• Tune in KTOP for What the War Costs Oakland: Tune in KTOP, Cable 10 to view a panel discussion with local experts about what the War on Iraq means in cuts to real health, education , social and crime prevention programs for Oaklanders. The program will air on Wednesday, March 21 at 3:30 pm; Thursday, at 7:30 pm and Saturday, March 24 at 1 pm (set your recorder and join us at the rally at City Hall at that time.)

This month the City Council passed a resolution marking the 4th Anniversary of the War in Iraq and the economic impact the war economy has on the City.

The war is costing the nation $100,000 a minute and current plans will bring the cost over Vietnam. Oakland's share is over $512 million today, with that money over the last 4 years we could have:

• Built 4600 units of housing
• Insured about 75,000 children each year, making every child in the insured.
• Hired enough teachers to cut class sizes in every classroom in half.
• Provided 24,000 4-year scholarships = approximately every high school senior
• Provided 16,000 children a year Head Start =every low income child in the city
• Doubled our police force, 800 new officers (note this is a correction to our blast of yesterday.)

 

• On Saturday March 24th, 10am-Noon, Congresswoman Lee will holding her annual Town Hall Meeting on the War at the Grand Lake Theater.

• Following the Town Hall meeting at there will be March to City Hall at Noon starting the Lakeview Library at Lake Merritt across from the Farmer’s Market. We're bring our whole family. Our daughter Lailan helped design the leaflet and my husband Floyd is organizing first aid and monitors for the march. Our son William will bring some residents from his hospital to help. If you have a bullhorn or would like to help monitor the march, contact: fhuen@gmail.com

• A short Rally at City Hall, 1-2pm will address how the cost of the war and resulting budget cuts at home are linked to the violence in Oakland. Congresswoman Lee, Assembly Members Swanson & Hancock, the Mayor's Office, Presidents of the Council & School Board, Alameda Labor Council & Teacher Representatives, and speakers from Oakland church and youth groups will speak on ending the war in Iraq and ending the violence here at home.

• Envisioning Peace Concert, music and spoken word to inspire peace, 7 pm at Fruitvale Presbyterian Church, 2735 MacArthur Blvd at Coolidge. Music by Damond Moodie, the Apple Pie Hopes, Phoenix & Luke Thomas of After Buffalo, and the Renaissance School Chorus. Donations $5-10, youth free. 530-0915.

For more information, fliers, and more:

• Organize an Earth Day Project: For the third year in a row, our District led the city with about 600 volunteers working on about 30 projects! Whether its a few neighbors sweeping the block or weeding the median strip, joining the hundred plus volunteers along Sausal Creek, or a major project like building a school garden in one day...Sign up today and send us an email, too. The city can provide tools and T-Shirts. Our office tries to get donations of food and beverages when requested.

• Earth Expo, Wednesday, April 18th, 10 am - 2 pm: Over 100 dynamic businesses and organizations will join city staff to showcase their contributions to Oakland’s sustainable urban environment. Last year Oakland was named the 5 the most sustainable city in the nation. Taste organic produce, touch green building materials, see Bay-friendly landscaping ideas, listening to a "chalk talk" by the City's energy efficency expert, take alook at hybrid cars, and get energy saving tips.
 

To register your neighborhood site, borrow tools, fliers and more...

• Who's Got You Covered? A Discussion on Health Care Reform : Assemblywoman Loni Hancock invites the public to a special meeting in the City Council Chambers on Saturday, March 17, 9:30 am-1 pm to talk about proposed solutions to health care reform being discussed in Sacramento. Guest speakers include: Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez, Senate President Pro Tem Don Perata, Assembly Health Committee Mervyn M. Dymally, Assemblymembers Sandre Swanson and Mary Hayashi and Oakland Mayor Ron Dellums. For more information, call 559-1406.

• Joaquin Miller School Walk A Thon This Saturday: Help support Joaquin Miller Elementary School. Stop by to see details about their "Buy A Brick" campaign to raise funds for their front landscaping and new teaching garden, or to make a donation to the PTA.

• A rally for Presidential Candidate Barack Obama this Saturday ,March 17-- Gates open at 3:00 PM.

• Oakland Museum's Family Explorations, Sunday, March 18, 1-5 pm: (Photo Above) Celebrate the creative spirit of 100 Families Oakland and the first 100 days of Mayor Ron Dellums.

