Enter the Dragons: Kick-off event at the Vietnamese Tet Festival at Clinton Park
UPCOMING EVENTS
Mar 3: Dedication of Renovated Pergola at Lake Merritt
Mar 3: CPR Training
Mar 4: Take Back the Night! Turn on Your Lights!Mar 6: City Council Will Hear Upper Lakeshore Lane Re-striping Proposal
Mar 7: Financial Literacy and Education Fair
Mar 12: North Lake Traffic Calming & Safety Committee
Mar 17: District 2 / District 3 Meeting of Inclusionary Housing Blue Ribbon Commission
Mar 23: Eastside Arts Alliance Ribbon Cutting CeremonyMar 28: Oakland Merchants Leadership Forum Monthly Meeting
And Coming in Early April...April 2: Mayor Dellums and Oakland Parks and Recreation Community Meeting
April 18 (but application due March 15): City of Oakland 13th Annual Earth Expo Exhibitor Invitation
April 28: Second Community Meeting on the Future of High Rises Around Lake Merritt
REPORTS
City Sues Oakland Housing Authority
Status Report on Measure DD Projects
Honoring Nancy Strange for Her Many Years of Service to the Grandlake Neighborhood
New Chinatown Sub-station Officer, Officer Dan Ming
District 2 Requests for Traffic Calming, Pedestrian Safety and Road and Sidewalk ImprovementsUpdate on Parking at Trader Joe’s Site
Poll Results on Fatburger Proposal at Kwikway Site
Barbary Lane Communities to Open LGBT-friendly Senior Housing at Former Historic Lake Merritt Hotel
UPCOMING EVENTS
Mar 3: Dedication of Renovated Pergola at Lake Merritt
The event will be held on March 3, 11 am, at the El Embarcadero across from Lakeview Library. Celebration sponsors Councilmembers Pat Kernighan and Nancy Nadel will be joined by Valerie Garry, President of Oakland Heritage Alliance and Naomi Schiff, Measure DD Community Coalition, for cake and entertainment by the Oakland School for the Arts choir. The renovation was funded by Measure DD.
March 3 will be Preparedness Saturday and the American Red Cross, Bay Area Chapter is offering free CPR Training in 3 languages. You will learn Adult CPR, rescue breathing, care for choking victims and how to better prepare yourself and your family for disasters.
English classes will be offered at Acts Full Gospel Church
Call 1-800-520-5433 for information in English.
Spanish classes will be offered at Patton College.
Call 510-595-4429 for information in Spanish
Chinese classes will only be offered in San Francisco at Galileo Academy of Science & Technology, 1150 Francisco St., SF. Call 415-427-8911 for more information in Chinese
Registration begans on February 3, for online registration go to www.redcrossbayarea.org. Click here to see the flyer.
Mar 4: Take Back the Night!
Turn on Your Lights!
The event at the Pine Knoll Park (intersection of Lakeshore Ave & Hanover) has been rescheduled for 7:00 to 8 PM (previously scheduled for Feb), Sunday March 4.
Why: Gather together as Neighbors to Create a Safer Community
Who: Residents of this Neighborhood Concerned about Crime
What: Hear Speakers, See a Self-Defense Demo and Win a
Women's Basic Class from IMPACT Bay Area (Worth $495)
with a Raffle Ticket. Tickets are available now. (See below.)
Bring and Wear: Warm clothes, flashlight and umbrella if raining
For more information, or to purchase raffle ticket, email Susan Kay Gilbert.
Mar
6: City Council Will Hear Upper Lakeshore Lane Re-striping Proposal
Last Tuesday (February 27) the proposal to reduce the number of lanes from two travel lanes to one in each direction with an additional continuous turning lane and to install bicycle lanes on upper Lakeshore Avenue between Mandana Blvd and Harvard and Winsor was heard by the City Council’s Public Works Committee. For more information about the proposal click here to see previous newsletter article on the topic.
