Celebrating Halloween festivities with 600+ neighbors at Bella Vista
Park...
Spotlight on the Zoning Update
Dog Park Survey Available On-Line
Friends of Bella Vista Park’s Dawn Hawk Nominated for Cox Conserves Hero AwardWhat to do About Trash in Lake Merritt
Opportunity to Meet with New Oakland Police Chief Anthony Batts
1000 Audiobooks in MP3-Format Available at the Oakland Public Library WebsiteHelp Bring World Cup Soccer to Oakland and Sign On-Line Petition
Looking for Candidates for the Central City East Redevelopment Project Area Committee"Out of the Closet" Thrift Shop Opens on E. 18th Across from Lucky Store - Proceeds to Benefit AIDS Healthcare Foundation
Halloween Party at Bella Vista Park a Huge SuccessLincoln Elementary School Halloween Parade
Lakeshore-El Embarcadero Park Improvements to be Completed Next Month
EVENTS
Friday, November 6 History of Studio One: Talk & Slide Show by Jeff Norman, Community Artist – A First Friday Event of the Arts Center Saturday, November 7 and Thursday, November 12 Community Meeting on Zoning Update: Residential and Neighborhood Commercial Rezoning Saturday, November 7 FREE Making Your Home Affordable Clinic to Assist Families Vulnerable to Foreclosure Saturday, November 7 East Bay Children’s Book Project: First Yard Sale Fundraiser Monday, November 9 Citywide Zoning Update Meeting for Historic Preservation Issues at the Landmarks Preservation Advisory Board (LPAB) Meeting Saturday, November 14 Central Estuary Plan Workshop #6 Sunday, November 15 Sewing Party to Make Vests for Morcom Deadheaders Thursday, November 19 Oak-to-9th Project Area Proposed Clean-up - Public Meeting to Review Draft Response Plan Monday, November 23 Teach Tomorrow in Oakland: Recruitment and Info Session for Potential Teachers
COMING IN DECEMBER
Thursday, December 3 Gang Awareness Workshop for Residents Wednesday, December 9 Community Forum to Discuss Zoning Update and Its Potential Impact in Grand Lake Neighborhood
EVENTS
Friday,
November 6: History of Studio One: Talk & Slide Show by Jeff Norman,
Community Artist – A First Friday Event of the Arts Center
A First Friday Event of the Arts Center, Studio One, 365 45th St
Go here for a flyer with more detail on Jeff Norman and on Studio One, the City’s unique arts center creating community through arts and crafts.
Saturday, November 7
and Thursday, November 12: Community Meeting on Zoning Update: Residential
and Neighborhood Commercial Rezoning
Anyone interested in the on-going update of zoning throughout Oakland should attend one of these meetings. City staff will present draft proposals on Residential Zoning and Commercial/Corridor Zoning at each of two community meetings:
• Saturday, November 7, from 10:00 am to 12:00 noon at Peralta Elementary School, 460 63rd St, parking available on school courtyards. Entrance is on Alcatraz Avenue; and
• Thursday, November 12, 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm, Fruitvale-San Antonio Senior Center, 3301 E. 12th Street, Ste 201 (meeting room is on 2nd floor), located in the Fruitvale Transit Village at Fruitvale BART station.
For materials presented at previous meetings, go to the Citywide Zoning Update website and scroll down to the Schedule and Meetings section here.
If you are interested in being notified of community meetings on the rezoning, please e-mail and ask to be put on the e-mail distribution list or call the Zoning Update Message Hotline at 510.238.7299 and leave a message with your contact information.
See Spotlight on Rezoning story below.
Saturday, November 7: FREE Making
Your Home Affordable Clinic to Assist Families Vulnerable to Foreclosure
Oakland City Hall, 1 Frank Ogawa Plaza, 10:00 am to 2:00 pm.
Oakland Mayor Ronald Dellums is hosting a FREE Making Your Home Affordable foreclosure prevention clinic at Oakland City Hall on November 7. The Making Your Home Affordable Clinic is designed for homeowners to meet face to face with HUD approved counselors and participating lenders. These counselors and lenders will be on-site, approving qualified homeowners for loan modifications. If a homeowner has a mortgage payment that is unaffordable or will be unaffordable in the near future, they can not afford to miss out on this opportunity.
