By the time you get this I'll be cooking! My staff and family promise to feed you well.  I'm preparing baked hams, smoked turkey, prime rib, garlic mashed potatoes, Chinese black mushrooms with oyster sauce, tamale casserole and gorgeous fruit, veggie & cheese plates.

Santa and friends at last weekends Dimond Winter Festival.

  Whether you can join us tonight or not, the holiday spirit continues throughout Oakland next week.  Happy Holidays!

                                   

 

                                          

                                                  Council President Pro Tem
 

Alameda County Holiday Food Drive-December 1-31:

• One Warm Coat Drive is a simple national campaign. One of the local drop off centers is Alain Pinel Realtors, 6166 La Salle Avenue, 2nd Floor, in Montclair where we hold our First Sunday Office Hours during the winter. They are collecting good clean coats for those in need. Last year they collected 860 coats. Have your kids outgrown their jackets?  Are there coats gathering dust that you no longer wear? There are many families that could use your coats.  Watching several men and women searching for coats to fit themselves or their children at this weeks Project Connect (#5), I wished that I had thinned out our crowded hall closet.

• The 2008 Dimond History Wall Calendar is now available. The calendar features photos of 19th and early 20th century Dimond, over 150 community events and important dates, and contact numbers for local and city services. Calendars are available in the greeting card section of Farmer Joe's and at Paws and Claws for only $12.

• New Toys Needed for Oakland Police Officer's Association (OPOA) Christmas Basket Program: The OPOA provides a meal and gifts to 75 Oakland families identified by sworn/civilian employees from the Oakland Police Department. The OPOA will purchase all of the meals and some of the toys, but could use additional new toys. Drop off any unwrapped toy or gift to the OPOA at 555 5th St.

Help Santa With His Mail, Call the Santa Hotline 251-3371

• As written all campers including those that are not oversized would be prohibited.  This includes small trucks with camper shells and regular sized vans outfitted for camping.  Speakers at the committee and several constituents said they used these vehicles as their regular transportation.
• As written RV's would be illegal on streets for any period of time.  Owners of RV's complained they would not be able to load up their vehicles for trips or host visiting relatives.  Members of the Committee felt some limited period of time would be reasonable.
• As written RV's could not park anywhere on the street in the city including commercial areas.  The Committee was concerned that enforcement and reasonable accomodation of vehicles passing through the city or even tailgating at the Coliseum would be affected.
• I received one call about horse trailers parked on a large home lot, but the person did not leave their name.

• At Long Last--Warren Freeway Median Planting Soon Underway: Finally, after many months of waiting, CalTrans will begin landscaping the median down the center of the Warren Freeway. Our office worked with CalTrans and representatives from several local neighborhood associations to develop a landscaping plan for the stretch just north of Park Blvd. running towards Redwood Road. CalTrans had removed vegetation from the center as part of an upgrade that would allow them to mechanically clean the road surface and improve worker safety. Local residents protested the vegetation removal and together we worked out a solution by having CalTrans create a two-sided median that could be landscaped. We saw trucks surveying the area this week, look for work to begin in the next few weeks.

• Coliseum Gardens Phase II Opens:  The public housing hear the Coliseum used to be some of the most dangerous and drug ridden in the city.  I remember campaigning for a school bond and hearing whistles of "look-outs" sound as I entered the complex.  The new complex holds two headstart programs and modern computer room; the central park will daylight Lion's Creek.  The final phase will include closest to the coliseum will provide affordable townhouses for ownership.
   

• MTC Survey on the Future of Transportation in the Bay Area:  Here's your chance to tell the Metropolitan Transportation Commission about your priorities for transportation and land use in the nine-county San Francisco Bay Area. Complete a brief online survey and tell MTC what actions you think should be taken to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and improve traffic congestion in the region. Deadline: January 9, 2008.

• Did You See Kittens This Summer? Do You need Help with your Neighborhood Cats? Volunteers from East Bay SPCA and Fix our Ferals will spay-neuter and vaccinate the cats and return them safely to you. They need to know how many cats need to be "fixed", and if you or someone in the neighborhood feeds the cats. Please call the Winter Campaign for cats  at 563-4635 with your contact information.

