Join us today at Laurel School, 3750 Brown Avenue, at 10 am to honor our Local Heroes. We received almost 30 nominations to honor outstanding local volunteers doing "good" in our neighborhoods.   Take a look at the stories in this week's Special Local Heroes Edition of our newsletter for inspiration.  Come and see who will receive funds to designate to a public capital project ($1000 for top winner, $500 for up to 5 runners up).

Immediately following the awards ceremony at about 11 am, we will feature some local talent in a Laurel community celebration of Lunar New Year and the Year of the Rat.  Join us for Chinese snacks and entertainment:
 

• Laurel Elementary School Martin Luther King, Jr. Oratorical Fest Winners
• Laurel Circus, a satellite of the Prescott Circus Theatre program
• Buck Sing Choy Lay Fut Lion Dancers
• Gung fu demonstrations, music and more.
• Staff from our Neighborhood Alert and CORE (Emergency Preparedness Programs)
   

Laurel Lion Dancing, Saturday, February 16th:  Keep your eye for Chinese Lions  who will be visiting and blessing stores in the Laurel on Saturday.  They will visit us during the Local Hero event at Laurel School around 11 am.  They are sponsored by the Laurel District Association.

Volunteer Opportunities with Friends of Sausal Creek: FOSC hosts a number of work parties to restore the Sausal Creek watershed and nurture native plants:

• Saturday, February 16, 1:30-4:30 pm-Propagate native species for fall planting and other nursery work in the FOSC Native Plant Nursery at Joaquin Miller Park. Contact Molly Bolt at 501-3672 for details. 
• Sunday, February 17, 9:30 - Noon- Aquatic insect sampling on Sausal Creek. Call Emma Brown at 527-2507 to confirm.

• Friday, February 22, 10:30 am-3 pm-Assist with plant propagation workshop with Oakland High and Earth Team in Dimond Park. Call  Kathren Stevenson at 388-5676.

Valentine's Day Love Missions in Challenger Learning Center, take he or she to Mars Sunday, February 17, 1:30 and 3:30 pm:  The perfect Valentine's Day Gift at Chabot Space & Science Center---$80 per couple/$75 members.

Total Lunar Eclipse: Red Moon Rising: Want to enjoy the only total eclipse of the moon until 2010?  Come to Chabot Space & Science Center for a "front row seat"-- Wednesday, February 20, 5-8 pm.
For more information on the Lunar Eclipse.
 

• Maxwell Park Prospective Kindergarten Students Tour, February 20, 9 am: If your child will be entering Kindergarten this fall, 2008 and you are interested in taking a tour at Maxwell Park Elementary School, please join Principal Dr. Mary Louise Newling and other prospective Kindergarten parents for a school and classroom tour on Wednesday, February 20 at 9 am. Meet at the main office just before 9 am. If your are unable to attend the Wednesday tour, please contact Dr. Mary Louise Newling at 879-1390 to schedule another tour date. 

More Black History Month Events This Week:

• Huey P. Newton Photo Exhibit at West Oakland Branch Library, 1801 Adeline Street, February 1-29. 238-7352. Reception Saturday, February 16 at 1 pm., hosted by Elbert "Big Man, Howard, one of the original six members of the Black Panther Party and editor of the Black Panther Party newspaper. 238-7352.

• New Era/New Politics Walking Tour, Saturday, February 16, 10 am.  Starts at AAMLO, 659 14th Street. Free admission. Oakland Tours Program leads a tour through downtown and the places where Oakland African American leaders, including C.L. Dellums, Ron Dellums and Lionel Wilson, have made their mark, 238-3234.
   

Trading Traditions: California's New Cultures, Sunday, February 17, 2 pm at Oakland Museum of California, 1000 Oak Street. Admission free. Lonny Shavelson, co-curator and photographer of the Tradition Traditions: California's New Cultures exhibit, leads a discussion with Caribbean historian Val Serrant, Tomi Seon of the Islands of Fire Dance Company and Don "Little Cloud" Davenport from the Black Native American Association, on their respective communities contributions to California history. (Above) Lao-Mien athletes at Oakland High wear their hair in cornrows.
 

