Summer is nearly over, boo! That means a new season of Over the Loud Speaker, YAY! Episode 1 is here, and we are covering what might be the most talked-about issue in Hayward (and definitely the most-read content here at the Hayward Herald), the data center! Can you believe it? Something has finally surpassed the loop in how much it is hated by Hayward residents.

We are joined by Naomi Powell-Ha, who has been covering the data center debacle for the Hayward Herald. She is the author of two articles, "Data Center Resistance Builds" and "Who Approved Hayward's Largest Data Center?". In an in-depth discussion, we cover who approved the data center and the recent town hall blow-up where residents came seeking answers from the Mayor and the city. As in every episode, we cover the headlines you might have missed and introduce two new segments covering Hayward news.

Data Center Resistance Builds

Stack can’t be stopped, but residents are shaping what comes next.

Hayward HeraldNaomi Powell-Ha

As always, let us know what you thought of the episode in the comments. If you have any suggestions for topics we should cover in the future, let us know that as well. If you would like to send the host of this podcast a new computer, reach out to him directly (the video quality is getting worse, y'all).

Data Center Debacle | OTLS Season 3 Episode 1 Audio

0:00

/2812.31

1×

Hosts: Nestor Castillo and Collin Thormoto
Producers: Nestor Castillo
Cover Art: Nestor Castillo

Guest: Naomi Powell

Summary

00:00 - Cold open

00:32 - Intro music

02:38 - The Hayward headlines

05:58 - Through the cracks

09:45 - Hayward Two Truths and a Lie

13:24 - Data center deep dive with Naomi

43:01 - Introducing the Herald brain trust

Editor's Note: The audio has been uploaded. We apologize for the inconvenience. (12:08pm 5/29/26)

Friends, the May episode of Over the Loud Speaker is here. It also happens to be the season finale, which means I'll be taking a little break over the summer (if Collin allows it). That also means you won't be getting your monthly fix of Hayward news in audiovisual format, at least until summer ends. But fear not, friend, the news won't stop (at least that's what Collin says).

This episode not only covers the Hayward Headlines, but also features a robust discussion of the reversal of the ACUs or accessory commercial units, the upcoming election and all its frustrations, and a really informative interview on Hayward's military equipment use policy with John Lindsay-Poland of the American Friends Service Committee (AFSC). After you listen to the episode, you can learn all about the work John and AFSC are doing by visiting this link. While listening to this month's episode, you may notice that the audio quality of my mic is a bit poor. I think the issue was that I didn't use the actual microphone, but the computer microphone to record my audio. Ahh, the exciting world of self-produced podcasts! We are working to make each episode better, I promise!!

Finally, if you really miss OTLS over the summer, you can always go back and watch some of the episodes you've missed. For example, did you listen to the stimulating interview I had with Professor Antonio on Urban Agriculture? You have all summer to catch up on all the Hayward news– so don't miss me too much!

Hosts: Nestor Castillo and Collin Thormoto
Producers: Nestor Castillo
Cover Art: Nestor Castillo

Guest: John Lindsay-Poland

Summary

00:00 - Cold open and intro music
03:46 - The Headlines
06:38 - ACU Reversal
15:20 - Election coverage
35:32 - Interview with John Lindsay-Poland on police use of military equipment
1:08:15 - Show wrap-up

https://youtu.be/2IixDp8pQWw

By now you've probably heard the news. Swalwell is accused of sexual assault by multiple women and has resigned from Congress, leaving Hayward without a congressional representative. At the time Collin and I were recording this episode, we had just found out that Swalwell had ended his campaign for governor. Tune into this episode to watch our reactions as we processed the news.

The second half of this episode is bonus content for our dear #OTLS listeners. If you were bummed out about the Urban Agriculture panel event being canceled last month, fret not, for we have brought on one of the speakers, Professor Antonio Roman-Alcalá, as a guest to discuss his work and experiences in Urban Farming.

