Before: A constituent reported an egregious problem related to sidewalk damage from a City-tree that had been a pedestrian tripping hazard for months	After: Upon discovering this problem, our office contacted the Public Works department immediately for a speedy and thorough repair.
In this issue: UPCOMING DISTRICT 2 EVENTS 1) Volunteer Planting Day at Bella Vista Park Saturday, October 15, 8:30am to 3:00pm (behind Bella Vista Elementary School, 1025 E. 28th St.) 2) Grand Lake Fall Festival at the Grand Lake Farmer's Market in Splashpad Park Saturday, October 22, 9:00am to 4:00pm 3) Community Meeting on Kwik Way Site Development Monday, October 24, 7pm (Barnett Hall, 3534 Lakeshore Avenue) 4) “WE WANT TO SPEND OUR MONEY IN OAKLAND, NOT WALNUT CREEK!” A Community Meeting on Attracting Retail to Oakland Wednesday, Nov. 2, 7–9pm (Barnett Hall, 3534 Lakeshore Avenue) OCTOBER 2005 REPORTS/INITIATIVES 1) Grandlake Grimebusters Clean up the 580 Grand/Lakeshore eastbound Off-Ramp 2) Updates on the Oak to Ninth project 3) Reducing Goose Waste at Lake Merritt 4) Commercial Design Review Moves Forward 5) Increased Accountability and Improved Performance from the Oakland Housing Authority 6) Walk to School Day at Franklin Elementary School SPECIAL FEATURE ON PUBLIC SAFETY: Guide to District 2 Neighborhood Crime Prevention Councils & Home Alert

Previously I helped oppose a drive-through McDonald’s at the Kwik Way site which was overwhelmingly rejected by the community. Several people active in that battle encouraged the property owner to explore doing a quality mixed use development there. Happily, the property owner has partnered with a local developer (who lives only a few blocks from the site). Together they are striving to come up with a plan that will offer some retail and enhance the pedestrian experience at this critical link between Lakeshore and Grand Avenues, across from the very successful Farmer’s Market at Splash Pad Park.

Your input is important to the developer to ensure that the project is compatible with the vision of the neighborhood. I urge you to come to the community meeting on Monday, October 24th, 7pm, at Barnett Hall which is up the driveway just to the left of the Lakeshore Avenue Baptist Church, 3534 Lakeshore Ave.

In addition to the community meeting, the project developer, Dave Latina, will have a booth at the Farmer’s Market on 10/15 & 10/22 to discuss plans and answer questions. I am very excited about this opportunity for District 2.

Home Depot on 23rd Street, downtown New York City - An example of creative downtown retail development

Last Spring when I was going door to door talking with residents, the question I heard most frequently was “Why do I have to go to Emeryville or Walnut Creek to go shopping? I would rather spend my money in Oakland.” So I promised to do everything I could to bring retail stores to Oakland. My first step has been learning more about the business of retail development and what retailers are looking for. During September I attended two conferences put on by the ICSC, International Council of Shopping Centers, along with several of our City economic development staff. The first was a panel on “mixed use” developments (housing and retail combo). Among the panelists were teh developers of the Bay Street complex in Emeryville and Santana Row in San Jose. The second was a two-day “deal-making” convention attended by about 1600 people, including developers of shopping centers, retailers, and cities seeking retail. Amid the frenzy, I did learn a lot about why retailers have avoided Oakland for the past twenty years, and what we need to do to attract them.

If you’re interested in hearing more on this topic, and in sharing your own thoughts on what kind of retail you would patronize, PLEASE JOIN ME at my Town Hall Meeting on Attracting Retail to Oakland. Speakers will include Dan Vanderpriem, City of Oakland Director of City Economic Development.

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On Sunday October 9, the Grimebusters busted some serious trash and weeds on the off ramp that most Grandlake residents see on a daily basis. The border of the offramp had looked terrible for at least a year. The Grimebusters, a committee of the Grandlake NCPC, got Caltrans to cooperate in the clean-up and even to fix the broken irrigation. Mary Ellen Navas and Esperanza Pallana get special props for organizing the event and getting Caltrans to cooperate. While the volunteers pruned, weeded, and planted new gazanias, the Caltrans guys scooped up the piles of debris we made and hauled it away in big trucks. My husband and I were part of the group, and I have to say, it was very satisfying to be “hands on” with cleaning up that mess.

If there is a particular median or public spot that you want to help clean up, please give our office a call at 238-7002 and we will help put you in contact with a neighborhood group in your area.

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Wednesday, October 12, 4:30pm – Parks and Recreation Advisory Commission (Garden Center, Lakeside Park, 666 Bellevue Avenue)

Monday, October 17, 6:00pm – Landmarks Preservation Advisory Board (City Hall, Hearing Room 1, 1 Frank H. Ogawa Plaza)

There will be further hearings on Oak-9th in early 2006 after the final EIR is filed.

Key information about the Oak-Ninth Project can be found here.

Public hearings have started on the Draft Environmental Impact Report (EIR) for the Oak to Ninth Avenue project proposed by Signature properties. Already, many voices have already weighed in on such issues as public open space, affordable housing, creation of local jobs, adding to Oakland’s housing stock, historic preservation, and access to and vision for Oakland’s waterfront as embodied in the Estuary Policy Plan. Written public comments on the EIR, all of which must be addressed in the final EIR, must be submitted by October 24.

