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1. Family Fun Day, Open Studios and Other Weekend Events |
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 Oakland
Family Fun Day, Saturday, June 9:
Oakland families can take advantage of
FREE admission to our
four premier family attractions: the
Oakland Zoo, the
Oakland Museum of
California,
Chabot Space & Science Center and
Children's Fairyland.
Each venue will host special activities, I'll be at the
Museum in the morning and up at the Chabot Space &
Science Center in the afternoon, please come by
http://www.oaklandnet.com/familyday/
- Free Arts
Active Parents Workshop, Saturday, June 9, 9:30-11:30
am: If you are interested in becoming a more
powerful advocate for arts learning and all of its
benefits in our schools, plan on attending this FREE
workshop on The Role of the
Arts Active Parent: How to Start an Arts Learning
Revolution at Your School. I along with other local
Arts Active parents will share our experiences and
answer your questions. The event will be held at the
Oakland Museum of California's Lecture Hall. For
details, contact Kathy Kahn at 418-8523.
- De-Bugging Your Garden, June 9, 11 am- 4 pm:
Chabot Space & Science Center's Kids Go
Green: Be part of the Solution is a climate
change initiative by kids - for kids, families and the
community. Developed by the Galaxy Explorers - Chabot's
youth volunteer program - Kids Go Green shows
both children and adults how to take practical, daily
steps to reduce carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gas
emissions. June's theme, Recycling & Gardening,
showcases a wide array of hands-on activities, including
composting. At 1:30 p.m.
Buzz Bertolero, "The Dirt Gardener" who appears
weekly on KRON-4 TV's Henry's Garden, shows kids
and families how to keep bugs out of the garden without
using pesticides. All of this is free as part of the
Oakland Family Fun Day .Bring
in an inkjet cartridge for free Chabot-made compost.
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 Library's
Summer Reading Game Kick's Off with Celebration of the
Thacher Hurd Mural: On Saturday, June 9, 11 am
we will celebrate the completion of author/ illustrator
Thacher Hurd's colorful paintings on the walls of
the Main Library's Children's Room and the start of the
2007 Reading Game, "Get
a Clue @ Your Library." The artist will discuss
his work and lead a brief tour to showcase his lovable
characters. Kids 13 and under can win books and prizes
including A's tickets as they read through the summer.
For details, call 238-3615 or visit the
library website.
Photos
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 Last
Weekend: Open Studios Continues Saturday & Sunday, June
9-10: Rich & Alice Leon in their Maxwell Park
backyard gallery display gorgeous photos of Oakland and
nature. Over 400 East Bay artists open their
homes/studios this weekend. The catalog of artists can
be picked up at any site or viewed at
http://proartsgallery.org/ebos2007/index.html
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Oakland Youth Premiere
Digital Art at the Parkway Speakeasy Theater, Sunday,
June 10, 2-4 pm, Free. Oakland students of the
EBAYC Youth Center exhibit their digital art projects
from video documentaries, digital storytelling,
photography, graphic arts, silk screening and video game
design.
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2. Council Continues Budget Hearings,
Televised Call-in Hearing Rescheduled to Friday, June 15th,
5-7 pm |
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Sorry if you tuned into Channel 10 Wednesday for our on the
air Budget Hearing; technical problems have forced us to
reschedule to next week Friday, June 15th, 5-7 pm. Got a
budget question, but haven't been able to attend any of our
community hearings? Email your question to
budgetoffice@oaklandnet.com and we will try to answer as
many questions as we can . Or
call in during the broadcast
on 238-6292; League for Women Voters volunteers will
be answering the phones.
City Council hearings continue on the next two year budget
as we examine proposals department by department. The
next special budget meetings
are Thursday, June 14th, 4-8 pm and June 19th, 3:30-5:30 pm.
The Mayor and City Administrator proposals were summarized
in this past
newsletter. Council members will likely make additional
proposals, but a $11 million projected deficit means tough
decisions. The Council has final budget authority and a
budget must be passed by June 30th. For an overview of the
City Budget, budget schedule and more:
Budget Facts.
PUBLIC SAFETY & THE BUDGET: Some of the most common
questions we have gotten at the Budget Hearings in the
community concern public safety.
Q: How much do we spend on
Public Safety?
A: The following chart shows the break down by
department, Public Safety (Police and Fire) account for 63%
of the General Fund budget. The Police also receive
substantial federal and state grants and Measure Y Funds.
Q: What Public Safety budget increases is the Council
considering for the new budget?
