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Moving Oakland Forward Together |
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Dear Neighbor, WOW ! We estimate that well over 1500 neighbors came together in our district alone on Monday night for National Night Out. Our only regret was that we weren't able to stay longer at each party. Each was unique, reflecting the growing friendships and spirit of each neighborhood. We put together as many photos as we could, please send us more if we missed your neighborhood. The celebrations continue in August as some of Oakland's largest festivals and street fairs happen this month. Starting next weekend with our own Laurel Music Festival to the Art and Soul Festival in Downtown Oakland on Labor Day Weekend, there's plenty of opportunities to show off our city to your friends and relatives. August is also time for reflection on war. This Sunday is the 51st anniversary of the Hiroshima bomb. It seems natural to link the growing wars in the Middle East with the violence at home. Take a look at the True Majority 90 second clip on the cost of our nuclear program. Finally, summer activities and weather require extra vigilance. Check out our safety tips below. Hope to see you next Saturday in the Laurel !  Jean Quan Vice Mayor, District 4 Council Member
• Office Hours at the Montclair Farmer's Market This Sunday, August 6th, 9am- 1pm . Sue Piper and I will be at our first Sunday Montclair Farmer's Market Office Hours to answer questions and share information. In honor of Hiroshima Day we'll be folding origami paper cranes, honoring prayers for peace. • Council Recess: Formal Council meetings start again after Labor Day, but our regular City Hall and District 4 office hours are the same throughout the summer. (Left) Blocks with wishes for world peace surround the Hiroshima monument. The first atomic bomb exploded 600 meters above this building, killing 200,000 people and reducing to ashes everything within a radius of 2 km.
Monday night surpassed Earth Day as the largest districtwide event we've worked on as more than 1500 neighbors came out to meet each other and make their streets safer. We were impressed by the variety of activities, food, entertainment, and ways of helping each other. Maxwell Park with about 200 people participating in two neighborhood walks that converged on Monticello for hotdogs was probably the largest, with a raffle at Maybelle and ice cream at Jordan Park close behind. Most of the 66 plus (we stopped counting as more came in) parties were first time events! We want to, again, thank PG&E for providing over 600 energy efficient light bulbs for "door prizes." • Chronicle Article gives a citywide perspective. • Photos wanted: We have started to post the pictures from NNO at the link below. We don't have Sue's yet and my husband didn't have a camera...so if you don't see your NNO party, please send us a digital picture if you can. (Above) Chronicle photo by Michael Macor. Chris Grigsby, 4, checks Officer Eddie Bermudez's motorcycle at the block party at Brookdale and Courtland.
Last year we closed down MacArthur Blvd to celebrate the Laurel Streetscape and community; we had so much fun, it's going to be an annual event. My office and the City is pleased to join the Laurel District Association in sponsoring the LAUREL WORLD MUSIC FESTIVAL, Saturday, August 12th from 1pm to 7pm. The festival is packed full of entertainment for the entire family including two stages featuring live World Music performances by professional musicians and local talent, a Kid's World Family Fun Park with activities for children of all ages, a street fair with over 70 local artisans, merchants, community groups and international gourmet cuisine. The festival will take place along MacArthur Blvd. between 35th Ave and 38th Ave. Admission is free!
• $500 Reward for Clues Leading to the Arrest of the Garbage Can Snatchers: Last fall we worked with Public Works to get new garbage cans for the Dimond business district. Last week it appears that two males, driving a white pick up truck...boldly detached and stold 20 of these new cans...merchants apparently thought it was a city crew even though there was no logo on the truck. 60 cans have been stolen citywide in recent weeks; San Jose recently reported metal statues disappearing. It appears to be a rash of thefts related to the sales of scrap metals. It costs the city about $800 to replace each can. Our office worked very hard to procure the cans with recycling compartments as part of our "green" improvements for the Dimond; I am offering a $500 reward from my privately raised office holder funds. If you have any information regarding the theft, please contact Richard Cowan in my office: rcowan@oaklandnet.com or 238-7041. • Dog Park Delay: Due to difficulties of running water lines out to the new Dog Park in Joaquin Miller Park, it appears that we will not be able to open until the fall. For questions or more information, contact Sue Piper in our office: spiper@oakland net.com or 238-7042. • Cinderella/Sunset Trail Slide Repair: For those of you who hike the Cinderella or Sunset Trails in Joaquin Miller near Castle Canyon, please be aware that city funds to repair the slide which closed parts of the trails and threatened the creek have been approved by the Council. A contractor is now being selected and work may close the trail in the fall.