Making Your Home Affordable Clinic offers:
· 100% free services
· Lenders on-site to approve loan modifications
· Meet with a certified housing counselor· Meet with lender loan advisor
· HUD approved counseling
This event is an opportunity for many families to remain in their homes and avoid
foreclosure by curing mortgage delinquencies and modifying high monthly mortgage payments into a payment that is affordable.
Click here for the English or Spanish flyer.
Saturday, November 7: East Bay Children’s Book Project: First Yard
Sale Fundraiser
650 Trestle Glen Rd (just off Lakeshore Ave), 9:00 am to 1:00 pm
The East Bay Children's Book Project is throwing its first yard sale fundraiser. Come for the donated household items for sale and support this project, which has given away 350,000 books already to youngsters who otherwise don’t have much access to books. You’ll find furniture, appliances, kitchen items, electronics, video games, movies, knick-knacks, books, clothing, children's toys, athletic equipment, costume jewelry and much more.
For more information about the East Bay Children’s Book Project, go here.
Monday, November 9: Citywide
Zoning Update Meeting for Historic Preservation Issues at the Landmarks
Preservation Advisory Board (LPAB) Meeting
Oakland City Hall, Hearing Room #1, 6:00 pm
As part of the Citywide Zoning Update, staff will give a presentation on how the Citywide Zoning Update will work towards implementing the Historic Preservation Element of the General Plan.Staff invites you to attend to gain knowledge about historic preservation methods being considered for incorporation in the Citywide Zoning Update. Your feedback will be incorporated into the overall Citywide Zoning Update process.
For an agenda, go here and scroll down towards the bottom to the LPAB Agendas – Most Current
Saturday, November 14: Central Estuary Plan Workshop #6
Beacon Day School, 2nd Floor (ADA accessible), enter on Dennison St, 2101 Livingston, free parking
The planning process for the Central Estuary Plan (the waterfront area in the Fruitvale) has arrived at the stage where a decision about the future development of the area will be made. At Community Workshop #6 participants will work through an interactive mapping exercise to create a preferred land use alternative for the Central Estuary area. The preferred alternative will be comprised of various aspects of the three proposed land use alternatives presented at Community Workshop #5.
A PowerPoint presentation and summary display boards of the three land use alternatives presented at Community Workshop #5 are currently available on the project website here under the “Oakland Central Estuary Plan | SCHEDULE + MEETINGS” section. Go here for flyer.
A detailed report that compares the three land use alternatives across various elements including land use and urban design, transportation, infrastructure, and economic, public health and sustainability impacts will also be available on the project website early in November under the “Oakland Central Estuary Plan | PLAN DOCUMENTS” section.
Sunday, November 15: Sewing Party to Make
Vests for Morcom Deadheaders
Tech Liminal, 268 14th Street (between Alice St & Harrison St), 1:00 pm to 5:00 pm
How does sewing help the Morcom Rose Garden? Come make vests for the Morcom Deadheaders, those dedicated volunteers who earn a tie-dyed vest by helping City gardeners maintain the Morcom Rose Garden. Go here to find out what it takes to be a Deadheader and come to this sewing party to make a difference for the garden.
Show up to have a good time at this very well organized event. You’ll have the opportunity to cut out pieces of cloth for the vests, pin the pieces together, and you can sew them if you bring your sewing machine. All material and notions will be provided but bring your sewing machine if you’d like to sew, and maybe something tasty to eat. Please RSVP by email here, or by phone at 510.597.5039.
Thursday, November 19: Oak-to-Ninth Project Area Proposed Clean-up - Public
Meeting to Review Draft Response Plan
Prepared by the California Environmental Protection Agency’s Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC), Jack London Aquatic Center, 115 Embarcadero, 6:30 pm to 8:00 pm
Over the next 20 years, Oakland Harbor Partners plans to redevelop the Oak-to-Ninth Project Area into a mixed-use, waterfront, multi-family, urban residential neighborhood. The results of soil, soil gas and groundwater sampling show levels of contamination that will require environmental clean-up prior to redevelopment. The draft Response Plan describes in detail the investigation of the site and proposed remedial activities there. For the work plan and other site-related documents, go here.
