Take a stroll through the Allegro Music Store and it’s rich history. Hover your mouse over the collage to scroll right and left or grab the scroll bar at the bottom. Pressing the play button in the bottom left hand corner will scroll the collage automatically. Click on the audio icon in the bottom right hand corner and press the play button to listen to the song “Training Day,” by the Marcus Shelby Jazz Orchestra, in the background as you explore the collage. Alto saxophonist Gabe Eaton works at the store. As you wander through, click on the various icons to watch video clips, listen to audio or read more about Allegro.

In these grim economic times, chain stores and online retail companies still pose an increasing threat to small businesses. Linsay Rousseau Burnett brings us this report from one small Fremont business that has been a mainstay in the community for the past 47 years and remains full of life. Click to listen.

[audio:http://rosebud.journalism.berkeley.edu/~j200/510report/allegro.larb.120408.mp3]

You can view an interactive multimedia collage of the Allegro Music Store by clicking here.

Check out Allegro’s website: www.allegromusic.net

By Karen Weise  –

In a room twinkling with thousand of small gold pieces, the message behind the Asian Art Museum’s exhibit “Afghanistan: Hidden Treasures from the National Museum, Kabul” was unmistakable.

“A nation stays alive when its culture stays alive,” the final wall of the exhibit read.

For Dr. Mohammad “Mo” Qayoumi, president of California State University East Bay and the first Afghan president of a major U.S. university, that statement could not be more true.

Qayoumi said aside from the beauty and importance of the artifacts themselves, the dramatic story of safekeeping the treasures through war and crisis is enough cause for jubilation. Qayoumi and others said they are working to connect the East Bay’s Afghan community with the celebrated exhibition before it leaves San Francisco in the end of January.

Protecting heritage through times of war: Secret vaults, sealed lips

As a central hub in the Silk Road, Afghanistan has 15,000 known archaeological sites, charting millennia of trade, invasions, settlements and dynasties. Since 1922, as artifacts were excavated, Afghanistan preserved their national treasures in the National Museum in Kabul, growing the collection to 100,000 artworks and artifacts.

The Soviet invasion in 1979 to the ensuing decade of civil war threatened the museum’s collection, with war lords selling artifacts on the black market and eventually, the shelling of the building. Starting in 2001, the Taliban systematically destroyed 2,500 works of art, according to the exhibition.

Fearing the complete destruction of the national treasure, in 1988, a small group of museum staff hid crates with the most precious artifacts in a vault in the presidential palace in an attempt to protect the treasures. The handful of staff, known as key holders or tahilwidars, kept quiet about the secret vaults.

In Oct. 2003, two years after war ousted in the Taliban, the museum’s director, Omara Khan Massoudi, decided conditions were finally safe enough to reveal the treasured pieces. Afghan archeologists and National Geographic staff opened the crates to find the artifacts intact. The pieces were first shown at the National Gallery in D.C., and are at the Asian Art museum in San Francisco until Jan. 25. The show will stop at Houston and New York before returning to Afghanistan.

CSU’s Qayoumi said the Afghan community’s response to the exhibition was a sense of “jubilation.” The complex, cosmopolitan artifacts countered decades of pessimism. “You look at what they have heard about Afghanistan for the last 25 and 30 years, and it has been the war, destruction, refugees, misery,” he said.

CSU’s Qayoumi said the “sense of stewardship and custodianship” the keyholders showed is an aspect of Afghan culture he homes becomes noted. “When you are trusted with something, you have to protect it with your life,” he said. Qayoumi cited several other instances of unsung “heroes,” such as a corps of guards who protected the American Embassy for close to twenty years without payment.

Qayoumi said he believed the custodianship over nearly two decades should quiet naysayers who question whether the current Afghan government can protect the exhibit when it returns to Afghanistan. “My belief is that all of these artifacts were protected because of the people, not the government,” he said.

Connecting to the East Bay Afghan community

To get the word out, Qayoumi said he did interviews on several Afghan television stations, including Fremont’s Le Mar TV, as well as presented at local organizations such as the Hayward Rotary Club. The museum translated the exhibition brochure into both Dari and Pashtu.

For Saturday, Dec. 6, Rev. Bruce Green, an interfaith facilitator at Centerville Presbyterian Church, said he is organizing buses and free admission for the Afghan community, particularly the poorer and elderly members. Using buses donated by Fremont’s Bridges Community Church and free admission provided by the museum, Green expects 200 people to make the journey from the East Bay. One pick-up was scheduled for the Afghan Coalition office in Fremont, and another likely will be in the Concord area.

