Happy Thursday, everyone!

What a weekend. Juneteenth lands at South Shore Center on Friday, the 58th annual Sand Castle Contest hits Crown Beach on Saturday, and Sunday is Father's Day. In the news, the city is eyeing up to 1,000 new homes at Alameda Point, plus a Council vote that could change renters' utility bills.

Let's dive in!

In this week's email:

• Featured Events: Juneteenth & the 58th Sand Castle Contest

• Alameda News: 1,000 homes at Alameda Point, renter billing, the $300M question

• Restaurant of the Week: Asena

• This Week's Events: markets, music, Father's Day & more

• Houses on the Market: New Alameda Listings

Read time: 7 mins

FEATURED EVENTS

Alameda Juneteenth Celebration

Juneteenth lands on its own federal holiday this year, and the Island's biggest celebration is back at South Shore Center with live music, food, local vendors, and a kids' zone. It runs right through the middle of the day, so it is easy to fold into a Friday with the family. Free, all ages, and a great way to mark the holiday close to home. See the details

Fri, June 19 | 12:30 - 5 PM | Free | 📍 South Shore Center

58th Annual Sand Castle & Sculpture Contest

Alameda has been building sand castles competitively for 58 years, and Saturday the shoreline turns into an open-air art gallery again. Registration is free right on the beach from 9 to 11 AM, judging is at noon, and awards follow at 1 PM. There are separate categories for families and for kids under 12, so everyone has a real shot at a ribbon. Bring sunscreen, a shovel, and your most ambitious design. Contest details

Sat, June 20 | 9 AM - 1 PM | Free | 📍 Crown Memorial State Beach

Alameda News

Up to 1,000 New Homes Could Rise at Alameda Point

The next big chapter of Alameda Point is on the drawing board. On June 8, city planners walked the Planning Board through ideas for the Main Street Neighborhood North area, 70 acres near the Main Street ferry terminal that include the historic "Big Whites." Two concepts are on the table: about 600 homes or about 1,000 homes, roughly a quarter of them affordable either way, built as 2-to-4-story townhomes and small apartment buildings. The catch is a $240 million infrastructure bill for levees, shoreline work, and streets. Public discussions run this summer and fall, and the Council could pick a developer process by early 2027. Read the city's plan →

Source: City of Alameda Planning Board

Renters: A Vote on "Ratio" Utility Billing

If your building splits one master utility bill by apartment size or headcount instead of your own meter, that is RUBS, and the City Council took up a proposed ban Tuesday night, June 16. The ordinance would fold those charges into rent through a one-time adjustment instead of unpredictable monthly line items. Also on Tuesday's agenda: a hearing on reducing required affordable units at Alameda Marina Phase III, and a $150,000 boost for the Oakland Roots & Soul ahead of the World Cup.

Source: City Council agenda, Legistar

An $800 Million To-Do List and a $300 Million Question

The city says Alameda is sitting on roughly $800 million in overdue infrastructure work, from flood protection to aging public buildings. Its Stronger Together campaign is now testing whether voters would back a $300 million bond, which would cost about $49 a year for every $100,000 of assessed value. A survey mailer went out this spring, and the Council is expected to decide in July whether a measure heads to the ballot. This is the window to weigh in. Take the survey →

Source: City of Alameda

Quick hits:

APD's Operation Chill is back: kids caught doing good deeds this summer get free Slurpee coupons. Patch

55 or older? The city's Age-Friendly survey closes June 27. Your answers shape senior services. City of Alameda

Fruitvale Bridge drivers: the Tilden Way bypass is the routine all summer. The new roundabout wraps by October. Project page

The Alameda Dinner Club: Last Call to Join

Summer is one of the best times to get out, try new foods, and meet new people. But it can be hard to do that all on your own sometimes.

So, we started the Alameda Dinner Club!

Here’s how it works: we reserve a table at Alameda's top restaurants, pair you up with a group of 5, and everyone meets at a local bar for more mingling!

You get to taste something new and meet five people you haven't met yet. No awkward icebreakers, no pressure. Just a fun night out and a few new friends by dessert.

The next one lands Tuesday, June 23. Seats are $20 to reserve, and they go fast, so grab yours before the table fills up.

So if you're looking to try something new this summer, sign up below!

Restaurant of the Week

Asena

2508 Santa Clara Ave | Dinner Mon-Sat from 5 PM, closed Sunday | Reservations recommended

Asena has been Alameda's special-occasion dinner for almost 30 years, and it still earns the title. Co-owners Mustafa Yildirim and Muhittin Arpaci opened the Santa Clara Avenue bistro in 1996, bringing Turkey's Mediterranean cooking and a serious hospitality streak to the East End. They bake their own bread, roll their own pasta, cure their own salmon, and preserve their own lemons, and you taste that from-scratch care in every plate.

