Rob AriasIn this edition of our Semi-Monthly newswire, we share five stories relevant to Emeryville that you may have missed including:
- How Pixar’s Pioneering Rendering Technology is used for Military Drones
- Emeryville Amtrak Promoting use of Capitol Corridor to Superbowl LX
- Fertile Ground Sculpture Ribbon Cutting Event
- Sutter Health Pauses plan to end Gender-Affirming Care for Youth
- Former Rec. Center to become Winter Shelter for Berkeley Homeless
How Pixar’s Technology May Have Indirectly Influenced Advances in Military Drones
A recent story published in the Spanish news source El Pais draws an interesting line between animation software and warfare.
The piece penned by journalist Manuel Pascual details how Pixar Co-founder Ed Catmull’s research that eventually led to Pixar’s groundbreaking Renderman software was partially funded by DARPA (Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency) while a student at the University of Utah.
Pixar later used the technology to produce Oscar-winning animated films, helping grow the company into the multibillion-dollar studio it is today. The U.S. military, which retains non-exclusive usage rights to technologies it helps fund, later applied related research to assist military drones in navigating complex terrain and identifying targets autonomously.
For some, the migration of Hollywood technology into modern warfare underscores a growing ethical dilemma surrounding “dual-use” innovation—where tools developed for art and entertainment can be repurposed for combat.
El País is the largest Spanish-language daily newspaper in Spain.
We are thrilled to welcome Super Bowl LX to the Bay Area!🏈🥳💪🏼
— Capitol Corridor (@CapitolCorridor) December 12, 2025
We invite you to snap a selfie with the Super Bowl LX photo op at the Emeryville Station, from today through February 2026. Stay tuned for game day service information to/from Levi’s® Stadium for Super Bowl LX! pic.twitter.com/3NlYa9JhuA
Capitol Corridor Superbowl Campaign Encouraging “Selfies at Emeryville Station”
To promote the use of transit to Levi’s Stadium for the upcoming Superbowl to be held on Feb. 8, 2026, the Capitol Corridor has placed Superbowl LX sculptures at certain stations along the route including the Emeryville station. The campaign encourages riders to snap selfies with them and tag their social accounts.
Not everyone may know that the service can be taken from Emeryville all the way to Santa Clara. The station is about a 5 minute walk to the stadium entrance.
December 8 marked a significant milestone for the service’s recovery from the pandemic. For the first time in five years, full service has returned bringing them back to pre-pandemic service levels. “Your feedback has been essential in shaping these schedule adjustments,” Capitol Corridor Managing Director Rob Padgette provided in a Dec. 11 communication.
The Emeryville station has also installed bins at the station to donate non-perishable food.
Fertile Ground Sculpture Ribbon-Cutting
The City of Emeryville held a ribbon cutting event on December 4 for their newest public art installation at the corner of Hollis and Powell.
“Fertile Ground,” designed by local artist Trent Thompson, is the latest public art installation as part of the efforts of The Rotten City Cultural District. The mixed-media sculpture is said to reflect the district rise from and industrial past to a fertile environment for art and innovation. Thompson worked with local fabricators to a including mosaic, redwood, steel, stone, concrete and living plants.
The sculpture and the expanded plaza area in front of the renovated Honor Kitchen replaces the beleaguered Windspire turbine whose inefficiency has been the butt of many jokes in its eight years of existence.
Also on hand for the event was the EPA and California State Parks who contributed the redevelopment of the path that was once a rail spur.
After Backlash, Sutter Pauses Plan to End Care for Transgender Kids
A follow up to our December 8 story on a protest in Emeryville against Sutter Health who signaled they would end support for gender affirming care for youth. This action may have at least temporarily paused their decision.
Although no policy change was publicly announced, some previously canceled appointments for gender-affirming care, including puberty blockers and hormone therapy, have been rescheduled as of this December 16 report by The SF Standard.
This battle between Health Care providers and the Federal Government is far from over though. On December 17, the house passed the “Protect Children’s Innocence Act of 2025” bill that would criminalize providing these treatments.
At a December 18 press conference, U.S. Health & Human Services Director Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Medicare & Medicaid Services Administrative Director Dr. Mehmet Oz announced at that they would be moving forward with the ban. They would enforce it by cutting off Medicare and Medicaid funding reimbursements to hospitals and providers that offer such care forcing their compliance. Operating without these reimbursements would be nearly impossible.
State senator Scott Wiener has been the most vocal on the battle saying “Hospitals need not and should not comply while it is being considered by regulators.” in a December 18 press release. “To all the trans kids and their families who are living in fear right now: we see you, we have your backs, and we will fight for you.”
Public opposition for providing minors with medical care for gender transition eclipses support by an over 2-1 margin according to recent Pew Research data although support has grown in recent years.
Winter Shelter for Berkeley Homeless Opens in Emeryville
4300 San Pablo Avenue, which has operated as a shelter leased to various nonprofits since 2020, recently opened as a winter shelter operated by the Berkeley nonprofit Dorothy Day House. Berkeley’s seasonal winter shelter is typically located at Old City Hall but relocated this year due to ongoing repairs at that site.
The winter shelter will operate through Apr. 15, 2026, providing 25 beds and three meals daily, primarily serving seniors who have experienced prolonged periods of homelessness or housing instability.
The property is ultimately slated for a 68-unit “intergenerational” affordable housing development, a project whose planning dates back to 2018 and which was awarded to EAH Housing in 2020.
