In the Record

Staff writer, Roger Phillips, from The Record reports on Stockton’s downtown transformation. Here is an excerpt form his Feb. 19, 2016 article:

The path a pioneer travels always is a bumpy one, a lesson attorney Jacob Loyal Benguerel was learning roughly one year ago at this time as he struggled to fully establish his law practice on the frontier of Stockton’s downtown. Benguerel, 36, had bought the old Stockton Morris Plan Company building and had spruced it up both outside and in. But that’s when the problems began, as the neighborhood’s persistent issues of crime and trash and the graffiti of a tagger named Earl hamstrung Benguerel’s best efforts to reclaim and restore his small slice of downtown Stockton. One year later, however, Benguerel says he has seen dramatic improvement.

“There’s a whole lot more energy,” Benguerel said recently. “You’re hearing about more and more people coming downtown. As far as my own block (crime) has almost stopped. Earl is long gone. We haven’t heard from Earl.”

Benguerel’s observations about the potential for a sustainable restoration of downtown Stockton are reflected in the progress he expects to see in the year ahead. Some of it, he will be able to see from his business’ own doorstep.

Read full article here.

Wyland Galleries Waikiki Beach Walk High School Art Scholarship Contest Launches January 2016

TWO HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS WILL BE AWARDED A $1,500 SCHOLARSHIP AND ARTWORK TO BE DONATED AND AUCTIONED AT U.S.VETS SHELTERS FUNDRAISER

HONOLULU, HI – January 12, 2016  – Wyland Galleries Waikiki Beach Walk, Hawaiian Community Development Board, Pacific Development Group and Trinity Development and Construction unite together to launch the 2nd Annual Wyland Galleries Waikiki Beach Walk High School Art Scholarship Contest (WHAS) with the blessing of Wyland himself on Saturday, January 9, 2016 at Wyland’s Art Show.

Many gathered in awe as they witnessed Wyland sketch, paint and demonstrate his technique first hand in a public art show this past Saturday night. In the midst of all the creativity and inspiration, several young students were able to interview Wyland on why the scholarship contest currently in place is meaningful to him and what is his overall message to the young artist entering.

WHAS 2015 first year proved to be a huge success and captivated the hearts of young art students across the state.  Amongst the four students, two winners were awarded a scholarship of $1,500 each that demonstrated outstanding art skills.

Paulena Huynh of Farrington High School and Leilani Herrera of Kapolei High School were the overall winners of WHAS 2015.  Their winning art were dedicated to two local affordable housing projects developed by Pacific Development Group and Hawaiian Community Development Board. The winning art pieces are displayed for all to enjoy.

Joe Michael, Vice President of Pacific Development Group, builder of the two affordable housing properties continues to spearhead WHAS and plans to continue aligning the winning art pieces with worthy causes. This year’s beneficiary is the U.S.VETS shelters in Kapolei and Waianae; where the two winning art pieces will be auctioned at their fundraising event held in April and May of 2016. Each art piece will be certified by Wyland and the team as an “Official Wyland Young Artist”. 

When asked if U.S.VETS would like to receive the winning art pieces from the “Wyland Young Artist” art contest, Gladys Peraro, Executive Director of U.S.VETS Waianae’s Emergency & Transitional Homeless Shelter stated, “It will be an honor to receive the art pieces for use in the silent auction at our annual Hana Like Kakou (Many Hands Working Together) benefit dinner on April 23rd, to benefit the individuals and families with children that reside in our programs.  It truly takes our ‘many hands’ working collaboratively within the community to make a difference in the lives of those whom we serve.”

 Wyland shared with young interviewers Frank Fasi III (13) and Kieran Hellum (13) when asked the question of where did you learn your skill, “I learned at an early age however learning is a lifelong progress. I’m still learning. As I dive, I study light beneath the ocean surface and watch how it impacts color and motion. I then swim up and put all on canvas.”

Frank and Kieran continued to ask Wyland what advice can you give young artist? Wyland replied, “This is the best time to be in art.  Follow your dreams and continue to do your passion. We need to protect art in education in America.”

These boys although too young to enter the high school contest, have yet even more of a reason to push forward and pursue art and the art of striving to improve. Wyland shared how challenging living your dream in the beginning can be but with perserverence one could achieve “rich art” versus “Bohemian art”. Meaning earning riches in abundance in order to spread good amongst the world to be able to “give back and share forward”, says Wyland.

The 2nd Annual WHAS is one small part of giving back to Hawaii. All partners are honored to offer this program to the local public high schools and U.S.VETS. Here art extends past the schools, Wyland, U.S.VETS but continues to stay alive and well by blessings others in need. The contest runs through March 31, 2016 with the winners to be announced by April 15, 2016. For more details see here:

 For more information about  the 2nd Wyland Galleries High School Art Scholarship Contest, U.S.VETS and  Halawa View Apartments Blessing and Dedication contact Tammy Lynn Fasi at 808.798.5370.