• DIA-Sponsored Meeting about the Proposed Emancipation Village at Fred Finch Youth Center, Thursday, February 21, 7 pm, Fruitvale Presbyterian Church:  Fred Finch Youth Center, historically an orphanage and in recent years a home for emotionally troubled youth, is proposing to partner with Alameda County change its residential program into transitional housing for 40 youth between the ages of 16 to 24 who are aging out of the Foster Care program. Each year, about 200 foster care youth living in Oakland turn 18 and often find themselves homeless with no support. The Proposed "Emancipation Village" would provide these youth with a place to live, counseling, job training and supportive services to help them transition to adult life. The Dimond Improvement Association is hosting a meeting for local residents to learn more about the proposal.
   

• Oakland Symphony, Friday, February 22nd, 8 pm, Paramount Theater, "Sounds of China: Celebrating Chinese New Year":  Always reinventing the American symphony, Conductor Michael Morgan celebrates the Lunar New  Year by combining works by two Chinese composers -- jazz musician Jon Jang and Academy Award-winning composer Tan Dun (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon) -- as well as John Adams' entertaining Chairman Dances, inspired by his opera Nixon in China. In his new Chinese American Symphony, commissioned by OEBS and the Sacramento Philharmonic, Jon Jang gives musical voice to a history that has been silent, paying tribute to the Chinese laborers who built the first transcontinental railroad. The classical Chinese instrument, the erhu, is featured with the orchestra. (Above) Jang describes the sounds of sadness and joy of Chinese immigrants arriving in America with Michael Morgan.

<< Steelhead trout in Sausal Creek during happier times.

• It is illegal to put anything but rain down the storm drain. Take your car to a car wash, soap and wax that run into a storm drain are not healthy for our creek. Help us keep drains clear of plastics and other litter that are harmful to marine life.
   
• If a storm drain or creek runs near or through your property, be careful where you store pesticides, paint, detergents, cleaners or other toxic materials. Do not leave them where rain, wind, or animals move them into the watershed and where they may wash into the creek.
• If you must use fertilizers, herbicides or pesticides in your garden, do not use them during the rainy season or where they might leach into the watershed. Consider planting natives.
   
• Watch construction work.  Each year we get reports of construction workers who throw or wash pollutants into our creeks or creek beds.  Recently we fined a company using high pressure hoses to remove paint, all which flowed into the creek. 

FOSC To Discuss Protecting Fish Habitat into the Future: The Friends of Sausal Creek's Restoration Committee will be meeting on Monday, March 3 at 7 pm at 2700 8th Avenue, Unit 2.. Committee members will be meeting with Robert Liedy (EPA) and Laurel Marcus (Laurel Marcus and Associates) to discuss plans for protecting fish habitat in the Sausal Creek watershed into the future. Their objective will be to provide a set of recommendations to their Board of Directors which can then be used in FOSC's 2008 Visioning Sessions. All are welcome. Please RSVP to field@sausalcreek.org.

Five Things You Can Do For Our Creeks
 

• Mayor Releases Proposals for Affordable Housing:   In late 2006 Council Member Brunner and I put a proposal for inclusionary housing in front of the Council after working with developers, for and non-profit, and advocates for half a year.  It ended in a tie and a proposal for a Blue Ribbon Commission was passed.  After 8 months of work the Commission loaded with both developers and advocates could not reach consensus on all items, but did make recommendations for inclusionary housing in the fall.  Since then we have been waiting for the Mayor to weigh in, his proposal was released last week and will be discussed at a special Council meeting next Tuesday, February 19th, 3-6 pm it includes some broad recommendations including new changes in rent control.  Anyone interested in the problem of affordable housing should find this an important discussion. The Mayor's proposal was not on the website when I checked tonight, but a summary of the Blue Ribbon Proposal and the People's Housing Coalition are available here.  I suggest you check back Monday to see if the page has been updated. 
   