• Hands-on art activities led by artists from 100 Families Oakland
• Music, puppet show, and face painting
• Spoken word poetry workshop for teens with Youth Speaks (2:30 & 3:30 pm)
• Performances by Prescott Elementary School Circus (3 pm)
• Learn about resources available from the Fire Department, Public Library, Parks & Recreation, Head Start, Oakland Children & Youth Services, and other city agencies

For more information, or call 238-2200.

 

• District Meeting on Affordable Housing: At the end of last year the Council was divided on plans for Inclusionary Housing (requiring developers to include a percentage of affordable units in new projects) and on proposals to expand Condo Conversions (converting rental apartments to condominiums). Both issues were sent to a Blue Ribbon Commission made up of appointees by Mayors Brown and Dellums, Council Members, and others. Their recommendations will come back to Council hopefully before the summer break. As part of their process, a meeting will be held in each District. The meeting for District 4 has been set for March 29th 7 pm, at the Dimond Library.

Their web page has information of thei activities and a good bibliography on Inclusionary Housing, Condo Conversion, and Affordable Housing Issues. • Architect and Maxwell Park Neighborhood Council Board member Robert McGillis also posted some useful links recently on their website regarding the laws governing some of the issues that the City is required to follow and "smart growth" information:

• California Government Code -The law protects and rewards developers who provide housing for seniors and homes for low, very low, and moderate income families. Density bonuses, financial incentives, reductions in zoning standards and parking requirements are among the benefits available to developers.
• These “Anti-NIMBY” laws, are intended to balance County’s, Cities and neighborhood groups who seek to prevent housing projects for lower income families and seniors.
• Housing Advocates Group : http://www.housingadvocates.org
• Housing Facts & Issues : http://www.housingadvocates.org/default.asp ?ID=171
• Association of Bay Area Governments : http://www.abag.ca.gov/planning/hous ingneeds/resources.html
• Greenbelt Alliance - http://www.greenbelt.org/whatwedo/iss ues_smartgrowth.html

 

Click-It for National Library Month: Some of our libraries best customers never walk in the door. With your library card you can access valuable resources on-line. Want to read the New York Times archives without a four hundred dollar plus subscription? Go through our library portal. Traveling abroad? I load my MP3 with Pimsler Language programs (usually $200 plus) and with enough books to take me across the country or oceans. You can also find:

• Best selling novels, both audio and e-books
• Over 30,000 magazines and newspapers
• Investment data and journals
• 28,000 auto manuals
• Live chat with a librarian
• Tumblebooks, listen to on-line books for children

• Oakland Public Library's 2005-2006 Annual Report: is now available on the library's website. The report covers the highlights of the library from July 1, 2005 through June 30, 2006. Just click on the link from the home page to let the library know what you think about the report. Copies are also available at your local branch or contact the library's Community Relations Office at 238-3271.

• National Library Week Author Michael Pollan will speak at the Oakland Museum on Thursday, April 12, 7 pm. Every year one of the hottest authors reads and answers questions to support Friends of the Oakland Public Library. His book The Omnivores Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals has been on the Bay Area's bestseller list for weeks. It examines the Industrial Food System and the world of "Big Organics."

• The Bookmark needs books, cd's, and dvd's in good condition to sell to raise funds for the library. Operated by the Friends of the Oakland Public Library at 721 Washington Street in Old Oakland, it's a great place to browse. Call 444-0473.

The update to the City of Oakland's Bicycle master Plan is scheduled for completion this fall. The City has released a Draft Plan and Draft Environmental Impact Report (EIR) for public review. There are several opportunities:

• Community Meeting, Wednesday, April 5, 5:30-7:30 pm in the Lakeside Park Garden Center (666 Bellevue Avenue at Grand Avenue) for an open house on the Draft Plan. Presentation at 6:15 pm.

• Public Hearing: Wednesday, April 18, 6 pm at the City Planning Commission, City Hall, 1 Frank H. Ogawa Plaza.

Draft copies of the Bicycle Plan and the Draft EIR can be downloaded from the website below, or can be picked up from the Community and Economic Development Agency, Planning and Zoning Division, 250 Frank H. Ogawa Plaza, Suite 3315, Monday through Friday, 8:30 am to 5 pm. The documents are also available for review at the Oakland Main Public Library, Social Science and Documents, 125 14th Street.
 

