United Faculty Ratifies 4CD Raise as Los Medanos English Wins Award

Higher education milestones and cultural traditions are anchoring news across Diablo Valley and the East Bay this week, led by a ratified multi-year faculty contract in the Contra Costa Community College District, a statewide academic placement award for Los Medanos College's English Department, and an annual cultural festival in Hayward.

United Faculty Ratifies 10.34% to 13.64% Pay Raise for 50th Anniversary

According to The Inquirer (Diablo Valley College) in a report by Editor-in-Chief Cambridge Lutece, United Faculty (UF)—the union founded in 1976 representing instructors across the Contra Costa Community College District (4CD)—celebrated its 50th anniversary by ratifying a tentative contract with the district on October 16, 2026, with 99.2% member approval. The contract delivers a salary raise for all 4CD faculty of 10.34% to 13.64% by 2028 and provides expanded healthcare coverage, pay parity, and pay-per-load preparation compensation for part-time lecturers.

UF President Marina Crouse praised the agreement as the result of sustained preparation and bargaining solidarity. Matthew Powell, vice president of UF's Diablo Valley College chapter, credited the collaborative relationship between the union and the district to interest-based bargaining, a negotiation model adopted in 2006 after contentious 2003 negotiations and a summer 2004 impasse documented by former UF President Sue Shattuck in the historical volume Sharing Memories, Contra Costa Community College District 1948–2008.

Los Medanos College English Department Wins 2026 Pathway Champion Award

On the eastern side of the college district, Experience (Los Medanos College) contributors Jasmine Lambert and Editor-in-Chief Josh Buenaflor (serving for the 2026-2027 academic year) reported that Los Medanos College's English Department received the 2026 Pathway Champion of Placement Award from the Campaign for College Opportunity.

Accepted by English Department Chair Morgan Lynn, the statewide award recognizes LMC's equity-focused reforms expanding Latinx student completion in transfer-level English by removing extra placement barriers in alignment with California Assembly Bills 705 and 1705.

Chapel of the Chimes Hayward Hosts Annual Día de los Muertos Celebration

Further south in Alameda County, the Fremont Chamber of Commerce reported that Chapel of the Chimes Hayward Funeral Home and Memorial Park hosted its annual free Día de los Muertos and Halloween Community Celebration on Saturday, October 31, 2026. The afternoon festival featured live mariachi music, Aztec dancers, Ballet Folklórico performances, a community ofrenda memorial altar, sugar skull-making, face painting, local vendors, raffles, and Catrina/Catrín and dog costume competitions.