• Chief's Proposal to Use Measure Y Funds for Recruitment & Training: The Measure Y fund has accumulated about $16 million because we have not been able to hire enough officers to fill these and other positions.  Some of the surplus has been used for overtime to accomplish Measure Y police work.  The Chief now wants to use About $7.2 million to recruit and train officers with the goal of reaching the total 803 budgeted officers by years end.  We are currently about 70 officers short. The two major problems in meeting the goals have been: 1) Not enough qualified candidates; and 2) Shortage of training officers.  Training new officers takes a lot of manpower.  Chief Tucker proposes to use about half of the money, $3.3 million to contract with the Alameda County Sheriff's Department to run a parallel set of academies, doubling our output.  The remainder of the money will be used in increase and speed-up the recruiting efforts and to offer better incentive packages.  Read the report here.
   

• Industrial Land Use Policy Comes to Council February 17th:  Although housing may be in a temporary slump, the long term pressure to convert land zoned for industrial uses to residential or mixed use often means large profits for landowners.  Meanwhile, many companies are not sure whether to expand as residential neighbors move into or close to industrial areas.  Other companies cannot find locations in the city.  The Council has been trying to balance the need for jobs and a healthy economy with the need for housing.  By clearly designating and reconfirming industrial areas, we hope to increase investment in the city.  Read the updated report and direct comments to Richard Cowan for our office.

• OPD Seeks Support of State Legislation Requiring Spaying of Dogs and Cats Unless They Have Intact Permit:  At the end of what looks like a very long day, the Police Department has asked for support of AB 1634.  Every year the city euthanizes hundreds of animals, this bill would used fees to fund low cost spay/ neutering programs and includes cats for the first time.  Read the report here.
   

• Council To Discuss CDFA Aerial Spraying to Eradicate the Light Brown Apple Moth at Public Safety Committee on February 26: There is increasing concern about the safety of the California Department of Food and Agriculture's plans to spray the Bay Area for the Light Brown Apple Moth infestation. The Council's Public Safety Committee will be discussing a resolution to oppose the spraying  unless additional information on the health effects is presented at its meeting Tuesday, February 26th, 7:30 pm, Hearing Room 3, City Hall. This Chronicle article gives good background.

• Council Elections On for June, Rank Voting Delayed Until 2010 Election:  Voters approved Measure O in 2006 which requires Oakland to switch to a ranked voting system and move elections to the fall when the Registrar of Voters certify the procedures.  Unfortunately, the many problems with voting machines and software have caused a delay in the certification of the systems.  While those close to the process believe that San Francisco and Berkeley, which hold their elections in the fall, will probably be able to hold ranked elections, neither the Registrar of Alameda nor the Secretary of State would  guarantee it.  The Council, therefore, voted to proceed with June Council elections for odd Districts 1,3, and 7 as well as the At-Large and City Attorney's Offices.  I personally supported the League of Women's position that we could take the risk of proceeding with ranked voting, knowing that if the system did not get certified a hand count could be conducted.
   

• Planning Commission to Review Revised Plan for Senior Residence on Wednesday, February 20, 7 pm, Hearing Room 1: The AMG Senior Residence project at the corner of High and MacArthur is going back to the Planning Commission after passing Design Review with praise on January 23.  The new design, divides the building into two sections resolving remaining questions about bulk and height for commissioners. It also more clearly shows how the 50-foot buffer zone between the building and the 580 Freeway will be landscaped.  The Senior Residence project is item 4.

• Be Part of the Solution for Well Maintained, Safe Parks: The City, Friends of Oakland Parks & Recreation and the Oakland Parks Coalition invite any regular user of our parks and open spaces to attend a special workshop to develop a new on-line work-management system. Your participation will help develop a tracking system for problems such as graffiti, trash and dumping. If it's done right, reports of problems will be speedily dispatched and addressed, and you will be able to log on and track the problem from your first report to its resolution. Please mark your calendar for Saturday, February 23, 9-11 am, Sailboat House, Lakeside Park, 568 Bellevue. Tell the park attendant at the kiosk that you are attending this meeting and the parking fee will be waived. For details, contact Kathy Raymond at Friends of Oakland Parks & Recreation, 465-1850. <<Pocket park on Lakeshore Avenue.

