Lunar New Year free food baskets for seniors sponsored
by the Salvation Army in Chinatown. Oakland Fire Department, Friends
of Oakland Fire Department, and the International Association of Firefighter
Local 55, Councilmembers Quan and Kernighan join in the fun (those are
frozen chickens in the plastic bags). Special thanks to Taylor Chow
(right), owner of American Tai Wah Trading Corporation, which donates
thousands of dollars of food annually.
Wednesday, February 13: F.M. Smith Park Advisory Council 2008 Kick-Off Meeting
Saturday, February 23: Working Together to Improve Communication and Accountability in Maintaining Oakland Parks
OTHER EVENTS
Friday, February 15: Friends of Oakland Animal Shelter Hosting SWEET! A Valentine Celebration for Oakland’s Animals, an evening of sweet treats, sweet stories and sweet hearts of the Oakland Animal Shelter
February 21: 9th Annual Oakland/San Leandro Adult & Youth Job Fair
Saturday, February 23: Auction of fine bonsai and related material - 2:00 pm - 4:00 pm and a sale on Sunday, to support the Golden State Bonsai Collection-North, Lakeside Park GardensThroughout February: Events at Lakeview Branch Library
Black History Month Highlights at the Oakland Public Library
Throughout February: Calendar of Community Volunteer Events hosted by City of Oakland’s Public Works
...And Coming in March
Two Community Meetings Regarding Zoning in the Downtown (Central Business District) including the Western Edge of Lake Merritt
REPORTS
Neighborhood Retail - How can the community impact the selection of stores?
Opportunities to help OUSD students
Lunar New Pat and staff celebrate Vietnamese Lunar New Year with the Vietnamese American Cultural & Educational Board
UPCOMING EVENTS
Saturday,
February 9: Lunar New Year Celebration: Year of the Rat
A free, day-long celebration of Chinese, Vietnamese, Korean, Mien and Japanese cultures, from 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm at the Oakland Asian Cultural Center, located at Pacific Renaissance Plaza, 388 9th St, 2nd floor. Please drop by!Easy and reasonably priced parking in garage below. Enter on Webster or Franklin Street,
Sunday,
February 10: Benefit for Christopher Rodriguez, 10-year-old Crocker Highland
Elementary School student injured by bullet during his piano lesson
The Music School at Piedmont Piano is holding a benefit concert for Chris Rodriguez on Sunday, February 10 from 2 pm to 7 pm at the Chapel of the Chimes at 4499 Piedmont Avenue. There will be music, food from local restaurants, and an auction. Tickets are $25 and children 12 and under are free. For more information about the event or to purchase tickets on-line, go here.
If you would like more information about this event, check the website or call 510-547-5188. For more information about Chris and other events, check out Chris' website: http://christopherrodriguez.org
Also, thanks to Hillcrest Elementary School and the Village Market. Hillcrest, with the support of the Village Market, is holding a Spaghetti Dinner Fundraiser for Chris on February 13.
Monday, February 11 and Thursday,
February 21: TURN’s Utility Bill Busters Offering Free Workshops
at Public Libraries
The workshop will be held at the Lakeview Library, at 6:30 pm on February 11, located at Main Library, and at 6:00 pm on February 21.
The Utility Reform Network (TURN) in partnership with Oakland Public Libraries is offering free workshops on how to lower electric and gas usage, and how to take advantage of programs to make homes or apartments more energy efficient. Consumers can also find out whether they are eligible for electric and gas bill assistance through CARE, FERA or other programs, and whether they qualify for LifeLine discounted phone service. TURN’s Bill Busters can also help with out-of-control cell phone bills and assist consumers who have been slammed, crammed or otherwise treated unfairly by their telephone company. TURN, founded in 1973, is a multi-faceted consumer advocacy organization, dedicated to helping consumers navigate utility billing practices and bureaucracies, and keeping essential services affordable for everyone.
Wednesday,
February 13: Planning Commission meeting to consider certifying the final
Measure DD Environmental Impact Report
The meeting will take place at City Hall, Hearing Room One, at 6 pm. Click here for an announcement. Free copies of the EIR are available at 250 Frank Ogawa Plaza, Suite 3315 or at on line here. For more information contact Elois Thornton at 238.6284 or email here.
