Should You Pay Your Bill?

• Oakland had reached an estimated 60 percent in trash diversion from landfills, please help us reach our 75 percent goal by 2010.  Put food and food soiled paper into the Green carts with vegetation; recycle everything you can, and consider a smaller, cheaper mini can if can reduce what's left for your brown can.
• Please call the the PWA Call Center at 615-5566 if you notice any illegal dumping on the streets.
• Find more information on our Oakland Recycles webpage.
   

• Radical Wheels II at McAffee Coliseum Saturday, July 28--Join the City of Oakland's Office of Parks & Recreation for "Radical Wheels II", a family-friendly event featuring two go-kart tracks (one for children 5-12) and one for children 12 and older, half-pipe skateboard ramps, a remote control car area, family fun zone with jumper and dunk tank, custom car display and much more. Tickets are only $7 each, children under 5 are free. For tickets and more information, call 238-PARK and ask for Activity #94339.101.

• Park Clean-Ups Saturday Morning: Friends of Sausal Creek Beaconsfield Canyon Workday, led by Richard Kaufmann and Wendy Tokuda from 9am to Noon, to continue removing invasive species, stabilizing the creek, and reducing fire hazards. Meet at the bottom of Beaconsfield Place, second street on the right as you go up Chelton from Ascot.  Join neighbors at McCrea Trout Pond Park at upper Carson near Highway 13.

• Zoomobile Visits Montclair Library Saturday, July 28: Come meet unusual animals when they roll into Montclair Branch, Saturday, July 28 at 2 pm.
• Dancing China, Saturday, July 28, 7 pm: Chinese Folk Dance Association presents Dancing China, featuring classical, folk, ethnic and contemporary dances at the Oakland Asian Cultural Center, 388 Ninth Street. Admission: 12 general, $6 seniors/children  under 12 years. Shannon Yip, principal of Bella Vista Elementary School, is a leader of the folk dancing group.

• Fireworks atPortfest World Music and Jazz Festival at Middle Harbor Shoreline Park at 7th Street Saturday, July 28th, 11am-7 pm.   This year's free outdoor music festival will feature Pharoah Saunders, Ledisi, Mo'Rockin Project, Anthony Blea y tu Charango, Luna Angel.
   
• Memorial Bike Ride on Skyline Drive Sunday, July 29: A memorial bicycle ride will be held on Sunday, July 29th, along Skyline Blvd. in the Oakland Hill in memory of Ed Weiss. Ed was an avid bicyclist in the Oakland and Berkeley Hills for many years. He was struck--head-on--by a motorcycle while lawfully bicycling on Skyline on Saturday, July 29th, 2006, the 8200 block near the 5-way intersection of Skyline Blvd, Shepherd Canyon, Pinehurst and Manzanita roads. If you have questions, or would like to provide assistance, please contact Rick Schiller, Ed's brother.

• Join or start a CORE group on your block--first step is to get to know each other and share contact information. Learn more at the City's website for Citizens of Oakland Respond to Emergencies (CORE).
• If you are already CORE trained, consider taking additional trainings through CORE or the American Red Cross.
• Consider the following CORE courses-- all require advanced registration:

• CORE Refresher (required for all 2003-2004 CORE graduates) October 13, 9 am -1pm
   
• Disaster First Aid - September 22, 9 am - 4 pm
• Managing Stress During Emergencies - October 27, 9 am - 1 pm
• Managing Your Neighborhood Command Center Operations Effectively, November 10, 9 am - 3 pm
   
• Invest in an automatic gas shut off or gas interrupt valve. (Sue Piper's tripped on Friday, PG & E came out on Saturday.) Fires from broken gas lines are a high risk following a major earthquake. Know where your gas meter is located and how to shut if off manually if you don't have an automatic shut off valve.
• Bolt bookcases, other tall, heavy items to the wall--injuries following a major earthquake are primarily due to falling and flying objects. A great resource is 72hours.org
• Even if you have retrofitted your home, you might want to consider a professional inspection.  Some studies suggest that as many as two thirds of retrofitted homes do not meet today's standards. Some earthquake insurance companies offer discounts to homes that have been retrofitted.
   
