• Dimond Park & Library, Saturday, Nov 10, 3-5pm, Girl Scouts Troops 1877.
• Fleming Avenue Neighbors, Maxwell Park, Saturday, Nov 10, 10am-2pm, 4400 Fleming medians.
• High Street Home Alert, Saturday, Nov 10, 9 am-Noon, High Street medians, 3700 High.
• In the Laurel, Saturday, Nov 10, 9 am, meet at 35th and Delaware.

• Glenview Elementary House Meeting to learn more about Glenview Elementary on Saturday, November 10, 10:30 am at  3718 Randolph.  Parents of Glenview Elementary students will be there to share their experiences and answer questions.  Light snacks.  There will be an Open House at the school on Thursday, Dec 13, 6-7:30 pm and more house meetings on Nov 25 and Dec 10.  RSVP to the November 10th meeting to Sunita Liggin. << Hundreds attend this year's  Glenview Halloween Bazaar.

• Two Friends of Sausal Creek Events This Saturday:
  • Bridgeview Restoration Party, Saturday, November 10, 10 am-1 pm: Join a group of eager teens and their supervisor to help pull weeds. Contact Steve Asztalos for details.
  • FOSC Seed Hiked to Collect Seeds, Saturday, November 10, 11 am - 1 pm: Contact Kathren Stevenson at 388-5676 for details about collecting native plant seeds for propagation at the Friends of Sausal Creek (FOSC) Native Plant Nursery in Joaquin Miller Park.

• Dimond Tot Lot Meeting at Dimond Recreation Center on Saturday, November 10, 10 am: Come to the Social Hall during the regular Dimond Recreation Center Advisory Committee meeting  to view proposals to improve the tot lot. Contact Michelle Doppelt at 482-7831 for details.  >>Playing last Sunday at Dimond.
   

• Friends of the Dimond Library, Saturday, November 10th, 11:30 am:  This busy regional library serves a wide community and needs our help. History and minutes.

• Family Fun Day and Opening Reception of the Community Recipe Book Exhibit at Peralta Hacienda: Saturday, November 10, 2-4 pm:
  Grow, Cook and Celebrate! A Community Recipe Book, is a unique exhibit telling the story of Laotian Mien elders and Fruitvale youth finding common ground as they participate in the park's Landscape of Stories programs. The exhibit documents their interaction using photos, delicious recipes and sharing life stories. The premiere will include cooking demonstrations by the Mien and youth, foods to sample during a Community Banquet, and Mien music and dance performances.

• Harry Potter Series at Dimond Saturday Cinema Night at Recreation Center: Every 2nd Saturday at 6:30 pm between now and February, the Dimond Recreation Center will be showing all the Harry Potter movies in sequence.  Call 482-7831 for details.

• Oakland Artisans' Marketplace at Jack London Square (Water Street), Saturdays & Sundays, 10 am - 4 pm, starting November 10.

• Planting Days in Butters Canyon: Meet at the table on Butters between Robinson and Brunnel  9 am - 3 pm on Sunday, Nov 11 and Saturday, Nov 17. Wear work clothes, bring gloves and tools, if you have them. Sponsored by the Alameda Countywide Clean Water Program and Butters Land Trust. Call 414-2202 if the weather is iffy (light drizzle is still a go.)>>"Junk" removed from Butters Canyon on Creek to Bay Day.

• On Sunday, November 11, 1 pm, the USS Hornet, located at Pier 3, the former Alameda Naval Air Station in Alameda, will offer free admission and tours to American veterans during a special ceremony..  Guest speakers USCG Captain Pamela Russell, Judy Yarian of Blue Star Moms, USO Secretary Susan Shapira, and Russ Donavan, a Korea DMZ veteran, will unveil plans for a proposed memorial to recognize the Korea DMZ Veterans.

Beyond Blast Off: Surviving in Space opens this weekend Nov 10 at the Chabot Space & Science Center, 10000 Skyline Blvd : Chabot will be open this Monday, November 12th. Get a glimpse into the life of an astronaut, and experience the mixture of exhilaration, adventure and confinement that is living and working in space. See real US, Russian, and Chinese space suits, spacecraft, astronaut food and even a space toilet!  Try out astronaut exercise gear and space tools, and picture yourself in a weightless environment. Learn how astronauts cope with the physical and mental challenges of weightlessness, isolation, and a grueling workload. Call 336-3700 for details.
 

• Laika's Night-- Hear Jan Millsapps, author of Screwed Pooch, a novel that sheds light on Laika as the first space pioneer and examines her role in the early space race, at Chabot Space & Science Center, Saturday November 17, 6:45-7:45 pm.

