The deadline for the Summer Citizens' Academy has been extended to June 28^th.  Join with people from all over the city to learn about Oakland government in an interactive forum with city officials.  Explore what the City's relationship is to Alameda County, the Oakland Unified School District and other public agencies; what services and programs are available through City Agencies; how to access needed services; and how to apply this knowledge by serving as an information resource and advocate for neighborhood associations, non-profit groups and local businesses. All Academy sessions will be held at City Hall.  Classes meet every week in the evening, 6 pm-9 pm, July 2^nd to September 11th. Free. Click here to learn more about the Citizen's Academy and here for an application. For more information call 238-6448.

1. Establishes seismic strengthening standards for typical wood-framed houses to ensure a baseline of effectiveness.
2. Establishes a low, flat seismic strengthening permit fee of $250 as an incentive. 
3. Establishes a new Homeowner Seismic Strengthening Reimbursement Incentive Program whereby new owners of older homes have one year in which to retrofit according to the new standards. If the retrofit passes inspection, they will be eligible for reimbursement of their expenses up to .5% of the purchase price or $5,000, which ever is less. Thursday, the Council approved setting aside $500,000 from the proceeds of the Real Estate Property Transfer Tax for the 2007-2008 Fiscal Year.
4. In the second year, 2008-2009, an additional $500,000 will be available for assistance for low-come homeowners in the redevelopment areas.
    

Experts predict that a magnitude 6.9 earthquake on the Hayward Fault will result in the loss of 36,500 Oakland homes, one-third of our housing! They also predict up to 15,000 casualties. This is tragedy we can reduce or prevent. Only 15% of Oakland homes are retrofitted to current standards.  Download the report and ordinance. For additional information, contact Sue Piper in our office. We anticipate the program beginning July 1, 2007.

PART TWO:  DEVELOPING ADDITIONAL STANDARDS, SEEKING FEDERAL AND STATE HELP
I have been co-hosting a group of elected officials who represent cities along the Hayward Fault in conjunction with ABAG (Association of Bay Area Governments).  We are working on developing state standards for retrofits, funding for a survey of soft story buildings, licensing standards for retrofit contractors, and funds or tax credits to help fund retrofits. This week we held a meeting with our state legislators - Assembly Members  Swanson and Hancock and representatives of Senators Perata & Corbett and Assemblywoman Hayashi. They agreed to work with us on these issues. 

• This Week's Fire above the Caldecott Tunnel Reminds Us that Fire Season is Here! Wednesday's 3-alarm wildfire broke out above the North Oakland Sports Field. "Our firefighters have learned that they must jump on these fires early with everything they have and are to be congratulated for doing so," said Bob Sieben, chair of the Wildfire Prevention Assessment District Advisory Board (WFAD). Tankers were supplied by the CDF and helicopters by EBRPD. Firefighters stayed on site over night to do mop-up operations and made sure the fire didn't rekindle. The fast response may be partially due to funding by Measure Y.  While most people think of the police and prevention services it provides, about 15% goes to keeping all fire stations open year-round.  Before Measure Y Oakland was closing stations on a rotating basis as they do in San Francisco.  That meant at least one station in my hill area was closed each week, adding precious minutes if the closest station was closed. 
   
• Luckily this privately owned parcel had recently done vegetation control work according to Barbara Goldenberg, my representative on the WFAD, "I've been told  the parcel where the fire started  had been cleared recently - a 30 foot perimeter cut around the parcel - and that the home-owners had all done pretty good clearance 100 feet down the slope, for a total of 130 feet fire break between the larger part of the parcel and the homes. I believe that the interior of the parcel had had substantial fuel-load reduction done recently - dead and downed limbs, grass, etc had been removed from the center."  Furthermore, the City had removed some eucalyptus near Caldecott field. If you have eucalyptus trees in your yard, remove all limbs within a minimum of 6 ft (city & state standard) but higher if you can and keep the ground clear of leaves, pods, and other dried vegetation.
• Wildfire Prevention Assessment District Advisory Committee Meets Thursday, June 28: The City's plans for vegetation management during the 2007 fire season will be presented at the June meeting of the Wildfire Prevention Assessment District, held at the Richard C. Trudeau Training Center at 11500 Skyline Blvd. on Thursday, June 28 at 7 pm.

• 2007 Vegetation Inspections Underway: Now is the time to work on cutting back your overgrown shrubs, cutting tree limbs next to your house, and mowing tall grasses. Be aware of endangered species that might be on your property. If you hire someone to do the work or to haul away your debris, be sure to ask for the receipt from the Davis Street Transfer Station. We have had  problems with haulers dumping their debris in parks and other open spaces; you could be liable for the fines if there is anything identifying you with the debris. Don't forget that residents of the Wildfire District can have their branches reduced to water conserving mulch.  For more tips on how to recycle vegetation to enrich your soil,  reduce green house emissions and landfill, go to StopWaste.org.