The first library bond, since Oakland passed a $1.7 M bond after WWII to build the current main library and several branches, will be on the November 7th ballot. This bond would fund approximately $148 million of an estimated $167 million in facility upgrades called for in the Library Master Plan: upgrades for all libraries, two new branch libraries, and a new Main library at the historic Kaiser Convention Center. Save the Date, September 16th: The Neighborhood Library Coalition is sponsoring a fundraiser September 16th at the African American Library and Museum on September 16th downtown featuring Oakland authors. This building was Oakland's first main library and has been beautifully restored. The Coalition is forming outreach committees for each branch library. If you can help, contact Sue Piper in her private role (she only works for us part-time): sgpiper@sbcglobal.net What's at Stake for District 4? The Library Master Plan proposes several important improvements for our district:
• Slow Down ! With the tragic accident of a cyclist on Skyline last weekend comes the reminder that we all need to be aware of our driving habits. In the summer there are more hikers, joggers, bicyclists, and children on our streets. Our office regularly receives complaints from constituents about drivers speeding up and down arterial streets from hills to flatlands. We ask for traffic enforcement on busy streets on a rotating basis (the city has 18 motorcycle officers) and you will see more of them in the summer months. Usually the speeders are not visitors, but rather local residents in a hurry. For the most part, the speed limit in residential areas is 25 MPH, whether it is posted or not. If you're crossing over the lines on curves, you're driving too fast... and watch for kids and pedestrians on the sides, they're no match for a car. • Use Window Locks and Sturdy Doors: Home burglaries pick up every summer as we forget to lock bathroom and other windows. Home invasion robberies during the evening are also a danger as we leave doors, especially back doors open to cool down the house. Invest in inexpensive window locks that let you open the window without letting someone in, sturdy screen doors, motion detector lights or alarms for gates, doors, and windows. • Pesky Door-to-Door Sales: We get frequent complaints about door-to-door sales persons. They are suppose to have a permit registered with the city, ask to see it. Many are legitimate, some are exploitive of the young students they drop in the neighborhood. Because they try to get information on neighbors to use in their sales pitches, there are some fears that they are casing out the neighborhood. The best practice is to not open your door to anyone you don't know if you are uncomfortable or alone. • Fake Honeywell or Comcast Inspectors: We also have had a rash of so-called alarm or cable television "inspectors" entering peoples backyards. Ask for identification, if in doubt call the police.
Hiroshima Day has special meaning for my family: When my family lived in Livermore, I was always curious about the Quakers who held regular vigils in merciless heat outside the gates of the Livermore National Lab down the road from my school. When I studied Asian history at UC Berkeley and became involved in the movement against the Vietnam War, Hiroshima Day became more significant as our generals discussed using "tactical" nuclear weapons in a tiny nation where war had already killed 3 million people. Through the peace movement I met the amazing atomic bomb survivors, the hibakusha living in the East Bay. Many Japanese Americans immigrated from the Hiroshima area and Nagasaki was the Christian center of Japan. Some were Japanese American students caught in Japan during the war, many were women relatives or war brides...a few were US servicemen in prisoner camps. My husband and I were involved in helping them tell their stories and providing on-going medical care and monitoring. Today very few of them are still alive, but I try to remember what they taught me about suffering, humility, and forgiveness. Last year my husband and I were in Hiroshima and Nagasaki during the 60th anniversary. Our sister city, Fukuoka lies directly in the middle between the two cities. Fukuoka's harbor, Kokura, was the primary target for the second bomb....smoke and clouds diverted the plane to Nagasaki. The exhibits teach you respect for the power of these early, baby bombs...and puts in perspective the nuclear arms race. So if you're wondering who we're racing against these days and what it costs, I highly recommend Ben Cohen's (of Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream) 90 second video on the cost of maintaining our nuclear arsenal each year: Maintaining 150,000 Hiroshima Bombs=$17.6 Billion.
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Livermore Vigils:
Several interfaith groups will conduct vigils, prayers, and
other activities outside the gates of the National Lab from
8 am to 6 pm, Vasco Rd & Patterson Pass, Livermore, CA. Take
580, exit south at Vasco.
• AB 32 Capping California Global Warming Emissions: I attended the Global Warming Day of Action at Montclair Church this week organized by the Union of Concerned Scientists. After viewing their 15 minute DVD on the impact of global warming on California, we participated in a statewide conference call with 67 other cities. They are organizing support for California’s landmark bill to Cap Global Warming Emissions, AB 32, which goes for a vote in the legislature in August. California is the world’s twelfth largest source of carbon dioxide, the chief heat-trapping gas that causes global warming. The melting Sierra snow caps are threatening our water supply and rising oceans threaten our sealife and coasts. If the bill passes, California global warming emissions will have to be reduced by about 25 percent by 2020, the equivalent of 1990 levels. This reduction will be accomplished through an enforceable statewide cap on global warming emissions that will be phased in starting in 2012. I have the DVD from the evening and will have materials at our booth at our first Sunday Montclair Farmers Market booth and at the Laurel Festival on August 12th.
