2. Planning for Next Year's Sundays in the Redwoods

4. Domestic Violence Brown Bag Forum at City Hall

Today marks the exciting return of the Oakland Ballet Company under its former director Ronn Guidi.  Ronn was able to pull together the return of the Nutcracker last year and is now rebuilding the company.  Richard Cowan of our office is on the Ballet Foundation's board.Two inaugural performances at 2 pm and 8 pm at the historic Paramount Theatre, 2025 Broadway, with Michael Morgan conducting members of the Oakland East Bay Symphony. Presented by Chevron and the Ronn Guidi Foundation for the Performing Arts, the program features Marc Wilde's Bolero, Vaslav Nijinsky's Afternoon of a Faun and Ronn Guidi's Trois Gymnopedies and Carnival d'Aix. Tickets $15-$50 @ Ticketmaster or 625-8497.  For information: Paramount  Box Office  465-6400.
 

• How to Run More Effective Meetings: Attend a free Meeting Facilitation Workshop for active NCPC members on Saturday, October 20 from 8:30 am to 3 pm in Hearing Room 4 at City Hall. Free parking in the Clay Street Garage at 14th Street. Learn simple tools for running effective, interesting and dynamic NCPC meetings. Space is limited. Continental breakfast and lunch will be served. Spanish interpretation will be available. 
   

• Bicycle Safety Program at Dimond Library, Saturday, October 20, 10 am - 3 pm: Safe Routes to Schools hosts a Family Cycling Clinic for parents who want to bicycle with their kids and for kids who want to bike with friends. Learn drills and techniques to teach and assess your bike handling skills. Bring your bike, helmet, adequate clothing for a relaxed bike ride (4 miles). There are bikes to borrow, if needed. Space limited to 30 people, parents and kids over 9 years of age encouraged to attend together. Lunch and admission is free.
   
• Trail Building at Redwood Site in Dimond  Canyon, Saturday, October 20: Students from the State Conservation Association will spending a full day in Dimond Canyon working with the Friends of Sausal Creek on trail improvements and erosion control. They start at 8:45 am. 
   
• Free Workshop on Preventing Losing Your Home to Foreclosure, Saturday, October 20, 9 am-12:30 pm, Oakland City Hall: Sponsored by Housing and Economic Rights Advocates (HERA), the City Attorney's Office, Congresswoman Barbara Lee and a coalition of consumer groups, the workshop features representatives from a HUD-certified housing counseling agency, the California Reinvestment Coalition, Washington Mutual, Citibank and Countrywide, in addition to speakers from HERA and the City Attorney's office.
   
• DOOF-A-Palooza at Google, Saturday, October 20, 11 am - 4 pm:  The Alameda County Public Health Department invites families with children ages 6 to 9 to a one-of-a-kind food celebration on Google's Mountain View Campus. Get messy in a range of activities with some of the Bay Area's top growers, chefs, purveyors and cookbook authors. DooF-a-Palooza, a fund raising event to help DooF (that's "food" spelled backwards)  produce a new kind of public television show that gets kids excited about good food & promotes healthy eating. For details
   
• Native Plant Fair Saturday, October 20, 10am-3pm & Sunday, October 21, Noon-3pm: The East Bay Chapter of the California Native Plant Society hosts its annual Native Plant Fair at the Nursery in Tilden Park, Berkeley. Thousands of plants native to Alameda and Contra Costa County, as well as books, free presentations and beautiful plant themed arts and crafts. Bring boxes for carrying your plant purchases; cash or checks only.

Domestic Violence is the single largest cause of injury to women aged 15 to 44 in the U.S., more than muggings, car accidents, and rapes combined.  Last year in Oakland there were 5005 cases of Domestic Violence reported to the police; hundreds of sexually exploited teens were picked up. Each year in my district about half of the murders have been committed by men, husbands and lovers, who have killed their former partners; citywide the murder rate due to domestic violence has been about 10-15 percent.

