MercaditoFest

By My Eden Voice Staff

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In this month’s issue we talk about what to expect at this months Mercadito Fest, Junk Fee campaign updates and a special MEV farewell. Enjoy the read!

If you don’t already know me, my name is Andrea and for the last year I have been My Eden Voice’s communications associate. I have been working behind the scenes to create MEV’s new website and have been sending the MEV Bulletin directly into your mail box for the last year! 

While the MEV Bulletin will continue, this will be the last issue you’ll receive from me. I am leaving my role at MEV and beginning a new chapter as a reporter at Mission Local in San Francisco through the California Local News Fellowship! My last day with MEV will be Friday, August 14th so stop by and chat with me if you have the time.

I am very grateful to have gotten the opportunity to work in the community I grew up in and will cherish all of the connections I have made with my colleagues, our amazingly hardworking members and the wider Eden Area community. 

Do you know anyone who would be a good fit for the Communications Associate role? Check out the job posting here.

Last month we had to unfortunately cancel the Mercadito Fest due to permitting issues. But, the community and vendors weren’t ready to give up so easily. We are keeping the momentum going with a Mini Mercadito Fest! This month’s market is a small but mighty one, with local artisanal vendors, crafts, games and more! Here are some of the things you can do at today’s Mini Mercadito Fest: 

• Get there at 5 p.m. if you want to run or walk with the run club and stay for a snack, community and a shoe demo from Sketchers! Click here to learn more details about the run club. 
• Donate backpacks and school supplies! These will be distributed on Saturday to youth before they head back into the new school year. Click here to learn about our collaboration with the South Hayward Market. 
• Go to the Creative Place table to craft and create a free post card to remember the day by. Click here to learn more about the Creative Place. 
• Join us for loteria and the chance to win a Mercadito Fest tote bag and gift cards! 

We hope to see you tonight at the Mercadito Fest from 6-9 p.m. at Yoyo’s Botaneria!

In June our Junk Fees campaign had its first win! Our leaders and neighbors delivered testimony demanding movement on the issue at the Unincorporated Services Committee meeting on June 24th. 

On July 22nd we went to the Unincorporated Services Meeting to present on the Junk Fees Campaign. Supervisor Miley agreed that an ordinance needs to be set up. Supervisor Tam requested more information on the matter. The supervisors suggested we come back in 3 months after the Board of Supervisors break. 

ERU Community leaders are advocating for an Alameda County Ordinance that would put an end to junk fees, a new displacement effort being utilized by Eden Area landlords. Currently, junk fees are unregulated. So we are fighting for an ordinance that would protect tenants, and keep families in their home. Want to join the fight? Check out the campaign page to learn how you can get involved.

• Friday, August 7: Mercadito Fest from 5-9 p.m. at Yoyo’s Botaneria 20925 Mission Blvd, Cherryland, CA.

• Tuesday, August 11: OHOL – Community Presentation| A special discussion about the potential for community ownership at Paradise Trailer Court in Ashland. 

• Tuesday, August 18: OHOL– Practical Application| Analysing power and political terrain. At 6p.m. at Ashland Roots Center, 16100 E 14th St, Ashland,CA. 

• Thursday, August 20th: Quarterly Members Meeting from 6-8p.m. Location TBD.

• Monday, August 31: Immigrant Justice Committee Meeting from 6pm – 8pm via Zoom. More details to come. Email gladys@myedenvoice.org if interested in participating. 

• Tuesday, September 8: OHOL: Community Review of Learning+ Future Plans, Part 1. At 6p.m. at Ashland Roots Center, 16100 E 14th St, Ashland,CA. 

-2nd and 4th Saturday of the month: La Huerta/ Ashland Community Farm meets every second and fourth Saturday of the month from 9 a.m.-12 p.m. Help around the garden, meet neighbors, and enjoy the space. The garden is next to the Alameda County Fire Station on 165th.

• Shout out to Angelica, Miguelito and Lyndsay for making it into the tree advisory group! They will be working with Plantify to give valuable input to plant more trees in the Eden Area.

By My Eden Voice Staff

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In this month’s issue we talk about why we had to cancel this month’s Mercadito Fest and our latest wins in the Junk Fees campaign and the Office of Unincorporated Services. Enjoy the read!

Last month Mercadito Fest launched and it was an absolute hit! Yoyo’s Botaneria parking lot was packed. The Eden Area showed out with their love, pride and support of not only the Unincorporated Areas but the people and businesses who make this area. 

While it was planned to have the second installment of the Mercadito Fest tomorrow, Friday July 3rd, we had to make the difficult decision of cancelling this month’s event. 

This was not our choice. Unfortunately, the Alameda County Environmental Health Department reached out to let us know that we did not meet their permitting standards. This also includes our food vendors. The permits required are not only difficult to obtain but a financial barrier for many, as a single day use permit costs over $200, on top of the booth fees, materials and employee costs that small, local vendors are already investing into their business. To learn more about this you can watch the video we posted on Instagram. 

We are not letting this stop us. We are working hard behind the scenes to get our permits in order and offering support to our vendors who need help navigating the difficult permitting process. 

