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Moving Oakland Forward Together |
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It's a joke among my Council colleagues, that I sometimes still act like a school board member. I take the gentle jibe as a badge of honor. As the daughter of an illiterate immigrant mother, whose Chinese family did not waste money educating girls, I have always believed that public education was the foundation of American democracy and the future of our city and nation. Over the next weeks the Oakland School District is deciding the fate of three District 4 schools -- Maxwell Park, Horace Mann, and Allendale. Located in rapidly changing neighborhoods and with changing school staff...each has very different challenges and needs. However, the future of these schools will affect the stability and quality of life in the neighborhoods around them. Whether you have children who attend these schools or not, neighbors have a direct interest in their future and I urge you to attend the district's meetings or contact School Board Member Gary Yee. Two years ago High Park neighbors rallied to keep the Swett-Tilden campus open. (See #8) Wherever we live in Oakland, we have a direct interest in the future of the schools. This is why I and Mayor Dellums support Assemblyman Sandre Swanson's bill to return local control to Oakland. Decisions like the future of these schools must be made by local neighbors and parents, not by Sacramento. Schools will not improve unless local parents and teachers have a say. The Tribune ran a thoughtful series of stories this week about how local residents, deciding to send their children to their local school, make a big difference. Yesterday's story featured parents who chose Glenview School. The stories describe a process that I've seen and helped along in 16 years of public life. It doesn't take that many families to "turn around" a school. I remember saying to parents as I walked the Glenview neighborhoods in 2003, that their kids alone would fill a kindergarten class and raise the test scores about 100 points. Just as important, they would built a community of parents who make the school and neighborhood stronger in ways tests don't measure. Many start with preschool groups that volunteer at the school and help raise funds, plant gardens, and build libraries. By observing teachers and students they can see that the schools are stronger than school wide average rankings may indicate. This is especially true in neighborhoods where a significant number of students begin school speaking another language (about 40 percent of Oakland students). When my kids talk about their public school experience (both Skyline High grads who went on to graduate successfully from Ivy League schools), they talk about how working with and making friends with kids from all over the city prepared them for "real life." As a Mom I most value that they became wiser, more compassionate humans.  Jean Quan District 4 Council Member Council President Pro Tempore
Community Meeting to Discuss Improvements to Brookdale Park Saturday, February 3, 10 am-Noon: Over the last two years I have worked with staff and neighbors to improve lighting and security for the park. Local residents and users of Brookdale Park and the adjacent Discovery Center are invited to meet with my staff and city officials to talk about proposed improvements to Brookdale Park. We want to know what would increase your use of the park. Your input will help us prioritize our work to find funding and grants. More than 40 people attended last Saturday's community meeting on the Park Blvd Hike/Bike Trail: They provided thoughtful and practical comments to improve the proposal, some of which we will be able to implement quickly with a major Earth Day project this year. Montclarion Article. A major immediate issue is traffic calming measures on Park Blvd. itself. Our office will be working with Corpus Christi and Zion Lutheran schools, Oakland traffic engineers and the City of Piedmont in the near future to address this issue. For a summary of the discussion please go to my website. We are still interested in suggestions, so if you haven't completed a survey, please feel free to do so (please include a phone and /or email address) Leaflet & Survey
Volunteer Appreciation Evening, February 7, 4-6 pm: The City's Public Works Agency and Keep Oakland Beautiful are celebrating the good work of the volunteers who have worked on Earth Day, Creek to Bay Day, Daffodil Planting, Adopt a Spot, Adopt a Creek, and other clean up and beautification projects. If you participated in any of these events you are invited and should have received an invitation. Please RSVP to Noel Gallo or call 615-5415. Refreshments will be served.