As always, we hope you enjoy the episode. Oh, and good riddance, Swalwell!

Catch this episode and more on our YouTube channel.

Hosts: Nestor Castillo and Collin Thormoto
Producers: Nestor Castillo
Cover Art: Nestor Castillo

Summary

00:00 - Cold Open
01:24 - The headlines
04:06 - Swalwell sex scandal
32:08 - Interview on Urban Ag w/ Professor Antonio Roman-Alcalá

City of Hayward Seeks To Raise Business Tax

The City Council heard a presentation about proposed updates to the Business License Tax, which hasn't been updated since 1978. The proposal was initially floated during the February 28th Budget Retreat, where the Council debated the need for additional funding with the risk of scaring off businesses. Small revisions were made to increase the projected revenue by an additional $2,000,000. And although the tax polled well with voters, some Councilmembers worried about the impact on small landlords, who are currently paying no Business License Tax at all.

Getting A Little Bit More

Although Council generally supported the proposal in February, some suggested changes from the meeting were incorporated into the new proposal. New brackets were added to the Gross Receipts, with one for $5,000,000-$10,000,000 and another for $10,000,000 to $25,000,000, and some rate adjustments were made to certain categories like utilities, trucking/transportation, and rental properties. But the proposal maintained a minimum tax of $60 with the option of $0.70 per $1,000 as an alternative payroll tax.

The proposed structure is expected to bring in an additional $14,000,000 per year, with the bulk of the revenue coming from Wholesale Trade/Warehouses, Professional Services, and Commercial Rental. The expected revenue of the entire taxable business community in Hayward is expected to be around $15,000,000,000, so the tax would be around 0.09% of business revenue. For context, sales tax in Hayward is 10.75%.

The consultant pointed out that the new rates align more closely with neighboring jurisdictions across most categories. Small businesses will remain relatively low-taxed and most of the increases are focused on higher-revenue businesses. On top of that, restaurants and small retail outlets will see very minimal changes. For example, if a small retail establishment brings in $1,500,000 per year, the tax would increase by less than $50 per year. And a restaurant that brings in $1,900,000 per year would see an increase of $58 per year.

Taking The Temperature

The City surveyed 154 businesses in Hayward to gauge their reactions to the increased tax. The majority of these businesses were small, with 1-5 employees, but they were represented across a range of industries. When it came to supporting the changes to the tax, the respondents were evenly split--30% each for Neutral, Agree, or Disagree with changing the structure. Many cited concerns about rising costs and 75% of the respondents said they were moderately to extremely "sensitive to tax increases."

However, approval of the tax falls on the voters. Consultants at FM3 surveyed likely voters in the November 2026 election on the tax. 75% of respondents said that Hayward had Some or Great Need for additional funding, which is an increase from 2024. When asked about a Business License Tax increase specifically, around 59% of voters leaned toward approving it, and that increased to 68% after being provided some additional information. This support was strong, even with the other potential tax measures proposed for the November ballot.

Small Landlords Crave Carve-Outs

Derek Barnes, CEO of the East Bay Rental Housing Association, spoke during public comment against adding any Business License Tax to small landlords. He pointed out that the changes take "4,800 small rental property owners from effectively zero to a new gross receipts." Mr. Barnes pushed for a smaller, graduated tax on owners of 1-3 properties who make below $250,000 in gross receipts, but then pushed for full exemptions from the tax for "these small owner-operators." The East Bay Rental Housing Association's website points out that they support rent subsidies like Section 8, which guarantees revenue for landlords, but is opposed to rent control.

Councilmembers Angela Andrews and Ray Bonilla expressed concern about small landlords. Councilmember Andrews asked if they could be excluded or if the rates could be graduated, seeking to address the concerns of Mr. Barnes. The consultant who developed the tax structure pointed out that exemptions cause equity issues. "One concern is that you want to be sure you're treating all the tenants the same, too," he said, "and not disadvantaging tenants that live in larger buildings."

