City staff reported several community events and new programs during the Oct. 28 council meeting, highlighting large participation and new services for residents.

The City Manager said Hayward Public Library’s fifth annual trunk-or-treat and Promise Fest on Oct. 25 served approximately 13,400 community members and involved more than 57 partner agencies, volunteers and performances. A sponsor provided and distributed roughly 3,000 free meals, and partner organizations supplied activities including a performance stage and a climbing wall. The City Manager said staff and partners provided ponchos when rain arrived so families could continue to participate.

The City also launched Hayward Rides, a bike giveaway program funded in part by two California Air Resources Board grants managed by the transportation and environmental services division. The City Manager said the first distribution gave away more than 100 bikes to preselected participants and that the program intends to distribute about 2,000 free bikes in batches through 2026, including urban and entry-level mountain bikes and some e-bikes for adults; each recipient receives safety gear and repair kits, and recipients are connected to bike maintenance and safety classes.

In addition, the city hosted a semiannual compost giveaway that served more than 1,500 Hayward households and distributed about 5,000 bags of locally produced compost collected via the city’s organics program. Staff said the next compost giveaway will be held in 2026.

The City Manager also announced that the Downtown and Weeks libraries are now designated clean air centers under a Bay Area Air District grant; the grant will fund special air filters for ventilation systems over the next five years with a value of about $25,000 and allow the libraries to be listed on the clean-air-center map maintained by the California Air Resources Board.

Public-works and environmental staff, including Public Works Director Alex Amiri, were specifically thanked by council members for their work on the Hayward Rides program and event support.