• Wildfire Memorial Vandalized by Metal Thieves: Sue and Gordon Piper report that donations are coming in to replace the brass trees and the nameplates honoring the victims of the 1991 Firestorm (note the holes in the wall below).  The garden, a labor of love created by Gordon and his neighbors, is within line sight of their home which was lost and rebuilt after the fire.  Donations made to Friends of Oakland Parks can be sent to 33 Hiller Drive, Oakland 94618.  There is a $5,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of the thieves, call the police at 238-3951 or Crime Stoppers at 238-6946.

Mayor Moves Police Out of the Airport to Increase Street Presence: After months of discussions with the Council, Mayor Ron Dellums announced this week that 15 officers now assigned to patrol Oakland International Airport will be reassigned in an effort to reduce crime on Oakland's streets.  Eight of the officers will be assigned to community policing beats, bringing the total to nearly two-thirds of all beats. Deputy Chief Howard Jordan said the new community police officers will continue to be assigned to the remaining patrol beats based on the next highest rates of crime and violence. 

Neighborhood Watch Steering Committee Meets Wednesday, June 27, 6:30-8:30 pm: If you are part of a Neighborhood Watch Group, come to the next Neighborhood Watch Steering Committee meeting where members will tour OPD's Criminal Unit and Crime Laboratory. Meet in the Auditorium at the Police Administration Building, 455 7th Street. Contact Felicia Verdin at 238-3128.

Register for National Night Out Now, the nation's night out against crime is Tuesday, August 7, 7-9 pm.  Research shows that when neighbors know each other and look out for each other crime goes down. Last year District 4 had over 60 parties.  We  joined 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, police, and other city staff will visit each party.  Register your party online, or contact Brenda Ivey with the Oakland Police Department at 238-3091. The deadline to register is 5:00 pm on Friday, July 27th. Only registered groups will be eligible for a visit!  Block Party Guide 

If you witness a robbery or crime, this Identification Sheet might help police get the information we need to make an arrest. More Robbery Tips

Use Your NCPC to Help Set Community Safety Priorities: Our office tries to monitor the many listservs in our District where neighbors register concerns about crime and traffic safety but you cannot consider this the same as contacting police or our office directly. Police beat priorities are set at the Neighborhood Crime Prevention Councils (NCPCs). We encourage neighborhoods and representatives from Neighborhood Watch Groups to participate in their NCPC's. Schedule

• City CarShare Could Come to the Dimond:  Does your teen or college student disappear with your car? Are you a senior or avid bicyclist who only needs a car occasionally? Want to cuts costs and get rid of a second car used only a few times a month?  My office and the Dimond Improvement Association have been discussing with City CarShare the possibility of expanding into the Dimond commercial district. City CarShare is a non-profit organization that provides members with around-the-clock access to a fleet of cars throughout the Bay Area, primarily for short trips, featuring a choice of compacts, pickup trucks, hybrids and Minis. Members sign up for a fee (now waived under a special trial period) and get an electronic key in the mail. Reservations are made on line. Driving rates are $4/hour and 44 cents per mile. City CarShare is looking for 200 probable users in the Dimond area. If you are interested in being one of the 200, email Richard Cowan in our office or contact the Dimond Improvement Association. City CarShare will also be at the next Dimond Improvement Association meeting at the Dimond Library, Thursday, July 5 at 7:30 pm.

• High Street Repaving Underway:  Over the next few weeks High Street will get a long awaited repaving between MacArthur and Foothill.  If you can avoid the area it will help relieve congestion and make the work go faster.

• Drive Slowly Through Glenview...Or You'll Miss It:  This is the slogan of the Glenview campaign to slow traffic down to 30 mph.  You'll see this slogan on new posters and bumper stickers to reinforce the new radar speed feedback signs, flashing lights, and increased police enforcement on Park Blvd. A recent traffic operation on upper Park Blvd. resulted in 39 speeding citations and 26 citations for failure to yield to a pedestrian at Park & Everett. Our office has been working closely with the principals of Zion Lutheran School and Corpus Christi School, along with a representative from the City of Piedmont and our traffic engineering and traffic patrol staff to develop additional pedestrian safety and traffic calming measures for the top of Park Blvd.

Bats are featured in the In the Dark exhibit right.>>

• The SunWorksexhibit opens this week, showcasing Sun-themed art by youth and adult artists from around the world. The exhibit pieces, ranging from paintings and photographs to compositions of Legos, textiles, glass, and other media. 
   