Councilmember Francisco Zermeno asked about waivers for people who are "having a hard time" paying the tax. The consultant said, "That's a bit unusual" since no other tax has an exemption simply because someone says they're having difficulty paying it. He also warned of the high staff cost of evaluating hardship as well as the lost tax revenue from the exemptions.

Councilmember George Syrop pushed back against any changes for smaller landlords. "If you only have 3 residential units that you're renting out, you're likely not bringing in over $5,000,000 worth of revenue," he said. "So there's not really a reason to graduate that specific category." He then demonstrated how little the impact would be by pointing out that median rent for an apartment in Hayward is $2,350/month, which is $84,000 per year if you own three properties. The tax on that would be $252 per year, or 0.3%. "That's pretty reasonable if you're running a business in the City of Hayward," he said.

But How Will The Businesses Benefit?

Multiple City Council members worried that the tax wouldn't benefit businesses enough without clear direction. Councilmember Andrews wondered what the City would be offering the businesses in exchange for the tax. City Manager Jennifer Ott explained that the money would go to the General Fund, so could pay for anything. "Predominantly, it is for public safety," she said. "So this would go to help us be able to sustain our public safety services."

Councilmember Julie Roche ultimately supported the changes, but expressed caution. "I don't think we can overreach in the business community to fix our deficit," she said, "but I do think it's timely for us t update this tax if we can." Councilmember Dan Goldstein supported additional messaging to reassure the business community. "If anything, we're looking to continue to provide great services to the residents and businesses in our community," he said.

Mayor Mark Salinas was, perhaps, the most adamant about making sure businesses benefit directly from the changes. He said he wanted "to figure out a defined benefit to the business community that we can say that this tax is supporting." He then went a step further. "I would not want to pay a tax and know that I'm not directly benefiting from whatever it is I'm paying for," he said.

Union Engagement In Dispute

Emily Wallace of IFPTE Local 21 called in during public comment to allege that no Union contact had been made about the proposed changes, despite the idea coming from the Unions. Multiple City Councilmembers responded by thanking the Unions for their support and trying to find a way to engage them in the process. Councilmember Andrews asked if IFPTE had been contacted. City Manager Ott said that they had been invited to the February session and asked about the tax at other meetings, but she did not say that they had been specifically engaged on the subject.

Councilmembers Syrop and Goldstein also recognized the Unions and their contributions. Councilmember Syrop asked that they engage with City Council members outside of meetings to provide any input. He later attempted to provide space in the process to incorporate any proposed changes from the Unions, but City Manager Ott and Councilmembers Roche and Bonilla pushed back. Councilmember Roche pointed out that the meeting they were having was a time to give feedback. Councilmember Bonilla said, "It's time to move forward," and was against adding any additional time for union engagement.

The item will come to the City Council for final approval in May.

Season 2 Episode 5

0:00

/3230.333

1×

We are back with the March episode of Over The Loud Speaker, your nana's favorite YouTube show. I don't know if that is actually true, but if it is, shout out to your Nana.

In this episode, we talk about Collin's recent feature in the Tri-City Voice in celebration of Hayward's 150th birthday. I also talk about the short comic I did in honor of the centennial and a half. We spend a good chunk of this episode talking about the tragic string of pedestrian deaths that have occurred in the last few weeks and the measures Hayward is taking to address them. We take the final portion of the show, before losing our minds to the Bay Area heatwave, to discuss the news that made national headlines– the deportation of a deaf 6-year-old boy and his mother to Colombia.

As always, if you enjoy the show, please share it with your Nana.

Hosts: Nestor Castillo and Collin Thormoto
Producer and Editor: Nestor Castillo
Cover Art: Nestor Castillo

Summary

00:00 - Cold open

01:25 - Happy Birthday, Hayward!

