UPCOMING EVENTS
Toy Drive: Tis the Season for Sharing, Ongoing Throughout December
Shop Oakland During the Holidays!
December 6: Meeting with Eastlake Merchants Regarding Streetscape Maintenance
December 6th: 14th Avenue Streetscape Design Project Community Workshop
December 12: Technical Assistance Workshop in Oakland for Funding of After School Program Providers
December 13th: Open House for Neighborhood Crime Prevention Councils and Neighborhood Watch
REPORTS
Trader Joe’s to Open in the Spring
City Seeks Community Input on E. 12th Street BikewayClinton Park Tot Lot Groundbreaking
December 12, 12pm-1pm: Oakland Teaching Fellows - Next Information Session - OUSD, Main Administration Building, 1025 2nd Ave
Dear District 2 Residents:
I am delighted to have the opportunity to serve as your Councilmember for the next four years. We are beginning a new era with the renewed energy that comes with a change in City leadership. The future holds great promise as well as great challenges. Oakland is poised to develop a strong and sustainable economy, but we still must find solutions to reduce crime and to make sure that all residents share in economic opportunities. I look forward to working with Mayor Dellums, the other members of the City Council, and all the communities of Oakland to improve the quality of life in all our neighborhoods.
Early in the new year, I will be writing more about my policy priorities for the next term and opportunities for all of you to be a part of the process..
Wishing all of you a Peaceful and Joyous Holiday Season,
Pat Kernighan
UPCOMING EVENTS
Toy Drive: Tis the Season
for Sharing, Ongoing Throughout December
It’s that time of year again when you can share the holiday spirit with those less fortunate. You can help in a number of ways.
The Oaklanders Assistance Center, with help from the Oakland Fire Department, has organized one of the city’s largest toy distribution sites for the last eight years. Last year alone, the Mayor’s Annual Toy Drive provided toys to over 9,100 children from low-income families. Since every child receives 2 gifts, that’s over 18,200 dolls, trucks, books, board games, sports equipment and gift certificates. This year, the program expects to surpass that number and needs your help to fulfill this goal.
Donate toys and other gifts! When out shopping, why not pick up something extra for a child or teen in need? Besides the suggestions above, they often run out of gifts for teens and they recommend CD players, jewelry and gift cards to stores such as Best Buy and Target.
Just drop a new, unwrapped toy in one of the many collection bins at City Hall, all Oakland fire stations or at the Grand Lake Neighborhood Center at 530 Lake Park Ave, between Lakeshore and Grand avenues. Please do not donate toys of a violent nature such as guns, daggers, etc.
Or you can donate money to purchase additional gifts from local toy stores. Checks can be made payable to: Mayor’s Toy Drive and mailed to 1 Frank Ogawa Plaza, Suite 123, Oakland, CA 94612. This tax-deductible monetary donation ensures that every child in need will have a toy.
If you need to drop off large quantities or have any questions, please contact Susan Hayes-Smith @ 510-238-3139 or 238-6395.
The Alameda County Community Food Bank Holiday Food Drive runs through December 31. Its goal is to collect 700,000 pounds of nutritious, non-perishable food for families in need during the holidays. You can drop off food donations in specially marked food barrels in City Hall, your local Safeway or Albertsons, or at the Grand Lake Neighborhood Center. Cash donations can be sent directly to ACCFB @ P.O. Box 2599, Oakland CA 94614, or call the Donation Line @ 510-635-3663 x 600. Donations also can be made securely online at www.acfb.org.
The holidays are just around the corner so it is not too soon to consider doing something that not only helps out those in need but makes you feel good.
Shop Oakland
during the Holidays!
Free parking and unique boutiques --- what more could you ask for? Oakland retailers offer one-of-a-kind gift ideas and the added benefit of being right in your own neighborhood. Neighborhood retail is one of the great things about our city and it needs our support during the holidays and year round to remain a healthy part of our economy. Take a moment to visit the Shop Oakland website at http://www.shopoakland.com/. You can use it to explore each shopping district in the City or to find a particular product at a store near you.
Shoppers can park for free at designated parking garages on Saturdays from now through the end of the year.
Garages locations include:
Franklin Street Garage, 1719 Franklin Street
Montclair Parking Garage, 6235 LaSalle Avenue
Frank G. Mar Garage, 12th & Harrison Streets
Clay Street Garage, 14th & Clay Streets
December 5: Affordable Homes for Oaklanders Plan aka Condo Conversion
Ordinance and Oakland Auto Mall Before City Council
Two items drawing lots of attention will come to the City Council on December 5th: a proposal to modify the City’s existing provisions allowing conversion of rental units to condominiums (see my article below) and creation of an Oakland Auto Mall at the former Oakland Army Base. If you would like to speak on either of these items (or any other item), you can sign up on line before 6 pm or in person before the item is called or before 8 pm, whichever comes first. You can sign up on line here.