• Full Moon Hike, Friday, June 29, 6:15 pm: An Evening Moon Hike will take place in Sibley Park (4 mi from Chabot on Skyline Blvd). Join us for this moderate hike and watch the Sun set in the West while the Full Moon rises in the East.
• More Exhibit Information
• Summer Camps for Kids

• "Get a Clue @ Your Oakland Public Library:  The Library's Summer Reading Program for Kids, June 9-August 11, is the 2007 Summer Reading Game. Anyone age 13 and under is encouraged to drop by one of the Library branches, the Bookmobile or the Children's Room to sign-up and start reading their way to valuable prizes, including books and tickets to some of Oakland's hottest attractions. For more information and a full list of Summer Reading Programs, visit your local library or go to the Library website.
• Teens Get Active @ OPL June 9-August 11: Teens are invited to get involved in the Oakland Library  this summer with animals and film showings, MySpace photo and information sessions, crafts, GameZone activities, volunteer opportunities and lots of great summer reading.
• Zoomobile Visits Libraries This Summer: Come meet unusual animals when they roll into your branch library this summer: Dimond Branch, Wednesday, July 18 at 11 am, and Montclair Branch, Saturday, July 28 at 2 pm.
• 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. Wednesday, July 11, 4-7pm -- Scholastic Corporation's Knight Bus, (based on the purple, triple-decker bus described in the Harry Potter books), will be stopping at the Oakland Main Library at 125 14th Street. Young people will have a chance to board the bus and make a video about why they love the Harry Potter books.  Kids need to pre-register by calling the Main Library's Children's Room at 238-3615. Friday, July 20 8pm-Midnight, children and teens are invited to come to the Main Library in costume for an evening of incredible entertainment, including live bands. A free raffle of the new book for the first 100 winners. Saturday, July 21, 8-10am: Dimond Library's Harry Potter Release Party for Early Risers--crafts, games, prizes, refreshements and more. Come dressed as your favorite Harry Potter character-- Dimond Library, 3565 Fruitvale Avenue, 482-7844. 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: Rockridge Branch, 5366 College Avenue; Melrose Branch, 4805 Foothill Blvd.; M.L.King Jr., Branch, 6833 International Blvd.  Harry Potter Crafts: Make a magical dragon with the artists from MOCHA, the Museum of Children's Arts:
• Saturday, July 21, 2 pm, Montclair Branch, 1687 Mountain Blvd.
• Monday, July 23, 7 pm, Piedmont Avenue Branch,160-41st Street
• Monday, July 30, 7 pm, Rockridge Branch, 5366 College Avenue
• 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.

• City Sponsors Summer Lunch Program at Local Rec Centers: Last year Oakland provided more than 80,000 free lunches to children throughout the City under the age of 18. This summer there are more than 45 participating sites in the program, including the Allendale Recreation Center and the Brookdale Recreation Center in District 4. For details call the Alameda County Food Bank at 1-800-870-FOOD  or Oakland's Department of Human Services.