10:25 - The headlines

13:20 - String of pedestrian deaths

36:09 - Hayward elected officials demand the return of deported deaf child

The dynamic duo of Nestor and Collin return for the February episode of Over the Loud Speaker and dive deep into the January headlines. You'll hear a lot of nerding out over Accessory Commercial Units (ACUs), which, if you have never thought about them before, well, buckle up because you're definitely going to be thinking about them now– a lot! They touch on the financial troubles HUSD is facing, the potential of a school closure, and the possibility of the city AND the school district putting forth a parcel tax to close the gaps in each one of their budgets.

You've probably noticed that the audio version is embedded in this page above. That's because the general secretary of the OTLS show didn't realize that we had maxed out our free minutes on the site that hosts the audio version! The good news is, you get to access it directly here on HaywardHerald.org (we are paying for this fancy new site, so we might as well use all the features)! If you would still rather watch two talking man-heads floating on a screen, then check out the episode on YouTube below.

Hosts: Nestor Castillo and Collin Thormoto
Producers: Nestor Castillo
Cover Art: Nestor Castillo

Summary

00:00 - Cold open

02:19 - Headlines for January

06:01 - Cuts to the Hayward School District

23:18 - Potential for a parcel tax... or parcel taxes?

34:41 - Nerding out about Accessory Commercial Units (ACUs)

The first episode of 2026 is now available for you to watch on YouTube and to listen to on Apple Podcasts and Soundcloud! In this episode, we announce the upcoming Hayward Voices event, we cover the headlines from the end of 2025, and go into depth discussing the 6-hour city council meeting that had community residents turn out over the approval of a new cannabis dispensary.

Also, you'll probably notice you're not receiving this email via Substack anymore, but through HaywardHerald.org. That's because we've packed up our things and moved out to a big new house on the east side (metaphorically). Hayward Herald is hosting its own website now, and you can find all the Over the Loud Speaker content here from now on.

This means we will need your support more than ever before. So, if you haven't already subscribed, please do! And if you are already subscribed, please consider sending a small donation our way. It will keep the lights on for at least another month (metaphorically). Are you pushing that donation button already? Wow, thanks!

Happy Holidays, dedicated listener! The latest episode of Over the Loud Speaker is in, and it’s stuffed with holiday cheer for you. The elves worked overtime on this episode, causing a little bit of trouble in Santa’s workshop—they’re asking for time and a half back pay, plus holiday bonuses! And Santa is in a tough spot, financially, after the situation with Mrs. Clause. Okay, I promise not to make any more winter holiday references. If the elves’ situation sounded a little familiar, then you’ll want to tune in to this month’s episode, where we continue discussing the turmoil that is the Hayward city budget.

As always, we cover the biggest stories from the Hayward Herald in our headlines. We also dive back into the budget and discuss the possibility of the Hayward Animal Shelter closing, the firefighter’s lawsuit, what the announcement of Eric Swalwell’s race for governor means for Hayward, and the massive explosion that rocked Hayward (or so it was reported).

In case you missed our announcement for season 2, you can find OTLS in audio-only versions. Head over to Apple Podcasts or Soundcloud if you’d like to listen to our show.

For those of you who enjoy seeing our heads bobble on screen, you can head over to our YouTube page and tap that subscribe button so you never miss a show. Thanks for tuning in!

HUSD Board Clashes Over Presidency

At the December 10th Hayward Unified School District (HUSD) Board of Trustees meeting, Trustees traded veiled barbs at each other over the annual election for Board Offices. Trustees Bufete, Rawdon, and Oquenda voted in a block to elect themselves to all three seats: President, Vice President, and Clerk, respectively. Trustee Prada opposed every vote, and Trustee Bruckner-Carrillo chose to abstain.

Every year, the HUSD Board of Trustees elects the President, Vice President, and Clerk of the Board. The President acts as the Chair of the meeting and gets to set agendas, lead meetings, and generally guide the Board. It’s similar, in many ways, to the Mayor of Hayward: light executive power, but a lot of soft power to shape things behind the scenes.

