Bay Area
Brian Colbert Seeks Re-Election for San Anselmo Town Council
Brian Colbert, the vice mayor of San Anselmo, is seeking re-election to Town Council for 2020. Colbert previously served on the Town Council in 2017.
Colbert resides in San Anselmo with his wife, Nihal, and his daughter Leila, who is is a fifth-grader attending Wade Thomas Elementary School.
According to his election website, Colbert is seeking re-election to Town Council because he is accessible, has built relationships with his constituents and brought important and diverse perspectives and balance to the Council.
He will help San Anselmo address the many concerns brought on by COVID-19 by focusing on its community’s health, common sense oversight, fiscal planning and responsive local government.
He will focus on pedestrian and bike safety. Improving the downtown experience for everyone by helping restaurants thrive and continuing to build a compelling vision for San Anselmo’s historic downtown and its economic vibrancy by employing the principles of sustainability and bending the climate curve. He remains committed to open space, fire preparedness and strong local schools.
Colbert was recently interviewed for this article and said that while on the San Anselmo Economic Development Committee, he realized that flood mitigation is intrinsically tied to economic vitality. Downtown San Anselmo is susceptible to flooding. This is a real concern for small businesses there, as flooding would depress the level of investments on the part of landlords and businesses.
Colbert believes that the creation of a network of open spaces would really activate and bring economic vitality to downtown San Anselmo. This opportunity arose when Imagination Park was generously donated to the community by George Lucas. The County was also going to do a flood mitigation project in the heart of downtown. And Colbert thought the opportunity to continue creating the network of open space with a community project called Reimagine Creek Park should not be missed.
Open space is very important to Colbert. The parks are accessible to everyone in the community no matter their gender or color. Outdoor dining on streets closed to traffic on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday nights are helping many local restaurants survive the Pandemic. “We got so many of the restaurants investing in parks. They are not going back, they continue to embrace outdoor dining,” Colbert said.
People were also encouraged to walk to downtown, which also helps in the struggle against climate change.
Colbert sees that the changes have energized the community. “People are coming downtown. If you go down there in the evening, you see people doing gigantic bubble shows. People are taking over the street,” says Colbert. “What we did was to really focus on how can we help our small business right now. And how we can continue to deliver the groundwork for them to succeed, even during the COVID Pandemic.”
For more information on the re-election of Brian Colbert to San Anselmo Town Council in 2020, go to https://colbertforcouncil.com/
Activism
Oakland Poll: Tell Us What You Think About the Cost of Groceries in Oakland
Food banks and grocery giveaways are a large part of the resources nonprofits in Oakland prioritize, particularly in areas like East and West Oakland where low-income families of color tend to reside. These neighborhoods are often labeled as “food deserts” or communities that have limited access to affordable and nutritious foods.
By Magaly Muñoz
In 2023, the average spending on groceries increased by nearly $30 each month from the year before;people are spending over $500 a month to put food on the table.
Through previous reporting by the Post, we’ve learned that families in Oakland are depending more and more on free or low cost groceries from food banks because they can no longer afford the rising costs of food at the store.
Food banks and grocery giveaways are a large part of the resources nonprofits in Oakland prioritize, particularly in areas like East and West Oakland where low-income families of color tend to reside. These neighborhoods are often labeled as “food deserts” or communities that have limited access to affordable and nutritious foods.
We’ve recently spoken to families across these two areas of Oakland and have heard several stories that all point to one problem: food is expensive. Some individuals are spending upwards of $150 a week for themselves or double if they have teens or small children in the family.
We’ve also heard stories of people with chronic illnesses like diabetes and high blood pressure struggling to maintain their diets because they’re having a hard time affording the food that helps them stay healthy.
Do these experiences sound similar to what you or your family are dealing with every month? Are you struggling to afford your basic groceries every week? Do you depend on food banks to help you get by? Are there any chronic illnesses in your household that need to be managed by a special diet?
We want to hear about your experiences and ideas for solutions!
The Oakland Post is investigating food access in Oakland and how residents are surviving as the cost of living continues to increase. Your experiences will help shape our reporting and show local leaders the need to invest in our communities.
In order to get as much feedback as possible, we ask that you click this link to fill out a brief questionnaire or visit tinyurl.com/Oakland-Post-food-survey. You can also scan the QR code above to reach the survey. After you fill it out, please consider sharing the link with your friends and family in Oakland.
If you have questions, please reach out to our Oakland reporter Magaly Muñoz at mmunoz@postnewsgroup or text/call her at (510) 905-5286.
Activism
Oakland Post: Week of January 22 – 28, 2025
The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of January 22 – 28, 2025
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Activism
Oakland Post: Week of January 15 – 21, 2025
The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of January 15 – 21, 2025
To enlarge your view of this issue, use the slider, magnifying glass icon or full page icon in the lower right corner of the browser window.
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