Draft Bicycle Master Plan and Draft EIR

• How To Find Out What Police Beat You are In: Here is a link that his helpful in identifying, by address, what police beat you may live in. Click on geocode to enter a specific address, then a map appears with the beat number. This is helpful if you are trying to figure out which Neighborhood Crime Prevention Council you are covered by. We also encourage residents to organize their neighbors into a Neighborhood Watch (formerly Home Alert) group. For details, contact 238-3091.

• Traffic Complaints: Everyone has an intersection or street they think is particularly dangerous. The Neighborhood Crime Prevention Councils "nominate" 3 sites per beat as their priorities. So if you have a special concern attend your NCPC and let them know. Lt. Athony Banks heads the traffic division, you can contact him at abanks@oaklandnet.com 777-8637.

• Call for Community Assessors on the Oral Boards for Police Recruits: The Oakland Police Department seeks community members to serve on the hiring oral boards to interview potential candidates for the Police Officer Trainee and Lateral positions. Normally this is a 2-day commitment--8 am-5 pm. The assessor panel consists of one sergeant, one officer and one civilian. The only requirement is that you live, work or own a business in Oakland. Upcoming interviews: March 20 & 21; April 23 & 24; May 21 & 22; June 25 & 26; July 23 & 24; August 20 & 21; September 24, October 23 & 23; November 13 and December 18. If interested, please contact Cee Belue at 238-3339.

For information on jobs with the Oakland Police...

• Bring the kids to Stagebridge's Strega Nona Festival, March 24 & 25: Bring your family to see Strega Nona, Big Anthony and all their zany friends come to life in this retelling of the popular stories by Tomie dePaola, as adapted by Linda Spector. Meet the cast after the play for an Old Fashioned Ice Cream Social (included in the price). Saturday, March 24 and Sunday, March 25 at 3 pm at Arts First Oakland, First Congregational Church, 2501 Harrison at 27th Street near Lake Merritt. Admission: $10 general, $5 children under 12. Group/family rates, call 444-4755 or go online.

• The Glenview Odyssey Teams Need Help to Continue in Competition: Glenview competed against other teams from across the Bay Area last weekend and need funds to travel to the next round in Visalia on March 31st. Odyssey of the Mind is an international educational program that encourages students to analyze a situation, imagine all the possibilities, then synthesize the best qualities of their ideas into a workable solution. If you can help, please go to the Glenview PTA site at: http://www.glenviewpta.org/

• Opera Piccola's Performance of Suzan-Lori Parks' "365 Days/365 Plays": Performing students from Oakland Tech and the East Oakland School of the Ares (EOSA) are part of this national series of plays created by one of the country's most important playwrights. On Wednesday, April 4 at 7 pm at the Oakland metro in Jack London Square, Opera Piccola will present works from Week 21 of Suxan-Lori Park's year of brilliant, innovative plays. In November 2002, the Pulitzer prize- winning playwright sat down and committed to write a play a day for the next 365 days. The world premier of this play cycle will be performed as a yearlong national festival simultaneously in major cities and communities across the country.

• Sequoia School Multicultural Festival and Silent Auction, Saturday, April 28, 4-8 pm: Come join the fun and help raise funds for new play structures at the school. There will be performers, great food, and wonderful items to bid on. The committee still needs donations or services for the Silent Auction. Contact Giovanna Queeto. Or advertise in their auction catalog: $40 business card size; $75 for 1/4 page size; $150 for 1/2 page ads and $300 for full page ads. Direct donations for the new play structure are also welcome.

• Teen Homework Assistance Center Offers Free Tutoring in math, science, English and Spanish, eight hours per week to middle and high school students on Saturdays and Mondays at the Eastmont Branch Library. The program also seeks volunteer tutors. For details contact Don Waters, who spearheads the program for the library, at (510) 615-5726.