This is the place you book when you want a real dinner out, not just a meal. Start with the fava bean crostini, build around the lamb or the hanger steak, and let the staff walk you through the wine list. It is easy enough for a weeknight and polished enough for a celebration, which is exactly why locals bring their out-of-town family here. Check out Asena

This Week's Events

Markets & Pop-Ups

Alameda Record Swap | Sun, June 21 | 11 AM - 5 PM | Free | 📍 Faction Brewing. Crate-dig across every genre with a beer in hand, from dollar bins to rare pressings. More info

Downtown Farmers' Market + Thursday @ The Avenue | Thu, June 18 | 3 - 7 PM market, 5 - 8 PM block party | Free | 📍 Alameda Ave at Park St. Shop the Island's newest market, then stay for live music and outdoor games on the same block. More info

Webster Street Farmers' Market | Sat, June 20 & Tue, June 23 | 9 AM - 1 PM | Free | 📍 Haight Ave & Webster St. The year-round market, and Saturday's edition is your pre-sand-castle provisioning stop. More info

Workshops & Crafts

Free Craft Night: Rainbow Fish Keychains | Thu, June 18 | 6 - 9 PM | Free | 📍 Faction Brewing. Make a Pride Month keychain, supplies provided, no RSVP needed. More info

Grainbakers Workshops: Soft Pretzels & Cupcake Decorating | Fri, June 19 | 6:30 - 8 PM | Ticketed | 📍 Faction Brewing. Twist your own pretzel batch or pipe six take-home cupcakes. Pretzels / Cupcakes

Live Music

Live at the Cinema Grill | Thu - Sat, June 18 - 20 | 7:30 PM | Free | 📍 Cinema Grill. Three free nights: Mio Flores salsa Thursday, party band Airwaves Friday, and Larrie Noble's Phree Thinkers soul revue Saturday. Lineup

Pop-Up Karaoke Night | Fri, June 19 | 9 PM | Free | 📍 Hobnob. Alameda's premiere karaoke night with board games while you wait your turn. More info

Singer/Songwriter Open Mic | Wed, June 24 | 7:30 PM | Free | 📍 The Fireside Lounge. Bring three songs and play beside a real wood-burning fireplace. More info

Shows & Entertainment

'night, Mother at Altarena Playhouse | Fri & Sat, June 19 - 20, 7:30 PM; Sun, June 21, 2 PM | $33+ | 📍 Altarena Playhouse. The Pulitzer-winning two-hander hits its closing weekends in the round. Tickets

"Shelf Life" by James Shefik | Through July 25 | Gallery hours | Free | 📍 Frame 1A Gallery. New photographic work from the de Young Open alum whose sculpture joined the museum's permanent collection. More info

Live Comedy at the Cinema Grill | Wed, June 24 | 7 PM | Free | 📍 Cinema Grill. Five of the Bay's best comedians on the historic theater's bar stage. More info

Profs and Pints: Eugenics and Reproductive Biotech | Wed, June 24 | 6 - 8:30 PM | $13.50+ | 📍 Faction Brewing. A UC Davis historian unpacks embryo screening over a pint. Tickets

Games, Drinks, & Vibes

Bayou 2 The Bay Seafood Boil | Sat, June 20 | 12 - 7 PM | Ticketed | 📍 Faction Brewing. A Louisiana-style blowout with seafood boils, live-fire steaks, and music on the tarmac. More info

Bingo Night at McGee's | Sat, June 20 | 7 PM | Free | 📍 McGee's Bar & Grill. Old-school bingo, no cover. More info

Father's Day Brew & BBQ | Sun, June 21 | 2 - 6 PM | $65 | 📍 Dahoam 1516 Beer Garden. Dad learns to brew Bavarian beer, then eats all-you-can-eat BBQ in the Friendship Garden. Tickets

Trivia This Week | Tue & Wed, June 23 - 24 | Free | 📍 Alameda Island Brewing (Tue 7 PM), The Fireside Lounge (Tue 7:30 PM), McGee's (Wed 6:30 PM). Pick your team and your bar. AIB / Fireside / McGee's

Family & Kids

Story Time at Crab Cove | Fri, June 19 | 10:30 - 11 AM | Free | 📍 Crab Cove Visitor Center. A naturalist-led story by the Bay with a themed coloring sheet after. More info

Summer Reading Challenge | Through July 31 | All day | Free | 📍 Alameda Free Library. Kids and adults log books all summer for prizes. Sign up

Get Active & Give Back

Kindred Running Club | Thu, June 18, 6:30 PM & Sat, June 20, 8 AM | Free | 📍 Park Station (Thu) & Kindred (Sat). An easy-paced social 3-miler Thursday and a conversational 5K or 10K Saturday. More info

Alameda Elks June Blood Drive | Thu, June 18 | 1 - 6 PM | Free | 📍 Alameda Elks Lodge. Book a spot at vitalant.org with blood drive code "alamedaelks". Sign up

Later This Month

Artists of the African Diaspora: Closing Reception | Fri, June 26 | 6 - 8 PM | Free | 📍 K Gallery at Rhythmix. Final night with the curator and nine local artists before the exhibit comes down. More info

Summer Splash VTuber Festival | Sat, June 27 | 12 - 4 PM | $25 | 📍 USS Hornet Museum. A VTuber concert in Hangar Bay 3, and your ticket includes the whole carrier. Tickets

Alameda Walks: June Walk | Sat, June 27 | 9 AM | Free | 📍 Alameda Recreation & Parks. ARPD's guided hour-long community walk (see page for start point). More info

Reboot Beatz & Backpacks | Sun, June 28 | 1 - 6 PM | Free with school supplies | 📍 Faction Brewing. Nine DJs spin for a back-to-school supplies drive. More info

Have something locals should know about? Submit an event or email alamedapulse@gmail.com.

HOUSES ON THE MARKET

Alameda Listings

Want your business in front of thousands of Alamedans? Email us at alamedapulse@gmail.com

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