For more information, contact Ms. Tammy Pickens here or toll free at 1.866.495.5651.
Monday, November 23: Teach Tomorrow in Oakland: Recruitment and Info Session
for Potential Teachers
Sankofa Elementary School, 581 61st St, 2nd Floor, Room 10, 4:30 pm to 6:00 pm
Come and hear information about being a part of Teach Tomorrow in Oakland, requirements for earning a teaching credential and becoming an intern or student teacher. Representatives from Holy Names University and Cal State East Bay will be there to talk about their teacher credentialing programs! For more about Teach Tomorrow in Oakland, go here.
To participate, you must RSVP to Sherry Congrave-Wilson, who’ll help you determine whether you qualify:
RSVP to:
Sherry Congrave-Wilson, Program Coordinator
Teach Tomorrow in Oakland
Oakland Unified School District
(510) 597-4955
Thursday, December 3: Gang Awareness Workshop for Residents
St. Anthony School Gymnasium, 1500 E. 15th St, 6:30 pm
This workshop is for parents, residents and for those who think their child may be attracted to gangs, may be involved with gangs or to prevent your child from being involved in a gang.
Presented by the Oakland Police Department and sponsored by OPD and the San Antonio Beat 19 Neighborhood Crime Prevention Council.
There will be Resource Booths providing information on Children and Youth Programs/Activities. Bilingual translation will be available in Spanish, Cantonese and Vietnamese. On-site babysitting will be available.
Wednesday, December
9: Community Forum to Discuss Zoning Update and Its Potential Impact in
Grand Lake Neighborhood
There will be a Town Hall meeting on December 9 that the Grand Lake Neighbors will be hosting at Barnett Hall behind Lakeshore Avenue Baptist Church, 3534 Lakeshore Ave, starting at 7:00 pm. The focus of this discussion will be on zoning for Grand and Lakeshore Avenues. A planner from the City's Planning and Zoning will be available to answer questions.
Grand Lake commercial property owners, merchants and members of the community are invited to attend.
The Grand Lake Neighbors community group is holding a community forum to specifically discuss the zoning update and its potential impacts in the Grand Lake neighborhood. For more info see story below.
REPORTS
Spotlight on the Zoning Update
I know that when some of you hear the word zoning, your eyes glaze over, but I would like you to take a minute to think about it and share your ideas with me. The City of Oakland is
in the process of a city-wide zoning update. If your first inclination to “city-wide” is to tune out, thinking that it doesn’t have anything to do with you, that’s where you could be wrong. The zoning update could have a very real impact on the development of a neighborhood about which you care deeply.Why is the City updating its zoning regulations now?
Oakland adopted a new General Plan Land Use and Transportation Element in 1998. The purpose of the citywide zoning update is to make the city’s zoning consistent with the vision established by the City’s General Plan. The zoning update covers residential, commercial and industrial zoning. It deals with defining permitted uses (e.g., what types of businesses can operate where) and development standards (e.g. height, setback, bulk/building envelope).It got underway about this time last year (in Fall 2008) and there have been several rounds of community meetings both to explain the update process and to elicit community feedback, which has informed the planning. Despite our efforts and that of the Planning Department to publicize earlier rounds of meetings, I don’t get the sense that too many people are participating in the process, which worries me, because I believe that public opinion should be an important guide to this process. You should have a say in the vision for the future of your neighborhood.
Why should you pay attention? What are the kinds of things that might happen?
