Silicon Valley Community Newspapers $1.00

Volume 12, Issue 25 April 3, 2015 www.community-newspapers.com179 $1.00BY LEETA-ROSE BALLESTER

With a mission to end pedestrian fatalities in SanJose, a proposal is on the table to reduce speed limitsand heighten enforcement of traffic laws.

The Vision Zero Initiative, which has been pitched byDistrict 6 Councilman Pierluigi Oliverio, would entailred light cameras at troubled intersections, a reductionof speed in school zones to 15 mph and a possible con-tract with the California Highway Patrol or the SantaClara County Sheriff to cite unlawful drivers.

“Outside of lowering or limiting pedestrian death,it would bring tranquility,” Oliverio said. “It’s a multi-pronged attack where you plan to manage it manyways.”

Oliverio, who had previously rallied to lower speedsaround some of the schools in his district, said he wantsto see safety improved for pedestrians around all of SanJose’s schools.

Red light cameras would be installed at the “highestcrash intersections” under the program, he said, andfines from citations would go toward paying for theequipment.

“The money is there,” Oliverio said. “It’s a case of, ‘Isit a priority?’ ”

The Vision Zero proposal also asks city officials toconsider contracting with CHP or the sheriff’s depart-ment to enforce the reduced speed limit and other traf-fic laws, focusing first on areas prone to collisions.

Funding to bring in another agency would come from“unspent funds from over 120 unfilled police officer posi-tions,” according to Oliverio’s memorandum proposingthe program.

“It’s going to take years to ramp up [our numbersof] police officers,” he said, adding that a contract withother agencies in the meantime could mean safer streetsfor pedestrians.

Oakland, Stockton and Santa Cruz are among the lo-cal cities that have similar contracts with the CHP.

Parent and San Jose resident Jay Hann said his son’sschool could definitely use traffic calming and enforce-ment at pick-up and drop-off times.

“If they could post someone here and address not justthe speeding but other issues, it could help,” he said,

COUNCILMAN OLIVERIOPROPOSES VISION ZEROINITIATIVE TO IMPROVE

PEDESTRIAN SAFETY

Contracting with other lawenforcement agencies would help

Going Native: Annual tour focuses on drought tolerant California natives .............................. page 5

Smile for the Camera: SJPD could begin testrun for body cameras as soon as September.. page 6

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CultivatingCommunityCommunity

Today’s 4-H Club is about a lot more than agriculture

page 10page 10Jackie Penner, 16, president of the Homesteaders 4-H Club, is seen here with one of the farm’s dairygoats. The 4-H club is for youths 5-19 and covers projects from caring for dairy and meat goats tobeekeeping and outdoor adventures.

Vision, page 9

10 SILICON VALLEY COMMUNITY NEWSPAPERS APRIL 3, 2015 179

When the 4-H clubstarted in 1902 asthe Corn GrowingClub, it was an after-

school agriculture-based youthgroup. Now, more than a centurylater, the youth-led clubs havegone in as many directions as thechildren involved can take them.

Santa Clara County has nine

main 4-H clubs that draw kids fromall areas—depending on what eachclub has to offer. And a youth whojoins a club nearest to them is freeto join projects at another club.

The club has become one of thelargest youth development pro-grams in the nation, and waitinglists have started to form at thelocal level.

Taking the leadJackie Penner, 16, said she has

grown from a shy 10-year-old toa confident leader in her timewith the club.

She is the president of theHomesteaders 4-H, which oper-ates the last ranch in the city ofSanta Clara in a collaborative ef-

fort with Master Gardeners.“What I like is that you can do

anything,” she said, as she madeher rounds around the barn. “Youdon’t have to follow another group;you can choose your own path.”

Though each club has monthlyall-group meetings, the members,ages 5-19, can sign up for a num-ber of projects and committees.

Each of those project groupswill have their own meetingsas well.

Jill Willard, a parent volunteerfor the Rolling Hills 4-H based inCupertino, said that the youthdo everything from budgets toscheduling for their projects.

Growing InterestBy LEETA-ROSE BALLESTER

Photographs by JACQUELINE RAMSEYER

Local 4-H Clubs have waiting lists to join

Anna Amaro,14, spendssome qualitytime withher Nigeriandwarf goatGriffin at theHomesteaders4-H Club.Anna startedcaring for thegoat when itwas 2 weeksold; Griffin isnow 4.

