Le Journal

One person is in the hospital Thursday morning after being struck by a garbage truck in San Francisco. The incident happened around 4 a.m. near Gough and Grove streets in Hayes Valley. Video from the scene clearly shows a Recology truck was involved, and police officers were conducting their investigation near a crosswalk. Recology released a statement later Thursday morning: “Safety is our top priority at Recology. We are cooperating with the San Francisco Police Department, which responded to this incident.” The victim’s condition was not immediately released.

A public memorial took place on Wednesday at Laney College to celebrate the life of john Beam, one of the most accomplished football coaches in Oakland history. Beam was shot last month on the campus, eventually dying from his injuries. This marked the first public memorial for Beam on the campus since that tragic day. Hundreds of people are gathered at the campus for an emotional celebration of life for the legendary coach, who experienced plenty of success both on and off the field. “He means so much to my family. He was that father figure, mentor, always have your back and check on you,” said Tania Mitchell, a Laney College colleague. Other speakers such as Oakland Mayor Barbara Lee and the head football coach of Laney College, Josh Ramos, shared stories of how coach beam took the role of mentor seriously when it came to student-athletes. “For 45 years, he showed up when others stepped back, believed in our young people before they believed in themselves,” Lee said. “He wasn’t just a coach, he was a builder of programs, futures, and most importantly of people,” Ramos said. Following the speeches, the large crowd walked to the football field where beam once roamed the sidelines with luminary bags lighting up their pathway. Candles were then placed on the field to honor beam, spelling out “believe.” “Just to see people from far and wide, to see people that loved him. It makes me feel so good,” said Joyce Willis, a Peralta Community College District colleague. And at the same time, a drone show took over the skies of Laney College, displaying images to honor the late coach. A tribute that the crowd says is fitting for a coach who gave so much to the community. “It was great for the community to come together for him. Come out and support him,” Mitchell said. As the memorial came to a close, Beam’s family announced the creation of the Coach Beam Legacy Foundation in his honor, with plans for another public celebration of Beam’s life on Jan. 10.

A toy for every child: that’s the hope of this holiday season for some Bay Area community organizations. But this year, some East Bay groups are finding it challenging to make that a reality. One of them, Oakland’s Little Saigon’s “Trybe” Community Space, just had a setback when someone broke into their building just after 3:30 a.m. Wednesday. A grinch forced his way in and snatched up whatever he found after hurling his body through the building doors. It’s all repairs the nonprofit might now be on the hook for, pinching the organization even more just before their Christmas programs that include a toy giveaway. “We haven’t gotten as many toys as we’ve gotten in the past,” said Chien Nyugen with Trybe. “A lot of folks are dealing with hard times to make ends meet.” “We’re also just flat out buying gotta ourselves from our own budget just to cover that void,” Nyugen continued. Trybe is also partnering with the Oakland Chinatown Toy Drive at Lincoln Square Park’s Recreation Center. Organizers say they too will subsidize the drive if they don’t get enough donations this year. “We’re in the community, we want to make sure that kids here in the community have toys to open up during the holidays,” said Alan Phung with the Town Print Shop. Earlier this week, the group said they had just 100 toy donations. Wednesday, they’ll sort out the toys – but now they’re far from their goal of up to a thousand, which is the same amount they had this time last year. Consumers are still leery about the state of the economy. The University of Michigan’s Consumer Sentiment Survey last week came in slightly up but remained generally somber. Consumers cite the burden of high prices. And that was a worry for the local toys for tots in Alameda County – up until Wednesday. The coordinator said some of their collections mean they’re making up ground and for now, may be able to meet almost all their requests while the smaller organizations could use the help. “Bringing more toys does help because more kids will be more happier because no kid will be left behind. I think that’s just always the goal,” said Phung. Those interested in donating to the Oakland Chinatown Community Toy Drive can drop off donations at Lincoln Square Park’s Rec Center at 250 10th street. Donations are accepted through Dec. 15.

Palo Alto is about to get a first-of-a-kind solution to a major problem. A horizontal levee is being built in the Palo Alto Baylands to restore habitat and improve the quality of the water flowing into the Bay – all meant to address the climate crisis. Save The Bay volunteers spent Wednesday planting native species in a patch of dirt in the Palo Alto Baylands. These volunteers say they recognize this project could be a game changer for the environment. The City of Palo Alto has constructed an underground horizontal levee here. “This is an innovative way to improve water quality to the bay to protect our infrastructure and create a habitat for species in this area,” said Caitlin Sweeney, director of San Francisco Estuary Partnership. Once the project is completed next year, treated wastewater from the nearby Regional Water Quality Control Plant will be piped underground to irrigate the plants. Biological activity from the roots of the plants will then provide an additional filter before that wastewater flows to the bay. “A system like this is proven to remove contaminants in the water like phosphorus and nitrogen,” said Samantha Engelage, Palo Alto Sr. Engineer. Instead of large boulders like the ones in a traditional levee, the horizontal levee is underground, allowing natural habitat to flourish and possibly helping boost the population of the endangered salt marsh harvest mouse and other native species. The levee is also designed to adapt to sea level rise by providing a transitional slope that will support the buildup of sediment. “Once larger levees are completed similar to this project. It will also help address sea level rise,” Engelage said. Volunteer Christine Walravens supports the nature-based solution and says she looks forward to this area becoming a grassy-marsh meadow again. “By restoring this to nature were able to absorb the water and also keep our bay cleaner,” Walravens said. The $7 million project is expected to be completed in spring of next year.