You probably received a mailer last week on the proposed "Affordable Homes for Oaklanders" ordinance, asking you to contact me to support it. (Please note that it was sent by the Better Housing Coalition, not by me.) The ordinance is a modification of the City's current law limiting conversion of rental units to ownership units (condominiums). The sponsors of the new law hope it would provide a supply of condos that are more affordable than newly constructed condominiums, since it is much less expensive to renovate existing housing than to build new. The proposal would allow 800 units to be converted per year and would eliminate the requirement of offsetting the lost rental unit with a new rental unit. To assist tenants in buying the converted condominiums, the proposal would require converters to contribute from approximately $8,000 to $16,000 per unit to an Affordable Housing fund, which could be used to assist first-time home buyers, and to pay the closing costs for tenants who buy the converted units. They would also get a 10% discount off the market price of the units. And those tenants would get first chance to buy their unit. Tenants who are disabled or senior citizens would get a lifetime lease, so they could not be displaced.
There is much controversy about the actual impact of the proposed new law. Some people predict mass evictions of the tenants who do not buy (as many as 90% of the tenants). Others argue that Measure EE, the Just Cause ordinance, would protect all tenants from having their tenancy terminated. Sponsors of the ordinance argue that any tenants who do not want to buy can stay for as many years as they want. Also figuring into the controversy is the Ellis Act, which allows building owners to get out of the rental business altogether. The Ellis Act is the only big exception to the Just Cause ordinance. A building can be emptied of all tenants under the Ellis Act, subject to 120 days notice and payment of two months rent. Whether a building can be "Ellised" and then converted to condominiums is a big question, but one which might be solved with modifications to the ordinance.
I have been talking to advocates on both sides, and reading everything I can to figure out how the proposed ordinance would work in real life. I want to know what income levels would be able to afford a converted condo, how many Oaklanders would benefit, how many tenants would be displaced, if any, and what would be the impact on the rental vacancy rate and thus rental rates. I think the goal of providing affordable home ownership to moderate income people is a good one, but I am also very concerned about protecting the supply of rental housing and reasonable rents. The issues are complex, and I have not made a final decision. Stay tuned for Tuesday's Council meeting!
December 6: Meeting
with Eastlake Merchants Regarding Streetscape Maintenance
The Eastlake is one of the most vibrant business districts in Oakland, with its many restaurants, shops, and grocery stores along International Blvd and E. 12th, between 5th and 14th Avenues. In 2004, a new streetscape project was completed in the neighborhood. Some questions have arisen about maintenance of the streetscape, so I am hosting a meeting for the Eastlake Merchants with the City’s Department of Facilities and Environment this Wednesday, December 6, at 2:45 pm outside the Adult Education Center in Clinton Park. (Seventh Avenue and International Blvd.) If it rains that day, we will meet inside the Center.
The meeting with the merchants and City staff will address the roles of both groups with respect to cleaning and maintaining the flower beds, etc. of the Eastlake area (on International Blvd and E. 12th, between 4th and 9th Avenues). With the combined efforts of City and merchant resources, we all can help make the Eastlake area a better place for the merchants, customers, and residents. Click here for the informational flyer.
December 6th:
14th Avenue Streetscape Design Project Community Workshop
Come share your ideas for the 14th Avenue streetscape. Potential project improvements include:
• Improved Pedestrian and Bicycle Safety
• Street Furniture and Aesthetic Elements
• Improved Connection to the Waterfront and Parks
• Traffic Calming Solutions
• Strengthening the Surrounding Neighborhood Identity
Click here for the Vietnamese and English versions of the flyer. The event will be held at the cafeteria of St. Anthony's, located at 1500 E.15th Street, Oakland, at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, December 6th. Parking is availalble in the school's parking lot.
December 12: Technical Assistance Workshop in Oakland for Funding of After
School Program Providers
Under the No Child Left Behind Act, a broad array of education providers are eligible to receive federal funds to provide extra academic help to students from low-income families who attend Title I schools that are in their second year of school improvement, corrective action or restructuring. Education providers include faith-based and community organizations, non-profit and for-profit entities, local education agencies, public schools, public charter schools, private schools, and public or private institutions of higher education. The additional instruction is designed to increase academic achievement of students in low-performing schools. Services must be provided outside of the regular school day and may include academic assistance such as tutoring, remediation and other educational interventions.In this workshop you will learn how your organization can become an approved SES provider in California and receive funds for tutoring eligible children in math and language arts. Information will also be given about No Child Left Behind and funding for after school programs.
