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Project inspired by visually impaired Angels Camp student
District 10 photo by Erin McQueary
By Erin McQueary
District 10 public information officer
Construction on a complete streets project that will install audible pedestrian signals and upgrade sidewalks and curb ramps along a two-mile stretch of State Route 49 in Angels Camp is slated to begin in early 2025.
But 14-year-old Ryder Sitch, who is blind, needed solutions before he began his freshman year at Bret Harte Union High School on Aug. 13.
District 10’s Project Management, Maintenance Engineering, and Field Maintenance divisions worked quickly and collaboratively to ensure temporary measures were in place before summer ended.
The shopping center on the opposite side of SR-49 from the high school at Murphys Grade Road is a popular hangout for high school students. It has a Save Mart, a Frosty, and a pizza joint. However, the intersection didn’t have the detectable warning surfaces to help Ryder safely cross it.
The yellow panels with truncated domes indicate to the visually impaired where the sidewalk ends, particularly when it lacks a sloped curb, which was the case in the southeast corner.
District 10 photo by Erin McQueary
“They are really important,” Ryder said. “Typically, it’s what separates the sidewalk from the street, so without them, I could accidentally walk into the streets.”
Heather Barnett, a vision-impairment and orientation mobility specialist with the Calaveras County Office of Education, has worked with Ryder since he was 4 years old. She advocated for accessible upgrades at and around his middle school in Avery and did the same in preparation for his start at Bret Harte.
On April 30 she contacted city officials, who contacted District 10 Asset Integrator Office Chief Allen Lao. He worked with Mountain Region Maintenance Manager Wes Bigham and Maintenance Engineering Office Chief Jose Alicea to secure funding and order the materials. On July 2, the Altaville Maintenance Crew installed detectable warning surfaces on all four corners of the intersection.
Ryder and Heather are grateful for the quick turnaround.
“By having a detectable warning surface, Ryder is able to focus on tactile feedback for texture changes,” Heather said. “The truncated domes are equivalent to a pedestrian stop sign if located in the traveler's line of travel when approaching the street. By installing the detectable warning surface, Ryder can position and cross safely.”
Ryder lost vision in his right eye when he was 1 year old due to a cancer called retinoblastoma. The cancer claimed his left eye a few years later. Learning to navigate his environment has been a lifelong process.
Better access means more autonomy for Ryder. He will still need some assistance crossing SR-49 until the audible signals are installed, but the detectable warning surfaces are an essential component of accessibility.
The efforts of the District 10 teams achieve Caltrans' goal of advancing equity and livability in all communities and being a people-first organization.
District 9 Maintenance has new deputy director
District 9 photo
By Byron Wolter
District 9 public information officer
Bryan Winzenread is District 9’s new deputy district director of Maintenance and Operations. He transferred into this position after working in District 9 as its deputy district director of Project Management, then Engineering, for the last 18 years.
Before joining Caltrans District 9 in 1998, Bryan worked in the private sector at a structural engineering firm. During his time there, he designed single-family homes, apartment complexes, and commercial developments.
Bryan’s decision to transition to the public sector was driven by his desire to apply his skills to meaningful infrastructure projects that positively impacted communities in California.
As he put it, “The opportunity to engage in diverse and challenging work while returning to raise my family in Bishop were pivotal factors in my choice to join Caltrans.”
Bryan believes his greatest accomplishments involve successfully finding creative solutions to both funding and design challenges in District 9 projects. These projects, aimed at improving our roadways, are instrumental in saving lives.
In his new role, his focus is on understanding the dynamics within maintenance and operations from those directly involved.
District 9 Maintenance faces several unique challenges that other districts may not encounter as frequently. It is challenging to manage the district's vast and varied terrain, which spans remote desert areas, high-altitude mountain passes, rural highways, and key transportation corridors connecting the Central Valley to eastern destinations.
The extreme weather conditions, such as scorching summer heat reaching up to 130 degrees in the desert and heavy snowfall averaging 400 inches in the winter at elevations over 8,000 feet, demand specialized maintenance strategies and equipment to keep roads safe and accessible year-round.
A key challenge District 9 is facing is ensuring the district has the necessary resources and equipment to meet customer expectations. In his management role, Bryan is focusing on the need to expedite succession planning by implementing targeted training, mentoring, and hands-on experience to enhance skills and deepen understanding of departmental operations in order to prepare employees for essential roles.
District 10 celebrates equity, diversity and inclusion through art
District 10 photo
By Bob Highfill
District 10 homeless encampment coordinator
District 10’s Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Task Force came up with a brilliant idea to engage the community by creating the first Celebrate Diversity in Stockton mural contest.