Councilmember Kernighan indicated her support for the proposal in last month’s e-newsletter. She also supported the issue when it came before the Public Works Committee. Neighborhood residents on both sides of the issue turned out to speak at the Committee meeting earlier this week. The Committee voted unanimously to pass the item on to the full City Council. The item was placed on the calendar for the next City Council meeting on Tuesday, March 6. It will be heard between 6:00-7:00 p.m. next Tuesday, as consent Item #S10.9CC. Note, the item # S10.9CC must be referenced on your speaker’s card. Consent items are called between 6:00-7:00 p.m.
A speaker's card may be submitted in advance online here or just before the beginning of the meeting itself. More information on the Council’s updated agenda for the next meeting is available at the City Clerk's webpage – after 12:00 p.m. on Friday afternoons here.
The City Council meeting is held in Council Chambers, 3rd Floor, City Hall.
Mar 7: Financial Literacy
and Education Fair
The fair will be presented by Making Connections Oakland from 4 to 7 pm at Garfield School on March 7. Click here for the flyer. For more information, contact Denisha DeLane at 510.763.4120, ext. 204 or ddelane@ncdinet.org.
Mar 12: North Lake Traffic Calming & Safety Committee
Does the intersection of Lakeshore Avenue at MacArthur and Lakepark Avenue make you crazy? Join Councilmember Pat Kernighan and the members of this long-standing committee to discuss the on-going problems at this intersection. We will discuss all aspects of this difficult intersection, including pedestrian/car conflicts and cars blocking the intersection at MacArthur.
If you are concerned with issues of traffic in the Lakeshore/Grand Lake area, you are invited to attend the next community meeting on March 12. The meeting will be held at the Grand Lake Neighborhood Center, 530 Lake Park Ave, beginning at 6:00 pm. To be added to the group’s e-mail list, please send your contact information to Jerry Cauthen @ Cautn1@aol.com. The agenda for the next meeting will include among other topics: Lakeshore/Lake Park Sidewalk widening, traffic signaling issues, the status of the upper Lakeshore traffic calming project, the status of the Lakeshore/MacArthur Intersection improvements and an update of the development of the former Albertson’s site.
Mar 17: District 2 Meeting of Inclusionary Housing Blue Ribbon Commission
The Inclusionary Housing Blue Ribbon Commission for District 2 will be held on March 17, Saturday, from 10 to noon, at the Franklin Recreational Center, 1010 East 15th St, Oakland. Come and seize the opportunity for community input on isues of inclusionary zoning and condo conversion. Click here or contact the Secretary to the Commission, Jean Rubsamen, at (510) 238-4906 or jrubsamen@oaklandnet.com
Mar 23: Eastside Arts Alliance Ribbon Cutting Ceremony
Come to the Eastside Arts Center, located at 2277 International Blvd, from 4 to 7 pm, March 23, for the celebration! See here for flyer.
Mar 28: Oakland Merchants Leadership Forum Monthly Meeting
The Oakland Merchants Leadership Forum invites all business association leaders, business owners and neighborhood leaders to their meetings held every 4th Wednesday of the month, 8:30 – 10am, at City Hall, Hearing Room 4 (upstairs). This month’s meeting will be held March 28, and the expected speakers will be Victor Ochoa and Dan Lindheim from the Mayor's office, economic development department. For more information you can contact them at omlf@omlf.org or (510) 663-0653.
OMLF Mission: Improving the quality of life for Oakland's residents and small businesses by strengthening neighborhood commercial districts through organizing and leadership development, resource sharing, advocacy and joint marketing and promotion.
Your voice is important. If you can’t make the above meeting, please try to send a representative for your district.
Coffee, snacks, and validated parking (at city lots only) are provided.
April 2: Mayor Dellums and Oakland Parks and Recreation Community Meeting
Mayor Ron Dellums and the Oakland Parks and Recreation are hosting a community meeting at Lincoln Square Park for District 2 on Monday, April 2, 2007 from 6:30 to 8 pm. One of the main topics of this forum will focus on "Quality of Life" issues and what the Office of Parks and Recreation can do to improve the quality of life for residents.
Stay tuned for more details ...