A few weeks ago I read that Athens is having a crisis because their landfills are full, garbage is literally piling up. Toxics leaching from the landfills are contaminating the environment. The Bay Area governments are considered national leaders in the movement to reduce waste following the 4 R’s – Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Rot. Oakland and Alameda County have dramatically reduced waste over the last decade. These are Oakland’s diversion (tonnage diverted from land fills) rates:

• 1990 11%
• 1993 Curbside Recycling Begins
• 1995 27%
• 2000 50%
• 2004 54%
• 2005 58% City adds weekly green waste & compostable foods/paper to residential service
• 2006 ? First full year of organics recycling

 

If you treasure the beautiful walkways along Sausal Creek and its tributaries in Glenview, Dimond Canyon, Shepherd Canyon or Joaquin Miller Park, you should join us next Saturday night (after the march) to support and celebrate the Friends of Sausal Creek. Jim Zamora's article this week in the Chronicle reminds us how special this local group of volunteers is.

• Saturday, March 31, 9 am-4:30 pm: Restoration and Nursery Programs meet at Joaquin Miller Park Nursery to prepare for the May 6 annual plant sale. (left) Student work with Dimond resident and teacher Sue Morgan at the nursery.

• FOSC Nursery Seeks 4" pots, used mini-blinds and milk crates: The nursery is running low on 4" pots-- prefer dark green or black ones-- they last longer. They also could use milk crates to hold tree pots upright. Old mini-blinds will be used to make plant tags, and used boxes (the tops of 5 or 10-ram paper boxes, and bottled water flats work best) will be needed for the upcoming plant sale so that purchasers can easily transport their natives to their car and garden. Drop them off at the Joaquin Miller Park Nursery any Saturday.

• FOSC 10th Anniversary Party, March 24, 4-7 pm: Tickets are now on sale to the Friends of Sausal Creek's 10th Anniversary party, at the Joaquin Miller Community Center. Email Sara Marcellino. Tickets are $20 per person and directly fund FOSC's wonderful nursery and restoration programs. You can use Paypal or easy, on-line reservations.

• Lost of Fabulous Items at the Silent Auction:

• Dazzling Trips: A week at Bear Valley Sierra Cabin; 1 night at B& B Lingonberry Farm at Point Reyes Station, 1 night at Wilbur Hot Springs; 2 nights at Feather River Camp.
• Great Outdoors: Lift tickets to Sugar Bowl; 1 Commonweath Club Membership; 1 North Face Cat's meow sleeping bag; 1 North Face Tadpole Tent; 1 Mountain Yoga Mat, t-shirt and 5-class pass.
• Sports: warriors Tickets, Giants Tickets, A's Tickets
• Cultural Experiences: Chabot Solar Car Birthday Party; Ahart Aviation "Bay Tour" Flight
• Art:from local artists

Donations for the auction are still being accepted. www.sausalcreek.org

Back in November 2005, the City had to remove the "Champagne Oak", considered Oakland's oldest Oak tree, due to disease. Five fire-place log sized pieces were saved for future art projects. The wood is well-aged--and cracked, so it is probably not suitable for wood-turned bowls, but could be incorporated into an art project using other media.

If you are interested, please send our office a letter, outlining how you envision using one or more pieces of this legacy oak. For additional information, please contact Sue Piper at 238-7042.

• Woodminster Summer Musical Auditions: Open to adults and teens for all three shows of the season:

• "West Side Story" July 13-22
• "The Wizard of Oz" August 10-19
• "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat" September 7-16

Children's Auditions-- March 31 only- 10 am- noon, no appointment necessary. Children will be asked to sing. Adult & Teen Auditions: March 31-April 1: Singers 12-4 pm either day, no appointment necessary. For details, call 531-9597 or email Harriet Schlader. You can also check their website.

• The Western Festival Ballet 2007 Spring Concert: A youth opportunity performance presented by The Ronn Guidi Foundation Saturday, March 20, 2 pm and 7 pm at the Regent's Theatre at Holy Names University, 3500 Mountain Blvd. General Admission: $20. Richard Cowan's daughter will be one of the performers! Tickets available on line or at 530- 7516.

• Register now for Bringing Back the Natives Garden Tour: Registrants receive passes to more than 60 bird- and butterfly-friendly, pesticide-free, water conserving, low maintenance gardens that contain 30% or more native plants. The gardens will be open on Sunday, May 6 from 10 am -5 pm at various locations throughout Alameda and Contra Costa Counties. Wish you could see more gardens? Sign up for the Select Tours on April 28 and May 5. There is a limit of 30 people on each Select Tour; $30 per person. A number of native plant nurseries (including the FOSC Native Plant Nursery in Joaquin Miller Park) will be having sales on May 5 and 6.