This week I want to focus on the sexual exploitation of youth, an issue I've worked hard to provide more public awareness and police and social services  In recent years we have increased police efforts to stop the exploitation of youth under the age of 21, especially those 18 and younger. More than two hundred girls under the age of 18 have been picked up by police each year. There police now view these teens as victims.  Thanks to Measure Y we have expanded services to work with the girls and give them new options including counseling, job training, and educational opportunities.  The District Attorney's office has taken an aggressive stance against pimps, now getting kidnap, rape and battery convictions with sentences of 10-15 years instead of a few months for pandering.  The victims are mostly young girls; many are homeless, runaways or abused.  They are eligible for Victims of Crime assistance and "safe houses" outside our area are available.  The City of Oakland is working with the County to expand our "safe house" options so girls can leave their pimps without fear. You Have Options Video produced by Oakland teens.

Other disturbing trends among teens include seeing more girls being "turned out" by younger boyfriends.  Dating abuse can precede attempts.  There is more evidence of immigrant girls being exploited and use of the internet to arrange sex. Speakers on this issue will participate in the City Hall forum below.

• Councilmember Jean Quan, Public Safety Committee
• Officer Randy White - Oakland Special Victims Unit
• Sharmin Bock - Alameda County District Attorney's Office
• Nadia Lockyer - Domestic Violence Collaborative
• Alicia Perez - Safe Passages
• Cheri Allison - Family Violence Law Center
• Nola Brantley - Safe Place Alternative for Teens
• Teen Panelists

Who to Contact If You Are a Victim or Suspect Domestic Violence:
1 in 5 female high school students reports being physically and/or sexually abused by a dating partner. Abused girls are are 4 to 6 times more likely to get pregnant and 8 to 9 times more likely to have tried to commit suicide.More information on Teen Dating Violence Here are a few useful numbers, check out this month's special newsletter on Domestic Violence for more information.
 

• Call 911 if you or someone else is in immediate physical harm
• Oakland Sexual Assault / Child Abuse Tip Line 637-0238
• The Oakland Police Special Victims Unit Direct Line is 238-7910
• To report Senior Abuse, contact Adult Protective Services 577-3500

Here is a link to our resources and services we have compiled in a special edition of our newsletter.

More Upcoming Events:

• Thursday, October 25, 2007
  Alameda County Domestic Violence Collaborative invites you to "2007 Conference for Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Providers: Assessing this Challenging Work" at the State Building, 1515 Clay Street, Oakland. Registration opens at 8:30 am, conference from 9:00 am to 3:30 pm. Call (510) 268-2148 or (510) 917-0666 for more information. CEUs available.
• Friday, October 26, 2007
  Alameda County Supervisor Alice Lai-Bitker invites you to join her in commemorating Domestic Violence Awareness Month with A Day of Remembrance. Event begins with an art exhibit at 11:30 am and official ceremony at 12:00 pm in the plaza at 1221 Oak Street (County Administration Building).

• Our office is working on the expansion of the Dimond Public Safety Council expand to include all of Beat 22x, which includes the Montera, Woodminster, Oakmore and Dimond neighborhoods roughly down to 580. We have scheduled a leadership kick off meeting on November 26, 7 pm in Classroom 7-8 at Zion Lutheran Church (5201 Park Blvd.), which is open to all. If you are interested in helping to plan this exciting new development, please attend. RSVP to Richard Cowan at 238-7041.

• Welcome Richard McNeely, Public Safety Officer for Beat 24Y in the Allendale. For last year Officer Ryan Chan has covered this beat along with 3 others.  McNeely will exclusively cover Beat 24Y; he may be reached at rmcneely@oaklandnet.com or at 385-9197. A PSO handles neighborhood issues as opposed to responding to emergencies and works closely with the local Neighborhood Crime Prevention Council and the Neighborhood Services Coordinator. In the Allendale, that would be NSC Debra Ramirez, 238-2163. The Allendale NCPC meets every third Wednesday at 7 pm at the Allendale Recreation Center, 3711 Suter Street.