April 18 (but application due March 15): City of Oakland 13th Annual Earth
Expo Exhibitor Invitation
This event will be held on Wednesday, April 18, 10am – 2pm at Frank Ogawa Plaza and they are looking for exhibitors who want to tell their story and how it connects to Oakland as a model sustainable city. “The Sustainable Urban Environment” theme has seven thematic elements: Energy, Waste Reduction, Urban Design, Urban Nature, Transportation, Environmental Health, and Water. This is a way to promote your business or organization to a key audience: Oakland’s downtown workforce, business and government decisionmakers, and community leaders. For more information or to receive an Exhibitor Application, contact David Finacom @ (510) 238-7694 or dfinacom@oaklandnet.com Final application deadline is March 15.
April 28: Second Community Meeting on the Future of High Rises Around
Lake Merritt
Meeting time, location and agenda to be announced. Watch for more in the April issue of E-News.
REPORTS
City Sues Oakland Housing Authority
This month City Attorney John Russo filed a lawsuit against the Oakland Housing Authority (OHA) for failure to maintain the physical condition of their many buildings throughout Oakland and to keep them free of criminal activity and nuisance activities. For as long as I’ve been working in this Council office, the OHA’s “scattered sites,” have been the source of constant complaints from their neighbors. The scattered sites are small apartment buildings, usually from 4 to 8 units, which do not have on-site management. There are at least 48 of these buildings in Council District 2. I have worked actively with OHA over the past year and a half to find a way to improve the management of these sites, and despite some effort on their part, little has changed. It is my hope that this lawsuit will provide the leverage needed to convince OHA management and their Board that fundamental changes are necessary in the way they do business.Below is a brief article by John Russo about the lawsuit and the problems it is attempting to address.
Everyone Deserves A Decent Place to Live
By John Russo
Recently, the City of Oakland filed an unusual lawsuit –a public nuisance lawsuit against the Oakland Housing Authority (OHA). OHA properties are where people who have fallen on hard times and require ‘last resort’ housing need to live. The Oakland Housing Authority is one of Oakland’s largest landlords with over 3300 apartments provided for low-income tenants. The conditions at these buildings are deplorable and must be improved for the sake of those tenants andfor the good of our neighborhoods.Years were spent negotiating with the OHA regarding the problems -- continuous and unabated criminal activity (including but not limited to drug sales, drug possession and prostitution), housing code violations, unsafe living spaces, accumulation of garbage, dirt, debris, rodents and insects infestations. Scores of community meetings were held where neighbors described the atrocious conditions surrounding some of the OHA sites and City Council members received complaints from tenants who were fed up with the ineffective OHA staff. Finally, after exhausting all the options to work with OHA to get properties fixed, City Council members decided that litigation was the only means left to bringreliefto the community and solve the chronic issues.
Many of the OHA properties were built between 1938 and 1984 and are now at least thirty-five years old. Of the over 3300 apartment units under the control of OHA, 1615 of those are at 254 “scattered sites“. These units are nearly half of OHA’s housing stock do not have on-site managers. The lack of effective on-site management, or any on-site management, has compounded the problems atOHA properties.The hard truth is that OHA has failed to manage its properties responsibly and has allowed nuisance activity to go unabated for years. In one instance, a singlemother of two was moved to a site in East Oakland where, due to the drug dealing, the safety of the tenants was so precarious the OHA staff person hired to act as facility manager only stayed at the building for one week.
There can be no argument that the current federal administration has under funded public housing over the past five years. But the fact that the Authority continues to purchase new properties in a practice of “land banking” refutes their claim to have no money for the repairs and management of the existing sites. In fact, it is not a question of resources, but more a question of OHA priorities which clearly favors purchasing new properties with federal HOPE VI funds with non-profit developers over regular maintenance, management and repair of existing housing.We don’t bring a lawsuit against a fellow agency lightly. It is our hope that through this action the management and staff of the Oakland Housing Authority will begin serious negotiations to rectify the code compliance and management problems at their sites. We can’t shrink from our responsibilities to the tenants and neighbors in Oakland. Everyone, regardless of income or station in life, deserves safe, sanitary and habitable housing. We hope to resolve this issue with the Oakland Housing Authority quickly. It’s in our collective interest to work together for the public good.
Status
Report on Measure DD Projects
The Measure DD bond measure passed in November 2002, and many of us are anxiously awaiting the renovation projects slated around Lake Merritt. Several of the smaller projects are completed or underway:
• The Pergola renovation is complete and will be dedicated on March 3.