• Earthquake Fault and Liquefaction Maps and other information

• << Last year celebrating in  Allendale Park.
• This weekend is the Deadline for Registering for National Night Out: So far about 50 plus groups have signed up.  We will join with neighbors to have  neighborhood block parties, ice cream socials, potlucks or other outdoor event to build neighborhood spirit and unity - the first defense against crime. My staff and I will visit each party in the district and city staff will bring "door prizes."  To help us plan our routes, please email Jennifer Crawford in our office to let her know the location of your block party and how many people you expect to attend. Block Party Guide 
• Think Twice About Door-to-door "Alarm Salesmen": Various listservs throughout the district (and City) report  increasing number of aggressive door-to-door salesmen usually from out of town attempting to sell security systems. Some of them are using scare tactics with false reports about neighbhood crime; others claim to be with your company and they want to "inspect" your home. Please be cautious: most companies do not use door-to-door canvassing as a sales tool; rather, they only come to your door by appointment. All solicitors must have a permit from the City of Oakland and be easily identified with a badge. Ask for the solicitor's name, the phone number of his/her supervisor, and then call -- both the supervisor and the company to verify that they are legitimate. Do not let them into your house and do not give out any personal information. 
   
• Volunteers Needed to Assist with Police Oral Examinations: The Oakland Police Department needs citizens to serve on the Oral Examination Boards for new police cadets.  The Boards usually occur once a month at City Hall and can be one, two, or three days, usually from 8 am-5 pm. There is a short introductory training session; breakfast and lunch are provided.  This is a great way to help OPD,  learn about the Officer hiring process, and meet officers and command staff. Contact Cee Belue, Police Personnel, at 238-3339 or cbelue@oaklandnet.com
   
• Montclair Now has Two NCPCs: For years the Montclair Safety & Improvement Council (MSIC) was the only formal Neighborhood Crime Prevention Council (NCPC) for greater Montlcair. But in reality, it is the NCPC for Beat 13z, which covers the area bounded by Joaquin Miller Road on the south, north of Park Blvd. and the Piedmont border on the west, Moraga and Thornhill on the north  and the Contra Costa border to the east. Residents living north of Thornhill belong to the North Hills NCPC (Beat 13y). MSIC meets second Thursday's; the next meeting Thursday, August 9 (tentatively at Zion Lutheran Church on Park Blvd.) will focus on safety and Measure Y. Captain Jeff Israel, Ann Marks & Kevin Grant of the City's Human Services Department and I will discuss Measure Y. North Hills NCPC meets Wednesday, August 1, 7 pm, Highlands Country Club (110 Hiller Drive). Captain Jeff Israel, Lt. Jim Meeks and Felcia Verdun of Neighborhood Services will answer questions. For a complete list of NCPCs in District 4.
• How to file a Police Report:  Police use crime reports to plan patrols and follow crime trends. Commanders determine their priorities based on the number and severity of crimes reported. You don't have to rely on the police to actually make the report; for non-urgent crimes such as auto break-ins or after the fact home break-ins you can download a citizen's crime report from the city's website.
   

Now that the Council is on break, members of our office will be taking summer vacations as well. Richard Cowan, our chief of staff, leaves for China this weekend and will return August 17. During this time, we will not be staffing our usual Thursday office hours at the Police Substation at the Dimond Safeway.

We will be hosting our usual booth at the Montclair Farmer's Market on Sunday, August 5 from 9 until 1 pm.

We also bring our booth or table to many community events during the summer.   Look for us at Brookdale Park in the morning and the Laurel World Music Festival in the afternoon on Saturday, August 11. (Below) Jean and Sue talking to Dimond Improvement Association leader Tim Champman at last Sunday's Dimond Picnic.

• Special Meeting to Prepare for Recruiting of New Principals at Joaquin Miller and Montera Schools attracts 150 staff and parents this week: After many years of devoted leadership, Joaquin Miller Elementary's principal Linda Lu and Montera Middle School's principal Cheryl Rodby have retired from the OUSD. The District is now about to launch a hiring process to find new principals for these two Montclair schools. Parents and community members interested in sharing ideas about what they'd like to see in new principals should fill out this survey, or to participate in the interview process should contact Joel Baum, Manager of Leadership Development at OUSD, at 879-4620.
• Free Moonlight Movies in the Park--The 1st Annual Moonlight Movies in the Park-Free-to-the-Public Outdoor Film Festival in partnership with the Parks & Recreation Department, runs from July 24 - August 18, Tuesdays to Fridays at dusk. Tuesdays at Verdese Carter Community Park, 9600 Sunnyside Street; Wednesdays at deFermery Recreation Center 1651 Adeline Street, Thursdays at Mosswood Park, 3612 Webster Street, and Fridays at Redwood Heights Recreation Center, 3883 Alison Avenue (Redwood Road & Highway 13).
  • Week 1: July 27  The Wiz
  • Week 2: August 3 Akeelah and the Bee
  • Week 3: August 10 Shrek
  • Week 4: August 17 Shrek 2

• Montclair/Dimond Tot Lots Slated for New Rubber Resilient Surfacing: Installation of new rubber resilient surfacing will at the Montclair Western Town and Dimond Fire Engine Tot Lots are slated to begin in late summer early fall.  The Montclair Western Town will also be relocated for safety reasons. Watch for details here
• PAL Trout Fishing for Kids- July 31-August 10- The Police Activities league will be conducting their second  session of trout fishing at McCrea Park.