“It’s too good for any afghan to miss,” said Green. “It’s their national treasure. Anyone would be really inspired about it.”

For more information, visit: Asian Art Museum, the National Geographic Society and the National Gallery of Art.

PART I: CLICK TO LISTEN – The Big Day: Black Friday Mania at a Fremont Target[audio:http://rosebud.journalism.berkeley.edu/~j200/510report/blackfriday.mp3]

A line of about 300 shoppers snakes around the Fremont Target on Black Friday.

By Tyler Sipe  –  

Lured by retailers, the shopping faithful waited in long lines on Thanksgiving and Black Friday in order to get their hand on heavily discounted hot ticket items.  At the Target in Fremont, consumers were plentiful, but spendthrift, making officials cautiously optimistic about the holiday shopping season.

PART II: CLICK TO LISTEN – Recapping the Weekend: Hopeful Sales Kick-Off Holiday Shopping Season[audio:http://rosebud.journalism.berkeley.edu/~j200/510report/black_friday.mp3]

After a flurry of shopping this weekend, retail stores return to normal.

By Karen Weise –

With low expectations given the shaky economy, retailers were pleased with this weekend’s sales.  Early analyst reports said retail sales for Thanksgiving weekend were better than last year, largely driven by deep discounts and promotions. Now they’re crossing their fingers in hope that the discounts didn’t gobble up all of their profits.

Jennifer and Jay Cruz were the first in line at Target, arriving at 2:30 am.

Electronics were the most popular items for Target customers on Black Friday.

By Tyler Sipe  – 

East Bay area job centers have seen a dramatic increase in the number of people utilizing their services in the past few months.

Tina Dodson, the director of Tri-Cities One-Stop Career Center in Newark, said foot traffic to the location has doubled in the past month, partly reflecting California’s dramatic half a percent increase in unemployment for October. 

The October state unemployment rate was at a 14-year high of 8.2 percent.  In Alameda County, it stood at 7.1 percent.

Dodson said the last big surge of interest in the career center was in 2002, following an influx of unemployed information technology workers.

Dodson said today’s demographic is made up of people from every age, every background and have held jobs from nearly every sector of the economy.

“Most people are on limited unemployment and they’re feeling desperate,” Dodson said.  “It’s the holidays and it adds to the pressure and the sense of panic.”

People entering the centers attend workshops on workforce preparation, perform job searches on the sites extensive computer data base, polish their resumes and strategize for new careers.

Dodson suggested people maintain an optimistic attitude while looking for a job, even if it takes more time to secure employment and a more competitive labor force.

“I think it is important for people to take care of themselves so they come across positively to perspective employers,” Dodson said.

The notable increase in foot-traffic at the one-stop career center in Newark is not isolated.  The sister branch in Fremont also recorded a rise in jobseekers, following a national trend.

According to the Labor Department, as reported in the New York Times, the nearly 2,943 one-stop career centers established by congress 10 years ago have seen a dramatic rise in the number of people using their services. 

This year alone, officials from the Labor Department expect 20 million people to use the one-stop career centers, up from 14 million in 2005.

Union City resident Philip Salazar calls the Tri-Cities One-Stop Career Center in Fremont his second home. 

Twice a week, for the past several years, the 54-year-old has used the center to find jobs, brush up on interviewing skills and submit resumes using the center’s computers and multiple resources. 

“It has never been this hard finding a job,” said Salazar, who has been unemployed for the past four years and is looking for work in sales or information technology.

Salazar said he has been living off of money he earned from selling his three-bedroom Hayward home, while also searching for employment.

Now, with his saving dwindling fast, Salazar has made his search for work a full-time job.

But he said even finding part-time work has been difficult.

Nader Ayad, 19-year owner and founder of Mission Hills Gallery Fine Jewelers in Fremont, said he would normally hire part-time help this holiday season. 

But business at the 2,000 square-foot-store has been uncharacteristically slow, leading him to make the decision to face the next couple months as a one-man show.

“Business is so expensive, I can’t close for one day knowing I could lose one customer,” Ayad said.  “But I’ll go days without a single person.

 “People right now have the option of buying jewelry, or paying their mortgage, they’re obviously going to do the latter.”

 Ayad said his goals for this season are to break even, pay off debt, or face the possibility of joining the ranks of people turning to the one-stop career centers for help.

 “I’m going to try and hang in there,” he said. “But if anything happens to me I have to close.”

As Congress passed for now on giving a federal bailout to General Motors and other American automakers, local workers and residents are concerned about what a potential GM bankruptcy might mean for automobile production in the East Bay.