4H, page 11

179 APRIL 3, 2015 SILICON VALLEY COMMUNITY NEWSPAPERS 11

“Where else can you do some-thing and no one can get upset?”she asked. “It’s about the learn-ing process. The kids do it; we’rejust there.”

Letting the children lead theirown activities—and make somemistakes along the way—canbe hard for parents but, Willardsaid, it fosters growth in manyfacets of life.

“Because it’s hands on and itpromotes the youth, it’s a reallygood experience,” she said.

For Jackie, who is now mentor-ing younger children in Home-steaders, 4-H has helped her seeher “real potential.”

“I was able to start taking onleadership opportunities,” shesaid. “You learn a lot about re-sponsibility, public speaking andcommunications.”

Those themes are integratedinto nearly every aspect of theclub, according to the teenager.

In the barnIlan Montes, 15, lets out his

brood of hens and looks intothe rabbit pens, and talks aboutthings he has learned.

Chickens take dirt baths to keep pests away. Goats’ hooves need to be shaved. Rabbits’ teeth grow, and that’s why they gnaw on things.

He has connected with his ani-mals and can explain why they dosome of the things they do.

Beyond learning animal behav-ior, Ilan is gaining the skill of car-ing for others and taking care ofthe animals on a daily basis.

As ranch liaison, he also has anumber of responsibilities to theanimals and to his fellow clubmembers, he said.

From feeding and cleaningout coops to helping pass ranchpolicies that would affect 4-H ona countywide level, the ranch hasallowed the teen to take on moretasks as he gets older, he said.

There are aspects of farm lifethat many kids living in the hustleand bustle of Santa Clara Countycities may not experience if itweren’t for clubs such as 4-H.

Jackie, waiting for her twogoats to give birth, has rushed tothe ranch each day after school totime contractions and prepare todeliver the babies on her own.

Since getting her goats, shehas been tasked with giving vac-cinations, feeding them, milkingthem and even driving to bringthem on “dates.”

The dairy goat project is a long-term commitment because theseanimals won’t be sold at farm.

Youth ages 9 and up can takeon the raising of large animalslike goats and swine. Youngerchildren are able to raise chick-ens, turkeys, rabbits, guinea pigsand pygmy goats.

When children do show an ani-mal at the county fair, they mustpresent to the judges and aregraded on a rubric.

Colleen Alger, a San Jose resi-dent and parent volunteer at theCoyote Crest club, said her twochildren learned a lot about pub-lic speaking from their experi-

ence at the fair.“They are competing against

themselves,” she said. “They getfeedback from the judges, but most

importantly, the kids start the pre-sentations at the peer level.”

Varying interestsBoys and girls can also take

on and suggest other projects to

their home clubs.Simply put, 4-H isn’t just about

agriculture these days. If theyouth want it, they can do it.

“We do everything from com-puters to cooking to archery andanimals,” Alger said.

There are ceramics and artsgroups, knitting projects, pho-tography and robotics, depend-ing on which club you frequent,and the option is always therefor a child to visit other 4-H clubsin the county.

Alger said both she and her hus-band were 4-H kids and knew thattheir children could have an oppor-tunity to try new things by joining.

By working on projects to-gether, Ilan said he has forgedfriendships and values the socialaspect of belonging to the club.

“The community is nice,” hesaid. “No matter what projectyou’re on, everyone knows you.”

And the parents become more involved than other activi-ties where they might stand on the sidelines, even though it isyouth led, said his mother Misty Montes.

“4-H is not a drop-off program,”she said. “It becomes a familything. It’s an all-in-one programand it’s a natural progression

from being a member to becom-ing a leader.”For more information on theHomesteaders Ranch, visit bit.ly/1HHh6ql. To find your closest4-H club, visit scc4h.org.

4H

Anna Amaro’s Nigerian dwarf goat Griffin munches some food whileAnna does the goat’s daily milking at the Homesteaders 4-H Club.

Elan Montes, 15, talks about caring for chickens and how new additions to the ranch such asAnouk, seen here, have to spend time in quarantine before joining the brood.

Members of the Homesteaders 4-H Club include, from left,parent volunteer Misty Montes, rabbit project teen leaderElan Montes, 15, president Jackie Penner, 16, and Teresa Heng-Penner, dairy goat project/community club leader.

Continued from page 10