Here are just a few examples of proposals currently under consideration by City Planning staff that may be included in the zoning update:• Current zoning on Grand Avenue between Lake Park Avenue and Mandana Blvd. differs from that currently in the Lakeshore Avenue commercial district, which is more restrictive,
meaning more uses require a conditional use permit, which adds more cost and a public notification process before the business can occupy the space. Should it stay that way or would you favor changing the zoning on that portion of Grand to be more consistent with Lakeshore Avenue? Some residents also favor another commercial node with similar permitted use restrictions on Grand Avenue from Boulevard Way to the Piedmont border to support the budding retail and restaurant scene in that area.• Residential height limits will likely be increased in some areas, perhaps on the hill between Grand and Lakeshore Avenues, along some parts of Park Blvd, on Haddon Hill, in Adams Point, and in other areas. It doesn’t mean every new project will build to the height limit, but certainly some will do so, so people should pay attention to the methodology for height
limits proposed in the zoning update.• The Eastlake commercial district and E.18th commercial district are envisioned to provide opportunity for revitalization through a relatively wide range of permitted commercial uses, including offices, retail, banks and restaurants. New auto repair businesses would not be permitted, unless they began in a space previously occupied by an auto repair that was out of business for less than 12 months.
• Chinatown is not part of the city-wide zoning update because it is going to be addressed in a Specific Planning process for the area around the Lake Merritt BART station. That planning process will get underway early in 2010 and all community meetings will announced in this E-News as well as many other places.
I would like to hear more from residents who have an opinion on these and other zoning
issues and so would the City Planning staff. If you have thoughts to share, please contact my staff person Joanne Karchmer here or the City Planning staff here. Information and proposals presented at each of the previous public meetings during the zoning update can be found here. If you would like to learn more and talk to City planners in person, please consider attending one of these upcoming meetings.
Zoning Update Meetings held by City Planning Staff
(need only attend one as the same material will be covered at both)
Date: Saturday, November 7, 2009
Time: 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 noon
Where: Peralta Elementary School, 460 63rd St
Parking: Available on school courtyards.
Entrance is on Alcatraz Avenue
Blocks away from Rockridge BART station
Date: Thursday, November 12
Time: 6:00 pm - 8:00 pm.
Where: Fruitvale-San Antonio Senior Center
3301 E. 12th Street, Suite 201
(Meeting room is on the 2nd floor)
Located in the Fruitvale Transit Village
at the Fruitvale BART station
Upcoming Neighborhood Meetings
The Grand Lake Neighbors community group is holding a community forum to specifically
discuss the zoning update and its potential impacts in the Grand Lake neighborhood.Date: Wednesday, December. 9
Time: 7:00 pm
Where: Lakeshore Avenue Baptist Church, Barnett Hall (behind the church), 3534 Lakeshore Ave.
Dog
Park Survey Available On-Line
Share your thoughts about the possibility of a dog play area on the green median that is bordered by Park Blvd., E. 22nd St, 5th Ave. and E. 21st. Last summer nearby residents proposed creating a fenced, off-leash dog area located in the southern third of the green space nearest E. 21st. (see map here). I held a community meeting on the topic on June 25 and about 20 people attended. Strong opinions both for and against were voiced.
Mindful that dog areas on urban green space are often controversial, I wanted to let more neighbors have an opportunity to voice their opinion before the City takes any action on the idea. I have prepared a survey here in an effort to reach a broader audience on this topic. In the survey I ask about three alternatives for that space: 1) status quo--no dogs allowed; 2) a fenced dog play area, and 3) dogs on leash allowed, but no fence.
It's a quick survey that should take no more than a few minutes. Your feedback is greatly appreciated. All submissions are anonymous. Thank you.Here is some information about the current rules pertaining to dogs in Oakland:
- Current law as it pertains to dogs in parks (see ordinance)
- Pooper Scooper requirement (see OMC O6.04.070 )
- Enforcement – This issue first came to my attention because people who were permitting their dogs to be off-leash in the open area near Park Blvd and Fifth Ave. were being cited and receiving very substantial fines. Given the lack of available space to exercise a dog in our urban parks, I do not agree that the fines should be as high as they are. I am willing to work on changing the fine structure. For current structure click here.
- Process required to establish a fenced dog area in any City park area. Go here, to page 109.
Friends
of Bella Vista Park’s Dawn Hawk Nominated for Cox Conserves Hero
Award
Dawn Hawk, a founder of Friends of Bella Vista Park, has been nominated for a Cox Conserves Hero Award. She is one of five finalists. The finalists will be featured on KTVU Channel 2 and the winner, chosen by public vote, will receive $5,000 to award to the environmental nonprofit of his or her choice. Between November 16 and December 7, you can go to www.ktvu.com/community to vote for the finalist you’d like to win the Cox Conserves Hero Award. The winner will be announced mid-December.
