Vallejo's Youth are now City Commissioners

9/2/10

By Ruscal Cayangyang
 
After months of hard work by Vallejo’s youth, citizens and council members to transform the inactive, 30 year old Youth Activities Commission into a REAL, functioning, self-sustaining City Commission, called the "City of Vallejo Youth Commission" (popularly known as “Vallejo Youth City Council”), was achieved on Tuesday, August 31 at a Special Vallejo City Council Meeting. After a long recruitment process, the Council (Mayor was absent) interviewed and grilled dozens of youth candidates, to be City Commissioners and Adult Advisors for the Youth Commission, all from various backgrounds: from middle school to high school to city wide. After much deliberation, the Council voted to appoint 9 Voting City Commissioners (Jammie Petty,Rizal Aliga, Emily Flint, Sarah Gonsier, Ruscal Cayangyang, Kitana Stoneburner, Shakari Blake, Jovan Olison and Steven Patton) and 2 Adult Advisors (Maria Guevara and Sandra Vegas) to the Commission. Council Liaisons will be appointed to the Commission at the Council’s upcoming meeting. Commissioners will hold its first meeting soon and get to work on many ‘insanely great’ things for the City of Vallejo! (Example: the commission can undertake a project to benefit youth & citizens - such as that skating rink project in Vallejo - http://www.oldskoolskatehouse.com/Home.html )

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The Little School that Could

By Amy Hawthorn

8/31/10

At the corner of northbound Sonoma Blvd and Carolina St., there is a multicolored mural adorning a cement wall. The hookers that walk past this mural are equally colorful and blend well against the paint splashes. Men pull up close to the sidewalk and there is a primal exchange between their longing and her willingness. I watched them execute their business with the precision of a football quarterback….he leans toward the opposite window for the pass, with a left hand steering the car, while she slows her walk to keep him in sight. She quickly acknowledges the play…he picks up the pace and steers the car into a nearby alley, or wherever her eyes direct him to go. Meanwhile, she looks over the playing field for a sign of trouble….my car makes her nervous. She walks a couple of extra blocks, with him trying to follow, and they collide at a spot where she feels safe to complete the move. In a very short time, she’s back on the field, ready for the next play.