• July 2020. MasksforCauses.org, created by sisters Lindsey and Ana, donates 1,000 masks to Unit 105. Secretary Peggy Toye spent time with the two sisters mentoring them about communications and in developing the masks--"PROUD VETERAN" and "Supporting Veterans."
• July 2020. Unit 105 assists San Mateo County Blue Star Moms in assembling 100+ care packages for veterans in-need. 
• July & September 2020. Auxiliary member, 1st Vice Commander and Riders President George Smith spreads the word about our face masks with National AL President Ed Grimsley and local county officials. 
• September 2020. Unit 105 starts weekly delivery of Panera Bread food donations to Samaritan House.
• November 2020. Unit 105 members volunteer to assist Blue Star Moms in assembling 200 gift bags for veterans in-need. Blue Star Moms also donates toiletries towards District 26 gift bags for short-term patients.
• November 2020. Unit 105's President Carol Rael volunteered at Post 105's first COVID testing day. 
• December 2020. Auxiliary members volunteer for the annual Wreaths Across America by laying wreaths at Golden Gate National Cemetery in December and cleanup in January 2021.
• December 2020. Working with San Mateo Girl Scouts Troop 61740, junior Girl Scouts donated handmade holiday cards to accompany the annual gift delivery by District 26. 
• December 2020. Unit 105 with their gifts of the larger District 26 collection. Unit & District VA&R Deputy Arlene Muller is our liaison and manages this annual project and delivery. 
• December 2020. Unit 105 launches a year-round fundraiser using Giving Bean--online shopping for coffees, teas and refreshments with a percentage benefiting our Unit. 
• February 2021. Unit 105 launched its inaugural Girls State program and selected three Delegates from Design Tech High, The Nueva School and Sequoia High, respectively.
• March 2021. Unit 105 shepherded Foster City Girl Scouts Troop 61829 in creating floral decorations for patients in Bldg 331. Patients were delighted with their surprise gifts.
• April 2021. Organized by Unit 105 members (who serve double-duty as District officers), Units 105, 238, 472, 474, and 585 created 45 gift bags (contents) for veteran residents at VA-Menlo Park Bldg 331. 
• April 2021. As a courtesy to Unit 585 (which had timing challenges), Unit 105 members Julie and Pauline J interviewed candidates at Aragon High School for Girls State and selected Aragon's Delegate.

Dear Fellow Post 105 Members,

 As we are all aware, the ongoing imposition of Covid related restrictions since early March of last year, there have been no Post Membership meetings since February 2020. While there now seems to be hope that the worst of the ongoing restrictions on large group meetings may be drawing to a close, they will likely continue, at least in the short term. With my apologies for not having done so sooner, please now accept this status letter of where the Post currently finds itself and specific events that will be taking place shortly. 

Despite the year-long Covid restrictions, I would like the membership to know that the size of the "family" of organizations at our Post has increased. Not only do we have 178 active members, but we now also have a fully funded Sons of the American Legion Squadron, American Legion Riders Chapter, and American Legion Post 105 Auxiliary Unit. While many folks helped in establishing these groups, I think it's appropriate to single out the work of our First Vice Commander, George Smith, for getting them up and running. George wants to remind everyone that many of these groups do not require their members to be veterans for membership. Mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters, and other friends and relatives are invited to join. This will help our Post grow, remain healthy, and enhance our Post's services to veterans and the community.  

 I am pleased to report that we are making progress in the development of the Post property. While we are all glad the process is underway, the reality is there will likely be a period of two to three more years before actual construction can start.  This is common for a project of this size and is similar to the time frames encountered by other large developments in Redwood City. Fortunately, we may have helped speed up that process. Last summer and fall, using ZOOM technology, the Post and four other Developer Applicants made presentations to the Redwood City Council seeking to be part of what is termed "the Gatekeeper Process," which is designed to help the Council review and consider projects that are seeking to amend the Redwood City General Plan. In late October 2020, the Redwood City Council approved inclusion of the Post Development Project as part of the Gatekeeper Process. During the course of those hearings, it was rewarding to hear the amount of praise and approval the Post Project received from the City Council and members of the Redwood City general public who participated by speaking in the hearings. 

    While the developer Redwood Coast is responsible for paying and obtaining the required approvals, certain tasks remain the responsibility of the Post.  An initial and significant example was ensuring the Post's ability to provide clear title to Redwood Coast of those portions of the property it will be occupying.  (At no time is the Post giving up, even temporarily, title to the portions of the project that are part of the new Post to be built, including the parking.) To ensure this, the Post was required to file what is called a "Quiet Title" lawsuit, the goal of which is to obtain a court judgment that Post 105 is the sole legal owner of the property and entitled to transfer title to any or all or portions of it without concerns that at some point in the future a currently unknown person(s) or entity(ies) may claim it has an interest in it.  You may recall this process was described in detail both in previous status letters and at the Post Membership meeting in August, 2019 before the vote was taken to approve the filing of the lawsuit and going forward with the overall deal itself.

     After addressing some unexpected issues that were raised during the course of case, the judgment sought in favor of the Post was issued. As a result, and pursuant to the terms of the Development Agreement, the Post received a payment of $250,000.00. This money has been used to pay the outstanding legal fees and the ongoing operating costs of the Post, such as insurance, maintenance and utilities. The process of reaching the development Agreement and filing the Quiet Title action required the Post to spend large amounts on attorney fees to successfully address the multitude of complex issues a project of this size and complexity entails. It should be understood that the need for legal help will continue as the development goes forward, but at a much reduced time and cost.  Very significantly, multiple generous financial contributions to our Post have been received from the American Legion Post 105 Charitable Foundation. Those donations have been and continue to be invaluable.

Finally, I would like to personally thank both those members and non-members who participated in the process of making the Development Agreement happen and their assistance in keeping the Post alive during these trying times. Despite the Covid pandemic, our Post has remained robust and proven to be resilient, as the recent expansion of our Post "Family" demonstrates. There are too many to mention here, but you know who you are, and your efforts were invaluable. It is fair to say that without your help and input, the deal would not have happened. I owe a personal shout-out to Pat Edens, my dear friend for over 57 years, whose accounting and development expertise proved to be vital. When Jim Peters passed away nearly three years ago, Pat stepped in and helped solve many of the thorny financial and budgetary issues Jim had been working on before his passing with his own experience in dealing with large budgets. I wish Jim could be here to see what we collectively have accomplished.  

 I look forward to seeing you in person soon. 

Best wishes to all,

Romie Bassetto, Commander

Post 105