• Meet the Authors at a Great Good Place for Books in Montclair: Tuesday, March 20 at 7 pm , meet mystery authors Cara Black, and David Corbett. They will be reading from their new books, Murder on the Ile Saint-Louis (Cara) and The Blood of Paradise (David). On Friday, March 23, meet Oakland author Lalita Tademy who will be reading from her new novel, Red River, at 7 pm. A Great Good Place for Books is located at 6120 La Salle Avenue in Montclair.

• Nominations for 2007 Mother of the Year Award: The Office of Parks & Recreation is launching its annual city-wide search for candidates for the Oakland Mother of the Year Award. Nominees must be nominated by an organization, not by a relative or personal friend. Nominations are due Friday, March 30. Nominating organizations will be notified of the awardee 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 at 10:30 am. For more information, call 238-3094.

• Merritt College Annual Plant Fair, Saturday, April 28: 9 am-3 pm. There will be exotic plants, yummy vegetables, miscellaneous perennials, annual flowers and rare trees and shrubs, along with free advice, good music and lots of food. All proceeds benefit the Landscape Horticultural Department at Merritt College. For details, call 436-2418.

• 4th Annual Taste of Spring Fundraiser for FOPR: Save Thursday, April 26 for the Friends of Oakland Parks & Recreation's 4th Annual Taste of Spring Fundraiser at the Rotunda in downtown Oakland. This fundraiser supports Oakland's parks and recreation centers. Last year FOPR provided more than $27,500 a year in grant funding; completed Phase 2 of the Rockridge Greenbelt; created interpretive signage for the FM Smith Mule Team Renovation; and worked on design development and fundraising for Raimondi Park. For every dollar Friends receives, they are able to leverage the funds to bring in three for park-related issues. District 4's Phil Tagami, managing general partner of California Commercial Investments, is this year's honoree. For details, call 465-1850.

 

<< Walk to School Day near the trail.

• In order to become eligible for grants/funding, our office commissioned a survey and trail design that would install a five-foot wide asphalt trail from Joaquin Miller and Montera Schools to the corner of Scout and Mountain up to the sidewalk that goes to Montclair Village. The city's engineers estimate the trail will cost $450,000. We are told by the grant writers that our chances of being awarded a state or federal grant will vastly increase if we raise matching funds, about $100,000. I have committed $25,000 towards this project. Our office is talking to the PTAs at Joaquin Miller and Montera Schools, local neighborhood associations about raising the remaining $75,000 or more that we will need. The Oakland Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce Foundation has agreed to serve as our fiscal intermediary so that contributions may be tax deductible. If you are interested in contributing to this project, please contact Sue Piper in our office at 238-7042. or send your check, payable to the Oakland Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce Foundation, to 475 14th Street, Oakland, CA 94612. Please note that it is for the Joaquin Miller-Montera School Pathway Project.

• Tax Help at the Library: Oakland Public Library, in partnership with the American Association for Retired Persons, offers free tax assistance through April 16, 2007. Trained volunteers are ready to help at the following library locations. Be sure to bring copies of your last year’s federal and state tax returns and all materials pertaining to your 2006 tax forms (and your spouse, if filing jointly!). Seniors, ages 60 plus, will be given preference at walk-in sites only. Please call ahead to confirm times:

• Oakland Main Library: 125 14th St, Mondays, 10 am-1:30 pm; Fridays, 12:30- pm; Saturdays, 10 am-3 pm; 238-3134. Walk-ins only; no advance appointments .
• Dimond Branch Library:3565 Fruitvale Ave; Tuesdays, 12:30-5 pm; Thursdays, 10 am-3 pm; 482-7844. Call for appointment; some walk-ins accepted.

For more locations.

 

• Earned Income Tax Credit Help: Did you know that in the Bay Area, over $75 million in Earn Income Tax Credits goes unclaimed each year? If your family earned less than $39,000 in 2006, you could be eligible for $4,400 or more in federal tax credits. Tax centers.  To learn more : Call 800-358-8852 or email vita@uwba.org. US citizenship NOT required.