The Lunar New Year falls on February 18th this year. It is the most important holiday for many of Oakland's Asian groups. The Chinese community is our largest, but the Vietnamese celebrate Tet, the Koreans call it Solnal, and the Mien call it Jiex Siang-Hnyangx. Lunar New Year Cultural Performances Today: The Oakland Asian Cultural Center offers food tasting, hands on activities, performances from the China Songshan Shaolin Temple, The Purple Bamboo and Great Wall Youth Orchestras (Oakland's famous Chinese Youth orchestras) and more. Saturday, February 3, Noon- 4 pm, 388 Ninth Street, Suite 290. Free. Chinatown Lunar New Year Street Bazaar, February 10-11, 10 am-5 pm, 9th & Franklin Streets. Over 100 booths and live cultural performances make this one of the most colorful events of the year. You can buy lucky signs, cakes, flowers and everything you need to celebrate the holiday. www.oaklandchinatownchamber.org Oakland Tet Festival, February 11, 10 am-6 pm, Clinton Square Park, 1230 Sixth Ave: Vietnamese games, booths, festivals, singing and dancing. www.vaced.org Celebrate Chinese New Year in the Laurel on Saturday, February 17: Stop by the Zhi Dao Guan, the Taoist Center, at 3824 MacArthur Blvd. on Saturday, February 17 for a pot luck dinner at 7 pm. There will be salsa dancing (that's Oakland's multiculturalism for you!) and lessons provided. For details, call 336-0129. Oakland Museum Family Exploration, February 18, 1-5 pm: multi-Asian performances, book readings, food, crafts. www.museumca.org Laurel Lion Dancing & Local Heroes, Saturday, February 25, 10 am - Noon: The Lions will visit Laurel merchants bring good luck for the new year, they usually make it to our office around noon just in time to be the finale for Our Local Heroes celebration.
<< C.L. Dellums, co-founder of the Brotherhood of Railroad Porters and Ron's Uncle, was a leading voice for labor and civil rights. Too many events to list in one newsletter, but here's a start.... New Era/New Politics Walking Tour, Saturday, February 3 & 24th,10 am. Tour starts at African American Museum and Library, 659 14th St. A 90-minute walk in downtown Oakland highlighting African American leaders such as C.L. Dellums, Ron Dellums and Lionel Wilson. 238-3234 or www.oaklandnet.com/walkingtours Free.
African American Celebration through Poetry, Sat,
February 3, 1-4 pm, West Oakland Branch Library, 1801
Adeline St. Poets of all ages - from 8 to 80 - share their
work including published writers, award-winning authors and
some reading their work in public for the first time. Music,
dance and costumes have enhanced past performances as each
participant shares her or his unique style. 238-7352. Free. From the Hearts of Black Artists - Reflections of a Culture, February 3, 2-6 pm, Barnes & Noble, Jack London Square. Art Exhibition of local African American Artists & Silent Art Auction, African Story Time for Children with actor Gregory Bonds (3:15 pm), a multimedia display of influential Black Americans, and musical performances by The Renaissance School Elementary Chorus - Voci Pure (3:pm) and the Zion Tabernacle Church Choir (4:15 pm). Monday Night Blues Lectures and Performance,
February 5, 8 pm-midnight, Kimball's Carnival, 522 Second
St. Admission: $5 donation Lecture on the history of Blues
and performance. Series held every Monday during
Black History Month by the Bay Area Blues Society 836-2227
or
www.bayareabluessociety.net
Bring your favorite dog and join us at the grand opening of the Joaquin Miller Park Dog Play Area on Sunday, February 18 from 11 am until 2 pm in parking lots 4 and 5. The event is co- sponsored by the Joaquin Miller Park Dog Owners Group (JMPDog), ODOG, Councilmember Henry Chang and my office. There will be contests (look alike, kissing) a 4-H Agility Demonstration and informational booths. Just remember that your dog must be licensed and no more than three dogs per adult. If you would like to help out, please contact Emily Rosenberg. There will be prizes and snacks for all (two and four legged participants). In case of rain, the event will be held on Sunday, February 25, 11 am to 2 pm. Leaflet. Become an Oakland Animal Shelter Volunteer: The Oakland Animal Shelter seeks volunteers . The month's orientation will be this Sunday, February 4 from 3-4 pm. Orientations are held at the Animal Shelter at 1101 29th Avenue. For details, email Willow. Clarification on New Law Concerning Dogs in Cars: The new law that went into effect on January 1 banning dogs left in cars only applies to when the weather is 65 degrees or higher, if the car is in the sun, or if it is too cold (even with the windows cracked open) according to Megan Webb, Community Outreach coordinator of the Oakland Animal Shelter.