<<Ranger Ken McNab patrolling Joaquin Miller Park.
Bike Patrol Volunteers Needed: The city only has 8 Oakland Park Ranger positions, half of them are currently open and are partially filled by overtime hours.  This is one of the reasons Rangers and Police launched a campaign to recruit bicyclists to our Volunteer Bike Patrol. Currently 6 cyclists patrol Joaquin Miller and Dimond Parks wearing distinctive red shirts and badges. They carry police radios and are trained in first aid and CPR. (Our office and the Bicycle Trails Council of the East Bay funded the shirts and first aid kits.) The OPD is looking for people who regularly ride in one or more of our 150 parks. Members of the Bike Patrol give at least 3 hours a month to the effort; the idea being that they incorporate their regular riding in the parks into their work as a member of the Bike Patrol. For details contact Paula White at 777-8618.

 

• Citizen Radar Traffic Class Almost Full:  So far about a 14 people have volunteered for our Citizen Radar project.. After working on several traffic hotspots with various neighborhood and school groups, we have decided to try a pilot program using Citizen Radar Traffic Volunteers in cooperation with out Traffic Officers. Volunteers will be trained by Oakland Police to properly use a hand-held radar gun purchased by our office for the program. Groups of three will go out to previously selected "hot spots" where speeding is common. Speeders will be clocked and the license numbers will be given to the police, who will then generate a warning letter to speeders. Volunteers will not have access to driver information. \To volunteer contact Jennifer Argueta in our office 238-7273. Training will take place over two days. Anyone over the age of 21 is welcome to participate.  Our first pilot location will be 35^thAvenue in the Redwood Heights area; another group is organizing for Skyline Blvd.

• For a complete list of Neighborhood Crime Prevention Councils 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. You can also make anonymous calls for drug activity to 238-DRUG.

Beginning this week, residents can pick up a maximum of 20 sandbags and 25 feet of plastic sheeting per household/business from the City's Municipal Service Center at 7101 Edgewater Drive and the PWA Drainage Maintenance Satellite Office at 5921 Shepherd Canyon Road. Proof of Oakland residency is required.  Oakland Fire Stations will also distribute up to 5 sandbags to Oakland residents for pick up at the station. Stations in District 4 include:

• Fire Station Number 6, 7080 Colton Blvd.
• Fire Station Number 24   5900 Shepherd Canyon Road
• Fire Station Number 25  2795 Butters Drive

• Check and clean private drainage systems
• Place leaves and green trimmings in your Green Car for weekly recycling pickup. Do not place leaves, debris or lawn clippings near storm drains.
• Keep natural waterways, such as creeks and ditches, free from obstructions.
• Report flooding problems to the PWA Call Center at 615-5566.
• Maintain-A-Drain in your neighborhood or commercial district.

• Proposed Emancipation Village for Aging-out Foster Youth at Fred Finch: Originally an orphanage, Fred Finch has recently been home to services for emotionally disturbed and sexually abused children.  Alameda County is proposing a new role with the possible conversion of the current inpatient facilities to 20-30 transitional residential units with support facilities for Foster Youth who are over 18 (aged-out) at the campus at 3800 Coolidge Avenue. Each year over two hundred Oakland youth in foster homes are suddenly homeless when they turn 18.  I have been working on a state task force urging the state to provide more transitional support including housing, education, employment and counseling services for foster youth 18 to 21.  Fred Finch has scheduled on-site tours for interested neighbors.  For details, contact Kate Durham at 986-1611.

• Continuing Efforts at Traffic Calming by Joaquin Miller/Montera Schools: Parents, neighbors and the principals at Joaquin Miller and Montera schools met with our office, City police and transportation services staff to see what additional efforts could be made to improve the traffic situation in front of the school during drop off and pick up times. Both schools have made major efforts to inform their parents of the safety issues around blocking driveways, stopping in traffic lanes to drop off or pick up kids and other traffic and safety hazards. We are working with  OUSD on an application for a highly competitive Safe Routes to School grant to construct a pathway from Scout Road to Ascot and Joaquin Miller School and to install a concrete curb and sidewalk in front of Joaquin Miller School. Period traffic police operations near the schools have issued many tickets. One of the ideas being considered is offering incentives to students who take the bus,bike or walk and to parents who carpool.