Task force members Jose Alicea, office chief, Maintenance Engineering; Silvia Dayak, senior transportation planner; and Navraj Jammu, branch chief, Program Management, began working on the contest in May 2022. They reached out to local schools and asked students to submit artwork that captures what diversity in Stockton means to them.
The task force’s perseverance and commitment paid off on July 19 when the contest’s winners, 19-year-old Natalie Liana Ochoa and 18-year-old Alexander Escalante, both St. Mary’s High School graduates, were honored beside their murals, which now adorn the northeast corner of District 10’s main office in Stockton.
“Art has been in my family for generations,” said Ochoa, a junior studying biological sciences at Sacramento State. “With this piece specifically, I wanted to do something super simple but also very colorful. Everything I do is very colorful and fun.”
District 10 photo
Ochoa’s mural depicts toddlers of different ethnicities sitting innocently in front of block letters that spell Stockton. The children appear beneath wispy clouds suspended in the blue sky. The mural pops with color and evokes the sweet, gentle innocence of youth. In script, Ochoa has written “Little Differences,” undoubtedly the title of her magnificent piece.
Escalante’s mural is starker in color – a wash of black, gray, and white – yet depicts a powerful sense of youthful energy and optimism with “CITY OF STOCKTON” boldly capturing the eye atop the frame. Inspired by one of his favorite Japanese manga artists, Inio Asano, Escalante shows us four boys and girls holding hands, eagerly heading toward their future. Subtle touches, like the numeral 10 on one of the backpacks, a significant number in his family, and a stuffed toy – his favorite as a child growing up in San Carlos – convey his personal attachment to the mural.
District 10 photo
“Stockton gave me a lot of new experiences and exposure to new cultures, people and ideologies,” said Escalante, a sophomore studying neuroscience and studio art at Connecticut College in New London, Conn. “Coming to Stockton for high school, I got a lot of formative experiences that really developed me as a person. I really wanted to show that in my piece.”
For more than two years, the EDI task force showed tremendous dedication and perseverance to see the contest through. Many in the District 10 family contributed, including James Serpa in Maintenance, who hung the murals in 100-plus-degree heat; former District 10 EDI Task Force Lead Kimberly Vaye; and Creative Services Manager Bill Lavelle and his team: Ruby Islas, Anup Giri and Nhut Nguyen.
The mural contest was yet another example of how Caltrans is committed to being a people-first organization by reaching out to the community.
“Through this project we were able to develop great relationships with our locals, our schools, with the art teachers, and their programs,” said Alicea, an art appreciator in his own right. “This is a true testament of Caltrans working closely together as a family to make this day happen.”
District 7 mural projects’ artists, Part 1
District 7 photo
Moses Ball: “South Central Strong” (Colden Avenue and Flower Street)
By District 7 Public Affairs
Moses Ball is a resident of South Central L.A. who wanted to create something that recognized one of the communities’ most heart wrenching problems, while inspiring us as a whole.
Here is how he describes the images in his artwork:
RECOGNIZE – On the left I show a mother mourning, representing how our community mourned the loss of Tioni Theus, a young girl who my sister counseled at her HS, who was the victim of child trafficking and her body left on the Manchester on ramp of the 110 freeway (not far from where this mural will be located). At a time when too many black women, and brown women and children in general are overlooked, I wanted to recognize Tioni’s loss.
PLANT – Next I have Ron Finley, known for The Ron Finley Project, which is teaching communities how to transform food deserts into food sanctuaries, and teaching individuals how to regenerate their lands. A member of the Destination Crenshaw Committee (beautifying the 8th district’s Crenshaw strip), Ron in the act of watering plants and buried seeds symbolizes how we must plant, nourish, and feed our community’s children. Also, a symbol of life coming after burial (of seeds) as opposed to the opposite.
GROW-Next we have a young girl and resident of the community symbolizing South Central’s growth.
RAISE – the following is a father raising up his baby girl. A lifelong commitment and showing the importance of a father in a child’s development.
PROTECT – A brother watching over his young sibling. Fully embracing being his “brother’s keeper”. His shirt represents our community. We as a community need to protect our young brothers and sisters and watch over our neighbors.
NURTURE – Our elders play a key role in making sure our children and children’s children feel loved, as well as aware of our shared histories.
STAND – We must support our children until they’re able to stand confidently. This is symbolized by a young man who has benefited from the services of the South Central Los Angeles Resource Center. An amazing organization that assists parents and their children with developmental disabilities, and who have helped my family with services for my own daughter.
FLY – This father supports his child, helping her to reach greater heights than possible by herself, and helping her to go farther than ever in life and development. The joy on the father’s face counters the mother in mourning at the far left, and his child’s presence nourishes his heart. Our children give us joy.