<<Oil covered duck on beach. Oil covered birds die quickly from cold and hunger. (Chronicle photo)
58,000 barrels of oil is fouling shorelines of the North Bay and the Marin Coast just as hundreds of thousands of migratory birds are arriving for the winter. Seals, porpoises, and crabbing areas are also in danger. The Berkeley Marina is closed for clean-up, oil spotting has been sited off Alameda beaches and near the Oakland Airport.

HOW TO HELP:
 

• Volunteer to Help Wild Life:  The worst areas are still closed to the public.  Rescue groups are swamped with volunteers right now, but may need more volunteers as the oil spreads.
  • The Fish & Game Department has started to hold workshops for potential volunteers.
  • The UC Davis Oiled Wildlife Care Network is the lead group in these efforts, they have enough volunteers for the next day or so but they ask you to monitor their site.
  • Bay Keeper is organizing an email alert system for those who want to be contacted about future volunteer efforts.
     
• If you see injured or oiled wild life, don't approach or pick up the animal but report to (877) 823-6926.  Do not call this line to volunteer, it jams the line.
• Maps of the Affected Areas:
  • Google Map
  • State Oil Spill and Response Maps
• Make a Donation:  In addition to the Oiled Wildlife Care Network  and Baykeeper above, you might want to consider -
  • Marine Mammal Center
  • Save the Bay

• Transportation 2035: Change in Motion MTC Workshops: The Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) is preparing a major update to the region's Long-Range Transportation Plan, known as Transportation 2035. They are seeking public input in three facilitated workshops next week to develop key policies that will guide investments in transportation for the nine-county San Francisco Bay Area.While none of these locales are in Oakland, your input is important. Space is limited. RSVP to info@mtc.ca.gov or by phone to 817-5757. For more information...

• Library Fines & Lost Books Forgiveness Program-- November 24 -- December 14: The Oakland Public Library urges community members with overdue and lost items to "Get a Fresh Start" during this special three-week amnesty campaign. During this period, anyone who returns overdue items or who requests forgiveness for lost materials checked out before November 1, 2007 will have their fines and fees cleared by coming to any Oakland Public Library location.  Families with children are especially encouraged to return and enjoy the many resources of the Oakland Public Library. Each year several thousand student cards become dormant because of lost items. The number of books read is linked to reading levels and vocabulary, please encourage youth in your family and neighborhood to take advantage of this program during the holidays.  The general amnesty will apply to all locations and library materials, with the exception of tools from the Tool Lending Library.

• Public Input on Redesign of City Website: The City is hosting workshops for public input on ideas for redesigning the City's website. Topics include information and documents, making payments on-line, adding new features and more. Participants entered to win a free i-Pod nano:
  • Tuesday, November 13, 7-9 pm. Lakeside Park Garden Center (666 Bellevue Avenue
  • Wednesday, November 14, 7-9 pm, Cesar E. Chavez Branch Library, 3301 E 12th Street, Suite 271 (located in Fruitvale Transit Village)
  • Thursday, November 15, 7-9 pm, Leona Lodge, 4444 Mountain Boulevard
  • Saturday, November 16, 10 am - Noon, Eastmont Substation, 12651 73rd Avenue.

<<

Policy Analyst Position Open:  We are currently interviewing for the position formerly held by Jennifer Crawford, who served as our Policy Analyst for Public Safety and Life Enrichment issues and community liaison for the Allendale, Laurel, Maxwell Park and Melrose areas.  In the interim we ask constituents in these areas to contact Richard Cowan 238-7042.

Save the Date, Friday, December 14th, 6:30-9:30 pm:  Once a year we invite the hundreds of neighbors we work with to celebrate the holidays with us and most importantly, to meet each other.  The staff and I do much of the cooking and it's usually quite a spread; we hope to feature local musicians.  We ask for a minimum donation to cover the costs of the Chabot Science Center planetarium or theater tickets about $10. Any contribution above that goes to our Annual Fundraising for Our Office Holders Account to pay for the many activities not funded from our city budget--the web and other expenses for our weekly newsletters, refreshments & supplies for Earth Day and other community clean-ups, Sundays in the Redwoods, educational leaflets and translations, retrofit workshops, whistles for community policing, etc.  (Above) Oaktown Jazz Workshop plays for diners in the Chabot Cafe last year.
 

<< Dimond-Oakmore Problem Solving Officer Sean Hall with new ranger and police trainees patrolling on bike this week.  Our office helped purchase mountain bikes and gear for police officers patrolling our area.

Our office is working on the expansion of the Dimond Public Safety Council 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 new development, please attend. RSVP to Richard Cowan at 238-7041.
 