Want to know more about Dawn and the other finalists? From Monday, November 16
through Friday, November 20, there will be a story about one of the finalists on each day’s KTVU Noon News. Dawn was interviewed at Bella Vista Park, while she and other Friends of Bella Vista Park were putting on a fabulous Halloween Party for 600, most of whom were children who had a great time. Her story may highlight the community designing the park, the Friends group advocating for the park’s construction and for the City’s maintenance, the Friends conducting monthly clean-ups of the park, and then the Friends and the Bella Vista/Beat 17Y Neighborhood Crime Prevention Council bringing programming to the park for neighborhood children.Who are the Cox Conserves Hero nominees? They are individuals who walk the walk, and go the extra mile or two to create, preserve or enhance places where people
connect with nature and their communities. Whether picking up litter, planting community gardens, restoring shorelines and much more, these everyday heroes make their communities better places to live.Launched in 2008 by The Trust for Public Land, a national land conservation organization headquartered in San Francisco, and Cox Enterprises, the Cox Conserves Heroes Award honors individuals who work to create, preserve and improve the shared outdoor spaces in our communities. By showcasing these unsung heroes, the Trust for Public Land and Cox hope to inspire more people to take an active role in neighborhood conservation.
What to do About Trash in Lake Merritt
photo courtesy of Dr. Richard Bailey
Last month, after the first big rain storms of the year, Dr. Richard Bailey of the Lake Merritt Institute responded to resident complaints about trash in Lake Merritt. We’re reprinting his message, slightly edited, since so many of you noticed the huge influx of Styrofoam and plastic in the lake right after the heavy rains. We’re hoping you may be motivated to become a volunteer with the LMI to get trash out of the lake.From Dr. Bailey:
“There were about 1,000 styrofoam cups etc. floating around the Lake on Tuesday October 20, in addition to some trash left over from the big flush during the week of October 12. The event on October 19 was unusual in that the storm drain at outfall #54 on Harrison Street "belched" out several years accumulation of styrofoam. This happens only when extremely intense rainfall occurs (we had about 2/3s of an inch in 45 minutes), which fills the drain to capacity and mobilizes trash that has been stuck in the upper portions of the drain. Picture a pipe slightly curved with the ends pointing down. Very buoyant trash (like styrofoam) accumulates in the upper part of the curve or other places while runoff water flows beneath. According to storm drain consultant Roger James (who knows more about storm drains that almost anybody), this is not uncommon.
“At Lake Merritt, this drain unloaded only one other time (as far as I know) in the last 12 years (see "Big Plug of Trash Hits Lake" in our April, 2002 Institute Newsletter here). That this trash is old, and likely has been in the drain since before styrofoam take-out containers were banned in Oakland is evident by the brown and black surfaces. Unfortunately, the barrier at outfall 54 did not contain it. Although I was not there at the height of the runoff to see the event, it is likely that this volume of water pushed the buoyant trash over or under the barrier, which is only several feet from the end of the pipe. It thus escaped and has been drifting around the Lake. We chased down 19 bags of it on October 20 and will continue to capture it in the coming days.
“What to do about all the trash? When answering this, I consider that trash in the Lake comes mostly from the 7 square mile watershed. A total of 4,650 acres drain into our 140-acre lake, a concentration factor of 33:1. The watershed includes the entire highly urbanized areas and many commercial districts, City of Piedmont, and the Claremont Country Club and Golf Course. It is not a simple or inexpensive problem to solve.
“But measures are being taken. Volunteers, including schools, do a lot of picking up trash. The Lake Merritt Institute (LMI) sponsors clean-ups 5 days every week and has four "U-Clean-It" boxes that anyone can use anytime (the Lake Chalet uses one of them). The U-Clean-It boxes contain long-handled nets, trash bags and barrels, gloves, instructions and sign-in sheets. In the week following the October 12 storm, LMI volunteers collected 73 bags of trash and took away 1,220 pounds to the Davis Transfer Station. However, when the first big flush of the season hits, it brings in a summer's accumulation of trash, and it takes a week or two to capture it (and some does escape to join the Pacific Ocean garbage patch).