THRIVE – This young lady thrives creatively, dancing and choreographing her expression. A youth member benefitting from the dance program provided by A Place Called Home. A center birthed out of response to 1992’s civil unrest. For 30 years, A Place Called Home has been serving South Central youth ages eight to mid-twenties and their families through education and arts programs, mental health counseling, mentorship, job readiness, college scholarships, civic engagement, and more. At their core , they strive to be a place where young people who face tremendous challenges can experience the safety, joy, and opportunity that should be a part of every childhood.
Our neighborhood is a place of pain, struggle, resilience, community, endurance, and ultimately Joy.
For my community engagement, I’d like to interview SCLARC and A Place Called Home community members to talk about what they’d like to see in a piece that represents the neighborhood, and how they’d like to be represented. I’d like to talk to more community holders and stakeholders about child trafficking and our communities’ struggles. Bringing about solutions, and inspiration so that we can all come to a place of joy.
Every community mural should be built with the community itself, and I’m committed to that.
FABRICATION – The wall will be cleaned, primed and the mural will either be completely painted on the wall or painted on polytab and fused to the wall with Nova Gel, a strong binder that fuses the Polytab to the wall and protects the painting at the same time. In either case I would coat the entire mural in an anti-graffiti coating where any graffiti could easily be sprayed off.
District 7 mural projects’ artists, Part 2
District 7 photo
Angel Guznay: "Jazz on the Field" (43rd Street and Grand Avenue)
By District 7 Public Affairs
Angel Guznay talks about his artwork:
I am thrilled to unveil this mural, a creation that embodies my eagerness to reside within and make a meaningful impact on the community. My inspiration lies in sharing art with the young minds of Los Angeles County. This mural concept celebrates the rich cultural heritage of The Wrigley Field history, highlighting iconic landmarks and emphasizing its deep ties to the vibrant jazz community within the surrounding neighborhood.
The iconic figures include Martin Luther King Jr, Etta James, and Louis Armstrong. The mural vividly traces Wrigley Field’s evolution, capturing its journey from inception to its culmination. It spotlights pivotal moments in sports and entertainment, underscoring the venue’s transformation into a cultural nexus for jazz enthusiasts and musicians.
The Cavalcade of Jazz, held annually at Wrigley Field marked the inception of large-scale jazz events. These gatherings played a significant role in promoting jazz music and showcased legendary performers like Louis Armstrong. The series contributed to the cultural and musical landscape, especially in the African American community.
The Dunbar Hotel emerged as a vibrant cultural hub for the jazz scene. Welcoming legendary artists like Etta James, providing a secure environment for the black community to revel in music and social connections.
My primary artistic goal is to serve as a source of inspiration, drawing from my personal narrative of resilience, determination, and endurance cultivated in Los Angeles. I eagerly anticipate every opportunity to contribute positively to this community that has played a significant role in shaping my journey.
District 7 mural projects’ artists, Part 3
District 7 photo
Bodeck Luna: "Safe Travels" (43rd Street and Flower Street)
By District 7 Public Affairs
An immigrant artist from Manila, Philippines, Bodeck Luna creates pieces that explore the relationship between nostalgia, social empowerment, and decolonization. His background in street art heavily influences his figurative paintings, illustrations and murals.
Bodeck showcases paintings, murals and curates other artists’ pieces in pop-up art shows throughout the city to display other emerging artists. He was appointed as the art director for the first annual Long Beach Filipino Festival in 2018. He was invited in early 2020 at Harvard Graduate School of Education to host a lecture on street art and activism.
From commercial and private commissions to album covers, he aims to bind the community by showcasing local talent and businesses. Some of his notable collaborations include Apple, LA Metro, Long Beach City Hall, Music Center LA, Aquarium of the Pacific and Covered California.
Victor H. Green’s Black Motorist Green Book was published in 1936 and historically assisted so many Black Americans to navigate the country during the Jim Crow Era.
This mural depicts Black families traveling across the Los Angeles road map. To the left we see a family loading up for travel. Throughout the scene, splattered across the mural are the intricate main highways that make up LA and with the 110 Freeway transitioning into a blackberry branch which holds leaves and the berries themselves. This is a nod to Wallace Thurman’s novel “The Blacker the Berry: A Novel of Negro Life,” which at the time of its release exposed the harsh conditions Black Americans were living.
The portraits include traveling musicians such as Billie Holiday and Charlie Parker. Behind them is a historic location listed in the Green Book, the Dunbar Hotel (originally Hotel Somerville) which is six blocks away from the mural where the two frequently shared stages with acts such as Sammy Davis Jr and Duke Ellington. Pictured to the right of them is a family who had just arrived at their destination. The portrait to the right of them is Victor Green himself framed inside of the original Green Book’s title page border.