• Be Vigilant When Coming Home from Shopping or an ATM:  It seems that this kind of robbery increases during the fall when it is darker earlier.  Shoppers with their arms full of groceries, especially women with purses, are particularly vulnerable. Typically, the suspects follow the victim home from the ATM or shopping.  They approach shopper rights as they leave their car and make a quick get away to a nearby freeway. So please be sure to check your surroundings before you enter or exit your car. Be aware of whether you are being watched or followed.  If you think you are being followed, do not get out of your car at home, but go to a well-lit public space and call the police --777-3333 or on your cell 777-3211. Put a timer or motion detector light on your front porch or entry.

• Report Broken Street Lights:  Help us keep streets safe by reporting street lights that are out.  Contact the Public Works Call Center by phone 615-5566 or email.  Give us the address AND the number on the pole (black & white numbers).

• Plant Thieves: Occasionally we get reports of plant thieves taking plants out of gardens.  Richard Cowan of our office had a large succulent stolen out of his front yard just weeks ago.  We have noticed listserv's have also reported potted plants disappearing.  While some of these may be Halloween pranks, we did have the arrest of an out-of-town contractor who taken some very large plants for resale about two years ago.  The Maxwell Park listserv is focussing on a suspect was seen stealing a plant and carrying it off on a bicycle! So keep your eyes out, let us know if you detect a pattern or suspect; consider moving more valuable plants into back yards or into hard to move planters.

• Solicitors on the Move Again: Several listservs are tracking the whereabouts of solicitors in the neighborhood. Please remember that anyone going door to door is supposed to display a permit from the Oakland Police Department. We recommend that you not open your door to anyone you do not know. Call the non-emergency Police number at 777-3333 or 777-3211 (cell phone) to let police know that there is someone suspicious in your neighborhood. Let your Police Neighborhood Services Coordinator and/or Problem Solving Officer know also.  We are especially concerned about young children and teens who move from town to town with some of these companies.  As was stated at last weeks Bret Harte/Joaquin Miller NCPC meeting, the police would rather you call in something you feel "isn't quite right" than for you not to make the call.

• Police Technicians Needed:  Police Services Technicians are non-sworn OPD personnel who can do many of the duties that Police Officers do. To improve police investigations especially in the area of robberies and burglaries, 15 more were authorized in the two year City budget passed in June. They also conduct Neighborhood Watch and Merchant Watch training, security inspections, redirect traffic, tow abandoned vehicles, assist in sideshow suppression operations and liquor license investigations.  Applications are being accepted now.

• Police Reserve Officers Needed:  Sworn reserve officers perform all the duties and responsibilities of a career police officer on a volunteer, part-time basis.  Oakland has a small but dedicated group of reserve officers.  They must meet the same qualifications and training as our regular officers and commit to 20 hours per month.   Because of the need to use all resources to fill vacant police positions, new reserve offices have not been recruited for over a year. Interested persons should contact Joseph Sweeney for additional information.

• The City has launched a new Measure Y website and e-newsletter that contain a wealth of practical information and an area by area list of services and programs.  The new website is www.MeasureY.org; you can sign up for the newsletter there.

• 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.

• The Wildfire Prevention District website is a good place to start to review what you can do improve fire safety around your home.  Their next meeting is Thursday, November 29, 7 pm at Richard Trudeau Training Center, 11500 Skyline Blvd.

• Most homeowners have finished their vegetation compliance for this year. Get a head start on next year by changing your landscaping; fall is the best planting time in the Bay Area.  Winter is the time to prune and trim most trees.  If you have an aging Monterey pine or eucalyptus, consider removing it and planting a native. This section lists several guides of recommended and not recommended plants.

• 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 gutter

• This presentation gives a good history of fires in the East Bay Hills.
• The Red Cross Check List for Wildfires:  Review your family evacuation plan and communications plan.
   

• Street Lights for Improved Safety--A street light will be going up within the next month on Monterey Blvd. A petition for an additional street light is circulating on Dakota Street. The City has limited funds for new street lights to enhance safety and reduce crime, but will consider them if a majority of adjacent neighbors agree (hence, the petition).

• Firestorm Memorial Garden Repaired At Last: If you recall, last May, Sue & Gordon Piper reported that the plaques honoring the 25 victims of the 1991 Firestorm had been stolen from the Firestorm Memorial Garden at the end of the Warren Freeway at Tunnel Road. Additionally, the sculpture in the garden that they developed in 1993 and continue to maintain under the North Hills Landscape Committee was also damaged. As you can see, thanks to donations from PG & E, Warren and Joanne Wilson, Peter Gray Scott and Theresa Ferguson, Council President Ignacio De La Fuente, Gill's Electric as well as myself and a number of individual neighbors, the sculpture has been repaired, security lights installed, thorny roses planted in front of the sculpture and new black granite plaques with the names of those who died in the firestorm are now in place. Consider stopping by the Firestorm Memorial Garden and the Gateway Emergency Preparedness Exhibit Center at Tunnel Road and Caldecott Lane overlooking Highway 24 for not only wonderful views of Oakland and the Bay, but for practical and inspirational information about emergency preparedness.