<< Neighborhood Alert leaders at last week's citywide meeting. (Photo by Bob Vaughn) Welcome Dimond Walking Officer Sean Hall: Officer Hall began his new assignment this week. His hours are 8 am to 3 pm. He has not yet received his cell phone, but his email is slhall@oaklandnet.com New Home Alert Groups Organize: Recently we worked with dozens of neighbors around Eastman Avenue bringing them together to discuss a rash of crimes in their area. Thanks to their many complaints and observations, much of the activity was linked to a group of people who had taken over a home in foreclosure. This led to a joint police and building inspection of the property and condemnation of the house for health and safety violations. The City cost of clean-up will be recovered through liens against the house. While this issue is nearly resolved, the group is organizing several home alert groups to prevent future problems like this. Organize or Renew Your Neighborhood Watch Group: Oakland has over 600 block groups, is your street one of them? If not contact Neighborhood Watch at 238-3091. You can also copy us on your request, especially if you need advice, translation or other help to organize your area. Citizen's Police Academy starts February 17: If you live or work in Oakland, attending the Citizens' Police Academy is a great way to find out more about the people and policies of the Oakland Police Department. Learn about criminal law, police procedures and crime prevention techniques. Classes meet at the Eastmont Station, 2651 73rd Avenue, every Saturday from 9 am until Noon, for 14 weeks, starting February 17 through May 19. For more information, contact Paula White at 238-4523.
Record breaking numbers of Oaklanders participated in CORE (Citizens Organized to Respond to Emergencies) last year, over 900 in District 4! I believe the cross or dual training of Home Alert and CORE groups helped boost the numbers. Citywide CORE Neighborhood Exercise planned for Saturday, April 28th, 9 am-Noon, based on a major earthquake on the Hayward Fault. CORE groups, ham radio operators, and fire fighters will test their capacity of:
In addition, each CORE Group can determine if they want to
test additional response strategies, such as neighborhood
evacuation, fire drill or setting up a first aid station.
For more information, contact CORE at 510 238-6351 or
core@oaklandnet.com.
<< Design of new garden at Joaquin Miller Elementary School Buy a Brick to support the new Joaquin Miller School Teaching Garden: After many years of planning, the school is moving ahead with construction for a new landscaping/teaching garden starting this spring. They've already raised a significant portion of their needed funding--our office has provided a $5,000 grant along with donations from Hillside Gardeners, Piedmont Pines Neighborhood Association, Chevron, Wells Fargo and the Joaquin Miller School PTA. Now, District 4 residents--parents of former, current and soon-to-be students--can lend your support as well. Each 4"x 8" brick is $50 and can have up to 3 lines of copy, 20 characters in length. For details, contact Steve Woodard at 482-1495. Maxwell Park Redesign- Input needed: This past Wednesday, parents and neighbors met with School Board member Gary Yee and Ann Combs from our office to talk about opportunities and next steps since the school has been designated by the District as requiring "intervention" and has been declining in population. The goal is to energize the school community into refocusing a new vision for Maxwell Park School and to strengthen a supportive parent, teacher, neighborhood community to help the school improve. Other schools that have gone through this process have reinvented themselves--a key component is having an enthusiastic school community behind the new vision. If you live near Maxwell Park School, whether you are a parent or not, please plan on attending the next meetings-- Wednesday, February 7 and Monday, February 12 at 6 pm at the school, 4730 Fleming Avenue to help develop the school's recommendation to the State Administrator, due on February 28. For details, contact Ashley at 532-2070 or Lucia 261-7230
FOSC Nursery Opportunities: This Saturday, February 3, Friends of Sausal Creek will be planting and weeding at the upper loop of Sanborn Road in Joaquin Miller Park from 9 am until Noon as part of their Sausal Creek Watershed Cape Ivy removal project. From 1:30 until 4, you can also volunteer at the FOSC Native Plant Nursery located in Joaquin Miller Park. On Saturday, February 10 and February 17, the nursery will be open from 1:30 until 4 for volunteers to help with plant propagation and other nursery activities. on the morning of Saturday, February 17, (9 am- Noon) FOSC will be removing Blackberry, ivy and elm sprouts in Dimond Canyon. Meet at the El Centro Trailhead.Contact Kathren Stevenson, Restoration Coordinator,or visit the FOSC website. On Sunday, February 18, 9 am - Noon, FOSC will be sampling aquatic insects and monitoring Sausal Creek. Contact Emma Brown at 527-2507 for details. Save March 24, 4 -7 pm, for FOSC 10th Anniversary Party: If you enjoy walking any of the trails in Dimond Park and Canyon, this is the way to say thank you to this dedicated group of volunteers who so lovingly restore our Sausal Creek watershed. Tickets are now on sale to the Friends of Sausal Creek's 10th Anniversary party, to be held on March 24th, from 4-7 pm at the Joaquin Miller Community Center. To find out how to get your tickets, email Sara Marcellino Tickets are $20 per person, and directly help support FOSC's wonderful nursery and restoration programming. Sara is also your contact for items you may wish to donate to their silent auction, to be held during the 10th Anniversary event.