• Project Connect Outreach serves nearly homeless with One Stop Services:  Thanks to staff from dozens of government & non-profit agencies and volunteers (including several District 4 residents) nearly 300 homeless people received medical screening, foot care, access to housing and employment services, clean socks and coats, and a meal this week.  The goal is to provide coordinated services at one location several times a year. City Homeless Services. ( Above -- Volunteers provide foot washing & socks.)

• More Local Control Urged at State Hearing on School Takeovers:  The state agency reviewing school takeovers gave Oakland passing scores in Personnel and Facilities, saying the district was also close in Academics. The report also criticized the lack of stable leadership under state administration.  Under Assemblyman Sandre Swanson's bill, Oakland would have regained complete local control but it was opposed by the State Superintendent and vetoed by the Governor.  The Board will proceed to hire a superintendent, this should stabilize leadership. O'Connel hinted Oakland would not receive full control for another year although other districts were given control when they reached "regular status" or success in 3 of the 5 rating categories as Oakland now has.

• Citizens' Police Review Board Seeks Volunteers: The Citizens' Police Review Board is actively seeking a limited number of volunteers to join and advise the Board starting in February 2008. The Citizens' Police Review Board investigates and reviews complaints regarding conduct of Oakland police officers. I have attached the application  for joining the Board and a copy of the CPRB 2006 Annual Report.

• Wildfire Prevention Assessment District Seeks a District 4 Representative: If you live within the Wildfire Prevention Assessment District within District 4, please email a letter with your qualifications and interest to Sue Piper in our office. The Advisory Board meets the 4th Thursday of the month at the Trudeau Training Center on Skyline Blvd.

• Shop Oakland's website let's you explore our shopping districts and  let's you search for specific products.  www.shopoakland.com

• Whole Foods to Support Clausen House on January 23, 2008:  in honor of Whole Foods Market's 40th anniversary, the Oakland Whole Foods Store will donate 5% of its proceeds for the entire day to Clausen House, which provides support to men and women with disabilities.

• Give the Gift of Safety and Peace of Mind: The American Red Cross has a number of gifts starting at under $20 that will help your loved ones enhance their emergency preparedness. Special 10% discount.

• Volunteer Tutors for Oakland Libraries After School (OLAS) Program: Beginning January 2008, the library will be launching OLAS, Oakland Libraries After School, at four pilot locations. This free library service will offer enrichment programs for children, including drop-in homework help, four days a week. Volunteers will provide one-to-one assistance to elementary school students, including reading with a student, reviewing vocabulary words or practicing spelling. Volunteers must have a high school diploma and be willing to commit to a minimum of two hours per week for four months at one of the following sites: Main Library, Cesar E. Chavez, Eastmont or Golden Gate. Prior experience working with children is highly desirable. Potential volunteers may also be subject to a background check. For more information, contact Adam Twain at 238-3848.
• Check out the Revamped Bookmobile Soon: The Oakland Public Library's roving library on wheels will be temporarily out-of-service beginning Monday, December 10 while it is redecorated with new artwork. It is tentatively scheduled to resume its normal route on Monday, December 31. For more information, call 238-6718.

• Police Reorganization Plan: The Police Department released new details of next month's reorganization this week at the Public Safety Committee. Council members in Central Oakland including myself and colleagues DeLaFuente and Kernighan questioned the division of officers.  Our area will receive 29% as compared to 36% in North & West Oakland.  The current division is based on calls for service (the number of 911 calls) and the higher rate of violent crime.  We questioned using 911 calls because of the higher percentage of immigrants in the central area who historically do not call the police.  We expect to continue to discuss this with Chief Tucker.

• Good-bye Hoang:  Our former staff member and Glenview's Neighborhood Service Coordinator Hoang Banh has been reassigned to North Oakland as of January 1.  Patricia Rose will be taking her place, she has worked in East Oakland for 8 years.  We'll miss Hoang on the Glenview listserv.

• Council Approves Mayor's Request for Additional Outreach Workers:  The Council has released $375,000 in Measure Y prevention funds reserve for additional outreach workers and $200,000 in job trainig funds. Currently most outreach workers focus on truant and younger youth.  This new program will focus on older youth, specially those recently released from prision.  These outreach workers will meet regularly with probation officers to coordinate efforts.