• Woodminster Summer Musicals continues its 40th season August 4-13 with The King and I , at the Woodminster Amphitheater in Joaquin Miller Park . Free tickets to children 16 and younger who are accompanying paying adults to any performance. These tickets are not reserved; present your adult ticket at the box office between 7 -8 pm on the night of the performance and receive a free child's ticket as close to your seats as possible. If the adult tickets were purchased with a group rate, a free child's ticket will be issued per TWO adult tickets. For information, www.woodminster.com • Kids Ride Free Saturdays on BART in August: Each paying adult can bring up to 2 kids free on Satudays this month, thanks to Giant Viz Media, the people who make the Pokemon toys. In addition, $5 tickets for next Saturday's, August 12th A's game against Tampa Bay and $5 tickets for the August 19th Ringling, Barnum & Bailey circus performances are available. • Boy Scouts install trash containers at Joaquin Miller Park . Thanks to John Bouey, the Piedmont Pines Neighborhood Association and the Joaquin Miller Park Working Group, boy scouts will be installing concrete pads, bollards and trash containers along Skyline Blvd. in Joaquin Miller Park on Saturday, August 4. • Dragon Boat Racing on the Oakland Estuary: Great exercise, no experience needed! Free! All equipment will be provided! Join a dragon boat team for races. Tomorrow Saturday, August 5th, 11am-2pm at the Jack London Aquatic Center, 115 Embarcadero. You'll be cruising through the Oakland Estuary on a menacing Chinese Dragon Boat. For information Officer Ted Chu at the Chinatown Substation, 238-7930 or Monique Tsang at 238-6883. • Hunter/Jumper Show at Sequoia Arena. Stop by the Sequoia Arena in Joaquin Miller Park this Sunday, starting at 9 am to see riders and their horses at their best. The Metropolitan Horsemen's Association also sponsors a Dressage Show on Saturday, August 19 at the Sequoia Arena. For details, call 531-5449. • Family Sunday at Dunsmuir Historic Estate . Bring a picnic and enjoy mansion tours on Sunday, August 6 at 1 pm and 2 pm. $5 adults;$4 seniors and juniors, free for children 13 and under. For details, call 615-5555 or visit the Dunsmuir website. • Lake Merritt Gondolas are back. For $75 you can take your sweetheart out on Lake Merritt for an hour. If you must take the kids or friends, its only $10 more per person. You can make reservations or buy gift certificates online at Gondola Servizio or call 866-737-8494.
• Chinatown Streetfest, Saturday & Sunday, August 26-27, 10am-6pm: One of the largest Asian American festivals in the nationa, this festival spans ten blocks of Chinatown with more than 280 booths. Small businesses and community organizations from all over California showcase a myriad of delicious foods, unique Asian products, and special services. There will be arts & crafts, entertainment on four stages, and a Cultural Village presented by the Oakland Museum of California. Free. • 5th Annual Sistahs Steppin’ in Pride East Bay Dyke March and Festival, Saturday, August 26, Lake Merritt. March gathers at the Lake Merritt pillars at 11 am and marches at noon. Bring friends, your drums to join the SSIP Drum Corps. Contact Afia Walking Tree at 534-9603. The free festival continues from 1-6 pm in Snow Park's Sistah Village (Harrison between 19th & 20th Streets) with vendors, information, children's area, elder space, food and performers.
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Art and Soul, Labor Day weekend, September 2nd-4th,
11am-6pm,
live rock, blues, jazz, gospel and more makes Downtown
Oakland rock with 60 bands on five concert stages, an
Oakland Expo of our food and wine industry, childrens area,
poetry, and many arts and food vendors. Adults $5, children
under 12 free. There's no better way to end the summer!
• Sunday's in the Redwoods--Music and Drama at Woodminster Amphitheater this fall! Starting September 17, Oakland Parks & Recreation, the Montclair Village Association, Friends of Oakland Parks & Recreation, and my office are sponsoring four FREE events at Woodminster.