To register for this free technical assistance workshop, please call (202) 219-1741. Please register by December 8, 2006.
December 13th: Open
House for Neighborhood Crime Prevention Councils and Neighborhood Watch
You are cordially invited to attend an open house planned for those who have worked so diligently with the Oakland Police Department in Neighborhood Crime Prevention Councils and Neighborhood Watch Groups. The event will be held from 6 to 8 pm at the Eastmont Police Station, located at 2651 73rd Avenue on December 13th. The event is sponsored by OPD which appreciates the work you have done with your Neighborhood Crime Prevention Councils and other community groups.
Come meet the Strategic Area Commander, Problem Solving Officers, Crime Reduction Team members and Neighborhood Services Coordinators, and learn about projects in your neighborhood.
Enjoy light refreshments
For more information contact the following:
Area I – Annie Sloan - 777-8719 (China Town, down town, North Oakland & West Oakland)
Area II- Renee Sykes - 777-8718 (Central East Oakland)
Area III - Willie M. Huey – 777-8716 (East Oakland)
Click here for the informational flyer.
REPORTS
Community Meeting to
Discuss Proposed Lane Reduction/Bike Lanes Proposal on Upper Lakeshore
Avenue, Between Mandana Blvd and Harvard Road/Winsor Intersection
In October, the Public Works Agency contacted residents along upper Lakeshore Avenue and neighboring blocks regarding a proposal to reduce the travel lanes on and also to include bicycle lanes on Lakeshore Avenue between Mandana Blvd and the Harvard Road/Winsor Avenue intersection. The impetus for the proposal came from residents who had long been concerned about speeding motorists along that stretch of Lakeshore Avenue. The proposal had also been endorsed by the North Lake Traffic Calming Committee, a dedicated group of neighborhood volunteers who have been examining traffic issues and making improvement suggestions for the past several years.
In response to the mailer, the Public Works Agency received more than 100 comments from community members. While a significant majority favored the project, our office would like to convene a community meeting to make sure that the neighborhood is fully informed about the proposal, and give everyone who is concerned ample opportunity for discussion. The meeting is tentatively scheduled for Wednesday, January 10 from 7:00-8:30 at Barnett Hall behind the Lakeshore Avenue Baptist Church at 3534 Lakeshore Ave.
Trader Joe’s to Open in
the Spring
Many of you have asked when Trader Joe’s will open its first Oakland store in the old Albertsons on Lakeshore Avenue. The answer: tentatively at the end of March or in April. Before it can open, the old grocery store needs renovation and a facelift. Construction has started on the renovation to make it suitable for Trader Joe’s and another tenant, as yet to be announced. Shortly, a portion of the store’s parking lot will be fenced off to facilitate the construction.
Despite the overall enthusiasm for the new store, quite a few people have shared concerns about the store's impact on parking and traffic in the neighborhood. I will be meeting with City staff, the property manager, and a small stakeholder group of merchants and residents to develop plans to manage the parking lot and traffic flow. Once the store opens, if not before, the 2-hour parking limit will be enforced, which will reduce the number of cars that are parking there now for extended periods. I will have further updates in January.
City Seeks Community Input on E. 12th Street Bikeway
The City will be resurfacing E.12th Street between 2nd and 14th Avenues sometime during Fall 2007. This resurfacing presents an opportunity to include a bikeway on East 12th Street, as recommended in the City of Oakland and Alameda County Bicycle Master Plans. E.12th Street was selected over International Blvd. as the best east-west bicycling route to minimize conflicts with AC Transit buses.
Pending community input and the completion of a feasibility study, the City plans to coordinate the resurfacing and bike lane striping projects to make efficient use of resources.
E. 12th Street Bikeway Project Benefits
The benefits of the proposed project include:
• Improved access and safety for cyclists
• Completion of 2.2 miles of priority bikeway on the City and County Bicycle
Master Plans
• A direct bicycling connection between Lake Merritt and the Fruitvale neighborhood
• Reduced motor vehicle speeding and improved pedestrian safety
• Easier and safer access to parked vehicles by creating a buffer from the
travel laneThe East 12th Street Bikeway Project would stripe bike lanes on East 12th Street between 2nd and Fruitvale Avenues. The project will connect to existing/approved bikeways around Lake Merritt and on Fruitvale Avenue, forming a continuous cycling corridor serving East Oakland, the Fruitvale BART Station, Lake Merritt, and downtown Oakland. To accommodate bike lanes on E.12th Street, a vehicle lane in each direction would be removed. No left turn pockets or parking spaces would be removed. The feasibility study will evaluate each block based on its particular traffic conditions. If the study determines that the bike lanes will have a negative impact on a particular block then the bike lane(s) would be dropped in that block unless improvements can be implemented to offset the impact.