<<Face painting at McCrea Park Family Night earlier this month.

• Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Knight Bust Tour Kicks Off a Month of Magic at the Library: Help celebrate the release of the final book, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.  Harry Potter Read-Aloud!-Listen to readings from the book for an hour every day starting Monday, July 23 at 4 pm at the following branches:  Melrose Branch, 4805 Foothill Blvd.  Harry Potter Crafts: Make a magical dragon with the artists from MOCHA, the Museum of Children's Arts:
• Saturday, July 30 2 pm, Montclair Branch, 1687 Mountain Blvd.
• Tuesday, July 31, 6 pm, Cesar Chavez Branch, 3301 east 12th Street, Ste. 271
• Wednesday, August 8, 2 pm, Asian Branch, 388-9th Street

Complete list of summer activities for children at the Oakland Public Library.

• Thinking Ahead--Donate to Your Neighborhood School through Safeway 10% Program--Safeway is once again doing it's 10% Back to Schools campaign for Safeway Club Card and eScrip shoppers. Schools usually receive a 1-2% rebate, but during this special promotion, Safeway shoppers can rebate 10% to their favorite school by shopping at Safeway between July 18 and September 4. If you are not enrolled in the Safeway e-scrip program, click here. Supporters of Redwood Heights Elementary who are not enrolled are encouraged to bring in their receipts to the school office in the fall. The receipt's redemption code helps the school claim the value of the purchases.
  
   

• Laurel World Festival, Saturday, August 11:  Join us between the arches in the Laurel Business District along MacArthur Blvd, 35th Ave to High St, in the Heart of Oakland for food, music, & booths. We'll be there with our booth filled with City and StopWaste.org information, demonstrating a CarShare vehicle, giving away energy efficient light bulbs from PG&E, and raffling off our new City Shopping bags.

• The World Music Stage, located on MacArthur @ 38^th Avenue, will feature performances by CV-1, L.A.E. Live Audio Explosion, Native Elements, Sila and the Afrofunk Experience and Wadi Gad, a local reggae legend.

• The Community Stage sponsored by City Walk and located at 35^th Ave & MacArthur is produced and hosted by Tres Santos, a multicultural, multigenerational, and multigender poetry ensemble that will feature spoken word, with music and dance performances that reflect the spirit of the Laurel community. Tres Santos performs spoken word at World Ground Café on the first Tuesdays of every month.

• Melrose NCPC's Annual Block Party-August 25.

• Maxwell Park's Annual Day in the Park, September 15-- from Noon to 5 pm. Lots of food, fun, entertainment and children and youth activities.If you've got a business and you'd like to share it with the rest of Maxwell Park at the upcoming Day in the Park event on September 15,  for just $25 you can have a table at the event so that you can show others what you do! Contact Krista Gulbranson, Event Corodinator, at  304-3575. Deadline for booth sign ups is August 15.
• Allendale Park NCPC Picnic, September 19.

• Save the Dates --Sundays in the Redwoods: Here's the perfect way to build community and have a great time. Organize a pot luck with friends and neighbors at one of the upcoming free concerts at the Woodminster Amphitheater:

• Sunday, September 23,  Oakland East Bay Symphony 
• Sunday, September 30,  World Music
• Sunday, October 7,  Gospel
• Sunday, October 14,  Jazz/Neo-Soul

• At this week's Wildfire Prevention Assessment District Meeting, Maria Morales, Interim Executive Director of the Diablo Fire Safe Council shared these hopeful thoughts:
  • While 265 homes were lost at the recent Angora Fire at Lake Tahoe, between 500 and 600 homes did not burn because:
    • 100 foot defensible space surrounded homes
    • Class A roofs
       
    • Double paned windows (outside cracked, inside kept heat out)
    • Pine needles and other debris cleared from gutters
  • She noted that even with the 100-foot defensible space, if the other proactive measures were not in place, the house burned.
• Fire Inspections Continue Over Next Few Weeks--Fire Inspectors continue to make the founds of homes in the Wildfire Prevention District. When they complete an inspection, they leave behind a door hanger encased in a plastic sleeve so that you know whether you passed or what you need to work on. It's going a bit more slowly this year because they are focusing on homes that need a  bit more vegetation management work, and are taking the time to speak with homeowners while on the premises. Questions? Call 238-7388.