• Laurel Books Book Group Meets Wednesday, June 27 at 7 pm: This month's theme is Love in all of its many splendored ways of being.  This is a drop in group, so you don't have to commit every month. Laurel Book Store is located at 4100 MacArthur Blvd.. For details, contact Luan Stauss at 431-2073. 
• Royal Ground Gallery Winds up East Bay Women Artists Show Sunday, June 24: This is your last chance to see the work of District 4 artist Rita Sklar, whose abstract landscapes and dreamscapes are in the back gallery as part of this show at Royal Ground at 2058 Mountain Blvd. in Montclair. Rita recently received a City of Oakland grant to create a new series of paintings celebrating the diversity of Oakland's residents, focusing on Dimond Park. You can see more of her work at Cafe 817 (817 Washington Street in downtown Oakland) until July 11, and/or check her website.
• Authors Visit A Great Good Place for Books in June:  Tuesday, June 26, 7 pm, Amanda Eyre Ward, author of Sleep Towards Heaven, reads from her new novel, Forgive Me; Wednesday, June 27, 7 pm, Bridget Kinsella, author of Visiting Life; Thursday, June 28, 7 pm, China Galland reading from Love Cemetery: Unburying the Secret History of Slaves. All readings take place at a Great Good Place for Books, 6120 La Salle Avenue, in Montclair.
• Out Loud Literay Series at Oakland Public Library Begins June 28: PEN Oakalnd, a Bay Area Chapter of the International Organization of Poets, Essayists and Novelist, in partnership with the Oakland Public Library, continues the Oakland Out Loud Literary Series at libraries monthly through December 2007. The series is based upon PEN Oakland's Oakland Out Loud Literary Anthology, published by Jukebox Press in April 2007. Books will be available for purchase at the monthly readings. All but the final two readings in this series meet the fourth Thursday of the month, from 6-7:30 pm at the Main Library, 125-14th Street.  First session is Thursday, June 28, hosted by Adam David Miller, Stephen Kessler, Amy MacLennan, Al Young, Judith Cody. For details, contact Kim McMillion at 228-6775.
• FOSC Workdays: Friday, June 29, 9:30 am to Noon, hike to collect seeds to propagate native plants. Call Kathren Stevenson at 388-5676. Saturday, June 30, 9- Noon, Remove invasive species and plants to stabilize creek bank at Beaconsfield Open Space. Contact Richard Kaufmann at 531-1237 for details. Saturday June 30, 9 - Noon, restoration workday at grassland site at Joaquin Miller Park Nursery. Call Kathren Stevenson at 388-5676. Saturday, June 30,1:30-4:30 pm. Nursery workday propagating native plants. Call 387-9744.
• First Fridays After Five! at the Oakland Museum of California: July 6-Craig Horton Blues Band; August 3, Bay Area Blues Society's Caravan of All Stars; September 7, Rhonda Benin and Soulful Strut. Live music in the museum cafe, 5 - 9 pm. For details.
• Monthly Outdoor Movie Series Begins Saturday, July 21: The highly successfull Old Oakland Outdoor cinema series returns for a fourth season beginning Saturday, July 21 with the screening of "Ray." The 2007 season features four award-winning films, including three Oscar Winners: "Little Miss Sunshine" on August 18; "The Day the Earth Stood Still" on September 15, and "Babe" on October 20. Once a month, the series transforms Ninth Street between Broadway and Washington into an outdoor cinema with movies beginning at dusk. Limited seating is available; filmgoers are encouraged to bring their own chairs and blankets. For more information, call 238-4734.
• Save the Date, Saturday, August 11th 11 am-2pm, Dedication of Brookdale Park as a Park for Peace:  As part of the Community Spirit Project and Project Mosaic, Brookdale park will be one of 12 Oakland parks declared drug free and designated for supporting and fostering positive lives and life-giving activities for youth and their families. Volunteers are needed to assist with events that day: peace pole planting, spoken word, music and Ribbons for Peace Project. Contact Michael Foster at 535-5632.

• 32nd Annual Montclair Village Fine Arts Festival, June 29-July 1: More than 90 professional artists from across the western United States will display and sell their one-of-a-kind art  in the Montclair business district on Mountain Avenue at LaSalle. Sponsored by the Montclair Business Improvement District, this free festival continues to be among the most popular community events in Oakland. Friday and Saturday, June 29 and 30, 10 am to 6 pm; Sunday, July 1, 10 am to 5 pm.
   
• MSIC's July 4th Music in Montclair Park, Wednesday, July 4, 3-6 pm: Bring your own picnic and enjoy free music.

• Woodminster Summer Theater Season Opens With Westside Story, July 13-22, 8pm: Enjoy the improvements at Joaquin Miller Park, bring a picnic, and then enjoy classic musicals under the stars this summer. My office capital funds has just funded some new picnic tables.  Kids Come Free: Children 16 and younger who are accompanying paying adults to any performance are admitted free. These tickets are not reserved in advance. Present your adult ticket at the box office 7 pm-8 pm on the night of the performance and receive a free child's ticket as close to your adult ticket as possible, or purchase your adult ticket on the night of the performance to guarantee they'll be together. Restrictions apply. Click here for details.

• 4th Annual Healthy Living Festival at Lake Merritt Garden Center, Friday, July 20: This year's Healthy Living Festival brings together older adults and their supporters throughout Alameda County to experience a vast array of resources and lifestyle choices that define healthy living and successful aging. In 2004 and 2005, the festival averaged over 1000 participants. Last year more than 1,700 people attended. This year, festival sponsors United Seniors of Alameda County anticipate 2,500 participants.  Planned activities include a 3.2 mile Walk-A-Thon around Lake Merritt; more than 70 educational resource booths; medical and podiatry check-ups; bone density screenings and benefits checks; information and registration for older adult walk clubs; nutrition and cooking demonstrations and a mini-farmers market; entertainment and much more. For details, call 729-0852 or visit the USOC website.

• 3rd Annual Dimond Picnic and Dimond Recreation Center Open House, Saturday, July 22: 10am Historical Tour by local author Dennis Evanosky; 11:30 am Abdo Alawdi of Two Star Market, staffs the large charcoal barbecue and will provide cold soft drinks. Tow Star Market, Farmer Joe's Market and the Dimond Improvement Association will provide hot dogs, hamburgers, fruits, veggies and other picnic goodies.1 pm: Watch Woman's Will perform Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet in Dimond Park: Free swim and play for kids at Dimond Recreation Center from 11 am-3 pm.

• 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