•  Montclair Parents Developing Teen Program at Montclair Recreation Center: Mimi Rohr and Deanne Rifai, parents of Montclair teens, are working with Montclair Recreation Center Director Mark Zinn to develop activities for teens, especially on the Oakland Public Schools Wednesday minimum days. They propose teen activities at the Montclair Park baseball diamond-- sports equipment for pick-up games, skateboard ramps, etc. supervised by recreation department staff.  They would also like area vendors to set up concession stands in the park selling food at discounted prices and hope to make this program to be free, funded by donations.  Several families have pledged contributions. They propose to start the program on Wednesday afternoons starting Wednesday, October 31.  For details, contact Mimi Rohr.

• Recycling/Composting and Climate Change: The Alameda Waste Management Authority known as StopWaste.org is working with the ICLEI ( International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives) to study how our recycling efforts help reduce green house emissions.  The preliminary report to the Board this week found that composting food significantly reduced emissions compared to landfill disposal; 75% of methane gases can be recaptured. The estimated climate benefits from Oakland efforts alone in 2006 equal:

  • Saving 328,928 trees
  • 30,898 tons of CO2
  • Removing 23,603 cars from the road
  • Enough energy to power 12, 954 homes

• E-waste Drop off, Friday, October 26 and Saturday, October 27 at Park Blvd. Presbyterian Church: The Glenview Neighborhood Association and the Park Blvd. Presbyterian Church have contracted with Universal Waste Management, a California-certified eWaste Company, for an easy, drive-thru e-waste drop off on Friday, October 26 and Saturday, October 27.

• The Oakland Bike Master Plan is in its final stages of approval.  To become involved in the Citizens Advisory Group or to comment contact Jason Patton or call 238-7049 to receive occasional updates and announcements. Bicycle Master Plan Hearing Schedule:

• Volunteer Webmaster for Bringing Back the Natives Tour Needed:  The Webmistress/Master must be comfortable with HTML and CSS. While site maintenance goes on throughout the year, fall is the busiest time, as the "Preview the Gardens" section is being created then. If you'd like to help and have the skills and time, please e-mail Tour Coordinator Kathy Kramer at Kathy@KathyKramerConsulting.net or call (510) 236-9558.

• Re-Create Art Contest for Oakland students, K-12: Re-Create is a recycled art competition and exhibition that is open to students (K-12) in Oakland schools. Students are invited to create artwork using discarded or reused materials and to compete for prizes. Practice the 4R's - Reduce, Reuse, Recycle and Rot (Compost) to meet Oakland's zero waste goal. The Art Contest & Exhibition is sponsored by the City's Public Works Agency. Deadline is November 11. For details, call 465-8770, ext. 310 or visit MOCHA's website. >>Last year's winners at artist's reception.  
   

Daffodil Days 2007: This year's daffodil pickup date is Sunday, October 28. Over the past three years, Oaklanders have planted 150,000 daffodils, and another 50,000 are going to be available to plant in medians, school gardens and other public places.  Contact Cookie Robles-Wong at 434-5126. 
 

Oakland Wins National Clean Water Award: The Environmental Protection Agency awarded Oakland the First Place National Storm Water Management Program Excellence Award at the 22nd Annual EPA National Clean Water Act Recognition Awards Program this week. Oakland was nominated by the San Francisco Bay Water Quality Control Board for the City's watershed program and its numerous initiatives including the ban of styrofoam and plastic bags to protect creeks, shorelines, and storm water quality. Oakland is being celebrated nationally for its creek restoration projects, the Lake Merritt water quality program, the creation of the creek ordinance, and the fact that since its inception, the watershed program has been funded almost entirely from grants, bonds and foundations.
 