Briefly the Council is looking the following strategies:
1. Maximize Current
Police Resources:
- Reorganize schedules and assignments to make
sure more police are on the streets.
We currently have more police on duty during high
crime periods than before but we have more changes
to come as we renegotiate our Police Contract.
- Reorganize police for more geographic
accountability. The new plan calls for Captains who
will oversee all problems within an area over all
shifts. All officers assigned to the same areas
will get to know the neighborhoods better and
establish relations with the community. As Measure
Y beat/problem solving officers come on line (about
half of the beats now) we are seeing improvements in
chronic problems as they work with local
neighborhood alert and crime prevention councils.
- Civilianize some jobs so more officers are on
the street (evidence techs, data and report
functions, etc)
- Remove police from the airport until we fill all
803 sworn police positions.
2. Increase Police Support Services:
Our latest police academy has 55 cadets, the largest in
recent years. This means we have over 80 new officers
in training, but fierce competition for cadets and
retirements mean that it will be until sometime next
year that we will fully utilize the budgeted positions
we now have. Until then we can:
- Hire retired officers to work on investigations
- Hire more police techs who can collect evidence,
data, take reports of crimes to focus on specific
areas (car thefts, burglaries, robberies, etc)
- Consider new programs such as the "Ambassador"
programs which hire youth and students in commercial
areas to walk people to their cars, act as guides,
extra ears and eyes on the street.
3. Strengthen Community Policing Resources:
Neighborhood Crime Councils and Alert Groups are
significantly increased and stronger over the last two
years. We have increased Neighborhood Service
Coordinators and improved training, and outreach
materials.
4. Focus
Crime
and Violence Prevention Programs:
Working with schools, probation, social service and
community groups we are focusing on young people most at
risk - victims of violence and exploitation, truants,
children in foster care, youth on probation or parole,
drop-outs, and gangs. Measure Y dollars are leveraging
more funds from the county, state and foundations. In
some programs case management & counseling has cut in
half the percentage of young people who get back in
trouble with the law. New programs working with sexually
exploited minors takens girls off the streets and led to
sentencing of pimps for 10 to 25 years. Mayor Dellums
wants to expand the programs started by Mayor Brown to
provide transition employment programs for young men
returning from prison.
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3. Community Policing: National Trends, Merchants and
Neighbors Organize to Protect Commercial Areas |
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The Annual FBI
Report on Crime Trends
released this week won't surprise most Oaklanders. Some of
the 2006 findings were:
- Big-city murders rose
sharply in 2006 as violent crime
increased nationally for the second straight year. In
2007 Oakland's murder rate is down by a third.
- Robberies spiked by 6 percent, marking the highest
increase in any category of crime
surveyed.
- Burglaries, however, rose slightly - particularly in
mid-size cities, where the rate grew by 3.3 percent.
- Violent crime rose in every region
of the country except for the Northeast. Western states
saw the largest jump in violent crime,
by 2.8 percent.
Neighbors Join Merchants in Organizing Against Crime in
Commercial Areas:
Merchants are organizing similar to Neighborhood Alert to
coordinate security efforts as waves of crime are hitting
many of the city's shopping areas. The most sustained work
in my district has taken place in the Laurel, which also
suffered the most severe initial problems.A coordinated
program of increased police patrols, undercover work,
traffic violation stops, and other preventive measures,
along with more merchant awareness and increased private
security protection, has resulted in arrests and cutting
crime in half over the last month.
Montclair has been hit late night break-ins, most occurring
between 2-5 am when the village is most deserted, and
robberies over the last month. This week merchants,
representatives of the Montclair Safety Improvement Council,
and others met with police, my staff and private security
personnel to discuss implementing a strategy similar to that
of the Laurel, combining police crime suppression work
with increased merchant and patron alertness in an effort to
forestall this criminal activity. My office and the police
will help merchants with cameras. I am asking the police to
provide overtime coverage for the walking officer who is out
on medical leave and increased coverage by the new
undercover operations formed to work on crime in the
business districts.
 Neighbors
can help keep our commercial areas safe by being alert and
supporting merchants. Glenview residents last week
responded to a rash of robberies there by organizing walking
groups and increasing their patronage of stores in the
evenings. Last night I joined the Mayor and Council Member
De La Fuente in walking International Avenue in an area
close to the Melrose area of my district, listening to
merchants and immigrant workers.
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If you witness a robbery or crime, this
Identification Sheet might help police get the
information we need to make an arrest.