The Vice President works with the President to craft agendas and serves as President in their absence. According to comments made during the meeting, the Clerk has a nominal role in reading certain items and serves as the Chair when the President and Vice President are both absent. Unfortunately, the full duties and responsibilities of these positions are unclear as we were unable to find the Handbook referenced in discussion in time for publication.

President Votes Get Contentious

Trustee Austin Bruckner-Carrillo nominated Trustee Sara Prada for President, and Trustee April Oquenda nominated Trustee Peter Bufete. Trustee Prada has served as Vice President for at least the last two years and Trustee Bufete has been President for the last three years. Trustee Bruckner-Carrillo moved to appoint Trustee Prada (seconded by Trustee Prada), but Trustee Oquenda offered a substitute motion to appoint Trustee Bufete which was seconded by Trustee Rawdon.

During discussion, Trustee Bruckner-Carrillo said that upcoming changes to the Board make it necessary to share knowledge and responsibility among other Trustees. “With two members of our Board exiting in now less than a year, making sure that we are providing opportunities for our colleagues to serve in positions of leadership on our Board is in the best interest of our district overall,” he said. Trustees Rawdon and Oquenda will both be off the Board after November due to the recent move to District-based elections.

Trustee Bruckner-Carrillo then praised Trustee Prada’s work as Vice President and her availability for discussion. “I’m able to pick up the phone,” Trustee Bruckner-Carrillo said, “schedule a call with you, and help make sure that I at least get an answer.”

He then addressed concerns about one person being in a position of leadership for too long. “Having any Board member in the same position for three years and then to ask them for a fourth year, I believe is not in the best interest of our district,” Trustee Bruckner-Carrillo said. “We are about to lose two of our longest-serving Trustees.”

“The President Needs To Possess Certain Qualities”

Trustee Oquenda made clear that she and Trustee Rawdon still had one more year, and then outlined why she supported Trustee Bufete for a fourth year as President of the Board. “The President of this Board needs to possess certain qualities that are indispensable to representing both the Board and the District,” she said. “They must be measured in temperament… someone who can control their emotions and speak to [people] with respect at all times.

“They must be trustworthy,” Trustee Oquenda continued, “always put the interest of the District above their own… Understand and maintain the rules of order… know these rules, honor these rules, and respectfully remind others to do the same… Unify this governance team… bring us together and fairly represent each member… there isn’t room for divisive conduct or behavior in this role.”

She then pointed to FCMAT and SIR guidance to maintain consistent leadership, alleging that the recommendation encompassed the full Board. “The Board should follow that advice to maintain stable leadership at the top of our board,” Trustee Oquenda said. Trustee Bruckner-Carrillo later said that the FCMAT guidance was only in reference to the Superintendent and Cabinet. “That was not about our board,” he said.

During her comments, Trustee Prada took the time to celebrate Trustee Bufete’s leadership. “I feel like President Bufete has been amazing in leadership,” she said. “I’ve learned a lot. I’ve enjoyed working with you.” She said she wants to bring the Board together, though recognized that it may be difficult with personality conflicts. “I can’t perform some miracle,” she said, “but I am willing to do the work.”

But mostly, she asked to be given a chance. “I am in my second term,” Trustee Prada said. “This is my fifth year as a trustee. I have yet to be President. I do feel that, respectfully, I should be given the opportunity to serve as the President. It’s only one year.” She also recognized the need to shift things with the upcoming vacancies. “There is a lot of fundamental work that we need to be doing as this current governance team to prepare for two new trustees that are coming in.”

Trustee Bruckner-Carrillo pointed out how divisive the election process has been recently and, along with Trustee Prada, pushed for a rotation system to be implemented in the future. “What our students care about, what I believe our staff care about, is not who sits as our Board President… it’s that we offer a safe place for kids to come to school every day.” He pushed for a new President, either Trustee Prada or Rawdon, but said, “This is not what our students and families care about.”