• New filtration systems have been installed at several of the inlets to the Lake reducing the amount of trash that enters the Lake.
• A new aeration was installed in the Glen Echo arm of the Lake and a new power supply provided for the existing fountain near the Pergola. These fountains help add oxygen to the water.
• A new fire protection pipeline and hydrants are currently being installed in Lakeside Park to help protect Fairyland, the Garden Center and the Sailboat House.
• Fairyland is making great progress on its Puppet Theater and other improvements.
• The Municipal Boathouse historic renovation is under construction, as you can see when you walk by. It will be a very beautiful public space when it is finished, about a year from now.The centerpiece Lake project is the “12th Street” re-do, which will completely change the south end of the Lake, adding green space and above ground pedestrian crossings, eliminating the mini-freeway in favor of a tree-lined boulevard (3 lanes each way),and opening up the Channel to flow under a new bridge. It is completely designed and engineered, and in fact went out to bid already. Unfortunately, the one bid received was millions over the estimated budget. The City plans to re-bid the project later. The other source of delay on the 12th Street project is the lawsuit filed against the City by several residents that seeks to prohibit the removal of trees. Hopefully, that will be resolved by the end of 2007, and the City can proceed to bid the work. For more detailed information, you can check in periodically at the Measure DD website here.
Honoring Nancy Strange for Her Many Years of Service
to the Grandlake Neighborhood
The District 2 Council staff and I would like to recognize and thank Nancy Strange for her many contributions to the Grand Lake neighborhood over the years. Nancy recently announced her "retirement" from community service in the Grandlake area and as Chairman of the Board of Directors for the Grand Lake Neighborhood Center, as she needs to devote all of her time now to the care of her aging mother.Nancy served on the Board of Directors of the Oakland Merchants’ Leadership Forum since its inception in 1995 to provide a cohesive voice for the now 40+ neighborhood business districts in Oakland. She is a former Grand Lake merchant and previously served as director of the Lakeshore Merchants Association. During her tenure with the merchants association she organized special events such as the annual Easter parade and hatdecorating contest and other family-friendly festivities which highlighted Lakeshore's commercial district in Oakland and drew hundreds of people to the area for the fun.
Nancy started the Grand Lake Neighborhood Center in 1998 with the help of then-Councilmember John Russo, and it has been supported by each succeeding council member Danny Wan and Pat Kernighan. Nancy strived to provide a place for the community to find resources, city services, as well as meetings and access to public computer facilities.
She was also the Administrator of the Lakshore Business Association from 1999-2005.
Nancy has indeed helped to make the neighborhood a better place with her positive vision, energy and personal warmth. Many thanks and best wishes to you, Nancy!
New Chinatown Sub-station Officer, Officer Dan Ming
I am happy to say that Officer Dan Ming will now permanently staff the Chinatown sub-station full time. This position – known as the Asian Advisory Committee on Crime (AACC) liaison officer - has been staffed by part-time volunteers since Officer Teddy Chu was reassigned to patrol last summer. Back in September, I worked with the Chinatown community to protest the transfer and collect signatures for a petition which we presented to the Mayor and Police Chief, asking them not to transfer Officer Chu to patrol. I also held a press conference in August with many community leaders to publicly state our opposition to the loss of the police officer.
In addition to providing police and community services, the AACC liaison officer coordinates youth activities with the Asian Youth Services Committee and staffs the Asian Advisory Committee on Crime. As a Mandarin-speaking officer, Officer Ming will be more accessible to the residents of Chinatown, who are more likely to report incidents of crime to him.
Besides the official AACC duties, Officer Dan Ming has set personal goals that he would like to achieve in this position. Being of half Chinese and half European decent,
Officer Ming will strive to motivate the community to come together and to establish a list of community priorities, as well as to provide the community with access to resources, and let them know that by working together the community can make a difference. “I believe that more needs to be done with education, enforcement, and prevention,” Officer Ming said. “I will do my best to make myself available to the community outside of work as well.”
