many of you know, I am very concerned about the vision that we have for our City. It is my goal that we address the concerns of our community. The EHOA would like to address its members on such topics as: housing issues, crime, renovation of the downtown, schools and the beautification of our neighborhood. So, I invite you to be part of that process and provide our Board with your ideas and feedback, so we can make this an organization that has an impact for the betterment of this community. I also believe that it is important to work with other Homeowners Associations to share ideas and concerns so we have a better understanding of what’s happening in our broader community.

As a reminder, we do have two open positions on the EHOA Board. One is for the Welcoming Chair and the other is for the Secretary position. If you are interested in either of these positions, please let me know. I can be reached at cpcintl@sonic.net or by phone at 510-635-3035. Our meeting in November will be to discuss plans on how we can get the merchants to clean up their stores and a writing campaign to the businesses that we would like to see in our community. I encourage all of you who are interested in the future of our downtown to attend this meeting with your suggestions and ideas. Please feel free to contact me at anytime with any issues or concerns that you have regarding our City or with regard to our
community here in Estudillo Estates. As a group we can make a difference and have a community that will flourish and make us proud to live in San Leandro. I will do my best to address your concerns. I hope you all had a Happy Halloween and the EHOA wishes all of you a very happy and healthy Thanksgiving.