• Self-Defense Class for Women: The City's Parks & Recreation Department and Police Department are teaching a class on self-defense for women, Saturdays from January 19 to February 9 from 1-4 pm at the Franklin Recreation Center, 1010 E 15th Street. Course Fee is $40. Register online as Activity #7068.301. The Self-Defense Course is designed to empower women to feel confident by teaching them specific skills and techniques to defend themselves in potentially dangerous situations. Facilitated by OPD Defensive Tactics Instructors, the course covers such topics as self protection, handgun safety and sexual assault awareness. Participants must attend all four of the three-hour sessions to successfully complete the course.

• 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.

• 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).

• Keep Porch Lights On, Consider Motion Detector Lights:  The most prevalent crimes in my district are theft from cars and car thefts. If you have a garage, use it for parking. Many of us find it easier to park outside or we use our garages for storage.  Some of us don't have garages, or have more cars than garage space; park as close to your home as possible and install motion detector lights.  Some neighborhoods have organized streets to leave their porch lights on.  Our office still has a few hundred low energy light bulbs, we plan to distribute them to neighborhood alert groups that are interested in organizing "lights on" safety campaigns. Call us if you want to organize your street to keep porch lights on.

The holiday season is a busy time of the year for family and friends. Unfortunately, it is also a busy time for burglars. Please take a minute to review the following tips to ensure your personnel security: At Home and At Work: Make sure all doors and windows at home and at work are properly secured. When leaving home for an extended time, have a neighbor or family member watch your house and pick up your newspapers and mail. Consider taking all items of "high value" back to your primary residence (money, jewelry, TV, VCR, stereo, computer). If you choose to leave items of "high value", record the serial numbers. It is recommended that you mark or engrave your property with your driver's license for future identification. Make sure that large displays of valuables are not visible through the windows and doors of your home. Put indoor and outdoor lights on an automatic timer. Leave a radio on so that house looks and sounds occupied. Ask the police for "vacation checks" services for unattended residences during the holiday season. Securing your Vehicle: When leaving for a holiday or vacation, do not pack your car the night before. Do not leave anything that looks like shopping or presents in view. secure all doors and windows. Park your vehicle in an area that is visible to the public and well lit at night, if not parking in a garage. When you are Out and About: Stay alert to your surroundings and the people around you. Shop with a friend, there is safety in numbers. Shop early and leave early to avoid evening darkness.  Pay for purchases with a check, credit or debit card; avoid carrying large amounts of cash. If you must carry a purse, do not wrap the straps around your arms or shoulders. Carry a clutch purse tightly under your arm or wear a fanny pack. Carry your wallet in the front pocket of your pants for safety. Prior to arriving at the shopping center, lock all your valuables in the trunk of your vehicle--so that no one can see you doing so. Watch for people who may be following you. This can occur inside as well as outside. If you suspect someone is following you, report it to security immediately. Program your cell phone with the Police Non-Emergency Phone Number that you can use when you are in Oakland--777-3211. If you call 9-1-1 on your cell phone, you will be routed through the Highway Patrol.

• OUSD Launches New Student Website:  The new school district site is packed with information on internships, programs, colleges, homework help and other issues.  Students can sign up at http://www.ousdstudents.org

• Ygnacio Traffic Circles:  The first phase of the work on the Ygnacio traffic circles is done and we are getting questions about when the rest of the work will be done so we can get out and finish the planting.  Traffic tells us that next contractor will start work on the moving the boulders and larger plants into the circle soon.  City staff will be doing restriping work soon after.

•  Maxwell Park NCPC Improves the Corner at Walgreen's on High Street: Volunteers led by Jan Hetherington have been cleaning up and maintaining the area near Walgreens on High Street. Last weekend they planted daffodils to create a "entrance" statement. They also installed a bulletin board. They are looking for a creative signmaker who would donate a sign to post above the bulletin board. If you are interested, or know of someone, please contact Jan.

• What to do with the Relatives?--As you make plans for your out-of-town guests who may be joining you for the holidays, consider taking a long walk outdoors as a way to show off the hidden qualities of our fair city. The Friends of Sausal Creek just produced a gorgeous map of the trails within the Sausal Creek Watershed, showing trails from Dimond Park up to Joaquin Miller Park and Shepherd Canyon Park. This map includes most of the details on the JM Park map, and includes Shepherd Canyon Park, Dimond Canyon, Dimond Park, Beaconsfield Park, and Marj Saunders parks as well. You can download a pdf of the map from the Joaquin Miller Park website. Many thanks to Karen Paulsell who mapped the area, Tyko Cvar, the Eagle Scout who built the map boxes at trailheads; Louis Jaffe of GreenInfo Network, who spent dozens of volunteer hours enhancing the linework, lettering, and spec'ing the map for offset; and to Alameda County Clean Water Program for the funding.