Rock Fever

6617 Ainapo Place

Honolulu, HI 96825

Phone: 808.798.5370

Email: rfpmedia808@gmail.com

Inclusionary housing law talked about in the Record

The Record’s staff writer, Roger Phillips wrote and article called, “ Inclusionary housing program to be studied” on December 20, 2015.
Here is an excerpt from the article:

STOCKTON — Enacting an inclusionary housing law either would be a potential step toward easing Stockton’s chronic need for suitable homes for the city’s lower-income residents or a communist plot hatched by infidels who worship at the feet of Karl Marx.
It depends on whom you ask.

John Beckman, who heads the Building Industry Association of the Greater Valley, made it clear last week he is no fan of government-adopted inclusionary housing laws. Forcing the wealthier to support the housing needs of those with lower incomes by placing financial mandates on them is “a crazy, harebrained solution,” Beckman said.

“The concept of inclusionary (housing) comes straight from Karl Marx,” he added. “There’s not a more communist-style policy. … You’re singling out the new homebuyer as the one and only class of person in the entire city who can solve a citywide problem.”

With much milder rhetoric than Beckman’s, advocates for affordable housing in Stockton stand at the opposite end of the spectrum. They say inclusionary laws, which require builders to incorporate an affordable-housing component in their market-rate plans, are an idea well worth studying.

“Stockton has a very limited toolkit to encourage the development of affordable housing,” Jon Mendelson of Central Valley Low Income Housing said. “This is a tool the city has not taken advantage of. It’s a tool I believe should at least be considered.”

The City Council voted unanimously last week to support studying whether Stockton should adopt an inclusionary housing program. That study is a small nugget in a 321-page draft of Stockton’s housing-element document projecting the city’s residential needs for the next eight years.

Read the full article here.

Lunalilo Home Golf Tournament

Midweek posted great photos from the golf tournament.

Lunalilo Home hosted its 24th annual benefit Golf Tournament in memory of former trustee Stanley Hong at Hawaii Kai Golf Course.

 PHOTOS BY BODIE COLLINS

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To view the original article click here.

Local Community Leaders Celebrate Groundbreaking Of Cal Weber 40, A Downtown Stockton Affordable Family Housing Development

Cal Weber Associates LP and partners DFA Development LLC, Riverside Charitable Corporation, Inc., and PNC Real Estate will celebrate the groundbreaking of “Cal Weber 40” – a Downtown Stockton affordable family housing development, Thursday May 14th. Chris Flaherty of DFA Development & 3 Leaf Holdings will kick off the ceremony by talking about the impact this development will have on the community.

“I believe this project will be a catalyst …to future dwellings being built in the Downtown core. It can be a good showpiece, especially after everything Stockton has been through,” said Chris Flaherty.

Cal Weber 40 (http://www.calweber40.com) will consist of 40 units – 28 apartments with two bedrooms and one bathroom and 12 more with three bedrooms and two baths. The modern apartment complex will boast solar-powered units, a computer lab and a private playground. Located at the corner of N. California Street and E. Weber Avenue, the project would entail renovation of the 123-year-old Cal Weber Building and the 88-year-old McKeegan Building. The project will offer designated parking, common areas, private balconies, as well as an impressive 12’ + ceiling height for third story units. The ground level will remain commercial with the exception of four units located at the north and south entrances in the Cal Weber building residential lobby.

“It’s an exciting project,” said Anthony Barkett, a developer and a business partner of Flaherty. “It’s going to serve families in the $ 30,000 – $ 35,000 range – good, hardworking families with kids who can walk to school. It’s got an urban feel to it.”

Many local organizations, financial institutions, and government leaders played a role in developing this project. Partners in the project include: Cal Weber Associates LP, DFA Development LLC, Riverside Charitable Corporation Inc., PNC Real Estate, City of Stockton, PNC Bank, and Farmers & Merchants Bank.

This project will provide, for the first time in years, a new affordable-housing option for people interested in living Downtown and will be a much needed piece to reenergize Downtown. Micah Runner, Stockton’s Director of Economic Development, said, “A private developer’s desire to bring a residential project downtown is a promising sign.”

Affordable housing is coming to Stockton

STOCKTON, Calif. (KCRA) —The Cal Weber housing project is underway, and on Thursday, some got a tour of what Stockton could anticipate.