As a closing statement, Trustee Bufete said that people want him as a stable force on the Board. “Having that stability was something that was reminded to me that would be appreciated,” he said. He said that he had expected the current year to be his last as President, and did not want to “disenfranchise” other Board members. However, he ultimately leaned on a desire for stability. “I do think some stability in that leadership may be needed,” he said, “I would appreciate another year as President.”

Trustees Rawdon, Bufete, and Oquenda voted in favor of Trustee Bufete continuing on as President.

A Voting Block Solidifies On The Board

Then came nominations for Vice President. Trustee Prada nominated Trustee Bruckner-Carrillo. He deferred to Trustee Prada, who then accepted the nomination. Trustee Oquenda nominated Trustee Rawdon, who accepted.

Trustee Bruckner-Carrillo said that he had planned to nominate Trustee Rawdon as Vice President, “but our Board has chosen to go in a different direction.” He continued to speak against the whole election process. “This is a distraction from the work,” he said. “It’s a divisive process and it shouldn’t be that way… on a board that historically struggled with personality conflicts.”

Thanks for reading Hayward Herald! This post is public so feel free to share it.

Trustee Oquenda framed the nomination as a capstone moment for Trustee Rawdon. “I would like to see Trustee Rawdon have a chance in his last year on the Board to serve in a leadership role,” she said. “[And] give him his last year to get [things important to him] across the finish line.”

Trustee Prada asked Trustee Rawdon if he had any comments to make about the nomination. “You just keep saying you have nothing to say,” she said.

“I will accept the nomination if it is the will of the Board, and that’s it,” he responded.

Trustees Bufete, Oquenda, and Rawdon voted in favor, Trustee Prada voted against, and Trustee Bruckner-Carrillo abstained.

And finally, for Clerk, Trustee Rawdon nominated Trustee Oquenda, who accepted, and Trustee Bruckner-Carrillo nominated Trustee Prada, who accepted.

Trustee Bruckner-Carrillo showed visible frustration when he pointed out that the Board had “created an issue where two out of three people on leadership won’t be there in a year.” He said, “That just feels like an irresponsible decision,” specifically citing loss of institutional knowledge on the Board. He again pushed for a rotational system.

Trustees Bufete, Oquenda, and Rawdon voted in favor, Trustee Prada voted against, and Trustee Bruckner-Carrillo abstained.

HUSD Deficit Settles At $7 Million

The HUSD Board of Trustees received its first interim budget report, which highlighted increased revenue, but also increased expenses. Assistant Superintendent of Finance Amy Nichols praised AEOTE staff for working hard and “making sure that we are as accurate as possible.” However, a $7,000,000 deficit still looms that, if unaddressed, will push the District into insolvency within two years. “That is one of the challenges that we continue to work through,” Ms. Nichols said.

According to the presentation, HUSD received an additional $10,000,000 in revenue, primarily coming from one-time State funding. However, some of that money came with expanded costs—especially Transitional Kindergarten (TK) and Special Education. This brought the former $10,000,000 deficit down some, but still leaves the District around $7,000,000 short.

If unaddressed, this shortfall will continue to deplete the District’s reserve funding until it completely disappears by FY 27/28. But even before then, starting next year, the District would no longer be able to meet the State-mandated 3% reserve balance. “Our goal is to address the $7,000,000 deficit so that we can meet that 3% reserve rate,” Ms. Nichols said.

On top of the deficit, the recent austerity measures have caused a number of technology needs to go unmet. An additional $6,000,000-$8,000,000 need to be spent to do things like replace broken Chromebooks and replace aging and broken Staff technology. So the goal for the District is to add a total of $15,000,000 for true fiscal stability.

One bit of good news is that the District is expected to be able to pay back the $35,000,000 cash loan from the Alameda County Office of Education (ACOE) and they probably won’t have to rely on another loan next year. “We are moving to a much more stable fiscal environment,” Ms. Nichols said. However, that’s only true if more action is taken to balance the budget and preserve the cash-on-hand the District currently has.