NUMMI plan in southern Fremont. Photo by Tyler Sipe

On 380 acres in the southern tip of Fremont, the West Coast’s only automotive manufacturing plant churns out about 1,000 cars and 425 trucks a day. New United Motor Manufacturing, Inc. (NUMMI), is an award-winning, 50-50 split joint-venture operation between GM and Toyota established in 1984. [For the 510Report's interactive timeline of NUMMI in Fremont, click here.] As Fremont’s largest employer, NUMMI employs over 5,000 staff, with 4,400 working under a union contract with United Auto Workers.

This Q&A is based on email correspondence with Frederick Lambert, professor at U.C. Hastings College of Law, and an interview with Gary Klausner, a Los Angeles-based bankruptcy attorney and former Chair of the American Bar Association’s Subcommittee on Bankruptcy Fraud, Crimes and Abuse of the Bankruptcy Process. Both Klausner and Lambert are bankruptcy law experts, though neither has first-hand knowledge of the joint-venture agreement between GM and Toyota.

What happens if GM files for bankruptcy?
GM would likely file for bankruptcy under Chapter 11 of the federal Bankruptcy Code. Under the supervision and approval of bankruptcy court, businesses use Chapter 11 to reorganize operations and obligations to become financially viable.

A Chapter 11 filing would allow GM some breathing room so that it does not have to wage battles with creditors while it stabilizes the business. During Chapter 11 filings, the court puts a stay, or hold, on all creditor actions, meaning creditors cannot pursue foreclosing on the debtor, cannot file lawsuits against the debtor, and cannot terminate contracts with the debtor.

During this time, GM would meet with its lawyers, financial advisors, and creditors to develop what’s called a plan of reorganization, which is a proposal to restructure so they can continue operations and still pay something to their creditors. In some cases, debts are restructured and paid over time, in other cases, debts could be discounted or reduced. Typically the court does not approve these reorganization plans unless the debtors vote on and approve the plan.

GM would likely evaluate all of its deals — all relationships, joint ventures, partnerships, and contracts — to determine which ones are profitable for the company, and which are not. For those that are not beneficial to the company, GM would try to use the benefits of bankruptcy to get out of those arrangements.

So does that mean NUMMI will be bankrupt if GM files for bankruptcy?
Since NUMMI is a separate corporation, with Toyota and GM owning equal shares of the company’s stock, it will not automatically be part of a GM bankruptcy. Only the board of directors of NUMMI can decide if NUMMI should file for bankruptcy. Since the NUMMI board is split 50/50 between executives from GM and Toyota, GM does not automatically control the board and therefore cannot force NUMMI into bankruptcy. Toyota potentially could try to use GM’s bankruptcy as an opportunity to buy out GM’s stock and gain full control of NUMMI, however it is unlikely that Toyota could force this to happen.

What will happen to the NUMMI plant if GM files for bankruptcy?
Since NUMMI, and not GM, owns the plant, it is unlike that GM could shut down the plant on its own. In bankruptcy, it’s much harder to alter property rights than it is to alter contract rights because property rights are protected by the constitution. In essence, GM could not take away the property from NUMMI since NUMMI is a separate entity, even though GM is a co-owner of NUMMI.

What potentially could change at NUMMI?
If GM decided that they wanted out of NUMMI, either because they needed money or felt the operations were not sufficiently profitable, GM potentially could sell its shares (ie. ownership stake) in NUMMI. Or, if GM needed extra money, they could use their NUMMI shares as collateral in a loan agreement. Both these options assume that the original agreement between GM and Toyota does not restrict GM from doing so. If there were restrictions, the question would be whether those limitations could be avoided thru bankruptcy.

Also, if Toyota had wanted to gain greater control of NUMMI, they could potentially use GM’s bankruptcy filing as an opportunity to purchase shares from GM. Toyota, however, could not force GM into this situation.

Will the United Auto Workers contract at NUMMI be vulnerable to renegotiation?
Since the UAW’s contract is with directly NUMMI, and not GM, NUMMI cannot automatically use a GM bankruptcy to get out of the current collective bargaining agreement. If NUMMI itself filed for bankruptcy, however, it could then ask bankruptcy court to allow a contract renegotiation. This would require court approval as part of a restructuring plan and only after UAW would have a chance to be heard by the court.