• Free Wednesday Noon Concerts at City Center: Steps away from the 12th Street BART, enjoy the variety of restaurants and music this summer. Complete Schedule. Coming up: August 9 - Joshi Marshall, jazz. • Free Wednesday Evening Homegrown Blues Concerts in Old Oakland at 9th Street and Broadway, 5:30-7 pm: After work head for Old Oakland and enjoy one of 40 restaurants, 33 galleries, 40 clubs and bars, and many other attractions. My new favorite is the new Breads of India at 948 Clay Street at Ninth Street. They're all listed in this guide. On Wednesdays the Bay Area Blues Society has put together great free concerts. •Summer Band Concerts at Lake Merritt: The 95th Concert Season of the 35 member Oakland Municipal Band presents a series of Sunday concerts, 1-3 pm in Lakeside Park under the direction of Robert Farrington, August 6. All concerts include jazz, contemporary, pop, big band, international, classical, marches and show tunes. Bring the kids and a picnic.
• "Black Holes: The Other Side of Infinity" is Chabot Science Center's newest planetarium show. Watch the birth of a black hole, zip through a wormhole, journey past the event horizon, and experience the formation of the Milky Way. The show is done in association with the PBS science series, NOVA. NOVA will air a one-hour film about black holes in the fall of 2006 titled "Monster of the Milky Way." The planetarium show is free with general admission. Don't forget that on these warm and clear nights, the Chabot telescopes are free to the public on Friday and Saturday nights. They are the largest telescopes in the nation open to the general public. •The Joy Luck Club shows August 19 at the 2006 Old Oakland Outdoor Cinema. Free parking at 8th and Washington Streets. Bring chairs and blankets for an outdoor experience at 9th Street between Broadway and Washington. The showing begins at dusk. For details call the Oakland Film Office at 238-4734 or visit Old Oakland Outdoor Cinema website • A Great Good Place for Books hosts Adam Davies, author of The Frog King, who will be reading from his new book, Goodbye Lemon, on Tuesday, August 8 at 7 pm at the book store, located at 6120 La Salle Avenue in Montclair. For details, go to A Great Good Place for Books •Walking Tours of our Local Neighborhoods. Oakland Heritage Alliance hosts its 25th Annual Walking Tours of Oakland including the Redwoods. On Sunday, August 13, 10 am-12:30 pm, join Dennis Evanosky and Richard Schwartz on a tour through Leona Heights. This tour is limited to 30 experienced hikers by reservation only. For details , go to the Oakland Heritage Alliance website
For our district office we rent a small office space at 4137 MacArthur conveniently located in the Laurel near Maybelle Avenue on MacArthur. We share a kitchen and conference room with non-profits and small businesses. Our landlord has recent expanded the number of small offices available, f you are interested, please contact Kevin Rath at 499-6136 or go to the Laurel Office Center website
I and Councilmember Kernighan authored a resolution to oppose the sale of the School District's downtown property by the state unless approved by the elected School Board. It was signed by six Council members and sent to State Superintendent Jack O'Connell. The 8.5 lakeside acres house the District's central office and 5 schools; it is one of the most valuable pieces of real estate in the city. The actual price of the sale to East Coast developers Terra Mark/Urban America depends on the number of luxury condominiums actually built. They are proposing nearly 1400 units and not replacing any of the schools. The long standing policy of the Oakland District for the sale of this property was set in the early 90's when the district was last in financial trouble after extensive analysis by facility and real estate experts: 1) The sale of this property must pay for the moving and of all facilities AND must provide an on-going revenue stream for the district. If such a sale could not meet these conditions, then we concluded it would be an unwise financial move. When the District was put into trusteeship 3 years ago, the sale of this land was specifically prohibited. Because it is not clear how many if any units would be approved at this site so close to major DD improvements, it is not clear what the district would be paid. The main points for opposing the sale are:
I urge parents and other citizens to contact State Superintendent Jack O'Connell, 1430 N Street,Sacramento, CA 95814, 916-319-0800 or 916-319-0100 (fax), joconnell@cde.ca .gov
• Sequoia School Needs a New Play Structure: (on Lincoln Blvd) You can see this play structure is roped off and needs to be replaced. I will be giving them a matching grant. You can help by sending donations to The Sequoia Dad's Club, a United Way member with tax-deductible status. They'll send a receipt for taxes. Mail checks to: Sequoia Dad's Club/Playground Improvement, c/o Sequoia Elementary School, 3730 Lincoln Ave, Oakland, CA 94602. • Summer Free Lunches for Youth: Some families find it hard to make ends meet, especially at the end of the month. These centers in my district provide free lunches noon to 1 pm through August 18th.
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| Council Member Jean Quan | City Hall | 1 Frank Ogawa Plaza, 2nd Fl | Oakland | CA | 94612 |