www.patkernighan.com | Volume 2, Issue 3| March 2006

Albertsons Community Policing Resource Center
Above: Community Policing Resource Center opens at Albertsons on E.18th Street (far right)


PUBLIC SAFETY CRISIS AND MY RESPONSE

Many of you have been following closely the (very slow) implementation of Measure Y, which was supposed to increase our police force from 723 to 802 officers, as well as provide violence prevention programs. In the past few months public frustration has been building over the slow pace of hiring and training new police recruits. Many of you have been diligently posting ideas on the PSA3 (Police Service Area 3) Yahoo site about how to increase police presence in your neighborhoods. At the same time, I have been advocating internally in the City for many of those same ideas, such as bringing back officers assigned to the airport, redeployment of existing officers, and beefing up recruiting efforts.

The situation reached a boiling point last week with the recent upsurge in violent crimes. This coincided with the report on Measure Y implementation going before the City Council's Public Safety Committee last Tuesday. I am a member of the Public Safety Committee and I seized this opportunity to voice the frustration and outrage that I have been hearing from my constituents. Public safety is the first obligation of City government and the City has not been doing enough to keep people safe. Our city needs more police officers and the police department needs to work more efficiently. The crime level has become a crisis and we can no longer respond with "business as usual."

I made a motion, which was passed by the full Committee, to 1) re-deploy existing officers from desk jobs to street patrol in the neighborhoods, 2) to bring back at least 15 officers now working at the airport, and 3) to expedite the recruiting and training effort and allocate more resources to do so. My motion also asked that the City resume publishing the Area Commanders Weekly Report to provide residents and Councilmembers with year-to-date and beat-by-beat crime information. The other Committee members shared these concerns and supported my call to action. The following day the Mayor and the Police Chief held a press conference announcing that they were implementing plans to do basically just what I and the other members of the Public Safety Committee had demanded.

The City Council will further discuss the issue of hiring police officers and implementing Measure Y at the City Council meetings on Tuesday, March 7 and March 21. The discussion of non-ceremonial items begins at 7pm. If you feel strongly about this issue, I urge you to attend the meetings.

For more information about the implementation of Measure Y, download the thorough report here.

Also, here is a link to the Oakland Tribune article that reported on the crime surge and the Mayor's new directive:
http://www.insidebayarea.com/search/ci_3561622.

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TOWNHALL MEETING TO DISCUSS SITE OF FORMER ALBERTSONS STORE

I know that everyone is eager to know what is happening with the closed Albertsons store on Lakeshore. The answer: Nothing yet. The lease owners are still in a holding pattern while they talk with various parties, so the store will probably remain vacant for at least a few more months.

This is disappointing news to me and the hundreds of people who are clamoring for a Trader Joe's or other quality food store. To date, nearly six hundred residents have signed my petition to bring a quality food store to Lakeshore Avenue. Three quarters of the responses indicated a first choice of Trader Joe's. I have advocated for the community's vision with both the lease owner and the ground owner. I have also urged tenants the community has expressed an interest in to consider Lakeshore as a site for a new store. Unfortunately, the economic considerations for the property owners are the controlling factor. With the current lease in force, we are not likely to get the kind of tenant we want. I am encouraging the owners of the property rights (land and lease) to negotiate some kind of changed relationship so that there is more economic flexibility with what to do with the store.

In the meantime, I will host a townhall meeting so the community has an opportunity to publicly discuss ideas, concerns and options for the Albertsons site. I have invited the holders of the lease for the Albertsons store to let them hear directly from you. I will inform all of you of the date, time, and location of the meeting as soon as I have received confirmation from all parties.

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MARCH 28TH, 6:30 PM – SPECIAL CITY COUNCIL WORKSHOP ON POLICY ISSUES RELATED TO THE OAK TO NINTH AVENUE MIXED USE DEVELOPMENT PROPOSAL

I have arranged for the City Council to set aside its entire March 28th meeting to discuss the policy issues related to the Oak to Ninth Avenue Mixed Use Development Proposal. A proposal of this magnitude and location -- 65 acres on the waterfront proposed for 3100 new residential units -- deserves thoughtful consideration of the policy issues it raises before the Council makes a final determination. The meeting will allow Council members to weigh in on such issues as the amount of the site to be covered with buildings; the amount of affordable housing required, whether on-site or off-site; the amount of waterfront open space for public access, and the timing of its development relative to housing development; as well as other considerations. Shortly before the meeting, you will be able to find a staff report on-line (go to www.oaklandnet.com, click on Oak to Ninth Project at the bottom of the Events column).

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KWIKWAY DEVELOPMENT UPDATE

I reported a few months ago on the community planning process undertaken for the Kwikway/Serenader site on Lakepark Avenue. That process was led by local developers Dave Latina and Michael Simmons, with the help of architect Kava Massih and Facilitator Susan Lubeck. After a series of meetings with Grandlake community members, they came up with a conceptual plan for a mixed use development on the site that would include 3 floors of housing units above ground floor retail, with a small interior parking lot. Unfortunately, after all their good work, the project hit a dead-end. The property owner has withdrawn his participation and is now negotiating to sell the property to another developer.