“In addition, since 1999, the City of Oakland has installed four large, in-drain filters on the biggest storm drains entering the lake and a fifth will soon be installed by the Rotary Nature Center (Measure DD funded three of these filters). These filters work well but they cost hundred of thousands of dollars each. Since there are 62 storm drain outfalls entering the Lake, there is a long way to go to capture much of the trash before it enters the lake. The City is also experimenting with smaller, curb inlet filters and recently secured federal funding to install 400 of them!
“At the regional level, the Water Quality Control Board just mandated a 40 percent reduction in storm water trash by July, 2014; a 70 percent reduction in seven years; and 100 percent reduction by 2021. Fines of up to $25,000 per day could be imposed if these numbers are not met. This is a reduction in trash before it gets to Lake Merritt. To reach these goals, cities in the East Bay will have to step up their installation of storm drain filters, successfully educate folks not to litter, increase street sweeping and implement source controls such as bans on plastic bags, which the Oakland City Council adopted in 2008 but which hasn’t been implemented yet because the bag manufacturers blocked it in court.
“Until more storm drain filters are in place and litterbugs stop littering, please channel your enthusiasm into cleaning the Lake. Just grab a net and have fun. We find all kinds of things in the trash. If you have any other questions, please e-mail me or join us every Tuesday and/or Saturday or anytime you can.”
Dr. Richard Bailey, Executive Director,
The Lake Merritt Institute
lmi@netwiz.net or (510) 238-2290
Opportunity
to Meet with New Oakland Police Chief Anthony Batts
Mayor Dellums has scheduled a few community town hall meetings to introduce Oakland’s new police chief, Anthony Batts, to city residents. The next town hall meeting will take place on Monday, November 9 at Cesar Chavez Education Center, 2825 International Blvd., from 6:30 pm to 8:00 pm. This is an opportunity for Mayor Dellums and Chief Batts to share their vision of public safety for Oakland. Topics for discussion include Mayor Dellums’ public safety strategy, Chief Batts’ vision for the Oakland Police Department, crime stats, and community policing. There will be a question/answer session with Mayor Dellums and Chief Batts.
Those who don’t speak English can request an interpreter in Spanish, Chinese and/or Vietnamese by calling 510.238.2368.For more information, please contact the Oaklanders Assistance Center at 510.444.2489 or here.
1000 Audiobooks in MP3-Format Available at the Oakland Public Library
Website
Good news for audiobook enthusiasts. The Oakland Public Library now offers over 1000 MP3-format audiobooks from NetLibrary that can be played on iPods and Macintosh computers as well as other MP3 players and PC's. Recent books by popular authors are available, including fiction and non-fiction for adults, teens and children, classics, and award winners.
Before you can download these audiobooks, readers need to establish a free account with NetLibrary. The Oakland Public Library Web site has a link. For more details, and to download audiobooks, see here.
Get
Ready for Wet Weather: Sandbags and Plastic Sheeting Available for Residents
and Businesses, Volunteers Needed
In preparation for the start of the rainy season, the City of Oakland’s Public Works Agency is taking proactive measures to prepare for wet weather. During the last few months crews have been working to remove debris from storm drains and have deployed maintenance crews to address other storm-related issues. In addition, there are opportunities available for volunteers to assist during the rainy season.
Do you need supplies to protect your home or business from rain damage? A maximum of 20 sandbags and 50 feet of plastic sheeting per household/business will be available for pickup at the City’s Municipal Service Center and at the Public Works Drainage Maintenance Satellite Office. Proof of Oakland residency is required to obtain the sandbags
and sheeting. Oakland fire stations will join in storm preparations by distributing sandbags to residents. A limit of five sandbags per household will be available for pickup at fire stations. Please see below for addresses and distribution hours.During the winter months, just before an expected storm, Public Works may extend service hours to make sandbags and plastic sheeting available to residents and businesses to help them protect their properties from storm-related damage.