<< Melrose High Hopes was nominated for its stewardship of Courtland Creek. Kids demonstrate what they hauled out of the creek. With less than two weeks to go, we have about 20 nominations for Local Heroes. Do you know a deserving neighbor? Go to website to see last year's nominees and send your nomination to Jennifer Argueta in our office. Please provide the name, address and contact information for both yourself and the nominee, along with a brief paragraph describing why you believe this person or group deserves recognition. The awards will be presented at our District Office on February 24th as part of the Lunar New Year celebration in the Laurel. All nominees receive Oakland A's or Warriors tickets. The top awardees are allowed to designate up to $1000 in District 4 Council Capital funds to any public project.
"In the Dark" Open at Chabot This Weekend: Prepare to immerse yourself in darkness for the grand opening of Chabot Space & Science Centers newest exhibit with exciting activities, music played by DJ, Justin Credible, demonstrations from Lindsey Wildlife Museum and more! This hands-on exhibit will help you explore and explain the mysteries of Earths dark ecosystems and the unique life forms that inhabit them. Come and discover another world that lurks beneath your lawn, hides in the blackness of caves and swims in the depths of the ocean. Glenview author Erika Mailman featured at the Laurel Bookstore: on Friday, February 9 at 7 pm where she will be reading from her historical novel Woman of Ill Fame, about a Gold Rush Prostitute. The Laurel Bookstore is located at 4100 MacArthur Blvd. Fourth Annual Bay- Friendly Garden Tour, Sunday, April 29: This year's tour continues to celebrate the diverse styles of Bay-Friendly, pesticide free gardens. These gardens contain at least 30% native plants. Registration for the tour is required. Registrants receive a tour guide book with garden directions and descriptions by mail. Native plants, vegetable starts and Mediterranean perennials can be purchased at select sites on the tour. Online registration provides a sneak preview of the 2007 gardens. Volunteers are needed for the day of the tour. If interested, please contact Lawrence Grodeska at 614-1699. Free Health Insurance Counseling for Seniors: The Health Insurance Counseling & Advocacy program (HICAP) offers free counseling on Medicare, Medigap polices,HMO's, prescription drug resources, low-income assistance programs and other health insurance questions. HICAP counselor Gerry Eiselman holds office hours at Lincoln Court Center, 2400 MacArthur Blvd, the first Monday of the month, February 5th, between 9 and 11 am. Call 839- 0393 or 1-800-434-0222 for an appointment Mark Your Calendar for the 4th Annual FOPR "Taste of Spring" Fundraiser: Save Thursday, April 26 for the 4th annual fundraiser for the Friends of Oakland Parks & Recreation at the Rotunda in downtown Oakland. This year's special honoree is Phil Tagami, managing general partner of California Commercial Investments and a District 4 resident. This event raises funds for important park projects:
Consider a Blood Donation-- Shortage of Type O and B Negative: Giving blood is a positive way to help save a life. The procedure only takes about 45 minutes and you get cookies and juice before you leave! Contact the Red Cross Blood Bank at 6320 Claremont Avenue (free parking) by calling 594-5100 to set up an appointment
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