This is the biggest development proposal for the City of Oakland in decades. The project site, approximately 64 acres of formerly industrial waterfront property owned by the Port of Oakland, would be transformed into 3,100 residential units, 200,000 square feet of ground-floor commercial space, approximately 3,950 parking spaces, 28.4 acres of new and improved parks and public open space, and the renovation of a small portion of the Fifth Avenue Marina and the Clinton Basin Marina with a total of 170 boat slips, and a wetlands restoration area. The project is proposed to be constructed in phases over approximately eleven years. At this point the Oak to Ninth Avenue proposal is a totally privately-funded project and includes only market-rate housing. In order to approve the project as proposed, the City Council would need to formally amend the Estuary Policy Plan and the General Plan of the City of Oakland.

Communications and Accountability

• OHA has setup a live hotline (510-874-1653) and an email address (info@oakha.org) to receive complaints about OHA properties at. Calls and emails will be returned with details about when and how OHA will address the reported concern.
• OHA will post the customer service phone number and e-mail on its buildings to enable concerned community members to contact OHA
• OHA will produce a brochure listing names and titles of key OHA staff
• OHA staff will attend Service Delivery System (SDS) and Neighborhood Crime Prevention Council (NCPC) meetings when OHA items are on the agenda
• OHA will restructure to better align with Police Service Areas (PSA)

• OHA will paint and rehabilitate 2-5 scattered sites within each of the 7 council districts within 1-2 years
• OHA will paint out graffiti within 24 hours of report, using matching paint (goal is to implement by June 30, 2006)

Tenant Behavior

• OHA will create an Intervention Team to address problem tenants using case management, social services, and police services
• OHA will work more closely with OPD, Public Nuisance Manager, Neighborhood Law Corps, and City Council offices to evict problem tenants as a last remedy

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Internet Resources: The PSA3 Informer/ PSA3 Yahoo! Group

If you are interested in finding out more about Public Safety in City Council District 2 and Police Service Area 3 (PSA3), read more in the "PSA 3 Informer", written by Lt. Kevin Wiley, PSA 3 District Commander. To subscribe, send an email to PSA3Informer-subscribe@yahoogroups.com.

To share and read information about public safety issues in Police Service Area 3 (which includes most of City Council District 2), send an email to PSA3-subscribe@yahoogroups.com.

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Home Alert (also known as "Neighborhood Watch")

The Oakland Police Department encourages you and your neighbors to form a Home Alert group on your block. It is easy to do, and is one of the most important things you can do to prevent crime. Below are frequently asked questions about Home Alert. Please call the Home Alert Coordinator, Brenda Ivey at 777-8621 for more information.

What is Home Alert?

Home Alert is a partnership between neighbors and the Oakland Police Department to improve safety and prevent crime. Forming a Home Alert group on your block is the first step to making and keeping your neighborhood safe.

What will I learn?

• Who your neighbors are and how to work with them to prevent crime
• How to use a neighborhood map and roster to communicate
• How and why crime happens
• How to improve home security and personal safety
• How to recognize and report suspicious activity
• How active Home Alert groups with visible Home Alert signs can deter crime
• What the Neighborhood Crime Prevention Council in your beat is and what it does
• Who Can Participate?

Anyone who lives in Oakland can participate in Home Alert whether you live in an apartment, condominium complex, townhouse, or a single family home.

I'm Interested, What are the next steps?

1. Call the Oakland Police Department, Home Alert Coordinator, Brenda Ivey at 777-8621.
2. Contact your neighbors; find out the best time for them to attend a meeting (typically a weekday evening about 6:30 or 7:00 PM).
3. Schedule the meeting.
4 . Distribute flyers inviting neighbors to the Home Alert meeting about 7 to 10 days before the meeting. OPD can supply flyers.
5. On the day of the meeting, give your neighbors a call or flyer to remind them.
What happens at the Meeting?

A Police representative will discuss:

• Crime in your neighborhood/beat
• How and when to contact the police
• Home Alert program requirements - and how and why it works
• What you can do to make your home more safe and secure
• What the Neighborhood Crime Prevention Council is, and what they do
• What National Night Out is and how it can help you organize your neighborhood

What are the requirements to be an official Home Alert group?

• Schedule and hold two Home Alert meetings
• Complete a roster of members' names, addresses and telephone numbers.
  Complete a neighborhood map
• Select a Block Captain and an Alternate for the group
• Decide how many signs you want and where the signs should be installed
• Send a copy of the completed map, roster and funds to purchase the sign(s) to the Home Alert Coordinator

What is a Block Captain?

The Block Captain and the Alternate are liaisons between the Home Alert group and the police department. They make sure the map and the roster are complete and the Home Alert signs are purchased and installed. They also schedule Home Alerts meetings, maintain a current membership roster and map, and distribute flyers or other information if/when provided by the police department. Many groups rotate the Block Captain and Alternate responsibilities.

What about the Home Alert signs?

Every official Home Alert group must have at least one Home Alert sign. The sign acts as a crime deterrent by notifying people who enter the area that the neighborhood is watching and knows how to contact the police.

Communication and Meeting Topics?

In addition to the telephone rosters and flyers, Email and fax rosters, websites and newsletters have been used by Home Alert groups to communicate. While some groups have formal meetings, others prefer to be more relaxed with barbecues and block parties. However they communicate, most groups focus on safety and crime prevention. The police department is a resource that offers brochures and videos on topics such as:

• Personal Safety and Crime Awareness
• Child, Teen or Senior Safety
• Halloween, Summer or Holiday Safety
• Scams or Fraud Schemes
• To obtain brochures or borrow a video, call the Home Alert Coordinator, Brenda Ivey at 777-8621

What other Groups are doing?

Some Home Alert groups are actively involved in community issues such as those listed below. Once your group is organized you can do as many things to improve your block and your neighborhood.

• Neighborhood Beautification
• Traffic Safety
• Activities for Youth
• Emergency Preparedness (CORE)

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