• City Disparity Study Hearing, Wednesday, February 27, 6:30 pm: Local contractors who have or would like to do business with the City of Oakland are invited to attend a meeting at the Redwood Heights Recreation Center to discuss opportunities and obstacles to doing business with the City of Oakland. For details, contact Richard Cowan at 238-7041.

• Seismic Updates: Just as scientists were saying that the chances of a major earthquake in the Bay Area are greater than predicted before, we held two productive meetings for our seismic retrofit incentive program. About 60 people attended our second public workshop. Additionally, 10 local contractors and seismic engineers joined us to develop additional, easy to understand, materials about how to retrofit older homes to Oakland's standards working closely with Colin Blaney of the Structural Engineers Association of Northern California (SEAONC). Even in this slow economy, over 100 people took out retrofit permits in the first seven months of the program, most have signed up for the new homeowner reimbursement program.

• Final Call for City of Oakland Budget Advisory Committee:  As chair of the Finance Committee, I have an opportunity to appoint an additional volunteer to the Budget Advisory Committee, which analyzes different aspects of the City's budget and makes recommendations to the Council. This year is particularly important as the City, along with other communities in California and across the nation, faces a significant budget deficit due to the slowdown in the economy and the resulting reduction in revenue. Please send a letter describing why you wish to serve on this committee and your resume to Richard Cowan, Chief of Staff 238-7041.

• Help Us Build the "The Krusherz!" District 4's own girl's softball team out of the Allendale Recreation Center: Girls softball is really taking off, unfortunately some families' work schedules and resources make it hard for their girls to participate. Working with the Parks & Rec Department I want to literally level the playing field.  My office will cover the cost of uniforms/equipment for a team at Allendale Rec and we have pledged to raise the funds for the registration fees, $110 per girl or $1200.  Studies show that young women who are involved in team sports report increased self-esteem and problem-solving skills later in life. Could you help us by sponsoring a girl?  Make checks payable to OGSL (Oakland Girls Softball League) and mail to us:  Council Offices, City Hall, 1 Ogawa Plaza, Oakland, CA 94612.  We could also use coaches and other helpers, contact Michael Johnson
   at 238-4742. <

• WiFi at Dimond Library: It's taken a long time to work out technical difficulties but WiFi is coming to Oakland Libraries thanks to Measure Q and the Dimond Branch is the first to pilot our system.  Branch Manager Catherine Nichols notes that the Dimond Branch Library now has free WiFi on the first floor, with access on the second floor  Meeting Room coming soon!  Come check it out, the library offers Internet classes on Saturdays.  My office will be purchasing lap top computers to be checked out to increase access at each of the branch libraries in our district.   For questions about Dimond, call 482-7844.

• New Directional Sign for Joaquin Miller Park: Here is another outcome of the efforts of the Joaquin Miller Working Group, who had identified early on that one of Oakland's largest parks--the 500-acre Joaquin Miller Park--suffered from an identity crisis. The new sign is on the southbound exit of the Warren Freeway at Lincoln Avenue and Monterey.They developed a new logo, a website, a new map and brochure (now in its second printing!) and are about to install new signage throughout the trails. Two new wooden signs for the medians--one in the median near the Abbey and one at the intersection of Joaquin Miller Road and Skyline Drive--are on order.
   

• Crime & Safety in Oakland's Commercial Districts--Leadership Forum, February 27: The Oakland Merchants Leadership Forum will discuss Safety and Crime in Oakland's commercial districts. Guest speaker is Lenore Anderson, Public Safety Director, Office of the Mayor. The event will be held in Hearing Room 4 at City Hall on Wednesday, February 27, 8:30 to 10 am. Please contact Shari Godinez with questions in advance.

