Features

Bay Briefs

Staff
Monday December 24, 2001

City boards reflecting Asian populations 

FREMONT – Asian-Americans’ representation on city boards throughout the Bay Area is beginning to reflect their cities’ diversity. 

Nearly 40 percent of Fremont’s population is Asian-American, but their representation on city boards has lagged. Now, about one-third of commissioners are Asian-American. 

The same is true for Cupertino, where about 44 percent of the population is Asian-American. About 22 percent of Cupertino’s commissioners are Asian-American, a 50 percent increase from two years ago. 

Steve Cho, Fremont’s first Chinese-American City Council member, says the increase is also a reflection of Asian-Americans’ increased willingness to get involved. 

Delta body ID’d, drowning named as cause of death 

OAKLEY – The body pulled from the Delta Friday was identified as that of boater Mike Valin, and the coroner’s office has determined that the 15-year-old died by drowning. His body was found nearly three weeks after he disappeared. 

Valin and his classmate Mark Osborn, 17, were on a duck-hunting trip with Mark’s father Kent Osborn, when strong waves dumped the boaters into the water. 

Kent Osborn said his son died of hypothermia in his arms in the water. His body has not been recovered. 

Kent Osborn said he drifted in the 50-degree water for about eight hours before being rescued by a passing boater. 

 

 

Masters’ students can’t get their transcripts 

SUNNYVALE – More than 150 Masters Institute students who saw their school close with little warning earlier this year can’t get their transcripts. 

The transcripts of 158 students are being held in a Sunnyvale storage yard, which will not release the records until someone pays the school’s bill. 

The bill was about $4,000 in April, when the state tried to retrieve the records. It’s estimated to be around $10,000 today. 

The school never reopened or filed for bankruptcy, and it’s broke now, according to a financial consultant who has handled Masters’ affairs since it closed.