More Robbery Tips
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Use Your NCPC to Help Set Community Safety
Priorities: Our office
tries to monitor the many listservs in our District
where neighbors register concerns about crime and
traffic safety but you cannot consider this the same as
contacting police or our office directly. Police beat
priorities are set at theNeighborhood
Crime Prevention Councils (NCPCs). We encourage
neighborhoods and representatives from Neighborhood
Watch Groups to participate in their NCPC's.
Schedule
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4. Voluntary Seismic Strengthening Incentive Program Goes to
Council Committees June 12 |
 <<Typical
wood-framed home damaged during 1989 Loma Prieta Earthquake.
Experts predict that a magnitude 6.9 earthquake on the
Hayward Fault will result in tens of billions of dollars of
economic loss--half of which will be loss of housing. More
than 155,000 homes are anticipated to become uninhabitable,
with 36,500 of those in Oakland alone. That's one-third of
our housing! They also predict up to 15,000 casualties.
We can prevent or reduce the scope of such a tragedy. If
Oakland homeowners to retrofit their homes, we could save
thousands of lives and reduce the financial loss to
individuals and the city at large.
Only 15% of Oakland homes
are retrofitted to current standards. Over the last
years our office has sponsored retrofit workshops, worked to
develop standards for retrofitting, and worked regionally to
change state standards and programs. We are now proposing a
program building on a successful Berkeley program, where
now 80% of their homes have been retrofitted over the last
ten years.
This month my office is proposing a new Voluntary Seismic
Strenthening Incentive Program, co-sponsored by Council
Member Brunner, at the Finance & Management (1 pm) and
Community & Economic Development (4 pm) committee meetings
on Tuesday, June 12.
The Program has four elements:
- It establishes
seismic strengthening standards for typical
wood-framed houses to ensure that retrofits meet a
baseline of effectiveness.
- It establishes a
low, flat seismic strengthening permit feet of $250
as an incentive. (Currently, homeowners must pay a
percentage of the cost of the retrofit, which can be
substantial.)
- It establishes a New
Homeowner Seismic Strengthening Reimbursement Incentive
Program whereby new owners of older homes have
one year in which to retrofit according to the new
standards. If the retrofit passes inspection, they will
be eligible for reimbursement of their expenses of up to
.5% of the purchase price of the home or $5,000,
whichever is less.
- Setting aside $500,000 from the proceeds of the Real
Estate Property Transfer Tax for the 2007-08 Fiscal
Year and up to $1,000,000 in future Fiscal Years to
fund the reimbursement
program.
Our office has received several emails from residents who
are interested in the program.
Q: Will I be eligible if I already retrofitted my home?
No, this only applies to new homeowners as of the
implementation of the program.
Q: Can I apply for the reimbursement even though they
are not new homeowners. Again, the reimbursement
incentive program only would apply to new homeowners.
However, current homeowners could take advantage of the
flat permit fee of $250. We are working on getting funds
for existing homeowners from state, federal or
redevelopment funds.
You can download the report, proposed ordinance and
resolution next week by going to the
City website and navigating to Council Meetings &
Agendas. For additional information, contact
Sue
Piper in our office.
This is just the beginning. Our office is working closely
with officials from other cities, the Association of Bay
Area Governments, and our elected officials in Sacramento to
develop additional support, incentives and programs that
will help our communities better prepare for the
inevitable. We will also be coming back to the City in the
fall with additional recommendations, such as requiring
automatic gas shut off or gas flow interrupt valves and
mandatory retrofitting when homeowners do major renovations,
and grants for low income home owners.
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5. Dimond
Peets Due to Open By Month's End |
 My
husband and I have been drinking Peets since we were
students at Cal, so we're happy that the Dimond store seems
on track for opening the week of June 25th. We'll let you
know the details. La Farrine needs to build extensive
ventilation for its ovens and is aiming for August.
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6.
Help Us Attract Retail, Online Oakland Shopper Survey |
 The
City of Oakland is working with a team led by Conley
Consulting Group to create a citywide strategy to attract
more retail stores and to improve the retail experience in
Oakland. An important part of the process is to learn about
consumer perceptions and preferences. This online survey
measures the shopping patterns of Oakland shoppers. Upon
completing the
survey, you will be able to enter a drawing for a free
Apple iPod Nano. |
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7. Wildfire Inspections |
- 2007 Inspection
Notices Mailed: Residents of the Wildfire
Prevention District should have received your 2007
Inspection Notice from the
Wildfire Prevention Assessment District.