• Community Members Wanted to Help the City 803 Police Officers, Volunteers Need as Panel Assessors for Hiring Police Officer Trainees: Interested candidates must meet one of the following criteria 1) live in Oakland, 2) work in Oakland or 3) own a business in Oakland. The upcoming oral board dates are currently scheduled for Monday, March 10, Tuesday, March 11 and Wednesday, March 12. Volunteers can serve on all three days or one of the days from 8:30 am to 5:00 pm each day. The oral boards are held at the Eastmont Mall sub-station at 2651 73rd Avenue. Additional panels are scheduled throughout the year. Community members interested in serving on the boards should contact Cee Belue at 238-3338 or cbelue@oaklandnet.com

• New Phone Numbers for the Reorganization:  Now that most assignments are completed the Police Department is trying to update its website.  In the interim they have posted lists of new phone numbers for Areas and Problem Solving Officers/Beats.

• The Measure Y website and e-newsletter 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 list of Neighborhood Crime Prevention Councils in District 4.

• To organize a Neighborhood Watch Group on your street call 238-3091.

• 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.

• Truancy Tip Hotline is 879-8172.

•  Truancy Program Report:   Last year with funding from Measure Y, Oakland Police performed 2335 "retrievals" of students taken to the Truancy center.  70% of the students taken to the center were not truant again during the school year.  77 families were referred to the District Attorney last year; 99% of the families who appear in Court have been able to get their students to school and have avoided fines and other legal penalties.  The Truancy Task Forces, which I sit on, seeks funds for case management of the most chronic truants (10 absences or more per year) about 4400 students or 11%.

Take an Emergency Preparedness Class On-Line: Sherry Hu of KPIX News and Frank Somerville of KTVU News host this video on the internet.  You can also check your knowledge with a self-paced slide show and quiz.  Now there's no excuse for not getting ready for emergencies!

CORE Training at Patten University-- Thursday, February 28 6:30-9 pm:  The City's Office of Emergency Services is partnering with Patten University to offer Core I, II and III courses for free. Core I: Home and Family Emergency Preparedness-- will be held at the Student Activity Center on the Patten University Campus, 2433 Coolidge Avenue. CORE II: Neighborhood Preparedness and Response will be held Thursday, March 6 from 6:30 - 9 pm.  CORE III: Emergency Response Hands-On Training takes four sessions: Thursday, March 13 6 - 9 pm, Thursday, March 20, 6-9 pm, Thursday, March 27, 6-9 pm and Saturday, March 29, 9 am - 3 pm. For details, contact Oakland's CORE Program at 238-6351. We encourage neighbors to go together!

Fire Department Needs Volunteers to Serve on Review Panels:  Firefighter applicants who received a passing grade on their written exam last week will begin oral interviews during the week of February 25th.  We need community volunteers to serve on the oral interview panels because more than 1000 people took the written exam. Breakfast and lunch but no pay are offered.  To volunteer you must:

• Participate in a minimum of two full days from 8 am - 5 pm
• Not be related by blood or marriage to any of the candidates
• Be willing to represent the diversity of the City
• If panelist can serve more than two days, it is welcomed
   

• Pothole Blitz: In a concentrated effort to keep the City traffic safe and respond to calls to fix potholes, Public Works Agency crews started a citywide pothole-filling blitz this week. This will be a three-month effort, one week each in February, March and April, with PWA crews focusing in a different geographical service area for each blitz. On average, the City receives upwards of 250 pothole complaints a month, citywide. But many go unreported. This year's series of rain storms has created much more damage to City streets, causing more potholes than usual because of the damage water does to the "glue" between asphalt layers. Call the PWA Call Center at 615-5566 or email them  to identify unfilled pot holes. Please provide the nearest street address and cross streets.

• One Lane of Skyline Blvd to Reopen End of Next Week: Ever since winter rains caused a landslide on Skyline Blvd. near Snake on January 4, the road has been closed to through traffic. Roadway restoration work on the long-term temporary repairs to reopen Skyline has been ongoing sinced February 6. Through access in both directions (one lane only, one vehicle at a time, stop-controlled) will be restored to ALL traffic by the end of next week. THE PUBLIC IS ADVISED TO STAY AWAY FROM THE CLOSED PORTION OF SKYLINE BLVD. UNTIL THE REPAIR WORK IS COMPLETED AND THE ROADWAY IS REOPENED.

