Alameda County Assessor's Office: Learning From the History of Russell City, Solar Energy Exclusion, and the Hayward Japanese Garden

Dear Alameda County Residents,

August marks Back to School month for many families throughout the county highlighting the importance of education as students return to the classroom. Here in the Assessor’s Office, we share in the commitment of learning through ongoing studying, training, and collaboration. Most recently, we had the chance to hear firsthand about the history of Russell City.

Directed by Mimi Chakarova and produced by Aisha Knowles, "The Apology," a feature length award-winning documentary, investigates an incident in the 1960s in which Alameda County and the City of Hayward dismantled the entire community of Russell City, pushing 1,400 residents out of their homes and off their land, all to claim the 200 acres for an industrial park.

Over sixty years later, the film tells the stories of more than twenty residents and their descendants. Using archival footage, animated photos and illustrations, the film explores the historical significance of an apology. Several weeks after the very first community screening of "The Apology," the Alameda County Board of Supervisors formally apologized for its role in the seizure and destruction of Russell City.

Much of this history is, unfortunately, not common knowledge. This is why I worked with the documentary's producer and arranged two screenings of the film for my Office's staff and any county employee.

And if you get the chance to, I highly recommend watching this poignant film.

As always, we remain committed to serving the residents of Alameda County.

Sincerely,

Phong La

Alameda County Assessor

Active Solar Energy System Exclusion

Did you know that California offers a property tax benefit for certain solar energy systems? If you install a qualifying active solar energy system, the added value of the system is not included in your property’s assessed value, so your property taxes will not increase because of the solar installation.

To qualify, the system must be designed to provide water heating, space heating or cooling, electricity, process heat, or solar mechanical energy. It must be "thermally isolated" which means the system must be separate from the home’s living areas and transfer the energy through equipment such as pipes or wiring.

Solar pool and hot tub heaters do not qualify. For qualifying systems installed on an existing home, the exclusion is generally automatic, so you do not need to file an application. The exclusion does not reduce your existing assessed value; it simply prevents the solar system from increasing it. It is currently scheduled to remain in effect until January 1, 2027.

Different rules apply when solar is installed on a new home. If a builder installs the solar system and sells the home, the first buyer may qualify for the exclusion if the builder lived in or used the home before the sale, did not already claim the exclusion, and the buyer purchases the home before January 1 of the year after construction is completed. The buyer must also file a claim with the Assessor’s Office and provide documentation showing the value of the solar energy system.

Alameda County Highlight: Hayward Japanese Garden

Hidden among the bustle of Hayward is a "secluded," wondrous place. Winding paths, koi ponds, stone lanterns, graceful bridges, wooden teahouses, and carefully shaped trees create a sense of calm that is a hushful respite from the clamor of the city less than 100 yards away.

The Japanese Garden’s story is deeply rooted in the history of Hayward...and a regrettable part of our nation's history.

The land was once part of Hayward High School’s agricultural program known as the Botany Grounds. Students learned agriculture and horticulture, and worked the soil on the very ground where visitors now come to stroll.

When the agricultural program ended in 1962, the Hayward Area Recreation and Park District repurposed the land. Through the vision of Kimio Kimura, a landscape architect trained at UC Berkeley and deeply knowledgeable about traditional Japanese garden design, a Japanese garden came to be.

There is also something quietly--but significantly--poignant about its history. Hayward once had a substantial Japanese American community, much of which was forcibly removed and incarcerated during World War II. The garden was created decades later, and its presence today can be seen not simply as a beautiful park, but as part of Hayward’s continuing connection to Japanese American history and culture.

The garden was formally dedicated on September 7, 1980. Today, it is recognized as California’s oldest traditional-style Japanese public garden

The Apology: Learning From the History of Russell City

The 2023 film "The Apology" revisits the history of Russell City, a vibrant, predominantly Black and Latino waterfront community in unincorporated Alameda County that was forcibly displaced and ultimately demolished in the 1960s to make way for industrial development.

Because this history is not prevalently known, Assessor Phong La worked with the documentary's producers and arranged for two screenings of the film for his Office's staff and any county employee.

Assessor Phong La with Aiyana Knowles, a founding elected member of the Russell City Reparative Justice Project Steering Committee. Aiyana (and Aisha's) father, James, is a former Russell City resident whose household and extended family were displaced in the early 1960s.

Aisha Knowles, one of the film's producers, and a trustee on the Alameda County Board of Education, said, "this is a historically important film for Alameda County. It's not simply a story about what was taken, but honoring what the community built, and confronting the harm that was done. I want to thank County Assessor Phong La for arranging two screenings for the Assessor's Office staff. I hope other county departments will do the same."

If you would like to learn more, please visit The Apology Film.

Supervisor Eliza Marquez and the film's producer Aisha Knowles introduce "The Apology," at the second screening of the documentary for Assessor's Office staff, and special guests. This is meaningful, full circle moment, as the screening of the film takes place in the same Board of Supervisors' chamber where the original decision to dismantle Russell City was made.