Paying For People With One-Time Funding

Trustee Bruckner-Carrillo asked how many positions were paid for with one-time money—putting those positions at risk of cuts once the funding runs out. He said that 48 positions appeared to be paid by one-time funding, and wants to be sure that the district is “prioritizing saving folks who are currently in the seat and not management.”

Assistant Superintendent Amy Nichols explained that many of the management positions that were saved were for “obtaining or administering grants” and for social/mental health/wraparound services for students. The number of Full Time Equivalent (FTE) is also smaller than 48 because many are partially funded from multiple sources.

Trustee Sara Prada asked if the former Solutions Team could be implemented again, as a place to generate ideas to address enrollment decline and funding shortfalls. “The Governance Team itself operates in a very reactive way,” she said. “So it’s been a pattern of reactivity over and over again, so we’re constantly in crisis.” The Solutions Team was assembled in 2020 during the last round of cuts that resulted in the closure of two schools. According to Superintendent Chen Wu-Fernandez, it has not met in many years.

Trustee Bruckner-Carrillo dug into details of the contract, like attorney expenses during Closed Sessions, as well as any other expenses not factored in, citing the loss of Summer School funding last year. Ms. Nichols said that there are issues specifically around instructional material needs, replacing Chromebooks and Staff technology, and any Union increases. “We last settled with our Unions for the 23/24 school year,” Ms. Nichols said.

The uncertainty around solutions continued to bother Trustee Bruckner-Carrillo. “I wish that we would have been able to definitively say whether school closures was something we were considering or not,” he said. He expressed concern that it will be a solution suggested in January, leaving little time for debate or discussion before the February deadline for approval.

Wow, can you believe it's been four whole months since our last episode of Over the Loud Speaker? While Collin has been hard at work delivering you all the news content, you’ve probably asked yourself more than once—what is happening with Over the Loud Speaker? Did the host run away and join a revolutionary underground movement in the hills of some Latin American country? Perhaps he is sipping margaritas while reading Marxist literature at a bougie health spa? Or maybe he finally got around to finishing that graphic novel he always wanted to create?1 Whatever it was that I was up to all these months matters little because we’re back!

We are kicking off Season 2 with a jam-packed episode featuring headlines stretching over the summer months, a deep dive into what’s going on with the city of Hayward’s budget, and we capped off the conversation with an update on the current ICE enforcement in the East Bay.

With season 2, we also have audio-only versions of our show. Now you can tune into the program without being forced to watch our bobbleheads on a screen. Episodes are available on Apple Podcasts and on Soundcloud (other platforms coming soon).

If you’re new to OTLS, you can go back and watch all of Season 1 here. As always, if you aren’t already subscribed to OTLS on YouTube, please subscribe and turn on notifications so you don’t miss any of our new videos.

Thanks again for tuning in. I’ve missed you all so very much. Oh, and if you’re interested in volunteering for the ICE rapid response in Hayward and beyond, visit the ACILEP website, where you can find Know Your Rights information and other resources.

While we were there, we passed out a bunch of zines, which you can check out here. Get in contact with us if you’d like a printed edition; we just might have a few left. We also did some micro-interviews with some of our friends who participated in the event. Interviews feature the co-organizers of the Hayward Night Market, the Stack Run Club, Councilmember George Syrop, and an organizer from HayCoCoa who ended up interviewing me instead (live events are a bit unpredictable, it turns out)!

OTLS will be back in another month or so. Until then, you can check out all of our episodes from season 1 here. As always, thanks for tuning in.

The site is astonishingly beautiful. It is hard to believe that, as a lifelong resident of the area, I had never set foot there. I remember seeing older men play there when I used to do my soccer training at the duck pond (San Lorenzo Community Park) as a teen. That’s how big the site is! If it remains open, it could potentially connect the Hayward shoreline with Kennedy Park!