• Geotechnical Work: contact Wlad Wlassowsky, Transportation Services Manager, 238-6383, or Michael Neary, Deputy Director, 238-6659
   
• Status of occupancy of the homes on Oakwood Drive: Ray Derania, City Building Official, 238-4780
• Emergency calls regarding drainage problems, more mudslides or slippage, contact the Public Agency Call Center at 615-5566, 24 hours a day.

• Bay Friendly Landscaping & Gardening Conference-- Making the Leap to Sustainable Landscaping: Discover how Bay Friendly can help you cut greenhouse gas emissions, reduce waste, conserve water and prevent pollution. Especially practical for public and private landscape professionals and advanced home gardeners. Friday, February 29, 8 am-5 pm, UC Berkeley. To participate, register online.(Fee)

• Friends of Sausal Creek Gardening Projects:

• Saturday, February 23, 9 am-Noon-Planting and non-native plant removal in Beaconsfield Canyon. Contact Kathren Stevenson at 388-5676.
• Saturday, February 23, 1:30-4:30 pm--Propagate native species for fall planting and other nursery work in the FOSC Native Plant Nursery at Joaquin Miller Park. Contact Molly Bolt at 501-3672 for details.

• Dimond Canyon/Joaquin Miller Park Beautification Day & Volunteer BBQ, Saturday, March 8, 8:30 am-Noon: Oakland's Joaquin Miller Park and Dimond Canyon are two of the Bay Area's most unique and treasured open spaces--but volunteers are critical to keeping these budget-crunched parks pristine, safe, and enjoyable. Join a broad community of park users for a fun, rewarding day of trail work and beautification. We need you -- please RSVP!

• Volunteers should bring water and work gloves. Hand-held trimming tools would be helpful too, if you have them!
• Meet at the Joaquin Miller ranger station parking lot near the main meadow area, 8:30 a.m. for coffee, pastries, & orientation.
• Work starts promptly at 9 a.m.
• Stick around for fabulous BBQ when the work is done
• To learn more or RSVP, email ckralovansky@yahoo.com by Saturday, March 2.

Park Beautification Day is sponsored by the Bicycle Trails Council of the East Bay and welcomes the entire community of park users, from hikers and dog walkers to runners, cyclists, and equestrians.

• What to Do With Hazardous Materials:  After losing so many trout in Sausal Creek last week, we thought that we should run this information again:

• StopWaste.Org can tell you how to recycle/dispose of anything, start here.
• Twice a month, Thursdays through Saturday, you can drop off any household hazardous material at the Oakland StopWaste.Org site including today, Saturday, February 16.  Directions & Schedule.  This includes materials like the paint that killed our trout!
• Never put motor oil down the drain. You can have free curbside pick-up IF you email call 238-SAVE or email  recycling@oaklandnet.com for a free oil and oil filter recycling kit, featuring two sturdy gallon jugs, instructions, and a special oil filter recycling bag. (Used oil and filters will only be accepted in containers provided by Oakland Recycles.)

• 
• EarthDay -- April 19, 2008;Earth Expo at City Hall--Wednesday, April 16, 10 am-2pm:  It's time to start organizing your neighbors and get ready to sign up for Earthday 2008! Last year, more than 4,000 people volunteered over 13,500 hours, planting 22 trees and cleaning up 28 parks. 24 schools, 18 medians, 8 creek sites, and 42 public spaces. More than 23 tons of debris was collected that day! This year, Oakland celebrates its 14th annual Earthday. District 4 typically accounts for 25% of the volunteers--last year we had more than 35 locations! Check the Keep Oakland Beautiful site to sign up.