Fishing Ban Moves Forward:  Last week I joined City staff, County representatives, and the Friends of Sausal Creek  before the California Fish & Game Commission to request a ban on sports fishing in Oakland's fresh water creeks. The Commission voted unanimously to instruct staff to move forward with the ban as soon as possible despite their staff recommendation to wait until the Tri-Annual 2009 Re-evaluation of Fishing so that all San Francisco Bay Creeks could be considered at once.  The Commissioners agreed with us that the remaining Oakland trout populations are so fragile; they might not survive the wait. 
   Fishing season ends November 15th, we hope to complete the legal process for the ban before fishing season begins next April.  The ban will not affect fishing at Lake Chabot, Lake Temescal, and McCrea Pond which are stocked with hatchery fish or the along Bay Estuary. Oakland has 13 freshwater creeks, in recent years a small number of native Steelhead trout have been sighted in only three -- Sausal Creek, Lion's Creek, and San Leandro Creek. Occasionally, hatchery fish swim upstream from Lake Merritt into Temescal Creek.  Despite past requests to ban sports fishing from Oakland creeks in 1998 and 2003, the Commission continued to allow "catch and release" fishing. 
   In recent years the Friends of Sausal Creek noted a small increase in sightings in Dimond Canyon pools never more than 4-5 at a time.  Their preservation is due no doubt in a large part to the painstaking restoration of the watershed by FOSC; the trout remain an important symbol of protecting our clean water and environment.

 

• Don't pour toxic chemicals, oils, paint or other construction waste etc. down the storm drains; they end up in our creeks.  Help educate neighbors that storm drains collect pollutants and dump them untreated straight to our creeks, Lake Merritt, and the Bay by volunteering to stencil curbs near storm drains in your neighborhood with the message "No Dumping, Drains to Bay" at 238-6600.
• Minimize the use the pesticides.  If you must use them, don't use them on rainy days or in ways they might run off into the gutters or creeks.
• If you live near a creek and notice unusual run-off or contamination; report it immediately to the Creeks & Watershed staff at 238-6600.
• Adopt-A-Creek
• Support Friends of Sausal Creek, Butters Land Trust, or Friends of Temescal Creek  by volunteering or donating.
• Oakland Creek Maps, Creek to Bay Day and other Resources

"POOPER SCOOPER" LAW, 15 MINUTE TETHERING AND OTHER CHANGES TO CITY'S DOGS AT LARGE CODE APPROVED BY COUNCIL:

The Council unanimously approved (7 ayes, Brooks excused) proposed changes to the City's regulations concerning Dogs at Large (OMC Chapter 6 6.04.070). Approved were:

• Commemorating 18th Loma Prieta and 139^th  1868 Hayward Earthquake Anniversaries:  This week is the 18th anniversary of the Loma Prieta Earthquake and the 139th  of the 1868 Hayward Earthquake Anniversary.  The Hayward fault that runs from San Jose through Oakland to El Cerrito averages a major (magnitude 7) earthquake every 140 years. This is why scientists predict an major earthquake along the fault soon. In 1868 there were only 24,000 people living along the fault; today there are 2.4 million. Above Hayward Flour Mill 1868. Good KGO Story by Vic Lee   To read more.
   

• New Program Increases Retrofits:  This week there were over 66 permits on record for retrofits; last year at this time there were only 3-4. Meanwhile the first refund check goes to Laurel developer Steve Edrington for his 3701 38^th Avenue project.  He spent less than $2000 for permits, wood and other retrofit supplies.  He spent another $5,000 on labor, his rebate will be just under half of his costs. Had he done the work himself, he would have made a small profit from his approximate $3000 rebate.   Steve also made the conversion of the duplex into two condos a green project. <<Steve demonstrates the automatic gas shut off on his energy saving combined heater/water heater.The Japanese made unit heats water on demand rather than storing water in a tank all day.

• Benefit for Greek Fire Victims, Friday, October 26, 7:30-Midnight, Greek Orthodox Ascension Cathedral, 4700 Lincoln Blvd.  Greek hor d'oerves, Greek bands with a special appearance by Margarita Bezaitis, $40, $20 students, www.hellenicfederation.org

• 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 training 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 -1 pm
  • Managing Stress During Emergencies - October 27, 9 am - 1 pm
  • Managing Your Neighborhood Command Center Operations Effectively - November 10, 9 am - 3 pm

• Montclair-wide CORE/MON exercise on Saturday, November 17: Montclair has organized more than 50 blocks of CORE or Neighborhood Alert Groups under a program called MON (Montclair Organized Neighbors). They are running a simulated disaster exercise on Saturday, November 17 from 9 am to 11 am. For details, please contact Doug Mosher at 530-0774.