What Residents and Businesses Can Do to Prepare
• Check and clean private drainage systems.
• Do not place leaves, debris or lawn clippings near storm drains.
• Place leaves and green trimmings in green carts for weekly recycling pickup.
• Keep natural waterways such as creeks and ditches free from obstructions.
• Report flooding problems to the Public Works Call Center at 510.615.5566.
• Adopt-A-Spot with a ‘Maintain-A-Drain’ project in your neighborhood; call 238-7630.
Volunteer Opportunities
Public Works is also renewing its call for volunteers to join the Adopt-A-Spot campaign with ‘Maintain-A-Drain’. Residents and merchants in Oakland can help prevent flooding by keeping a storm drain in their neighborhood free of debris. In exchange, the City will give volunteers a free set of rain gear, a rake and debris bags. By keeping storm drains clean, volunteers can help the City’s storm-response activities focused on the most critical storm-related problems. Remember, “if it’s plugged, it will flood.” To join the Adopt-A-Spot campaign, volunteers should call 510.238.7630.Sandbags (up to 20) and plastic sheeting (up to 50 feet) can be picked up at the following locations and times when inclement weather is forecasted:
MUNICIPAL SERVICE CENTER 7101 EDGEWATER DR.
Monday – Friday 8:00 am – 4:00 pm
Saturday and Sunday 8:00 am – 4:30 pm
After Hours (in front of entry gate) 4:30 pm – 8:00 amMAINTENANCE SATELLITE OFFICE 5921 SHEPHERD CANYON RD.
Monday – Friday 8:00 am – 4:00 pm
After Hours (in front of entry gate) 4:30 pm – 8:00 amSandbags (up to 5) can be picked up at the following locations and times when inclement weather is forecasted:
FIRE STATION HOURS (italicized locations are in or close to District 2)
Monday – Friday 8:00 am – 9:00 pm
Saturday & Sunday 8:00 am – 4:30 pmFire Station # 3 1445 - 14th St.
Fire Station # 6 7080 Colton Blvd.
Fire Station # 7 1006 Amito Ave.
Fire Station # 8 463 - 51st St.
Fire Station # 10 172 Santa Clara Ave.
Fire Station # 16 3608 - 13th Ave.
Fire Station # 17 3344 High St.
Fire Station # 20 1408- 98th Ave.
Fire Station # 21 13150 Skyline Blvd.
Fire Station # 26 2611 - 98th Ave.
Fire Station # 28 4615 Grass Valley Rd.In an emergency or to report storm damage, Oakland residents should call the Public Works Agency Call Center at (510) 615-5566.
Help
Bring World Cup Soccer to Oakland and Sign On-Line Petition
We are all excited to hear that the City of Oakland’s proposal to the USA Bid Committee as a potential Host City for the FIFA (Federation Internationale de Football Association) World Cup Soccer Events in 2018 or 2022 has advanced to the next round. This is our opportunity to potentially host one of the largest sporting events in the world!
You can demonstrate your support for Oakland as a potential Host City and help us bring the World Cup back to the United States by signing the bid petition by going online today here. You will be asked for your Oakland or closest East Bay zip code, which will be credited as a vote for our city. We know that passion for soccer – and Oakland -- runs high here – so let’s put it to work for our country and the Oakland/East Bay region!
As a Host City, Oakland would attract tens of thousands of visitors from all over the world and project a lasting favorable image to a vast global audience. Not to mention all the great soccer that would be played right here in Oakland!
Oakland was initially invited to submit based on the Oakland Alameda County Coliseum having met strict FIFA requirements as a world class venue and facility. Oakland is currently being considered among 27 potential host cities throughout the United States. We will be making a formal presentation to the USA Bid Committee at the Host City Workshop in New York early November.
By the end of this year, the USA Bid Committee will announce a final list of 18 host cities to be included in the Final United States Bid Application that will be submitted to FIFA in May 2010.
The United States will be competing against other potential Host Nation countries such as Australia, England, Indonesia, Japan, Mexico, Russia, Netherlands/Belgium,
Portugal/Spain, Qatar and South Korea. FIFA’s 24-member Executive Committee will select a final Host Nation in December 2010.Let’s go Oakland/East Bay – bring the FIFA World Cup™ to the United States. Please go here and vote for Oakland!
