• Saturday, February 9th, 1-4 pm, Oakland Asian Cultural Center Lunar New Year, 388 9th St, Second Floor, inside the Pacific Renaissance Plaza. Free. This Pan Asian event includes lion dance, folk dance, Mongolian dance and music from Mien Legend, kung fu and qi gong demonstrations, and more. Several exhibits will also be available for viewing along the hallway galleries, including "In Search of Roots," based on a program where young Chinese Americans go to their ancestral homes in the Pearl River Delta Region in southern China; "Driven Out: The Forgotten War Against Chinese Americans" based on Jean Pfaelzer's book; and the Oakland Chinatown Oral History Project. Music students from the center perform (above).

• Black History Month Events This Week:
  • Children's Book Marathon at the African American Museum & Library (AAMLO) 659 14th Street. Saturday, February 9, 1-4 pm. Free admission. RSVP to 637-0200. 
  • New Soul Cooking with Chef Tanya Holland: Meet the Food Network Host and "Culinary Diva" at one of two author talks: Saturday, February 9, 2 pm, Martin Luther King Jr. Library, 6833 International Boulevard, 615-5728, or Monday, February 25, 5:30 pm, Elmhurst Branch Library, 1427 88th Avenue, 615-5727.

• Monday, February 11, 8:30-10:30 am, Quarterly Joaquin Miller Working Group Meeting, Joaquin Miller Community Center (Note Date Change). On the agenda are discussions about additional restoration to the Abbey, installation of a new trail signage system, dog park update, trail maintenance and upcoming Great America Camp Out  July 26, 2008. The public is invited to join this active group of park users to plan and work on improvements for the 500-acre-plus park. Go to our website for background information about the work of the Joaquin Miller Working Group.

• Maxwell Park NCPC Seeks Board Members: The Maxwell Park NCPC (MPNC, Beat 28X) is probably the best organized Council with the widest range of activities in the city.  They invite neighbors who live in the Maxwell Park Neighborhood to come to their Wednesday, February 13 meeting at 7 pm at Maxwell Park Elementary School to help elect Board Members.  If you are new to the neighborhood or have lived there for a long time, here is a quick way to meet your neighbors and work on safety and traffic issues to improve your neighborhood.

• Bay Friendly Gardening Planning & Design Seminar for Oakland Residents:  My office joins Bay Friendly Gardening in sponsoring  an opportunity to meet with professional designers in small groups to help you get started on creating an aesthetically pleasing garden while reducing waste and protecting the watersheds of San Francisco Bay. To participate, register online or call 444-SOIL. Some prep work required. Wednesday, February 13, 7-9:30 pm, at Dimond Library. Free.
   

• Upcoming Events with Friends of Sausal Creek:
  • Saturday, February 9, 9 am-Noon- Planting Oak understory natives at the Cape Ivy Restoration Site at Sausal Creek. Call for directions, 388-5676, or contact Kathren Stevenson 
  • Friday, February 15, 9:30-12:30 pm- Seed hike to collect seeds to propagate native plants in the Sausal Creek Watershed. Call for directions---388-5676 or contact Kathren Stevenson
     

• Author's Night at A Great Good Place for Books in Montclair: Kristen Hannah will be reading from her new novel, Firefly Lane on Friday, February 15th. 6120 La Salle Avenue. For details about this and other upcoming events, call A Great Good Place for Books at  339-8210.

• Oakland's First Digital Inclusion Summit, Friday, February 15, Laney College Theater, 10 am-6 pm, Free:  Please join me and other concerned residents at an Oakland Digital Inclusion Summit. The Internet is a powerful tool for communication, education, and creativity but many people have limited access because of financial barriers, disabilities, low literacy, or limited English. This summit will look at practical solutions to end the digital divide in Oakland! Join leaders from the city, education, technology and media providers and advocates. For information or to register, call 832-9000, ex.303 or contact Media Alliance.

• 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.
   