If you want to voice your support for expeditiously implementing the Measure DD Lake Merritt improvements, this is a good place to say so! If you can't make this meeting, but want the City to know that you want to get on with this project, email me!
Wednesday, February 13: F.M. Smith Park Advisory Council 2008 Kick-Off
Meeting
Do you love the F.M. Smith Park and Recreation Center? Do you want it to be even better? If so, come to the meeting from 6:30 pm to 8:00 pm at 1969 Park Blvd. Topics include status of the recreation center, parks for peace, and action plan. For more information or to RSVP, contact Recreation Center Director Lois Gomes at 867-0701 or email here.
Friday, February 15: Friends
of Oakland Animal Shelter Hosting SWEET! A Valentine Celebration for Oakland’s
Animals, an evening of sweet treats, sweet stories and sweet hearts of
the Oakland Animal Shelter
Come enjoy live music, a delicious dessert bar, wine & drinks, a silent auction, and inspirational stories at the First Unitarian Church of Oakland, located at 685 14th St (BART accessible, limited street parking available and parking garages), from 7:00 pm to 11 pm. Tickets are $10-30 sliding scale. Purchase tickets here or mail payment by check to: SWEET! Tickets, P.O. Box 3132, Oakland, CA 94609. Tickets will be held under your name at the door. More information here.
February 21: 9th Annual Oakland/San Leandro Adult & Youth Job Fair
Looking for a job? If you're out of work or want to find a better job, come to the job fair on Thursday, February 21, from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., at the Oakland/Alameda County McAfee Coliseum. Click here for the flyer.
Saturday, February 23: Working Together to Improve Communication and Accountability
in Maintaining Parks and Open Space
9:00 am – 11:00 am on Saturday, February 23. Sailboat House in Lakeside Park at 568 Bellevue Ave – Refreshments - Click here for a flyer.
The Oakland Parks Coalition, Friends of Oakland Parks and Recreation, and the San Francisco Neighborhood Parks Council will host this facilitated workshop to collect ideas from park users on how they would like to be able to report and track park maintenance issues. The Public Works Agency currently is implementing an agency wide works-management system. This workshop will be used to solicit ideas and brainstorm with parks users. Information from this workshop will be incorporated into the design of the system. Now is the time to provide input.
If you drive, let the parking attendant at the entrance kiosk on Bellevue know that you will be attending the Working Together for Oakland Parks workshop at the Sailboat House and the parking fee will be waived.
Saturday, February 23: Auction of fine bonsai and related material
- 2:00 pm - 4:00 pm and a sale on Sunday, to support the Golden State
Bonsai Collection-North, Lakeside Park Gardens
The auction runs from 2:00 pm to 4:00 pm on Saturday. There is also a sale on Sunday, to support the Golden State Bonsai Collection-North, Lakeside Park Gardens
Sunday, February 24: Kathy Shaner, Curator and Master Bonsai artist, will
be demonstrating bonsai techniques at the Lakeside Garden Center
The event will be held at 666 Bellevue, from 12 noon to 3:30 pm. The Golden State Bonsai Collection-North presents a lecture-demonstration at the bonsai garden at Lake Merritt on the 4th Sunday of every month at the Gardens, which is the permanent home of over 100 outstanding bonsai trees and suiseki, mostly by California artists. For more information on the Garden, go here, then click on Collections.
Throughout February:
Events at Lakeview Branch Library
There are many exciting events this month, and every month, at the Lakeview Branch Library, located at 550 El Embarcadero. Click here to see their upcoming events. For a pdf listing of the library's February events, click here.
Black History Month
Highlights at the Oakland Public Library
Throughout the month of February, in celebration of Black History Month, the Oakland Public Library and the African American Museum and Library at Oakland (AAMLO) will host exhibits, poetry readings, author talks, cooking demonstrations, and performances that highlight African American culture. Admission to all events is free. Click here for a listing of events.
Throughout February: Calendar of Community Volunteer Events hosted by
City of Oakland’s Public Works
Throughout February: Calendar of Community Volunteer Events hosted by City of Oakland’s Public Works. Come out and get to know your neighbors. Plant seeds, do community clean-up, and engage in fun landscaping! Click here for more on the calendar of events.