• While we wait for the judge to rule on whether we have to do an Environment Impact Study before enacting our plastic bag ban,  we urge Oaklanders to bring their own bags and to encourage their retailers to voluntarily comply with the plastic bag ban. Whole Foods announced that they will phase out plastic bags nationally by June. In our discussions with Farmer Joes, Diane and Joe agree to stop using plastic bags after their current supply is gone. Other stores like Whole Foods and Trader Joes are  in compliance.  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. Ordinance to Ban Petroleum Based, Non-Biodegradable Carry Out Bags at Large Retail Stores. (Above) This picture was sent to us in response to our request for interesting reusable shopping bags, it is available at Elephant Pharmacies.
   

• TURN's Bill Busters Arriving in Oakland Libraries: The Utility Reform Network (TURN) is partnering with the Oakland Public Library to bring TURN's Bill Busters to libraries throughout the City from January to March 2008. A team of experts with years of experience in lowering utility bills and handling disputes with utility companies offer tips on how to lower electric and gas usage and how to take advantage of programs to make homes or apartments more energy efficient. Bring copies of your bills to the following locations:  
  •     Thursday, February 21, 6 pm--Oakland Main, 125 14th Street
  •     Saturday, March 1, 1 pm --Montclair Branch, 1687 Mountain Blvd.

For details, go to the OPL website or call 238-3134 for other dates and locations within the City. 

• For our list of 25 Ways to Keep Oakland Green, click here.

Free Tax Help at the Library: The Oakland Public Library has partnered with the American Association for Retired Persons to offer free tax assistance from February 1 through April 15, 2008. Bring copies of last year's federal and state tax returns and all materials pertaining to your 2007 tax forms for you and your spouse (if filing jointly). Seniors, aged 60 or over, will be given preference at walk-in sites only. For details, call 238-3134. Please call ahead to confirm times:

 

• Oakland Main Library, 125 14th Street, Mondays, 10 am-1:30 pm; Fridays, 12:30-4 pm and Saturdays, 10 am-3 pm. 238-3134. Walk-ins only, no advanced appointments.
• Cesar E. Chavez Branch Library, 3301 East 12th Street, Suite 271, Mondays, 12:30-5:30 pm, Wednesdays, 10 am -3:30 pm. Bilingual Spanish/English, 535-5620. Call for appointment.
• Dimond Branch Library, 3565 Fruitvale Avenue, Tuesdays, 12:30-4:30 pm, Thursdays, 10 am-2:30 pm. 482-7844. Call for appointment; some walk-ins accepted.
• Temescal Branch Library, 5205 Telegraph Avenue, Wednesdays, 10 am-3 pm. 597-5049. Call for an appointment.

• FOSC Annual Fundraiser at Parkway Theatre,Tuesday, February 26, 9:15 pm: In their first 10 years, the Friends of Sausal Creek have accomplished wonders in reclaiming the Sausal Creek watershed, not only in Dimond Canyon, but along tributaries such as Beaconsfield Canyon, and even to where it empties into the Bay. They have established a well-earned reputation as a leading grass roots creek restoration and native plant propagation organization and serve as a role model throughout the Bay Area. Please help them continue their good work by coming to their 2008 Fundraising event at the Parkway Theatre-- a special viewing of Purple Rain. A portion of each ticket sold will go toward FOSC's Restoration and Nursing programs. For more information, call 501-3672 or contact FOSC via email. 

White Elephant Sale, Saturday, March 1-Sunday, March 2, 10am-4pm, 333 Lancaster Street: Free shopping at their 96,000 sq ft warehouse and support the Oakland Museum. Last year I got a silk shirt for $3, a crystal plate for $5, and beautiful antique Venetian glass beads.

• Laurel Book Stores' Upcoming Meet the Author Events : 
  • 7pm, Wednesday, March 5  Diana Raab author of Regina's Closet; Finding My Grandmother's Secret Journal.
  • 7pm, Wednesday, March 12  Gina Daggett and Kathy Belge authors of Lipstick and Dipstick's Essential Guide to Lesbian Relationships.

Laurel Book Store is located at 4100 MacArthur Blvd. in the Laurel. 

• Feather River Camp Reservations Now Available:  The city owned Sierra family summer camp is now taking reservations.  It is an inexpensive way to spend time with your family or make friends with people who share your interests -- music, folk dancing, youth camps.