• Progress On Preservation of Butters Canyon, Funds Still Needed:  Over the last five years we've been pleased to support the efforts of neighbors who formed the Butters Land Trust to preserve the wildness of unique canyon.  They need $60,000 to buy an adjoining lot.  They are also planning a series of native plant restoration days.

• City Care Share in the Fruitvale: City CarShare opened its southernmost Oakland pod at the Fruitvale BART station on November 1.  This location features a Prius hybrid, as one of the 220 vehicles the non-profit City CarShare now has in its fleet at over 100 locations throughout the Bay Area.  If all goes well, the Fruitvale CarShare pod will serve as a launching pad into the Dimond.

• 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.

• 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:

• 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. >>Costume made of recycled materials at Montclair park.
   

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.

• 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. >>Tool kit from the Temescal Tool Lending Library on display at this week's workshop. Our office will be funding additional tool kits and is compiling accompanying videos and other educational tools.
   

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

• Commemorating 18th Loma Prieta and 139^th  1868 Hayward Earthquake Anniversaries:  Last month was 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.

• 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. 

• 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 information online. << Sequoia students race at School Picnic in Dimond Park this fall.

• 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.

• 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.
     
  • Nick Barone Puppets-T-Rex Thunderlizard's Wild West Revue, Tuesday, November 13--- 3 pm at Montclair Branch, 1687 Mountain Blvd; 7 pm at Rockridge Branch, 5366 College Avenue. 
  • Bookmaking Workshops using recycled materials to create your own book, in collaboration with The East Bay Depot for Creative Re-use: Wednesday, November 14, 3:30 pm at Melrose Branch, 4805 Foothill Blvd., 3:30 pm at West Oakland Branch, 1801 Adeline Street; Thursday, November 15, 1:30 pm at Elmhurst Branch, 1427 88th Avenue,; 3:30 pm at Asian Branch, 388 9th Street, Suite 190; 3:30 pm at Temescal Branch, 5205 Telegraph Avenue.
  • Bookmark Workshop for Ages 7-Adult, Thursday, November 15, 3:30 pm at the Dimond Branch, 3565 Fruitvale Avenue

Fourth Annual Mr. Potato Head Beauty Pagent, Saturday, November 17, 1-8pm: All spuds, no duds! Everyone in the family will take this garden-variety vegetable and cook up a stylin-potato personality. Each character will be judged for wild extravagance, zany eccentricity and gorgeous glamour at the Museum of Children's Art, 538 Ninth Street between Washington & Clay, in downtown Oakland. Call 465-8770 for details.

• Wilson the Pug Visits A Great Good Place for Books, Sunday, November 18: Nancy Levine and her trusy companion, Wilson the Pug, at 1 pm to sign copies of their new book, The Ugly Pugling: Wilson in Love. A Great Good Place for Books is located at 6120 La Salle Avenue, in Montclair.

• 7th Annual Community Thanksgiving Dinner at Fruitvale Presbyterian Church, Sunday, November 18, 4-5:30 pm: Join your neighbors and help enhance the sense of community in the neighborhood by spending time together around the Dinner Table.  The annual event not only feeds the hungry but provides company for the isolated and elderly and build's community within the Dimond, Laurel, Maxwell Park and Redwood Heights neighborhoods.  Please spread the word. Donations of food and cash welcome. Still needed: A bag of dinner potatoes, 2-3 cakes, 3-5 pies of any kind, corn bread and other bread, green beans or green bean casseroles, jello salads, 4 large bags of frozen corn, and 10 bottles of juice or soda. Deliver unbaked items to the church, located at  2735 MacArthur at Coolidge Saturday, November 17 between 11 am  and 1 pm. Please call the church to confirm when you plan on arriving. Other items may be delivered on Sunday, November 18 between 1 - 3:45 pm. Call the church at 530-0915 or email Pastor Monte McClain at mcclainmonte@sbcglobal.net.

• Oakland Artisans' Marketplace at Jack London Square (Water Street), Saturdays & Sundays, 10 am - 4 pm, starting November 10.

• Oakland Mayor's Toy Drive--Each year, the Mayor and members of the City Council sponsor a toy drive for low income Oakland families. Low income families may sign up for the annual Oakland Mayor's Toy Drive on Saturday, Novembe