• Another Earthquake Retrofit Workshop Set for January 30, 2008: Our first round of Earthquake Retrofit Workshops were so well attended last  week that we've scheduled another for Wednesday, January 30, 2008 at 1526 Webster Street. Space is limited so please RSVP to Sue Piper at 238-7042. We were able to tape one of the workshops and hope to broadcast it on KTOP, Channel 10. >>Tool kit from the Temescal Tool Lending Library on display at this week's workshop. 

• Willie Monroe Featured the Laurel House in ABC Story on the New Retrofit Program:  Watch Willie Monroe's story on our Retrofit Workshops; it does a great job describing the program in a very short clip. 
   

• Sequoia Elementary Inaugurates New Mural, Saturday, October 27, 11am-Noon, at their Harvest Festival. Stop by Sequoia Elementary School, 3730 Lincoln, to see the new  mural based on collage drawings made by Sequoia students in grades 1-5. Designed and painted by Artist-in-Residence Debbie Koppman, with assistance from Julia Koppman Norton and Sharon Higgens. The theme of plants growing high makes a visual connection between the schools's art, garden and arts integration programs, while working to improve the aesthetics of the school. Sequoia is an Arts Anchor School in OUSD.

• Bret Harte Autumn Work Day, Saturday, October 27, 9 am-Noon:  The Bret Harte Middle School Site Improvement Committee is developing plans for the Autumn Work Day. Projects include: gardening, graffiti removal, painting and small classroom repairs. Neighbors are welcome to join in. Our office is providing a large dumpster.
   

• Good Cents for Oakland Host City-wide Service Planet at Dimond Park, Sunday, October 28, 9:30 am-Noon:  Good Cents for Oakland teaches young children how to make Oakland a better place through community service. In its Penny Roundup Program, students select where they want to donate their pennies and learn about leadership, philanthropy and making a difference. Families will clean and beautify Dimond Park; launch a community garden; collect materials that would go into the landfill and donate them to East Bay Depot for Creative Use; learn about open space, recycling and the importance of the Sausal Creek watershed; and create a Halloween-themed art project using materials from East Bay Depot for Creative Use.  For details call 444-7100 or check out their website.

• District 4 School Open Houses for Prospective Parents
   
  • Sequoia Elementary School, November 13, 7 pm: Come to the school library at Sequoia Elementary School, 3730 Lincoln Avenue, to learn about one our District 4 schools. Call 879-1510 or view additional information online.
  • Joaquin Miller Elementary Open House for Incoming Kindergarten Families, Tuesday, November 13, 10:30 am-Noon: An Open House and Coffee Social for Prospective Parents will take place on Tuesday, November 13 from 10:30 am - Noon. For details, contact the main office at 879-1420.
     
  • Redwood Heights Kindergarten Open House, Wednesday, November 7, 6:30 pm to 7:15 pm; Classroom visits for adults available between 11/26 and 12/7 between 9 and 10 am. Contact the school at 879-1480.
  
   
• OUSD Opens New Oakland International High School for Recent Immigrants:  When I was a school board member I wanted to establish a newcomer school for newly arrived high school immigrants to help them transition to American society. In August the district finally opened such a school but it didn't get much press.  Their students come from 18 countries and speak 20 languages. The school is designed to work with late entry students through high school completion, providing them with a stable, supportive and rigorous academic environment as they prepare for graduation, college and beyond. The new school is sponsored by the Internationals Network for Public Schools with support from OUSD, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the James Irvine Foundation.  The school is located 4521 Webster Street and may be reached at 879-4110.

• Oakland Public Library Celebrates Children's Book Week in November:
  • Tuesday, November 13, 2007, 10 am--Poet, storyteller Judy Sierra and author of The Gruesome Guide to World Monsters and the recent Mind Your Manners, B.B. Wolf, will tell stories and talk about her life and work.  Brookfield Branch, 9255 Edes Ave.Co-sponsored by Oakland Parks & Recreation. <<Ovda, the Gruesome Monster of Norway.
     

• Storytelling with Yolanda Rhodes, Tuesday, November 13 at 3:30 pm, Lakeview