I spoke with the potential buyer and told him of the community’s expectation for the site based on the planning sessions. I also told him that to get my support he would need to propose a project essentially within the parameters of the earlier planning process. He was agreeable to that. I will keep you posted when I hear more news.

I want to thank Dave Latina, Michael Simmons and their working partners for their excellent work in engaging the community. I want to applaud them for raising the bar for the level of outreach and dialog our community expects from a developer.

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APRIL CITY COUNCIL MEETING TO CONSIDER PROPOSED LAKE MERRITT PARK IMPROVEMENTS

12th Street Dam
Existing 12th Street dam and culverts to be eliminated and replaced
with bridge, landscaped boulevard, and four acres of new green space.

Two recent Townhall meetings called by Councilmember Nancy Nadel and me to present in detail the three Lake Merritt park improvement projects – 12th Street, Lakeshore Avenue/El Embarcadero, and the Municipal Boat House and Lakeside Drive Park – attracted more than 160 residents. I was heartened to hear the support for the 12th Street project. Many commenters share my enthusiasm for transforming the neglected south end of the lake, which is separated from the Kaiser Convention Center and Oakland Museum by a 12-lane two block long freeway, into a useful and enjoyable attraction for all Oaklanders that is pedestrian and bicycle friendly. While there is a lot of support for the major components of the park renovation, we also heard strong objection to the proposed location of the consolidated parking lot and new restroom on the north side of the Municipal Boat House, concerns about the proposed reduction on Lakeshore Avenue from four travel lanes to two lanes with left-turn pockets and bicycle lanes, and a few other aspects of the projects.

To enable those who wish to raise their concerns on the proposed improvements to the full City Council, a time at a forthcoming Council meeting, most likely in April, will be set in the coming week. I will e-mail an announcement of the date.

A further note: the three Tree Removal Permits, one for each of the three Lake Merritt park improvement projects, are likely to be issued in the next week or so, starting a five-day appeal period. I will send out an e-mail announcement immediately with information regarding the process for appeal of a tree permit.

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COMMUNITY POLICING RESOURCE OFFICE OPENS AT E.18TH STREET ALBERTSONS

For the last eight months, residents have been enjoying shopping at the recently renovated Albertsons store on E.18th Street, next to the Lake Merritt Bakery. During the planning process, I ensured that the new building would have an office where police officers could write their reports so that they could be closer to the community. This week, the Community Policing Resource office opened up under the leadership of Lt. Edward Tracey. Problem Solving Officer Scott Wong, who replaced Officer Randy White in February, will be working there along with members of the Crime Reduction Team (CRT) and other patrol officers. The frequent presence of police officers should deter much of the unsavory activity that has plagued the store parking lot and surrounding area.

Residents and neighbors should still continue to call 911 in emergency situations (777-3211 from a cell phone) and 777-3333 in non-emergency situations, as the E.18th Resource Office will not be a location for filing reports or reporting crime. The office will function as a staging area for police operations and will ensure that officers working in PSA3 (where District 2 is located) can patrol PSA3 neighborhoods and conduct operations more efficiently and frequently.

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THE WAVE OF THE FUTURE:
LEAVE YOUR CAR BEHIND AND ENJOY A FERRY RIDE ACROSS THE BAY

If you drive to work now, you know the traffic is getting worse. The wave of the future is a regional ferry system designed for travelers to skip the gridlocked highways and cruise across a traffic free bay from most points in the Bay Area. That’s the mission of a new regional agency – the San Francisco Bay Area Water Transit Authority.

We Oaklanders are lucky. We have our very own ferry service access right on our doorstep in Jack London Square .Why not give it a try? The Blue and Gold Ferry operates weekday commute and weekend and holiday service to the San Francisco Ferry Terminal. It’s easy ….

Free Parking! Park on level 3 or above at the parking lot across from Jack London Theatres at Washington and Embarcadero. Take the parking ticket with you to validate onboard.

  • Convenient and Relaxing! Hop aboard the ferry at the foot of Clay and Embarcadero in Jack London Square and enjoy a short 25-minute ride across the bay
  • Its Cheaper than Driving! Buy a ticket on board ($5.50 one way; $11 round trip) with cash or credit card and validate parking ticket.
  • Easy Transit Connections! Every ferry ticket comes with an attached AC Transit bus transfer allowing ferry riders free AC Bus ridership to and from Clay Street (Jack London Square). If you buy a book of ferry tickets (10, 20 or 40 tickets), which comes with a discount, you also get free SF MUNI transfers. Transfers are valid on MUNI buses, trolleys and light rail with no surcharge.

ENJOY THE RIDE!! READ, PLUG IN YOUR LAPTOP! OR JUST ENJOY THE SCENERY!

For more information on the Oakland- Alameda Ferry service schedules, go to www.watertransit.org.

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AN OAKTOWNER’S HOT SPOTS

A recent article in the San Francisco Chronicle about a recent District 2 college grad Francesca Serrano’s 11 favorite places in Oakland, and, guess what?, all of which are either in or close to the boundaries of the district. Click here to check it out!

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