District 2 Requests for Traffic Calming, Pedestrian
Safety and Road and Sidewalk Improvements
Every week my office receives numerous requests for assistance from the City’s Public Works Agency for traffic safety improvements to reduce speeding cars, improve pedestrian safety, repave deteriorated streets, and fix uplifted sidewalks,. District 2 could use up the entire Public Works Agency staff time and budget on our issues alone. Alas, as needed as all these improvements are, there are not enough resources available to address all these concerns promptly. As much as I would like to get the immediate attention of a Public Works traffic engineer to evaluate each request that comes into my office, I must be realistic. So, I want you to know that my office is keeping a list of every request and we will proceed to work through them as fast as the Public Works resources allow.
To put the matter in perspective, the City usually installs traffic signals at two new intersections per year, from a prioritization list based on accident data. The repaving of city streets now happens on an 85 year rotation, and the repair of broken sidewalks can take up to five or more years. The solution, of course, is to allocate more money to capital improvements and to the engineering time needed. I am advocating for the City to develop a long-term funding plan to keep up with paving our streets at a more reasonable pace. The difficulty, of course, is deciding what to cut from the City budget in order to find the $27 million dollars a year necessary. In the meantime, we will address your requests as quickly as we are able.
Update on Parking Issues at Future Trader Joe’s on Lakeshore
As you no doubt have noticed, the surface parking lot in front of the old Albertsons has been closed to parkers because it is being used as a construction staging area for the new Trader Joe’s. It is still possible to enter the driveway on Lakeshore to access the parking structure. I still do not have a firm date for the completion of the new store.
The managers of the property have begun enforcing the 2 hour parking limit in the parking structure. I think this has begun to improve the amount of parking available for customers of the stores. For more than a year, no time limitations were being enforced, and consequently, commuters and employees were leaving their cars there all day, thus reducing the turnover of the parking spots and total spaces available.
I am meeting with representatives of the merchants and residents to talk about possible solutions for the future, if the opening of the Trader Joe’s creates traffic problems or parking issues. The property manager has suggested that we maintain the status quo for the first 3 or 4 months after TJ’s opens to see how it actually functions and what problems actually result. I think that is a sensible approach. We all anticipate that the first two months will see a dramatic increase in traffic to the store, and then some drop-off as the novelty of the store wanes. So far there is a cooperative attitude among all concerned, and I am sure we will be able to work together to find remedies to any problems that do occur.
Poll Results on Fatburger
Proposal at Kwikway Site
Thank you to everyone who voted or wrote in a comment for the poll on the Kitchen Democracy website about a possible new Fatburger at the Kwikway location. The final results were 190 No, 167 Yes, 36 Maybe, and 3 Neutral. That is a pretty even balance, but If you look at the results by those who live within 1 mile, 3 miles, or 5 miles of the Kwikway, the percentage of Noes was considerably higher the closer the person lived to the site. To read the results, go here.The written comments were a lot of fun to read and revealed a very lively debate on many aspects of the question: the downsides of drive-through traffic, “healthy” versus “unhealthy” foods, the rights of property owners versus community desires, personal opinions on favorite or hated burger joints, and idealism versus pragmatism on urban planning issues, among others. The one point of consensus was that the current establishment is filthy, attracts bad activities in the parking lot, and is a blight to the neighborhood. Most folks believed Fatburger would be an improvement over the Kwikway, but as evidenced by the votes, more than half were not willing to settle for that given the long lease it would require.
So what now? The situation is still unresolved. The Fatburger franchisee read the comments and is still talking with the Hahns about several options. I believe the poll results had an effect on his thinking. Because I believe that most residents would prefer a mixed used development to a stand alone restaurant with big parking lot, I am seeking out people in the development community to see if anyone is able and interested in doing such a development. Of course, that would require the Hahn’s cooperation, either in partnering in the deal or selling the property altogether. So far, no proposals have been forthcoming.
I also want to comment on the use of the online survey made possible by Kitchen Democracy. One of its great benefits is that it enables all members of the public to read the comments. If I were to just ask people to email me directly, I have no way of sharing the comments with a broader audience. A downside of the KD website, however, is that it asks the voter to give some personal information on order to vote, and some folks were unwilling to do that. (Please be assured that KD does not share that information with anybody.) Also, I got one call from someone who was mad that the poll excluded those who don’t have computers. Let me say here that I always welcome phone calls and messages on any topic, so email isn’t the only medium I pay attention to. Anyway, it was a fun and informative exercise and I hope to use Kitchen Democracy again.