“I hope that this mural could shine a light on the archival importance of the Green Book and its value leading to the Civil Rights Movement,” Luna said. “Through this visual narrative, I aim to preserve cultural heritage beyond beautifying the area by making it safe and educational for future generations.”
Health and Safety
Caught up in a rut? How to get unstuck
By the Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
Escaping a rut often requires self-reflection, a change in perspective and a willingness to envision a rewarding future.
Everyone gets “stuck” in a rut sometimes. Markers of a rut can include feelings of boredom, along with an absence of motivation, excitement and fulfillment.
Below are tips to help you get unstuck.
- Take some time to examine where your life is now and whether it has turned out the way you hoped. Identify specific life events and relationships that likely spurred self-limiting thoughts that keep you from moving on confidently now.
- Explore your life’s purpose. Ask yourself, “What am I passionate about? Am I pursuing it yet? If not, how can I start?”
- Change something! Go somewhere or do something out of the ordinary. This new stimulus can be the catalyst for making positive changes in your life.
- Plan an activity or get-together that you can look forward to and get excited about!
Who’s New
Kim Trinh, personnel liaison in IT HR/Admin Services
Kim Trinh is the new personnel liaison in the Information Technology office of Human Resources and Administrative Services in the Project and Business Management Division.
Kim came to IT from California Correctional Health Care Services as an executive recruitment analyst, where she served as a technical expert in the areas of classification and pay, examinations, and transactions. Additionally, she was responsible for all aspects of merit-based hiring practices to ensure consistent interpretation and application of State Personnel Board (SPB) and CalHR laws, rules, and regulations.
In her new position, Kim is collaborating with her fellow personnel liaison colleagues to provide direct support for our valued-hiring managers in recruiting for their active vacancies.
Outside of work, Kim likes spending time with family and friends. She loves trying new foods, traveling, and anything that involves being outdoors (she goes camping once a month). Kim is very excited to be here at Caltrans and is looking forward to working with you all!
Obituaries
Brad Mettam, retired District 1 executive
Courtesy of Brad's family
Note: The following obituary appeared in the Lost Coast Outpost on Aug. 27.
Retired District 1 executive Brad Mettam died in Eureka on Aug. 6. He was 71.
Brad was born on November 12, 1952, in San Francisco to Ron and Dolores Mettam. On Oct, 16, 1976, he married Diane Yee and her son David became his son, too. On March 27, 1978, their daughter Jessica Joy was born.
Their family complete, Brad and Diane moved as their jobs demanded, living in San Francisco, Half Moon Bay, South Lake Tahoe, Dyer, Nevada and Bishop before finally relocating in Eureka, where Brad was the deputy district director for Planning and Local Assistance with Caltrans.
His office was always open to anyone needing help or advice. Upon his retirement he was presented with a resolution from the California State Legislature.
Prior to his carer with Caltrans, Brad worked with Esmeralda and Inyo counties seeking to impede the negative aspects of the proposed nuclear waste facility at Yucca Mountain, Nev. He served as chair of the Esmeralda County School District, and in Bishop he served as chairman of the Great Basin Air Pollution Control District Hearing Board.
Brad and Diane believed in sharing their blessings. While the children were school-age they coached soccer, led 4-H groups, taught dance, tutored students, and offered a temporary home to kids who needed a roof over their heads. They welcomed three AFS exchange students for various periods of time from Thailand, China and Norway. Brad and Diane served as soccer coaches in South Lake Tahoe. As a couple and a family, they did things together.
Brad served as Santa’s elf each year at the Bishop Christmas Parade, riding with Santa on the fire engine and helping with the children in line. Diane made his elf costume. Brad had a long affiliation with firefighting. He served as a volunteer firefighter in Half Moon Bay and South Lake Tahoe, and reorganized and served as Chief of the Fish Lake Valley Fire Protection District in Dyer, Nev.
Some time after settling in Bishop, Brad joined the local Rotary Club. He served in several offices before becoming president. He also became a member of the Paul Harris Society. When Brad and Diane moved to Eureka, Brad joined the Eureka Rotary Club and was again elected to serve as president. He remained active in Rotary until his death.
He was also a devoted church member, serving as the sound tech for the Eureka First United Methodist Church. He served a similar position at the Bishop First United Methodist Church, as well as keeping the books. When Diane was pastor at Pioneer Memorial United Methodist Church in Independence Brad ran the music system, proof-read and folded the bulletins, made sure there was a dish for the potlucks, and Diane had a clean robe and stole.
Brad and Diane loved animals, especially dogs, although there was a time when the family had seven sheep. For the past 45 years they had at least one rescue dog - at one time they had five. Lately they were always accompanied by Hannah, a bichon, and Jack, a miniature schnauzer. They also have a large feeder in their back yard to take care of the local birds and squirrels.