…And
coming in early March…
Two Community Meetings Regarding Zoning in the Downtown (Central Business
District) including the Western Edge of Lake Merritt
Progress has been made on the Zoning Study for the perimeter of Lake Merritt, initiated last year by City of Oakland Planning Staff at the request of Councilmembers Kernighan and Nadel, to address community concerns regarding future development around the lake. The next steps in this process include community workshops on March 1 and 17, 2008 (see details below) to get your feedback.
You may recall that the Zoning Study was initiated after a community meeting in January 2007 and included a community workshop on April 28, 2007. Information gathered from these two meetings has been considered by Planning Staff in developing preliminary zoning proposals to regulate future development. This phase of studying zoning proposals for the western edge of Lake Merritt dovetails with the on-going citywide effort to update all of the City of Oakland’s planning and zoning districts to make them consistent with the General Plan.
At this time, the City is seeking community input on proposed zoning regulations regarding height, intensity, density, uses, and other development standards for the City’s downtown area or “Central Business District”, which includes the western edge of Lake Merritt. The Central Business District (CBD) is the area generally bounded by 23rd Street to the north, I-980 and I-880 to the east and south respectively, and the western edge of Lake Merritt and the Estuary (as outlined in red on the map).
Please join us at one or both of the community workshops:
Saturday, March 1, 2008: Community Meeting #1 – Central Business District (CBD) Zoning: Height, Intensity and Density of Development – Veterans Memorial Building (Downtown Senior Center), 200 Grand Ave (between Harrison and Bay Place) – 1:00 pm – 3:30 pm. The purpose of this meeting is to present and discuss proposals for height, intensity and density of development for various areas within the CBD, including the downtown (western) edge of Lake Merritt.
Monday, March 17, 2008: Community Meeting #2 – Central Business District Zoning (CBD): Uses and Development Standards – Location TBA – 6:30 pm – 9:00 pm. This meeting will focus on discussing regulations regarding allowed uses and development standards for the proposed zones for the Central Business District, including downtown (western) edge of Lake Merritt.
Click here for the The Lake Merritt Zoning Study web page about the announcement regarding the March 1 and 17 CBD meetings.
Dear Neighbors,
Crime continues to be the number one concern of everyone I hear from. It affects everything, from the ability to enjoy our own neighborhoods and have a sense of peace and security in our own homes, to the ability of businesses to thrive. Basically, it threatens the success of anything else we do that is otherwise making Oakland an attractive place to live.
I continue to hear from angry residents who want results, not excuses, from their City leaders. The message is coming through loud and clear, not only to me, but to everybody else in City Hall and OPD. So this is to say, I get it. Crime reduction has already been my primary concern and focus, but I agree that our efforts thus far haven't really made a dent in the problem, so I will redouble my efforts and try some new approaches.
For those of you who would like to know more about what is going on in our own Council district with regard to public safety and what the Police Department is doing, I am going to host a community meeting in three weeks with some commanders from OPD to speak to you. When I firm up a date according their schedules, I will email an announcement next week.
I've written in more detail about these issues before, but just to highlight some of the areas I/we are working on: hiring more police officers, which includes attracting more qualified applicants, reducing the drop-out rate in the Academy, running concurrent Academies, increasing the number of Field Training Officers (a bottleneck to getting new recruits on the street), incentivizing older officers to stay on the force after age 50; civilianizing more positions in OPD so more sworn officers are on the street instead of behind a desk (this issue now in labor arbitration); getting more investigators (perhaps arranging for assistance from State Department of Justice). Improving the effectiveness of law enforcement is a key part of the solution, but other approaches are going to be necessary as well. I will keep you posted on next steps.
Neighborhood Retail - How can the community impact the selection of stores?
Often I hear from people who have the impression that the City is in control of choosing the stores that go into our shopping districts (which is not the case). Many want the community to have a voice in the selection of retail stores. Below I address the regulatory and political aspects of those issues, and suggest ways that the community can help shape the development of our neighborhood retail areas.
I encourage you to read a very informative article written by Grandlake resident Ken Katz which was recently posted on www.grandlakeguardian.org. The article was prompted by two recent vacancies on Lakeshore (See's Candies and Gap Kids). Ken gives some very interesting history on the community's past involvement in recruiting stores to Lakeshore and suggestions for re-kindling that sort of proactive work to improve our neighborhood shopping areas. You can also chime in with your comments online. Below, I am offering some comments of my own, as well as information on the regulatory framework that influences what stores go in to a neighborhood shopping area.
