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Protests to Russell City Plan Voiced

"Protests to Russell City Plan Voiced", Daily Review, Jan. 16, 1963

Full Text:

"I don't want to sell my property." 

One by one as they stepped to the microphone to protest Alameda County's redevelopment proposal, Russell City property owners expressed that sentiment. 

They were reacting... in the first of a scheduled series of public hearings... to a $1.8 million county plan to raze their homes and transform the blighted Russel City area into a 200 acre industrial park.

Last night's hearing at the Veterans' Memorial Building, 23474 Main St., Hayward, was continued after three hours to 7:30 p.m. next Tuesday at the same place. 

The Alameda County Board of Supervisors, in it's role as Redevelopment Agency, heard last night from absentee landlords who live outside Alameda County, and Russell residents who own their homes in the redevelopment area. 

Next week the Board will hear from absentee landlords who live in Alameda County, tenants in the project area, organizations and individuals interested in the redevelopment project, 

'SLUM POCKET'

Stage for the hearing was set by George Herron, executive director of the Redevelopment Agency, who said the area proposed for redevelopment is an "unincorporated slum pocket' near the San Francisco Bay, lying south of Hayward airport and west of the Southern Pacific Railroad. Rigid courtroom procedures were maintained by swearing in witnesses and recording testimony as prescribed by Dep. Dist. Atty. Al Lewis. 

Typical homeowner protest was voiced by Floyd Hughey, who has owned his home at [unreadable] Nebraska St., for 16 years. 

"I came by it honest," said Hughey. "I've worked hard, like a slave all my life, and raised a pretty good sized family... eight children... and now I'm getting to be an old man. 

"I don't want to sell. I don't know where to go and I'm too old now to think about getting into debt. 

"I don't want nobody to relocate me no place. I'm man enough to hunt my own place. 

"If they want my land and just got to have it, let them pay me enough to locate where I want to."

Mrs. Pauline [unreadable], W. Winton Ave., said she too would fight to keep her property. 

OBLIGED BY LAW

"I don't believe you," she told Board Chairman Kent [unreadable] when he advised her the county is obliged by law to pay a fair market value for property it takes for redevelopment. "You're not going to get my property."

Mukltiple health hazards in the area, crowded housing, inoperable wells, accumulated refuse and high level of communicable disease in Russell City was described by Dr. Ruth M. Jolly, assistant county health officer. 

Planning Director Robert Williams quoted excerpts from Grand Jury reports dating back to [unreadable] that urged the Board of Supervisors to condem the area as a health menance and relocate residents through some plan of urban renewal. 

Fire dangers and substandard building conditions were also cited. 

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