Ever since the golf course closed during the pandemic, it has been in the process of rewilding. Rewilding is a cool term you can watch me learn about live in the latest episode of Over the Loud Speaker. Rewilding is sort of like a natural environment healing. By the way, it also turns out that golf courses can be pretty gnarly for our health due to all the pesticide use. Is it too optimistic of me to think that maybe through the process of rewilding, we can also *insert healing sound fx* heal?

Episode six features guest speakers, Mimi and Tyler, who are leading the charge with the SOS Skywest campaign. They give us the rundown of why it is important to keep Skywest an open space for the public to walk, jog, bike, explore, and enjoy.

Episode six also happens to be the very last episode of season one. This is just a way of saying Collin and I are taking a much-needed break for the summer. But we will still be around. You can catch us at the Hayward Night Market, for example. Look at it this way, taking a short little break gives you all a chance to catch up on any episodes you might have missed! We plan to be back after summer break with more great video content for you all, so please keep spreading the good word with your friends and family. During this break, we may even be able to make some upgrades, like acquire a real green screen and some decent recording equipment (let’s be real, it’s a long shot, but a man can dream)!

Oh, if you're interested in getting involved with the Skywest campaign you can visit here. Oh, and you can also sign the petition here.

Enjoy the episode!

Episode 5 is a bit of a long one (maybe that’s not a bad thing for a Sunday night without White Lotus). We cover the headlines, which include the HUSD Superintendent resigning, the City Council reigning in the Community Services Commission, and the City Council's priorities discussion. This led to a very insightful discussion around food vending and chicken mannequins, which apparently the Mayor hates and we love. Finally, we wrapped up the episode by introducing our big idea: Proportional Representation.

We know there are a lot of cool political content to watch on the interwebz—I mean Bernie Sanders was performing Fight the Oligarchy at Coachella for God’s sake! So we really appreciate you supporting our show and sharing it with everyone you know in Hayward. Our goal is still to reach 100 subscribers. If we can reach 100 subscribers, who knows, maybe we will be able to livestream at the upcoming Hayward Night Market (who needs Coachella when you have the Hayward Night Market). How cool would that be?

As always, send us your questions, your thoughts, and your love.

Whatever the reason, it is March and we have a new episode of Over the Loud Speaker for you! In this episode, we cover the headlines for February, take our first question from one of our dedicated viewers, and introduce a new section we call BIG IDEAS. That’s right, this is a show where we discuss not just the small things that are happening in the heart of the bay, but also BIG IDEAS that have the potential to shake things up everywhere.

Hope you enjoy. We sure enjoy making these for you.

P.S.: I hope they email you back and invite you to a fancy dinner, I really do.

Thanks for reading Hayward Herald! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.

This episode is just Collin and I discussing the headlines. We spend most of the episode talking about sanctuary and the current state of the HUSD budget cuts. We also have a wonderful new show intro. I like it a lot and hope you see the influences behind it. It’s like the intro to an ABC show about a private eye in Hayward, who only drinks embargoed Cuban rum and prefers the title independent investigator over private investigator. If the executives at ABC are reading this, give me a call, I may or may not have the pilot written.

Also, to make up for my deception here is a cute little animation I made in honor of the show.

Okay, like, follow, subscribe, and pay your land tax. BYE.

In this episode, Collin covers the biggest headlines from the past month and we spend a little time talking about SURVEILLANCE in HAYWARD *emphasis in sci-fi horror tone*. Then we spoke with two incredible organizers about, you guessed it, organizing in Hayward! We talked about what they have accomplished in the city of Hayward, what got them involved in the movement (lingo those of us who self-identify as activists and organizers use to talk about the collective we involved in creating societal change for good), and how you—yes you—can get involved in creating change in this very fine city! And you know what the best part is, we do it all in about 35 minutes.

If you missed our pilot episode in 2024, you can go back and watch it here. If you enjoy episode two, even a little bit, then help us reach 100 subscribers by sharing it with everyone you know in Hayward. If you have thoughts on the episode, drop a line in the comments. If you want us to cover a certain topic, contact us! Okay, that is all. Enjoy the episode.