City Zoning: Can the City veto a particular store?
Generally speaking, no. As a legal matter, the right to rent to a particular store belongs to the property owner, subject to the zoning requirements of the City. Our neighborhood shopping areas are zoned with various commercial designations, such as C-20 (Lakeshore and E. 18th), C-30 (Grand), C-40 (Eastlake area) and C-51 (Chinatown). Each zone lists the activities that are permitted outright, and those that are prohibited or require a Conditional Use Permit. Each of the above commercial zones permit "general retail." Under the general retail category, Oakland's zoning law does not distinguish between a 99 cent store and a fancy boutique--they're both general retail and they're both permitted. So, the short story is that it is not within the City's power to force a property owner to rent to a particular store or to stop him/her from renting to a particular store (as long as it is not a specially regulated category like a liquor or tobacco store).How Can the Community have a Say?
Since the real decision-maker about the tenant is the owner of the property, the community's best bet is to communicate its desires directly to the property owner. (This is what happened in the case of Trader Joe's on Lakeshore.) Other helpful partners are associations of merchants or property owners, such as the Business Improvement District on Lakeshore or the Lake Merritt Business Association on E. 18th Street/lower Park Blvd. If the owner knows what kind of stores the area residents would like to patronize, it is probably in his economic interest to cooperate in that vision. An organized group of residents can also affirmatively recruit a particular retailer to pursue a location in their area. This was done quite successfully in past years on Lakeshore Avenue and recently on Grand, as Ken Katz points out in his article. The ideal approach is to take a survey to objectively gauge the desires of the community, decide on the goals, and then work with both the property owners and desired stores to make it happen. This all works much better as a long-term, pro-active plan rather than a last minute effort when a vacancy suddenly pops up. It takes organization and commitment by a least a small group of residents to coordinate the effort. I will host a community meeting in March to bring together folks who would like to get started on this.
Opportunities to help OUSD students
My former scheduler Kathy Dwyer now volunteers much of her time assisting at the Lockwood Community of Schools in East Oakland. As with most of the Oakland schools there is a huge need for volunteers to help tutor, read to students, assist in classrooms, drive on field trips. The list goes on. Kathy has a Tuesday afternoon homework club that needs tutors and is always looking for people to help drive and/or chaperone on field trips.Partnerships are forming with Lockwood. Hillcrest School in Oakland came in one Saturday to help plant daffodil bulbs and beautify the campus. Also, the holidays were made brighter for many of the students when Hillcrest, Windemere Ranch Middle School and Dougherty Valley High School in San Ramon all held toy drives for the Lockwood Community. Hundreds of toys were collected and distributed during the month of December.
If you find you have a few hours to share with the Lockwood students please contact Kathy here or 510-459-8335.
Another very worthwhile organization also seeking volunteers is Faith Network of the East Bay. This group mobilizes individuals and organizations to invest their time and other resources to improve the whole health of children and families of the East Bay.
They are currently assisting students at Lakeview Elementary School in District 2 and three other Oakland schools. The program days and times are listed below.
Lakeview Elementary
Mondays 10:30 am -11:30 am and 1:45 pm - 2:45 pm, Wednesdays 9:50 am -10:50 am and 10:30 am -11:30 am, and Thursdays 10:30 am -11:30 am and 1:55 pm - 2:35 pm.
Laurel Elementary
Excel Reading Clinic - Tuesdays 9:45 am -10:45 am and Wednesdays 8:45 am - 9:45 am.
After- School Program tutors - homework helpers are needed for the after-school program that meets on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays,. 2:45 pm - 6:00 pm and Wednesdays, 1:30 pm - 4:30 pm.
Burckhalter Elementary
Excel Reading Clinic - Tuesdays 10:50 am -11:30 am, 12:30 pm -1:15 pm and 1:30 pm -2:15 pm.
Emerson Elementary
Excel Reading Clinic - Tuesdays 10:45 am - 11:40 am and Thursdays 10:45 pm -11:40 pm.