New United Motor Manufacturing, Inc. (NUMMI) Tour Coordinator Sara Rogers provides tours for several hundred people a week at the 5.3 million square foot facility located in Fremont. NUMMI is a joint-venture plant between General Motors and Toyota.  About 4800 employees produce three vehicles, including the Toyota Corolla, the Toyota Tacoma and GM’s Pontiac Vibe.

CLICK TO LISTEN

[audio:http://rosebud.journalism.berkeley.edu/~j200/510report/sararogers.mp3]

Sara Rogers has worked at Fremont New United Motor Manufacturing, Inc. for the past 10 years.

Update: On November 19th, the California Supreme court agreed to hear the lawsuits but denied a motion for an immediate stay.

Update: Alameda County and the City of San Mateo unanimously voted in closed session to join the lawsuits on November 18th. The city of Oakland voted in closed session to join the lawsuits on November 19th.

In a four to one vote, the Fremont City Council voted on November 18th, to become a party in the now four lawsuits being waged against the state in opposition of Proposition 8. Fremont is the first city in Alameda County to join the lawsuits.

City Attorney Harvey Levine presented his legal assessment of the litigation its primary argument that Proposition 8 is a revision, rather than an amendment to the California state constitution.

“The underlying issue is whether or not you can take a fundamental right away from the Constitution with a simple majority vote,” said Levine.

Following Levine’s remarks, the microphone was opened up for community statements. Seven individuals came forward, each making two minutes speeches urging the council members to support these lawsuits.

Each of the seven, while presenting individual perspectives, all referenced Fremont’s minority majority population and large immigrant community as reasons to oppose Proposition 8 and ensure that rights for all will be protected.

Christina Melnarik, a resident of 22 years, emphasized the American commitment to the separation of church and state as set forth by James Madison.

She went on to state, “Every generation has resisted the inclusion of a group of others into our society. How can we laud the election of our new president election as a triumph over bigotry and prejudice while on the other hand we apply that same bigotry and prejudice against another subset of other?”

Reverend Barbara Myers, a minister at Mission Peak Unitarian Universality congregation and 33-year resident of Fremont, said she was concerned that Proposition 8 might establish a precedent for taking away the rights of other minority communities in the future.

“In my view this is simply not just and I’m confident that eventually justice is going rain in this matter,” she said

Natalie Mun stepped up to the podium and with a quivering voice and tears in her eyes, urged the council to do the right thing.

“I’m embarrassed that the constitutional change wrought by Proposition 8 is wrong for CA, that it’s wrong for my neighbors, and that it’s wrong for our city. As a minority majority city we have a particular need to protect the rights of all our residents, but especially minorities. Let’s wake up from this bad dream,”

Following the statements, councilmembers briefly discussed the issue, turning to Levine for clarification on the difference between filing an “amicus” brief, or simply join the lawsuit. This time also gave members the opportunity to voice their personal opinion on the matter, which were overwhelmingly supportive.

Vice-Mayor Anu Natarajan stated, “Something more important than whether we join in the lawsuit is the fact that we as community leaders are taking a stand on this for our community in Fremont. Especially in a diverse community like ours, we need to be looking out for the smallest of the groups amongst that diverse group.”

Also a vocal supporter was Councilman Bob Wieckowski, who said, “Can you imagine after the Civil Rights Act had been passed by Congress, that the state decided by a majority that they want to go our own way because this is what the majority of our state wants? So sometimes it’s appropriate for the city to express their will.”

The city expressing its will was one of the reasons given in Councilman Steven Cho’s sole voice of dissent. He argued that the city council has not taken an official stance on civil rights issues that have been brought to the council in the past and that this issue was no different.

“I want to protect civil rights, but to change the definition of marriage, in my mind, is a different issue than one of civil rights. The Prop 8 language is what I grew up with. I will talk about civil rights but I won’t go against 8,” said Cho.

Mayor Bob Wasserman said that during his 16 years as mayor he has been a staunch opponent of getting involved in issues that do not affect the city. But he was quick to jump in and say that this issue is different because it results in the “deprivation of rights of people in Fremont.”

Despite Cho’s disagreement, the majority opinion of the council was summed up by Councilman Bob Wieckowski, “There’s no reason why we shouldn’t join the lawsuit. We’re doing this for all of our citizens.”

The four to one vote was met with a standing ovation by those in the gallery, many of whom were wiping away tears.

Fremont joins the ranks of San Francisco city and county, Los Angeles city and county, city of Oakland, as well as Santa Clara, Alameda, Marin, San Mateo and Santa Cruz counties in their lawsuits against the state of California.

NEWARK – In a public forum Monday night, the city managers of Fremont, Newark and Union City detailed the stresses on their budgets because of falling tax revenues and the state budget crisis.