Inspections begin June
15. Now is the time to work on cutting back your
overgrown shrubs, cutting tree limbs next to your house,
and mowing tall grasses. Be aware of
endangered species that might be on your property.
If you hire someone to do the work or to haul away your
debris, be sure to ask for the receipt from the Davis
Street Transfer Station. We have had problems with
haulers dumping their debris in parks and other open
spaces; you could be liable for the fines if there is
anything identifying you with the debris.
- Road Side Cutting
along Skyline: As we near the 4th of July,
residents are always concerned about the risk of fire
along our scenic roads. Leroy Griffin of the Fire
Department notes that the contracts are being let out to
bid and the work is scheduled to be completed prior to
the 4th of July.
- Green Plant
Recycling Practices: Don't forget that residents
of the Wildfire District can have their branches reduced
to water conserving mulch. For more tips on how to
recycle vegetation to enrich your soil, reduce green
house emissions and landfill, go to
StopWaste.org.
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8. Limits on Feeding Pigeons Passes First Council Vote |
 Following
complaints about feral pigeons in commercial areas, our
research indicated that banning pigeon feeding in commercial
zones was the easiest and most humane method to reduce
pigeon impact. The Council
passed the proposed ordinance as a pilot project for the
Dimond and Laurel Districts. We are proposing a $25
fine after a warning and an effective date of September 1st
to give us an opportunity to post signs and educate the
community. The ordinance will not affect feeding pigeons on
private property or parks. |
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9. Plastic Bag Ban Goes to Council June
26, 11 am |
 Proposed
Plastic Bag Ban: On Tuesday, June 26, 11 am, Council
Member Nancy Nadel and I will introduce an
ordinance banning plastic carry out bags from large
retail stores similar to the legislation recently passed by
San Francisco. Each year 12 million barrels of oil go to
produce over a trillion single use plastic bags.
Californians use over 19 billion bags and throw 600 away
every second, resulting in over 147,000 tons of litter.
Thousands of marine animals die from ingesting bags or
entanglement. To comment on the ordinance, contact
Richard Cowan of our office 238-7041. To date, we have
received overwhelming support of this ordinance via emails
from Oakland residents.
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11. Traffic News: Schools Out, Repaving, Rapid Bus Plans |
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 Oakland
Public Schools Close for Summer Wednesday, June 13:
Please be mindful that children will be playing
outside during the day throughout the summer and drive
safely.
- Street Resurfacing and Sidewalk Repairs:
Work has begun on resurfacing
High Street from
Foothill Blvd. to Redding Street and is
anticipated to be completed by approximately
Thanksgiving. Resurfacing of
Joaquin Miller Road
is anticipated later this summer. Sidewalks where tree
roots were creating uneven surfaces are also scheduled
for repair. The sidewalks on La Salle between the garage
and Mountain were repaired this week.
- Public Hearings on New East Bay Bus Rapid
Transit System: Public hearings
 on
a draft environmental impact of a new rapid bus system
planned along a 17-mile corridor connecting Berkeley,
Oakland and San Leandro on Telegraph Ave, East 14th St,
and International Blvd are planned. The system calls for
dedicated bus lanes and new loading platforms. To
comment,
download the document, or review a copy at AC
Transit, 1600 Franklin St, call 891-4755. Copies are
also available at the Oakland Library Main Branch; the
Temescal, Cesar E. Chavez, Asian and Elmhurst branches;
the Metroplitan Transportation Commission (MTC) Library
at 1010 8th St in Oakland, and at the Alameda County
Clerk's office at 1106 Madison St, 1st Fl. Hearings will
be held in Oakland on
Wednesday, June 13 at the Fruitvale/San Antonio Senior
Center Fruitvale Transit Village, 3301 East 12th
St.
Written comments are due no later than 5 pm July 3,
2007.
- Warren Freeway Landscaping Scheduled for
Late Summer/Fall: Two years ago, neighbors and
our office, with help from former Assemblywoman Wilma
Chan and Senator Don Perata, worked with CalTrans to
develop a landscaping plan for the median on the Warren
Freeway after they installed concrete dividers to
improve the safety along the freeway. After some delays
the state allocated funds, and now CalTrans is going
out to bid on the project. CalTrans ancitipates that the
work will start in late Summer or Fall. It will be
planted with natives-- just in time for the winter
rains!