Looking for Candidates
for the Central City East Redevelopment Project Area Committee
I am looking for three District 2 residents to serve on the community board for the Central City East Redevelopment Area. To qualify to serve on the Central City East Redevelopment Project Area Committee (CCE PAC), you must live or work within the Eastlake/San Antonio subarea (click here to see the map and the boundaries of the Eastlake/San Antonio subarea). Here are the three vacancies:
- Business owner: If you own a business located in our subarea
- Tenant: If you are a renter in our subarea
- Homeowner: If you own a home in our subarea
This is a very important board because it makes recommendations on the use of roughly $68 million of tax increment funds (spread over the five year period from fiscal 2008-2013 and four subareas, the East Lake/San Antonio area being one of the four subareas). Click here for more detailed information about the CCE PAC. In addition, the City’s Redevelopment Agency issues bonds from time to time, which may also be used to fund projects within the CCE redevelopment area.
The best way to get a feel for the workings of the CCE PAC is to attend one of its meetings. The board meets from 6:30 pm to 8:30 pm on the first Monday of every month at Patton University on 2433 Coolidge Ave.
If you are interested in joining a group that decides how to best allocate the millions of tax-increment dollars we have to combat blight and stimulate redevelopment in the CCE area, please get in touch with Kevin Liao on my staff here or call (510) 238-7022.
"Out of the Closet" Thrift Shop Opens on E. 18th Across from
Lucky Store - Proceeds to Benefit AIDS Healthcare Foundation
If you're in the market to buy or donate gently used clothing or household items, check out the new Out of the Closet store on E. 18th just a block east of Lake Merritt. You can't miss the bright pink and turquoise exterior. Out of the Closet stores are run by and benefit the AIDS Healthcare Foundation. So donate some nice things at the new Out of the Closet right here in District 2, or buy some good bargains to benefit a very worthwhile cause.
Halloween Party at Bella Vista Park a Huge Success
A really fabulous community Halloween party was held at Bella Vista Park on October 31. It was organized by the Friends of Bella Vista Park and members of the Bella Visa 17Y NCPC (Neighborhood Crime Prevention Council). Over 600 people attended. It was an event that showcased the best of Oakland community-building. Both kids and adults came in costume, there was a skate-boarding contest, face painting for little ones, jumpy houses, a costume contest, music from local musicians, a fire truck and an OPD car for kids to explore. Trick or Treating was organized on the two streets bordering the park and everyone had a safe and really fun Halloween.
I extend a huge Thank You to the neighborhood folks of Friends of Bella Vista Park who worked so hard for three months to organize this great event. Go here for to see more pictures of this festive event.
Lincoln Elementary School Halloween Parade
This year’s traditional Halloween parade again filled Lincoln Elementary School. Popular characters were princesses and super heroes. Kindergarten classes held different themes. One class was dressed up as vegetables and another as M & Ms. Everyone gathered at the Lincoln School courtyard and made its way through the Lincoln Recreation Center, out onto Jackson Street before coming back onto Harrison Street. Parents and faculty joined the procession led by one student banging the gong at the front. Merchants came out to greet the children and enjoyed looking at the colorful costumes. My staff met and spoke with many of the kids, their families and the faculty.
Many thanks to the Lincoln Elementary School staff who worked so hard to organize many
wonderful events for the children.
Lakeshore-El Embarcadero Park Improvements to be Completed Next Month
Weather permitting, in the next few weeks the work on Lakeshore Avenue to make the Measure DD-funded improvements to the park at the edge of Lake Merritt will be completed. Next week the new vehicle and bike travel lanes will be striped. The outlines of those lanes are in place, already calming the flow of traffic. Sod will be laid down beginning next week. Benches and trash containers at water’s edge will be installed soon. Finally, a temporary fence will be installed around the new sod for a couple of months to allow the grass to take root before it’s subjected to foot traffic. Rains, likely at this time of year, will cause delays but since there isn’t too much more work to be done, we can look forward to completion of the Lakeshore-El Embarcadero project before the holidays.