What’s New
TOLBERT HELPS GET MEASURE E APPROVAL
On the evening of June 27, 2006, Evelyn Tolbert was among the team of active supporters who worked hard for the passage of Measure E school bonds and who were shown appreciation by the Tracy Unified School District Board of Trustees. Upon receiving her certificate, Tolbert said that she had seen the passage of the bonds as a “community issue, not just a issue for our youth and for our school district.” Evelyn said that the condition of the schools not only had a direct affect on our children in their learning environment, but also had an effect of the economic development efforts of the City as a whole.
During the campaign for passage of the Measure E school bond measure, Evelyn Tolbert worked directly with Committee Co-Chair Peter Holtz. Evelyn arranged for appearances of herself and Mr. Holtz at nonprofit organizations and churches throughout Tracy. During these appearance, the attendees were presented with factual information and given liberal opportunities to have their questions answered directly.
At the reception that followed the distribution of the Certificates of Appreciation, Evelyn was quoted as saying, “It’s amazing how happy it makes us all feel when we realize that after more than thirty (30) years, we were effective in getting this bond measure passed for our kids and for our community.” Evelyn Tolbert was the only Council member who determined to become directly involved in assisting in this community effort. Thank you Evelyn for all of your hard work. Kudos to the whole team!!
History Is Made at Tracy Council [News Story from Oakland Tribune, written by Mark Martinez, November 4, 2005]
TRACY — It was a remarkable event that she said wasn't remarkable.
When Evelyn Tolbert pounded the gavel to begin the Tracy City Council meeting Tuesday night, she became the first African American to chair the bimonthly event in the city's history.
Through calls to city clerks throughout the county, she appears to be the first African-American woman to lead such a meeting in San Joaquin County.
"That is neat," Tolbert said. "I don't think it changes anything one way or the other. It came and went like all the other things that take place in Tracy. In some areas and some towns, it would have been some landmark and big to-do. That's what makes Tracy remarkable and the event remarkable: It wasn't remarkable."
Since Tracy began electing mayors in 1986, no minorities and no women have held the post. In Tracy's 120-year history, two women—Dorothy Zanussi twice and Joan Sparks—have been chosen to lead the Tracy City Council in rotation with other council members, according to records from the city clerk's office.
It remains unclear if there has ever been a minority appointed mayor by the City Council. Raymond Morelos, who served on the council in the 1980s, was named mayor pro-tem and chaired several meetings in the mayor's absence.
On Tuesday, Tracy Mayor Dan Bilbrey attended the San Joaquin Delta College Board of Trustees meeting, as the city continued attempts to lure a south county campus away from Mountain House. Mayor Pro-tem Brent Ives had alerted the council he was going to be out of town and not be able to attend the meeting.
“(Bilbrey) said he might be running late and I would need to get the meeting running,” Tolbert said. “He was going over the agenda items with me and the only thing I was thinking was 'Oh my God! What am I going to wear?'”
In Stockton, Ed Chavez may be the first elected Hispanic mayor. City officials are still researching whether there was another Hispanic mayor in the city in the 1800s and how he ascended to office.
They also have had minorities — Gloria Nomura (Filipino), Victor Mow (Chinese) and Floyd Weaver (African-American) — serve as vice mayor and they are believed to have chaired council meetings at different times, according to Connie Cochran, spokeswoman for the city.
Down
Payment Assistance Program (DAP)
The
DAP loan program administered by San Joaquin County Neighborhood Preservation
Division provides deferred down payment assistance loans
for low income, first-time buyers for the purchase of newly built or
existing homes. The loans are intended to bridge the gap between the
cost of a home and what a low-income household can afford.
Loans will provide up to the lesser of 20% of the sales price or $20,000. The sales price is, of course, determined by the builder, the market and the county indirectly. The maximum allowable cost of a house is $261,609.
For more information call (209) 831-4470.
Grants Program
The Tracy Community Cultural Arts Commission has held its second annual “Regranting” program. This program consists of “Mini-grants” for individuals and organizations less than three (3) years old in the amount of $500.00 each. There is a separate category of “Organizational Grants” for older organizations with broader community impact in the amount of $750.00 each. A total of $3,000 was budgeted for the 2005–2006 Fiscal Year.
Grants for the 2005–2006 Fiscal Year were awarded as follows:
- Kimberlee Powell — Junior Jitterbugs $500
- Jesse Wong — It's not just Mud $500
- Anne Marie Fuller — Helpful hints with Anne Marie $500
- Banta 4-H — Not Just the News $750.00
Community
Photos
Check out our Community Photos
page!