• BayFriendly Gardening Workshops for District 4 Residents: Our office and the team from StopWaste.org are sponsoring a special Bay-Friendly Gardening Planning & Design Seminar this winter. Make the most of winter rain downtime to plan upgrades for your garden. Join us for one of two free Bay-Friendly Gardening Planning & Design Seminars.

   

  Wednesday, January 23 from 7-9:30 pm -StopWaste.Org office at 1537 Webster  in downtown Oakland OR

  Wednesday, February 13 from 7-9:30 pm - Dimond Public Library  at 3565 Fruitvale Avenue in Oakland

   

  In the course of this interactive seminar, you will learn how to plan a beautiful, sustainable landscape while conserving resources and reducing maintenance. Small meetings with professional designers will help you get started on creating an aesthetically pleasing garden while reducing waste and protecting the watersheds of San Francisco Bay. To participate, please register online at: http://recycle.stopwaste.org/bfgseminar   Or call 510-444-SOIL. Some prep work required.

• Dunsmuir House for the Holidays: Mansion tours, holiday teas, carolers, horse-drawn carriages for hire, craft booths, refreshments, children's activities, entertainment and more at the historic Dunsmuir House at 2060 Peralta Oaks Court, just off of Highway 580 and 106th Avenue. Weekends, December 8-23. Advance ticket prices-- Adults $11, Seniors (62+) $10, Juniors $7, groups of 10 or more $9 each-- add $4 at the door. Call (925) 275-9490.

• Holiday Events Light Up the Oakland Public Library--Free, multicultural fairytales, stories, puppet shows, sing-alongs and more bring together the whole family at this joyous time of year:
  • Opera Piccola presents Hansel & Gretel, Tuesday, December 18, 7 pm  at Dimond Branch Library
  • Puppet Art presents Jack & The Beanstalk Wednesday, December 19, 3:30 pm at Melrose Branch Library

For a full list of events throughout the holidays and their locations at other branch libraries, please call 238-3848 or check out the Oakland Public Library website.

• Ronn Guidi's Nutcracker at the Paramount: Michael Morgan conducting members of the Oakland East Bay Symphony in the 35th anniversary of the Oakland Ballet's Nutcracker. Ballet Performance tickets range from $15-$50; Sweet Dreams Party tickets $10. Friday, December 21, 10:30 am, limited seats, sold through the Box Office only. 
  • Friday, December 21, 8 pm, Opening Night
  • Saturday, December 22, 2 pm--Sweet Dreams Party takes place right after the 2 pm performance. All ages require a ticket to the party.
  • Saturday, December 22, 8 pm
  • Sunday, December 23, 2 pm--Sweet Dreams Party takes place right after the 2 pm performance. All ages require a ticket to the party.
  • Monday, December 24, 11 am--(Target Family Matinee) limited seats available through the Box Office only.

• Annual New Year's Eve Balloon Drop at Chabot Space & Science Center:  Great way to celebrate with little ones. Monday, December 31 (12:45 pm or 3:45 pm) Free with General Admission. Space is limited--Advance tickets required.

• Monday, January 10, 2008, 8:30-10:30 am, Joaquin Miller Community Center --Quarterly Joaquin Miller Working Group Meeting, Public is invited.

• Saturday, January 12 or January 26-- training for pilot Radar Program--10 am - 2 pm at Eastmont Mall Police Substation. Must register first with our office

• Wednesday, January 30, 2008--Community Seminar on Retrofitting Your Home, 1528 Webster Street, 6-8 pm. Please register with Sue Piper at 238-7042.

• Thursday, January 31, 2008--Contractor Workshop on Retrofitting Homes in Oakland, 4-6 pm-- location to be announced.

• Saturday, February 9, 2008-- 10-Noon, Local Hero Celebration--location to be announced.

• Wednesday, February 13, 2008-- 7 - 9 pm, Bay Friendly Gardening Program at the Dimond Library