“We have two restaurants and (we’re) slated to be a hair salon and (hold retail space),” developer Chris Flaherty said Thursday. Flaherty has lived in Stockton for two decades. He said downtown Stockton would benefit from an affordable housing project. “I don’t like to call it low-income, because (that) brings a lot of different stereotypes,” Flaherty said. “And this is workforce housing, and the people who are qualified to live here are people working around the downtown area.”

“Nothing says a city is healthy again like when you start building,” Stockton Mayor Anthony Silva said. The city needs more houses, Silva told KCRA 3. “Here we are in downtown Stockton, (which) people have sort of left for dead for years,” the mayor said. “It’s nice to see revitalization come to fruition. We just had a census come, saying had a few thousand folks move to the city, but (we) haven’t built in so long.”

Developers said when the project is finished, it’s not only going to provide homes for 40 families, but it will give a face-lift to the city of Stockton. “I’ve been looking at blight for a while and looking at blocks that need energy and talent, and I’m beside myself,” Stockton resident Christian Peterson said. “Stockton is in a transition and I like where it’s heading,” said Samuel Jackson, also of Stockton. The project is set to be finished by 2016.

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TheCVBizJournal spotlights Cal weber 40 project

The Central Valley Business Journal highlightsedour Cal Weber 40 project. Here is an excerpt:

STOCKTON — Construction is underway on Cal Weber 40, the first housing project in downtown Stockton since the Great Recession. The partners involved in the project held a groundbreaking ceremony in the building at California Street and Weber Avenue for city officials and reporters Thursday morning. No actual ground was broken, however. Construction on the project began March 23.

The partners, Cal Weber Associates LP;  DFA Development LLC; Riverside Charitable Corporation, Inc.; and PNC Real Estate, hope the affordable urban housing development will be a catalyst for development in downtown Stockton. “We’ve seen in other cities a workforce housing or an affordable housing project is usually the catalyst to bringing not only families downtown, but it also allows people to see that it will work,” said Chris Flaherty of DFA Development. The development, at the southeast corner of California Street and Weber Avenue will provide 40 units — 28 apartments with two bedrooms and one bathroom and 12 larger apartments with three bedrooms and two baths.

Cal Weber 40 to blend historic and modern

Cal Weber 40 is a mix of old and new. It involves the renovation of the 123-year-old Cal Weber Building and the 88-year-old McKeegan Building. There will be exposed brick and the trusses on the top floor will be visible. Apartments on the third floor will have ceilings 12 feet or higher. The exterior, however, has been redesigned to give the buildings “residential scale,” said architect Lars Fredrik Gullberg of Artifex West Studio. Each unit will have its own balcony. The apartments will be solar powered. The building will have a computer lab, a private playground and dedicated parking. “It’s going to be something that I think any of us would want to live in,” said Flaherty.

Stockton Mayor Anthony Silva said the development sends the signal that the city is moving forward out of its bankruptcy. “Nothing says a city is healthy again than when we start building again,” he told those gathered for the groundbreaking. The city of Stockton, PNC Bank, Farmers & Merchants Bank and the Bank of Stockton were involved in financing Cal Weber 40.

Small olive harvests fund charity that helps kids

Lori Gilbert of The Record wrote about our S.O.O.P.C.O., Stockton Olive Oil Project. Here is an excerpt from the July 6, 2015 article:

Posted Jul. 6, 2010 at 12:01 AM.

They laughed when he planted his olive tree. A barrage of “Do you have any idea what kind of mess those trees will cause in your yard?” questions greeted Chris Flaherty before the first piece of fruit fell. Flaherty’s stubborn determination, though, has resulted in nearly $200,000 being donated to organizations devoted to children’s causes. Seriously. Flaherty was out in his yard picking the first olives from his tree back in 2002 when Tom Cortopassi arrived, bringing his son, Joey, to play with Flaherty’s son, Keegan. He couldn’t resist making a comment about the Irishman not knowing what to do with the olives.

“He tried to eat it straight off the olive tree,” the Italian Cortopassi said. “He said, ‘What are you supposed to do with these?’ ”Cortopassi laughed, but by the time he’d returned later to pick up his son, he’d done a little quick Internet research on olives. Although he’d grown up in the agriculture industry and runs Stanislaus Food Products, a tomato processing plant in Modesto, he wasn’t experienced with olives.Over a glass of wine, he explained the options he’d learned about, either curing the olives in brine or pressing them for their oil. “I said, ‘Wouldn’t it be great if we could pick the olives off all the olive trees in Stockton, make olive oil, sell it and give all the money to some kind of charity? ‘ ” Cortopassi said. “With Chris, you don’t just say it. If he likes an idea, he’s gonna run with it.” Run he did. Flaherty lined up five friends. Cortopassi picked five more, and S.O.O.P.C.O., Stockton Olive Oil Project Charitable Organization, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, was formed.

The group, made up of area businessmen of different stripes – Flaherty is a contractor, and there are bankers, lawyers, accountants and other professions represented – toured the Sciabica and Sons olive oil plant in Modesto, and the firm agreed to produce oil under the S.O.O.P.C.O. label. Each member of the club bought three cases of the oil, at a cost of $750, and the proceeds went to charities. Members, in turn, gave the bottles of oil to family, friends and colleagues. Cortopassi thought the venture it would be a one-time deal. Instead, the group has grown to 28 members and last year produced 225 cases. Unlike other men’s organizations, or traditional service groups, there are few requirements of S.O.O.P.C.O. members. “Once you come in, you’re never allowed to get out,” Flaherty said. “And you have to make a donation. You’re committed to $750 per year, each year.” They meet as a group four or five times a year for lunch or dinner, and it’s not the end of the world if one of them can’t make it. Sometimes they have a dinner with their wives. “It’s a fun group,” Flaherty said. “We give each other a hard time. Everyone checks their ego at the door.”

Read the full article here.

Contact columnist Lori Gilbert at (209) 546-8284 or lgilbert@recordnet.com.

Visit her blog at recordnet.com/lensblog.

Cal Weber 40 in the news....

The artist’s rendering of the Cal Weber affordable-housing project at the southeast corner of California Street and Weber Avenue.

Record staff writer, Roger Phillips wrote an article called, “Downtown Stockton project nearly up in the air” about our Cal Weber 40 project on March 2, 2015. here is an excerpt:

Roger Phillips Record Staff Writer

By Posted Mar. 2, 2015 at 8:09 PM STOCKTON — Haggling over the price tag attached to a small patch of second-story airspace in downtown Stockton might seem like a punchline in search of a joke. But during a 77-minute discussion at last week’s City Council meeting, a complex dispute over airspace in the financing package for a new and ballyhooed affordable-housing project in downtown Stockton seemed for a time to jeopardize the deal. On one side were the developers of the 40-unit project that is planned for the woebegone southeast corner of California Street and Weber Avenue. On the other side were trade-union officials concerned about the wages to be paid to the construction workers who will be hired to build the project, dubbed Cal Weber 40. A week ago, the gap between the sides seemed to be a gulf. Seven days later, it appears the gulf has been bridged. The City Council will hold a special meeting tonight at City Hall to discuss the matter again and to cast their votes on the air-rights issue. If the resolution passes, developers expect to break ground in 27 days. “I’m comfortable with it,” Mayor Anthony Silva said late Monday afternoon. “Obviously, this project is good for Stockton, especially downtown Stockton, and it’s something that needs to happen. If we’re going to show that Stockton is a healthy city coming out of bankruptcy, we definitely need to start building again.” Councilman Michael Tubbs convened a 60-minute meeting Friday afternoon between developers and union officials to hammer away at the matter. “They talked it out,” Tubbs said. “Questions were asked and posed. I was excited because at the end, I felt relationships were formed between the unions and the developers.” The projected cost of the Cal Weber project is $12 million, paid for through various government loan programs and tax credits. Included in the project, representing 3 percent of the total cost, were the air rights above Stockton’s downtown Lot K on American Street between Main Street and Weber. The developers, including locals Anthony Barkett and Chris Flaherty, plan to build a second-story parking deck for residents above Lot K as part of the Cal Weber project. When the council unanimously approved the project last June, plans called for the city to lease the air rights to the developers for 55 years at no cost. Last Tuesday, however, the council was asked to approve an air-rights lease containing different terms — 65 years with a $370,000 payment from developers to the city about two decades before the start of the 22nd century. Why the revision? Developer Danny Fred told the council that if the lease was not revised, financing for the project would be scuttled. Fred said receiving an outright gift of the air rights from the city would, by law, have triggered a requirement for developers to pay all Cal Weber construction workers at union rates. That requirement, Fred said, would significantly increase construction costs. “A 25- to 30-percent increase on a project like this, there would be no project,” Fred said. Union representatives quickly stepped forward, voicing concern that developers might be maneuvering to build Cal Weber on the cheap with low- or minimum-wage workers. “I think it’s kind of ironic that we’re talking about affordable housing for the working poor,” Sal Rotolo, the business representative for Sheet Metal Workers’ Local Union No. 104, said at last week’s council meeting. “How about we build some projects with workers who are being paid an affordable wage?” The council ultimately tabled the matter. Friday, Tubbs and City Manager Kurt Wilson hosted the meeting with the unions and the developers. Tonight, the council once again will consider the 65-year lease with the $370,000 payment. On Monday, Barkett called the Friday meeting “very productive” and added that developers never intended for Cal Weber to be a “prevailing wage” project.

Read full article here.