If you are interested in volunteering at one of these schools, please contact Chelsea Boniak here or (510) 836-5100. You will need to register, be fingerprinted (they will pay for the cost of the LiveScan), and have a current TB test on file.
I encourage each of you to consider offering a few hours to help a child. The rewards to the child and to you will be tremendous.
Another great way to contribute to your local community is by volunteering with OASES, the Oakland Asian Students Educational Services. Serving the Oakland community for more than 20 years, OASES provides after-school tutoring and mentoring to students in grades 1-12. Accompanied by OASES staff/instructors, OASES is looking for volunteers for our QUEST and RISE program.QUEST - located at Cleveland Elementary School
Address: 745 Cleveland Street, Oakland, CA 94606Choose from any day of the week: Monday - Friday 2:30 pm – 6:30 pm; and on Wednesday early-release 1:30 pm – 6:30 pm
RISE - located at Westlake Middle School
Address: 2629 Harrison Street, Oakland, CA 94612Choose from one of these days: Monday, Tuesday or Thursday 3:00 pm – 6:00 pm; or Wednesday 2:15 pm – 4:45 pm
If you are interested in volunteering at one of these after-school programs, please contact An Nguyen here or (510) 891-9928, ext. 13.
More Ideas from the Grand Lake Traffic Calming Committee
Last month we presented a proposal from the Grand Lake Traffic Calming Committee (GLTCC), a group of neighborhood residents who have been working traffic issues, for improvement to the Lake Park/Lakeshore intersection. We received only a few comments in response to the proposal. The GLTCC has since met with City engineers from the Transportation Services Division (TSD) to discuss both the specific intersection improvement, but also additional ideas such as changing northbound Lakeshore at Lake Park to include two left turn lanes and also some improvements to the Lakeshore/MacArthur Blvd. intersection. TSD has agreed to convene a half-day workshop with GLTCC to discuss the details of all their proposals. An article that details the GLTCC ideas, along with design plans, is posted here. We encourage you to read the article and post your comments in the space available below the article. We will make sure that the TSD engineers receive those comments. It is helpful for TSD to hear from wider segment of community members when they are evaluating proposals from specific community groups.
Renovation Underway of Lakeside Park Gardens
Some very exciting developments are taking place at the Gardens at Lakeside Park. The Gardens are located inside the fence behind the Lakeside Garden Center at 666 Bellevue Avenue. There are many gardens located here and include composting demonstrations and the a large collection of Vireya. Volunteers working alongside Public Works gardeners maintain the gardens. In the last couple of years, the Sensory Garden has been completely renovated thanks to the dedication, gardening and fundraising of volunteers. Just getting started is the creation of a Mediterranean Garden, led by the same stalwart volunteers.
The Sensory Garden, formerly known as the Herb and Fragrance Garden, has been totally transformed based on the design of landscape architect, Tricia Christopher, and the work of volunteers. The garden features drought tolerant, Mediterranean and native plants providing fragrance, sound and varied textures. The design aims to appeal to those who are blind and wheel-chair bound for which the garden was originally built. A beautiful water feature by Paul Cowley, of Potomac Waterworks, provides attractive sound and sense of movement.
This exceptional garden is maintained exclusively by volunteers. Volunteers meet on the third Saturday of every month from 9:30 to noon. During the summer months beginning in April, they meet every Tuesday evening from 5:30 to 7:30 pm. For information or to volunteer, email here.
Planning for a new Mediterranean Garden is underway. This unique garden will showcase Mediterranean-climate plants appropriate for the Oakland climate. It will have five “color palette” combinations to show how low-water use plants can be used in home gardens. Restoration of the historic Easterbrook Fountain, given to the City of Oakland in 1914, is the centerpiece of the project. Landscape architect Tricia Christopher has developed an outstanding plan for this garden. To date, trees have been removed, ditches dug and renovation of the fountain has begun. As soon as the ground dries, there will be a ground-breaking. To get involved in the beginning of this exciting project, e-mail here.
The Golden State Bonsai Collection-North at the Gardens is the permanent home of over 100 outstanding bonsai trees and suiseki, mostly by California artists. The Golden State Bonsai Collection-North presents a lecture-demonstration at the bonsai garden at Lake Merritt on the fourth Sunday of every month. For more information go here and click on Collections.Click here to see the plan.