This also has sparked for us a larger debate around the barriers put in place by the county for small businesses to operate the “right way.” Local entrepreneurs should have accessible pathways to compliance. We look forward to organizing alongside vendors and community members to advocate for systems that support, rather than discourage, small business participation in the Eden Area. 

Mercadito Fest is more than just a night market, it’s an opportunity to celebrate the Eden Area, its diverse community, its entrepreneurship and most importantly – a reminder that this area is worth investing in. The reception of the first Mercadito Fest was positively overwhelming. We saw what this event means for the community. So, we are planning to extend this program beyond its initial pilot. We will update you with more details soon.

Eden Renters United Has launched two campaigns this summer: 

Junk Fees Campaign

In June, our Junk Fees campaign had its first win! Our leaders and neighbors delivered testimony demanding movement on the issue at the Unincorporated Services Committee meeting on June 24th. After listening to our compelling testimonies, Supervisor Miley requested that the issue be agendized for the July 22nd Unincorporated Services Committee. Additionally, he suggested that it might be good to include regulations around junk fees in the existing anti-harassment ordinance. This could help us move a solution forward faster.

ERU Community leaders have been advocating for an Alameda County Ordinance that would put an end to junk fees, a new displacement effort being utilized by Eden Area landlords. Currently, junk fees are unregulated. So we are fighting for an ordinance that would protect tenants, and keep families in their home. Want to join the fight? Check out the campaign page to learn how you can get involved. 

Our Homes, Our Land: A political education workshop series

A pathway to real affordable housing is possible! We’ve launched a political education workshop series about community owned land and housing. To learn more about what this means, how it works and how you can get involved, check out the campaign web page.

On Tuesday June 30th, we had our first workshop at the Ashland Roots Center on E. 14th Street. We gathered about 20 people in person, with 5 participants on zoom for an opening presentation and discussion led by Nestor Castillo, board president of Eden Community Land Trust. Nestor provided a historical look at how our relationships to the land have been altered and interrupted under capitalism, and how community ownership is a strategy for reclaiming that relationship. 

Our next workshop will be held on Tuesday, July 14th at 6 p.m. This discussion will be a practical discussion about the social infrastructure that is needed to make community ownership work. We will talk about community land trusts, resident cooperatives, tenant unionizing, and campaign committees. The location will be announced shortly. Please use the form on our web page to indicate your interest and we will be in touch.

At the Unincorporated Services Committee meeting on May 27, 2026, County Supervisors Nate Miley and Lena Tam endorsed the creation of an Office of Unincorporated Communities. While our neighboring cities, like Hayward and San Leandro, have a city manager that is accountable to ensure that communications, services, and investments are delivered to residents, there is no such central point for the unincorporated communities of the Eden Area. 

My Eden Voice leaders, and coalition partners, showed up in force to endorse the creation of an Office that would act as this center point. Shout outs to our members Miguel, Bob, Teresita, Chas, Rosemary, along with members of SLHAM, for showing up and ensuring County Supervisors hear the importance of this central office to create a more responsive local government for the Eden Area. 

The Office of Unincorporated Communities has been a dream for community leaders in the Eden Area for a number of years in our struggle to hold the County more accountable as our local government.  In the coming months, the proposal will go to the full County Board of Supervisors for final approval and My Eden Voice will continue to advocate that the Office of Unincorporated Communities meets the needs of the community. Stay tuned for opportunities to support and shape this campaign in August!

-Wednesday, July 8th: join Eden Renters United at the Housing and Community Development Advisory Committee (HCDAC)meeting at 224 W. Winton Ave at 3pm where we will be sharing our concerns about the junk fees.

-Tuesday, July 14th: Join Eden Renters United and Eden Community Land Trust for our Our Homes, Our Land workshop series. This session will focus on the social infrastructure needed for community-owned land and housing. 

-Tuesday, July 21st: Join Eden Renters United and Eden CLT for our Our Homes, Our Land workshop series. This session will focus on the fundamentals of community land trusts.

-Wednesday, July 22nd: Join Eden Renters United at the Unincorporated Services Committee meeting at 6pm at the San Lorenzo Library to hear updates from Supervisor Miley and HCD Staff regarding the junk fees issue. 

-Monday, July 27th: Immigrant Justice Committee Meeting, is meeting from 6-8pm at the My Eden Voice office. Please join us to evaluate our committee together!

-Tuesday, July 28th: Join Eden Renters United and Eden CLT for our Our Homes, Our Land workshop series. This session will focus on the funding and financing sources that can help us pursue community-owned land and housing safely and sustainably.

-2nd and 4th Saturday of the month: La Huerta/ Ashland Community Farm meets every second and fourth Saturday of the month from 9 a.m.-12 p.m. Help around the garden, meet neighbors, and enjoy the space. The garden is next to the Alameda County Fire Station on 165th.

“MEV fellow and MHU leader, Lyndsay Wright, graduated from Urban Habitat’s Boards, Commission and Leadership Institute this month.” -Kristen