 Tolbert joined other volunteers of the Tracy Volunteer Caregivers (TVC) organization for a yard cleanup at the home of a retired Tracyite—October 12, 2002. |
Genealogy
Find
Tolbert has traveled to Matagorda, Matagorda County, Texas in
doing her family history research. Download the
essay [pdf] she wrote upon her return. Tolbert hopes you enjoy reading
the essay and that it motivates you to begin the search for your own ancestors,
wherever that search may carry you.
June 27, 2006 UPDATE — An amazing thing happened recently. Evelyn Tolbert was contacted by the great great grandchildren of the man who owned her great grandfather and his brother and other family members. Following is a letter written to Evelyn Tolbert on September 10, 2005:
Dear Evelyn,
Tonight I stumbled across a paper you wrote in 2003 entitled, “I Prayed in My Slavemasters’ Pew.“ Not too long ago, I, too, prayed in that pew with my father. Judge Talbot was my great-great grandfather.
I wanted to write to you to thank you for sharing your family with us. From an early age, we were all taught about Judge Talbot and the kind of man he was. We were told that he set the bar high for all our family’s subsequent generations. I am so thankful to know that these stories weren’t over-inflated, and that he touched others the way that he touched his kin.
I inserted a picture of Judge Talbot that was taken of an oil portrait that hangs in my cousin’s house. When I finally realized the man in the portrait was Matthew Talbot, I guess I was a little disappointed. In my young imagination, I always pictured him to be more like John Wayne. One more bit of proof that looks can be deceiving.
Thank you again for sharing. God bless you and your family.
Sincerely,
FWWIII
Utah
NOTE: Since this initial correspondence, Evelyn Tolbert and three siblings who are the descendants of the slave masters have been in contact. They are planning on meeting in October, 2006 in the church in Matagorda, Texas which the slave master helped found and where he had his slaves, including Evelyn's ancestors, baptized.
Tolbert
Continues to Serve
Since
her election to the Tracy City Council, Tolbert has volunteered for a
cross-section of assignments. She is the City of Tracy representative
to the San Joaquin Community Development Block Grant Program, served for
5 years as the representative to the San Joaquin Water Advisory Board,
is the Deuel Prison Board representative, the Chamber of Commerce Liaison,
has served on the Tracy Tomorrow and Beyond Committee, and is now on the
San Joaquin County Library Committee.
In addition to her formal Council assignments, Tolbert is active in the Mayor's Anti-Gang Taskforce, the Tracy Women's Club, the West Side Pioneers, and the Tracy African American Association. Tolbert is an active member of the Tracy Area Genealogical Society. She is the Volunteer Coordinator for the Habitat for Humanity, Tracy Chapter. Tolbert continues to serve as a Trustee at the Sutter Tracy Community Hospital and is Chair of the Nominating Committee. She was involved with the Peaker Plant Taskforce and served as its first City Council liaison. Tolbert works each year with Brighter Christmas conducting home visits throughout Tracy and is the "Turkey Lady" on distribution day. Each year she volunteers as a bell ringer for the Salvation Army, and washes dishes for the Senior Citizen's Thanksgiving Dinner for at the Lolly Hanson Senior Center.
In response to needs she saw in the Tracy community, Tolbert founded the Tracy Women's Forum Association. She also founded a Scholarship Program for Tracy high school women interested in preparing for the public policy area. Because of her concern for the youth of Tracy, Tolbert was the catalyst for the creation of the Tracy Youth Commission.
Tolbert participated with the Kiwanis Club in collecting donations for handicapped children during their "Tootsie Roll Drive." She plans to continue to participate in this annual program.
Tolbert respects and appreciates the diversity that brings strength to the fiber of our community and encourages participation in the affairs of the City. She is highly accessible; providing a myriad of ways and methods that the citizens of Tracy can use to contact her to provide their input, have their questions answered, and voice their opinions.
Tolbert is well prepared educationally for the duties of a Council member. She has a Masters in Public Administration and a law degree from Santa Clara University. Additionally, she has over 21 years of experience in managing municipal programs and functions as an administrator with the City of San Jose. Because of her education and municipal government experience, Tolbert is an effective contributor in areas of planning, budgeting, union negotiations, zoning, property rights, land use, code enforcement, contract writing, and human resources.
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This page last updated: June 2006