Barbary Lane Communities to Open LGBT-friendly Senior Housing at Former
Historic Lake Merritt Hotel
One of the first urban, independent living communities specifically welcoming to LGBT seniors will open its doors in the Fall of 2007. Renovated model units in the former, historic Lake Merritt Hotel at 1800 Madison St are on display now. The restaurant will open to the public in late summer.
It is estimated that 2.9 million LGBT seniors over the age of 55 are living in the US. This population will grow to 3.3 million in five years and almost 4 million in 10 years.LGBT elderly seniors are invisible to mainstream senior service providers primarily due to homophobia. Many of those seniors have been treated unequally throughout their lives and have engaged in a great civil rights struggle. To go back into the closet when they are unable to live independently seems unthinkable, yet it is their reality today.
Barbary Lane Senior Communities, led by District 2 resident and developer Dave Latina, and Randi Gerson and Jeffrey Dillon, aims to transform the way senior living is provided to LGBT seniors and their friends, not only in Oakland, but around the country. For more information or to tour a model unit, contact Jeffrey Dillon at 510-903-3600 or visit www.barbarylanesenior.com
The Grand Lake Neighborhood Center is desparately searching for volunteers so that they can keep the Center open more hours each day including weekends. Two or three hour shifts once or twice a week, whatever one or a pair of people can offer. We will train a volunteer how to assist our neighbors with AC-Transit questions, advocate for city-services, answer phones, make coffee, maintain a clean well stocked Center, etc.
Volunteers have use of computers, books, coffee etc. You can feel like a baby sitter or like you are entertaining in your own home. Free parking across the street and major bus stop directly in front of the Center. Interested people should contact Robert Gordon, Henry Hitz or David Bolanos at 238-2301.Crisis Support Services of Alameda County (formerly Suicide Prevention) has a serious need for volunteer PHONE CRISIS COUNSELORS at their agency.
You can save lives! No experience needed, just a compassionate heart and patience. They provide free training. This is an excellent opportunity for people who want to do more than an occasional stint. You learn step by step to counsel the grieving, assuage the abused, comfort the confused and assist those with suicidal pasts overcome that dark moment and come back to life. You work one on one with a trainer for four months, and commit to one year of once a week volunteer shifts. CSS is centrally located in Oakland, but due to confidentiality does not give out their address until the volunteer is signed on. Also located near BART and bus stops, offers free parking and is handicapped accessible. Make a difference. They have places for college interns, grad students, and community volunteers of all ages and backgrounds. Crisis Support Services of Alameda County: Call CLAIRE at (510) 420-3204.Their Emergency line for people in crisis is 1(800) 309-2131. For information regarding other programs please call (510) 420-2460.
Oakland Seeks Nominations for 2007 Mother of the Year Award
The City of Oakland, Office of Parks and Recreation is launching its annual city-wide search for candidates for the Oakland Mother of the Year Award. Nominations are being sought from local community based organizations, businesses, professional associations, government agencies and non-profit community groups that know of an individual who shows an exceptional spirit of volunteerism and is deserving of this coveted award. Note that the individual must be nominated by an organization, not by a relative or personal friend. Nominations are due by Friday, March 30.
The Mother of the Year program was initiated in 1954 to publicly honor an Oakland resident whose contributions to the community symbolize the finest traditions of motherhood and volunteerism; being a parent is not a requirement to be nominated for the Mother of the Year Award. Past honorees have included hard-working, dedicated community servants whose outstanding volunteerism has contributed positively to the livelihood of Oakland residents. Nomination forms and award criteria can be found on the Office of Parks and Recreation website here.A panel comprised of City officials, business leaders and community representatives will review the nominations and select the honoree. Nominating organizations will receive notification of the committee’s decision by April 16. The 54th Annual Mother of the Year will be honored at a special ceremony on Saturday, May 12 at the Morcom Rose Garden, 700 Jean Street, Oakland, California at 10:30 a.m. For more information, please call (510) 238-3094.