Financial Report
By Emily Ramos MVHA Treasurer
Checking Account Balance as of 1 / 18 / 2022 : $ 21,228.03 Income : $ 716.86 Expenses : $ 355.14 Checking Account Balance as of 4 / 2 / 2022 : $ 21,589.75 Certi�icates of Deposit Balance as of 4 / 2 / 2022 : $ 60,562.38
Board Members Honored
By Nick Perry MVHA Past President
Two of our MVHA board members recently received some well-deserved honors ! State Senator Josh Becker named Emily Ramos the 2022 Woman of the Year for California ’ s Senate District 13 for her work as a volunteer devoted to protecting the rights of tenants and ensuring access to stable housing . Jamil Shaikh was honored by the Mountain View Chamber of Commerce at their annual Celebration of Leaders for his years of dedicated volunteer service . Congrats , Emily and Jamil , and thank you for all you do to make Mountain View a better place !
Share Your MV Housing Stories
By IdaRose Sylvester MVHA Membership Commitee Chair
On Thursday , May 19 , 2022 at 6:30 p . m . the MVHA is cohosting an event with Mountain View ’ s Human Relations Commission and Stanford University : Understanding the History of Housing in Mountain View : Stories of Racism , Anti- Discrimination , and Movement towards Inclusion .
Mountain View has always been a diverse community , but over the years , discrimination has and continues to exist . This event speci�ically explores the history of racism in housing and shares stories of exclusion in Mountain View . Part presentation , part interactive discussion among participants , this will be a lively , informative evening . The inspiration for this event is Richard Rothstein ’ s groundbreaking bestseller , The Color of Law , which explores both formal and informal ways communities have been shaped by housing discrimination .
We are excited to be including personal histories about housing discrimination , inclusion , and activism in our community , and are looking for participants who have experiences in Mountain View from any period in the past , up through the present time . The surveys can be accessed via https :// forms . gle / xPoeETqkUjW313is7 ( English ), https :// forms . gle / ULsvzB2YW6YGzpaS6 ( Spanish ), https :// forms . gle / aVxqrN4itFz1oX3y6 ( Chinese ), and https :// forms . gle / TFokHyGc4y9wdmPL8 ( Russian ). Survey respondents can have direct experiences , or re�lections on friends and family that they ’ ve heard . Surveys must be submitted by May 1 . The team is also looking for people to interview about their experiences .
If you have questions about registering for the event , supporting the survey , or sharing your story in an interview , please reach out to MVHA board member and Human Relations Commissioner , IdaRose Sylvester at idarose @ siliconvalleylink . com , or phone / text 408-504-9860 .
Finding Your Family History
By Robert Cox MVHA Vice President
One of the newer most exciting methods of �inding your family history is through DNA testing . This is especially true if one of your recent ancestors is unknown to you or came from a family that did not leave behind property records , wills , or other key documents to establish family relationships .
The most common DNA test is autosomal . It looks for DNA sequences shared by people who have taken the test . It is best at identifying people who are third cousins or closer but can even identify relatives whose common ancestor is as many as six generations back . In my case , DNA testing has put me in touch with relatives of my mysterious great-grandmother Eliza ( Payne ) Cox . We believe that she was left by her parents to be raised in a Shaker community around Cleveland , Ohio , because they were too poor to care for her . My cousins through her now live in Michigan , Texas , Oklahoma , Canada , England , and Australia . I continue my collaborative research with one of them , Lucy Baker , who has almost 30,000 pro�iles in her Ancestry family tree .
The three main companies providing autosomal testing are Ancestry , My Heritage , and 23 & Me . Each has its pluses . For those who have ancestors in the United States or other Englishspeaking countries and are interested in �inding the exact connections to their cousins , Ancestry is generally the best choice . For those with recent ancestors from Europe or Israel , My Heritage is often a better choice . Finally , 23 & Me is best for those who are most interested in what their DNA says about their health and other personal characteristics .
An autosomal test usually costs between $ 49 and $ 99 . Look for sales around the holidays if you want the best price . You will receive a vial in the mail which you use to provide a saliva sample . It takes about 6-8 weeks to get the results . The company will provide a link to view them , and a list of DNA relatives . DNA relatives can share their family trees and by viewing them , you can �ind how you are related . In my next column , I ’ ll talk about the United States census and why it is important .
Mtn . View Vice Mayor Alison Hicks
Sanders & Sons Eucalypti Extract boxes
Mtn . View Family History Fun Fact !
Vice Mayor Alison Hicks ’ great-great-grandfather Carl Sandner emigrated from Germany to Australia because of the Franco Prussian War . He made a fortune there selling a eucalyptus-based health remedy . With his newfound wealth , he decided to move to California and settle in Alameda County . Mr . Sandner was laid to rest at Oakland ’ s Chapel of the Chimes , which operates as a mausoleum and live music venue to this day ! Alison was born at the nearby Herrick Hospital , making her a �ifth generation California Bay Area resident .
3