The roadway width and number of lanes on East 12th Street change several times between 2nd and Fruitvale Avenues. The new design will vary depending on these factors. See flyer for examples of lane configuration.
Please fax your comments to the Public Works Agency (attn: Kathryn Hughes) at 2386412 or e-mail to bikeped@oaklandnet.com by Friday, December 8.
Clinton Park Tot Lot Groundbreaking
After years of planning and negotiations, I am happy to announce that construction of the Clinton Park tot lot project started on Tuesday, November 28. I was present at Clinton Park, located at 1230 6th Avenue, to kick off the recent groundbreaking event.
During discussions with the City’s Public Works Agency, I stressed the importance of features that provide for and enhance the enjoyment, safety and aesthetics of the overall project. The final plans include two sets of play structures, two sets of swings, and a rubber safety surface to protect against bruises from falling, among other features.
Maintaining and enhancing our neighborhood parks has been one of my office’s highest priorities. I am pleased to add Clinton Park to the list of other District 2 parks that have been built or renovated in the past 3 years, including Bella Vista Park, San Antonio Park, and Splashpad Park. These are all gathering places the community can enjoy and be proud of.
Tuesday, December 12, 12pm-1pm: Oakland Teaching Fellows - Next Information
Session - OUSD, Main Administration Building, 1025 2nd Ave
Oakland Unified School District faces the persistent challenge, similar to many other districts across the nation, of a shortage of teachers in the hardest-to-staff schools and subject areas. While an accomplished group of professional educators is currently teaching in the district, the need for additional teachers is always great.
To this end, the Oakland Unified School District has launched an aggressive campaign to recruit local, committed citizens from other professions to join the effort to improve our schools so that all of our children receive the education they deserve. Partnering with a non-profit organization, OUSD has launched the Oakland Teaching Fellows program to seek both mid-career professionals and recent college graduates to begin teaching in Oakland schools where they are most needed. To be eligible, applicants must hold a bachelor's degree or higher; an education degree or teaching certification is not required. Interested individuals can check out the website found at www.OaklandTeachingFellows.org. The regular application deadline for Oakland Teaching Fellows is February 2, 2007.
In addition to individuals who aren’t yet teachers, qualified, credentialed teachers and current Interns are encouraged to apply for positions through the Oakland City Teacher Corps program. To be eligible to apply, teachers must not be current teachers in Oakland, with the exception of substitutes. Candidates can visit us at www.OaklandCityTeacherCorps.org. The priority application deadline for Oakland City Teacher Corps is January 15, 2007.
For more information, please contact Quiana La'Fleur, Recruitment Manager, Oakland Teaching Fellows, (510) 879-8087, Quiana@OaklandTeachingFellows.org.
Cleveland Cascade Gets $50,000 Grant
In a cliff-hanging drama that played out in the very last moments of web-based populism, the Cleveland Cascade project pulled up from 13th to finish in12th place. It was awarded one of 13 grants in the American Express Partners in Preservation (PIP) Program. The top 12 finishers out of a slate of 25 Bay-area projects in the web-based contest, plus one other project, received major grants. The remaining projects received $5,000 each. Although the grantmakers made it clear that the web competition was only one component that would be used to determine whether projects would be funded, it was clearly influential, as the results largely reflected the popular vote.
Congratulations to Jim Ratliff whose on-line encouragement for regular voting, and to him, Barbara Newcombe and all the other Friends of the Cleveland Cascade who have dedicated their time, energy and unflagging commitment to restoring this Oakland treasure.
The PIP grant will be used to design and fabricate the "fountain accessories," i.e., the 20 bowls, the shell-shaped shields (20 pairs), and the 20 half-cylindrical ornate pedestals that support the bowls. The design and fabrication entails creating the molds by using the extant remnants, historic photographs, and measurements of remaining mortar joints to ensure that the replicas are historically accurate.In March 2005 the Oakland City Council allocated $300,000 in Measure DD funds toward the restoration of the Cleveland Cascade. While this funding was a boost to the project it falls short of what is needed to fully restore the Cleveland Cascade. A combination of public and private sources of funding will be required to complete the project. The PIP grant will assist efforts as the major capital campaign gets underway to raise the remaining funds that are needed to complete the project. See http://www.clevelandcascade.org for details.
The American Express Partners in Preservation program is designed to help preserve historic places that reflect the Bay Area’s rich and diverse cultural heritage while building community pride, spurring economic development and driving tourism. The Oakland Fox Theatre, which finished fourth and received a $75,000 grant, was the only other project chosen in the City of Oakland. A total of $1 million was awarded.