The only “view” we saw of the Golden Gate from the Marin Headlands was from the car as you’ll see from the back seat, but the park has some other cool features like the old fort/tunnels, etc.
Foggy No Golden Gate Bridge
Vallejo Candidate Forum hosted by Glen Cove Community Association
As president of the Glen Cove Community Association, I had the honor of emceeing the Vallejo City Council District 3 and mayoral candidates forum tonight. Thank you to the participants, the rest of my Board including Christine who professionally kept the time, and Shea for taking the footage which streamed live.
Vallejo Tobacco Retail License Revisited
Together with many other advocates, I spoke at Vallejo City Council again last night. I stumbled a few times, but it’s all good. They have heard many of these talking points from me before in one fashion or another, including the many side meetings that we’ve had on the subject with the coalition comprised of Bay Area Community Resources, LGBTQ Minus Tobacco and Tobacco Free Solano.
We’re getting closer to getting a Tobacco Retail License for Vallejo approved, but we knew there would not be an on-the-spot vote on it. The City staff needed more guidance from the councilmembers as to some of the outstanding issues, even though there is agreement on a large part of the ordinance between the health advocates on my coalition and the retailers who are worried about making as much money off of selling poison as they can. Despite all the efforts to communicate the urgency, there was still plenty of push-back by retailers and acquiescence from some of the city council, despite the original request to make this as robust a policy as possible to save as many young lives from addiction and miserable health consequences.
In law school, we learned that a “successful” mediation is when both parties walk away from the table disappointed. I don’t think this will be any different, despite this subject matter being a passion of mine to save lives. As a reminder, 8 million people a year die worldwide from tobacco-related illnesses, thanks to the colonial marketing of commercial tobacco that has nothing to do with the use by indigenous Americans. The United States alone has 480,000 of those annual deaths, and in California, it’s 40,000 of those. That is every year, and this scourge has been pushing tobacco, which has no medicinal purpose, for over five hundred years, as I mentioned. That’s a lot of death and misery of untold humans.
My speech was basically this:
Good evening city council. I’m Joseph Hayden, a Vallejo resident and volunteer with LGBTQ Minus Tobacco and Tobacco Free Solano. Last year, with our coalition and Vallejo youth activists, we presented the benefits of a Tobacco Retail License. I REMIND you all that immediately afterward from the dais, the mayor explicitly directed staff to develop a robust ordinance given Vallejo’s illegal underage sales being among the worst in the Bay Area.
The model policy from the Public Health Law Center includes best practices to prevent youth addiction to tobacco, particularly in food deserts. However, some of the policy terms are being challenged. As compromises are considered, please remember not to lose sight of the fact that with the right enforcement this COULD and SHOULD be the last generation Big Tobacco targets with their poisonous, deadly products. Five hundred years of exploitation is enough.
Vallejo can lead by example, leveraging SB 793 and Proposition 31, which forbids the sale of most flavored tobacco. Our coalition provided to you the survey results after SB 793 implementation highlighting high violation rates, as well as empirical evidence of higher smoking rates among marginalized groups, including LGBTQ people and people of color.
As another reminder, tobacco is a product that KILLS when used as intended.
Thank you for your time and attention.
September Vallejo Gay Network Potluck and Pool Party
Preparing for VGN at Greg and Steve’s house:
Bonnie and Snoopy were a hit at the pool. Bonnie, who generally does well in crowds anyway, as opposed to onesy-twosies, was well-behaved, thanks to some dog training we’ve had. She barely growled at anyone and I think she’s a big faker, because for the tiniest of treats, she loves to be petted. She let at least a half dozen people she never met pet her, to my shock, because each time I thought she’d smell them and back away to “protect” me. Perhaps we’ve made some real breakthroughs! Snoopy was so popular he was barely on the ground since he was being held so much. There were also two other small dogs there, Jordi and Toby.
Great turnout!
More cowbell!
More accurately, this is an Arco Cosanti Original Ceramic Bell with Metal Clapper from the New Mexico foundry of Paolo Soleri that I won in a silent auction during the Andrea Sorce Vallejo Mayoral fundraiser on Friday. Shea keeps referring to it as my new garden “cowbell” for brevity, but I think it’s special nonetheless. Among the impressive endorsements Andrea got that day was from Planned Parenthood. Woo-hoo!
Andrea Sorce Mayoral Fundraiser
Adopt, don’t Shop
Today is Puppy Mill Awareness Day
As a board member of the local humane society I encourage everyone to ADOPT, not SHOP for pets. Every rescued pet is another one that breeders and puppy mills will not profit from. Mixed breeds are inherently healthier and make wonderful family members. Although HSNB is a no-kill shelter, many animals are still neglected and face euthanasia due to the lack of forever homes.
We all understand the laws of supply and demand. Let’s save as many animal lives as possible because these pets cannot speak for themselves. This is why I have been volunteering in this field for years. I typically foster and facilitate the adoption of designer dogs that come my way, allowing me to adopt senior and special needs dogs permanently. These decisions have brought me family members and love that fulfill my life.
Staging Rental for Proper Lighting at Home
I still view the place my insurance company is renting as a temporary staging ground before returning home. Toward that end, Shea and I really liked a store in the Castro featuring many Turkish lamps. I do have a small one already, which replaced one lost in the fire, to pair with my Tiffany-style lamps. However, this more elaborate one was on my wishlist for a while, so I saw it was on sale and made the purchase. I love how ornate it is.
Here’s a revised version:
Meanwhile, I’m making small changes to the backyard to prepare the plants and furniture for when I move back to Wellfleet with him. I’m also meeting with the contractors to choose materials like floors and countertops, which is exciting and a good sign that we’re getting closer to the end of this exile. I’m glad Shea is involved in the decision-making process, especially for the appliances, since he’s much more inclined to cook than I am.
Four Year Vallejo-versary
Today marks four years since I bought my house and moved to Vallejo during COVID, before the vaccine, and during the fires that made the skies bleak and orange, as you can see in this picture taken at the time!
So much has happened since then, but I have no regrets about moving to this city and community that has been so kind to me. I still love the house I chose, even though it’s in pieces and has months left to be rebuilt since the January fire. I’m looking forward to finally having the housewarming I never got to have, hopefully sometime in 2025.
In Memoriam Michael Stanley
This afternoon I attended the memorial for my friend Michael Stanley. I didn’t know him for that many years and we weren’t super close, but I am so glad to have met him numerous times and having him as a dog-loving neighbor. He was a chaplain in the Coast Guard and I saw that he was in the Coast Guard (so dapper in his uniform pictures!) for years in common with my dad, who was also stationed here in the Bay Area, so their paths very likely crossed.
I know Molly and Coco, whom I’ve had the pleasure of dogsitting several times, are missing Michael. I’m sure Miguel is giving them extra hugs.
Oh and FUCK CANCER!
Incredibly, Shea’s aunt had a memorial service the same day, so by the time Shea was arriving from that memorial, Michael’s was ending.
One of the few items that survived my fire in January was my dad’s Coast Guard tie clip so I was very glad to be able to find that and wear it in this veteran’s honor. Is that even legal? I know my dad was a stickler about such things. He wouldn’t even allow us to write with the pens he “accidentally” brought home that said “Property of U.S. Government.” I later realized that’s because he was hypersensitive after he found out that his Navy SEAL brother had been known for stealing military equipment and selling it after he did two tours in Vietnam.