(Right to Left) Larry Cheeves, city manager of Union City, John Becker, city manager of Newark, Fred Diaz, city manager of Fremont, and Dominic Dutra, moderator, at a public forum in Newark on Nov. 17. Photo by Mateen Kaul

The city managers opened the forum with brief presentations showing how they were struggling to balance their budgets. All three have implemented belt-tightening measures and hiring freezes to try and trim expenses.

Fred Diaz, Fremont city manager, said the economic situation was so dire, it could be considered a “catastrophic emergency,” adding that the city of Fremont could conceivably dip into its $22 million fund reserved for disasters if the situation worsened. “What’s the use of all that money lying around if the salaries of fire and police officers are not getting paid?” he said.

   

Cadets representing various branches of the military and law enforcement salute the raising of the American Flag during Veterans Day ceremonies in downtown Hayward. Several social networking sites were launched this year catering to younger, more tech savvy military personnel.Photos by Tyler Sipe

By Tyler Sipe  – 

Many soldiers returning from duty in Iraq and Afghanistan are increasingly connecting with fellow veterans using the Internet, as evidenced by the launch of social networking Web sites like www.CommunityofVeterans.org and www.myvetwork.org

The trend has caught the interest of local leaders representing veteran organizations, who believe the internet could become a method to recruit members, particularly younger, more tech savvy soldiers returning from current conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Karina Saavedra, a post commander at the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) Fremont Post 1917, said recruiting Iraq and Afghanistan War veterans has been difficult.  She said many young soldiers have the impression of a cigarette-smoke filled veteran’s halls, with perceptions of VFW members being difficult to connect to on a personal level.

But she hopes the internet could be a valuable asset in dispelling those myths and attracting younger veterans to the organization.

“In the next couple of year’s I hope to improve our (internet) homepage (for VFW Post 1917),” said Saavedra, a 27-year-old Iraq War veteran.  “Right now I can’t even get my friends, or my former commrades to join.”

Saavedra said of the 179 members at the Fremont post, more than half served in the Vietnam War, 10 percent served in WWII and only about 2 percent of members served in the Iraq or Afghanistan Wars.

Nationally, Vietnam veterans made up about 33 percent of the estimated 23.6 million veterans last year, according to a statistical abstract provided by the US Census Bureau. WWII veterans comprise about 12 percent of the total.  While 21 percent, or about 5 million soldiers served in the Middle East from the beginning of the 1990 Gulf War to the current Iraq and Afghanistan War, according to the U.S. Census.

Organizations like the VFW and the American Legion have seen a steady decline in membership.  According to a story reported by the Associated Press, the VFW currently has about 1.6 million members nationally, down from its peak during the Persian Gulf War of about 2.2 million.  Similarly, the American Legion has 2.6 million members, a decline from its high of 3.1 million members.

As a result, the organizations are hoping the internet will help expand membership, and entice younger soldiers to join their organizations.

The VFW launched the community networking Web site www.myvetwork.org on Veteran’s Day.  The site is designed for all members of the armed services, in addition to their friends and family.

Another Web site, www.CommunityofVeterans.org, created by the Ad Council in coordination with the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA), was also launched this past Veteran’s Day. The social networking site caters to returning Iraq and Afghanistan War veterans.

US Army Staff Srgt. George Heath of San Francisco watched Tuesday’s Veteran’s Day parade meander through downtown Hayward.  The 28-year-old said he’s a member of VFW, but has only attended two meetings.

“The way things are going now, everything will be on the Internet,” said Heath, who recently relocated to the area from Colorado, and used the Internet to make friends who also served in the military. 

Hayward resident Chuck Taylor, a Vietnam War Veteran, watches Hayward's Veterans Day Parade from a downtown parking structure.

Larry Banks, a Vietnam veteran who served in the Navy, said he has become interested in military organizations in the past couple of years, after his son, Seth Banks, 25, enlisted in the National Guard.

“I think the Web is going to get people like me out of their shells,” Banks said.

Banks, a resident of Fremont, said the internet has been useful in helping him locate long-lost friends, simply by typing in their name using a search engine, and now corresponds with them using e-mail. 

Older veterans, like WWII Marine Maurice Stratton, 85, said the Internet is not for everyone.  The Port Angeles, Wash. resident said he sees a downside to the continuing trend toward the Web.

“I connect with people in person and younger generation’s don’t get that concept,” Stratton said. “I’d much rather talk to someone face-to-face than push buttons.”