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12. School & Youth News |
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Mayor's Summer Job Program
(MSJP):
The mayor is asking businesses to provide summer jobs for a
youth or to sponsor one or more youth at $2,500 each. The
Mayor will recognize participating businesses with
certificates of appreciation, personal letters of thanks for
helping Oakland become the model city and an invitation to a
luncheon Mayor at which he will personally thank
businesses this year's program. A position can be
part or full-time, and should be pay-appropriate wages for a
16-21 year-old entry level employee. MSJP will prescreen
candidates based on the job order; employers select the
employee and have the
option of having the Private Industry Council (PIC) be the
employer of record to avoid the complications of adding
another person to your payroll. For questions, contact
768-4437 or http://www.oaklandwib.org/summer_jobs.htm |
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13. More Community News
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Count Down Your Age
Author Talk, Wednesday, June 13, 6:30 pm,
Main Library: Writer Dave Bunnell
shares tips for staying fit as you get older. Books will
be available for purchase and signing.
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Author Visits a Great Good Place For Books in June:
On Monday, June 11, hear "Dishwasher Pete" Jordan when
he discusses his memoir, One Man's Quest to Wash
Dishes in All Fifty States.
For details, call 339-8210.
- Joaquin Miller Dog Park Closed Wednesday, June 13
for Woodminster Event:
As stipulated in the agreement with Oakland Parks &
 Recreation,
the Joaquin Miller Dog Park--both large and small--will
close at 6 pm on Tuesday, June 12 and reopen at 10 am on
Thursday, June 14 for a graduation ceremony at
Woodminster Theater on Wednesday, June 13. Volunteers
from Oakland Dog Owners Group (O'DOG) will give the site
the "twice" over to ensure that it is picked up and
clean prior to its use as a parking lot. Many thanks to
the dog park users and volunteers who have been
maintaining the area since it opened in February.
Additional closing dates for upcoming performances at
the Woodminster Amphitheater are:
July 13-15, July 20-22, August 10-13, August 17-20,
September 9-10, and September 14-16 . Closing crew
volunteers needed at 7-8pm on the Wednesday and Thursday
evenings shown. Contact O'DOG at odogparks@comcast.net.
For
details.
- "Patience and Sarah," a modern opera, First
Unitarian Church of Oakland, 685 14th Street, Friday,
June 15 and Saturday, June 16:
In celebration of Gay
Pride Month, Musicopia presents Paula Kimper and Wende
Persons' powerful story of two star-crossed lovers.
$20 admission.
tickets@uuoakland.org
or 893-6129 ext. 698.
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Shelter to
Perform Felineality Tests, Saturdays and Sundays, 10
am-Noon: The Oakland Animal Shelter is
implementing the
ASPCA Meet Your Match™ Feline-ality™ Adoption Program.
This program encourages potential adopters to evaluate
cats based on their personality rather than their
appearance and has already helped to adopt hard to place
cats including black and black and white kittens! The
test takes approximately 12 minutes per cat and
volunteers are needed to perform the personality test.
Please email Megan at
mwebb@oaklandnet.com
if you would like to volunteer and be trained on how to
perform the test.
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2nd Annual Summer Solstice Music Festival in the Laurel,
June 23: Legendary jazz Saxophonist Hal Stein, Korean
Folk Singer Miena Yoo, Jazz-Pop-Funk-Fusion Duo Gemini
Soul, and Western Swing Sextet Lipsey Mountain Spring
Band will return to perform in Oakland's Laurel
Neighborhood at the Second Annual Laurel Summer Solstice
Music Festival from 1-7 pm.
For further information, contact the
Laurel Village Association.
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Great American Camp Out
at Joaquin Miller Park, June 23: The Office of
Parks & Recreation and the National Wildlife Federation
hosts a rare opportunity to camp overnight in Joaquin
Miller Park on Saturday, June 23. Take a hike, enjoy a
nature talk, sit around the camp fire--experience family
fun in the great outdoors. Only $25 per family (includes
dinner, activities, camp snacks and a continental
breakfast).
Register online
(activity#70750.402) or contactStephanie
Benavidezat
867-0669.For
details
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one
of Oakland's premier cultural institutions for free. If you
haven't been to the Zoo, Oakland California Museum, Chabot
Science Center or Fairyland in a while, gather relatives,
friends, and neighbors, especially young ones, and make it a
day! I think you will find something new to enjoy at each
site.
David
Cronin, Oakland Animal Services is experiencing a
significant increase in dead animals calls, especially calls
involving our growing deer population. Most of the calls are
from the hills, but the calls impact Animal Control services
citywide. Please note the following priorities when
reporting a dead deer: