Oakland Tribune from Oakland, California • 11

She Sribtme Changa debate on hold A move to switch Oakland's paridng meters back to nickete cfimes and quarters Is put off until lata ApnL At" PmAplli Thur vi mursday March 24 1994 i State workers reach out to their fellow in need si snvrwMia Then hat week an angel landed in hh mailbox These people are so decent People from as far away as San Diego that I didn't even know donated their time" That's 'whurtSurtia'' was informed that' fellow DOJ employees throughout the state had donated four months of their own hard-earned aide leave and vacation timeao he could complete hh ncoveqr without the additional abeaa of wondering how he wae going to pay Ms MBs OAKLAND Jerry Curtis know bow many friends he had until he got sick The 50-yearld assistant attorney general has been battling an acutely inflamed stomach and cancer of his lymph system since last year After undergoing surgery in May he finally ataited chemotherapy hat November to ahiink a tumor between Ida pancreas and But he was convinced it was real when he received a check jn the mail last Friday retroactive to Feb 17 But now he fads the end ia in sight and it wont be long before back at work He said much of his positive outlook has to do with the boost he received from Ms new friends one of the most strongest expression of decency I've ever known people to make" said Curtis "I want to let the people know how overwhelmed and grateftd I am but I knot' who did It I cant even give it back to them it I dont use it alL But if someone else needier you know Fm going to be die first to donate it alL" people are eo decent People from as far away aa San Diego that I didn't even know donated their time" he said Jtwt overwhelming Fm totattygraiefuL It'a very difficult to describe how I feeL I think the beet statement that people can make that they care an amaxing human Curtis said he had heard of state lottery employees who started something called a catastrophic leave bank to collect side time and vacation dsys for a co-worker who any traded AIDS but he didn't know that government departments could do It too He tried to go back to work art the Oakland bureau of the U8 Department of Justice a few timea But the treatments he underwent every three weeka left him weak and tired And he worried about being atround people with colds or viruses because the chemotherapy had weakened his immune system So Curtis atayed home Hh and vacation time ran out Ids 17 He's been Uving off his savings ever rtnee The former deputy diatrid attorney from Alameda County is suffering a form of cancer called large high-grade lymphoma If caught early it ia frequently curable But if it returns there is no cure he said Despite a couple of crises Ms progress Mu gone wefi Early an it was hard to accept Oat he might die And he worried about leaving his 10- and 16-yearoid daughters without a daddy help him racovw front surgery Hamis5 Dsdoin Gaffers tarsEiiM seams $600 limit crimp style funding tops By Mg stjwf writer OAKLAND Despite a $600 limit on wmyign contributions from individuals Mayor Elihu Harris raised more than $80000 for his re-election campaign in the first 2X months of the year latest financial report on file at the City office shows he raised $80841 between Jan 1 and March 17 Although some individual dona- tkma were greater than $500 Me indicates he transferred die whvw to his office-holder ac-scoont Under Oakland's new campaign finance law the mayor can collect up to $40000 for office-related ex- STAIT WRITER OAKLAND School board member Wilma Chan has Jumped out to a quick fundraising lead in die five-candidate race for the Alameda County third supervisorial di- trictseat Chan reported raising $19867 well over three times what any competitor raisgd finance statements filed Tuesday show Alameda real estate agent Linda Larkin repotted raising $5543 and San Leandro investment banker Craig Bettencourt The other two candidates lent their own 4 campaigns most of their war cherts Oro Loma Sanitation District President Laython Landis of San Leandro had $5250 $5000 of which came from Ms own pocket Alameda Coundhnan Americh lent Ms campaign tts entire budget of $974 The campaign finance reports cover money raised and spent between Jan 1 and March 17 The next reports 1 wifi be filed May 26 Please see GNt page Ar12 Alameda County Supervisor Mary pig best-known rival in the June 7 primary reported receiving $45249 in contributions during the same 2Jf-month period King said the new hind-raising rules make the mayoral campaign a different ball game but I think it leveb the playing field" Harris reported $150822 in cash on hand and King $89899 The two professional politicians' latest round of fund raising appar-endy puts diem writ ahead of the seven other candidates in the mayor's race Businessman Ted Dang a late entry in the race reported $7174 in contribudonai None of the other candidates' financial repots due Tuesday had readied the Cky Clerk's office byWedneaday Funds for Jack London Amtrak Robber kills man shoots 2 victims after getting loot earmarked for the future CbUeeumAmr' trait station to die Jack London Square rm uJ By nmvy swwnu jnenf apokeanun An Dragomaid Just dut Cahrans isn't ready to open the station until it does an environmental study and the railroad makes track and signal improvements Caltrana haa pledged to find money for the Coliseum station Besides being farther along dun the Coliseum station the Jade London Square station is needed so dut service to Oakland is not interrupted Drago -aid The exieting Amtrak depot at 16th and Wood streets in Wert Oakland win be dosed to make room for the Cypress freeway replacement To accommodate the -freeway' Southern Please ana IMn page A-12 MM-- py does msynuy STAFF WRITER OAKLAND Starting next February at least 18 Amtrak train per day will atop at a new station at Jack London 8quare Construction on the 16000-square-foot station got under way earlier this month after coat overruns and other problems caused repeated delays On Wednesday the $62 million ata- -don cleared a mgor financial hurdle The Metropolitan Transportation Commission voted to let die Caltrana Division of Rail transfer $600000 STAFF WRITERS 1 OAKLAND A "predator with no regard for human went on a robbery-shooting spree early Wednesday killing me nun he robbed of less Bum and wounding taro other people police said Investigators said die loaa from7 the holdups netted the robber leas than $100 totaL Sgt-JinrEmery said the men shot were innocent victims In each case they complied with the demands and were basically shot for no Late Wednesday police announced a $1000 reward for information leading to the gunman's arrest and released a drawing of him Killed after giving the robber less than $5 by a bullet that Cammiasion member Jim Spering said the transfer will make up a shortfall in the Jack London Square station budget and permit it to be completed on time philosophy has been to get stations open and fill the gaps aa we go along We didn't want to delay two stations" said Spering a Solano County so- pervisor and a strong supporter of the 2-year-okl Amtrak Capitol service The Capitols runs three times a day between BoaeviDe and San Jose' "Thia ia not in any way an abandon- Please saaRofabar page A-12 Latinos at seminar draw inspiration ffom Cesar Chavez aj a Vi eryone have discipline and not react by mimicking dm raefam and bigotry around us No vtotenda!" yeDed Pacaldo "When that woman was dandng on stage and talking about people calling women and stuff it made me think about Latina women and especially dut girl in Richmond who got killed by her own cousin What ahe add on stage about treating women badfar la said Lorens Soto 13 of Havenscourt Junior High 8chooL Raul Floies a 13-yearcld guest speaker from Assumption School In 8an Leandro spoke to his peers about Ms biggest hero Cesar Chaves "If I need help or need to understand some-tiling I always remember what Ceaar taught he used to say To be human is to help others so may God hdp us to be human' I see a lot of destruction among people my age epedflceHy among CWcanoa who are coming apart because of gangs We need to look to Cesar to-' "said Flores tdl young people that the cruelert prison of all is the prison of thdr minds the one dut makes them believe dirt they are a minority a leas-thari A1 children have to do is take an tamer Journey to find themadvrt but they too often look to othen to define their identity" he said So many students signed up for die event that almost 100 had to be tongbdown because the organisers rimply aflmd them said Gfl-berto Victoria a Merritt College counselor who helped plan the conference raw- radio put on a music show and students later toUt up to attend workshops on such topics aa vahiea and erteer When East Bay performance artist Gina Pa-' caldo burned sage Ut candies danced and told stories on stage ahe ettdtad some giggles by using frank language to make her point bikers yeO puts! and apid at our women you return with violence you reapond with discipline Cesar demanded that ev fy Ci "i A I tX SI Hi I V' ii Ilf WATT WRITER HAYWARD In the beginning some felt like they were playing hooky: But near the end of the fourth annual Latino Youth Conference at Cal State Itayward on Wednesday 400 Junior higb-echoolers knew there was a dear lesson behind the funk bands and storytelling 0 Sponsored fay La Rasa Youth Committee' of Oakland this seminar in honor of die late Cesar Chaves California's legendary farm union leader gave Oakland students a chance to flip the cultural coin by focusing on Latino issues for six straight hours bmUia! Believe in your dreams and don't let anybody turn them into nightmares" keynote speaker poet Plri Thomas told die crowd early Next to Mm was a sign reading "No Grapea Viva Ceaar" A tAURAAODA-1 8tudita btan to thu murte put on by dtffartnt rap groups during thu dosing ofthu Latino Youth Conhraneai- i.