Please join us next week at Laurel School, 3750 Brown Avenue, to honor our Local Heroes. We received almost 30 nominations to honor outstanding local volunteers doing "good" in our neighborhoods. We are working on a special edition of the newsletter for next week. In addition to recognizing the nominees, we will announce the winners who will receive funds to designate to a public capital project ($1000 for top winner, $500 for up to 4 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.
   

We'll also be providing information in English and Chinese on ways that individuals can organize their blocks and neighborhoods into Neighborhood Alert and CORE groups, join Neighborhood Crime Prevention Councils and other useful tips.

• 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.
   

• First Step to New Auto District:  As Broadway evolves to more of an area of condominiums and is targeted by the City for a retail district, Oakland auto dealers need new locations. Several new dealerships have moved into the Coliseum area, a second cluster of dealerships are planned for the Army Base right off of Interstate 80.  The Council approved a $7 million sale to the GM dealership and a $1.5 million load.  Two to three additional dealerships are considering joining them.

• 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 report and direct comments to Richard Cowan for our office.
   

• 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. <<Volunteers display some of the items taken out of Arroyo Viejo Creek for the MLK Day of Service.

• 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.

• State to Expand Enterprise Zone in Oakland: The Governor's Office named Oakland one of 8 Enterprise Zones for new terms of 15 years.  The enterprise area encompasses most of non-residential Oakland along the bay. Contact Susana Villarreal at 238-7794 or go to www.oaklandwib.org for more information.
   
  • Firms can earn $37,440 or more in state tax credits for each qualified employee hired.
  • Corporations can earn sales tax credits on purchases of $20 million per year of qualified machinery and machinery parts.
  • Up-front expensing of certain depreciable property.
  • Lenders to Zone businesses may receive a net interest deduction.
  • Unused tax credits can be applied to future tax years, stretching out the benefit of the initial investment.
  • Enterprise Zone companies can earn preference points on state contracts.
  • Up to 100 percent Net Operating Loss (NOL) carry-forward. NOL may be carried forward 15 years. 

• 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, 67 people took out retrofit permits in the first six month of the year and most have signed up for the new homeowner reimbursement program. 

<< Oakland Assemblymembers Sandre Swanson and Loni Hancock listen to Oakland citizen concerns over the heavy cuts in education and health care proposed by the Governor at their hearing last Saturday.

While this week Congress approved President Bush's somewhat questionable strategy of going even deeper into debt to give Americans cash to spend our way out of a recession, state and local governments are facing cuts.

Over the next months the state will need to close a budget gap of $14 billion.  Here in Oakland we also expect a revenue shortfall because of the recession, real estate taxes and other revenues will be lower than projected.  We also have a gap of $8 million in next year's budget for lighting and park/outdoor maintenance because of the shortfall in the Landscape and Lighting District funding.  Reports over the next month should give us a clearer idea of how large our deficit will be.

 

• Seeking Applicants 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.

• The Governor's Proposal
   
• The Legislative Analysts Report on the Budget:  The independent LAO always cuts through politics. She recommends that the legislature 1) prioritize programs and not cut across the board and 2) consider new sources of funding (such as tax credits or deductions that can be modified or eliminated, and/or costs that can appropriately be supported by user and regulatory fees).
• Budget Process:  Basic pamphlet on the steps and timelines
   
• League of Women Voters  Budget principles, recommendations, articles
• The California Budget Project: Reliable information from this non-profit focuses on the impact of the budget on low and middle income Californians
   
• The California Budget Challenge:  This interactive site lets you try to balance the budget yourself.

• After years of organizing, we are proud to say that almost every beat in District 4 has a Neighborhood Council or Crime Prevention Council. Beat 22X (Dimond, Oakmore, Lincoln Hts, Woodminster) launched its formation with about 150 residents in attendance last week. We want to thank the many neighborhood alert leaders, the Dimond Improvement Association, and Rene Sykes our Neighborhood Service Coordinator.  Meanwhile, the North Hills Beat 13 Y newly formed in the fall continues to build as over 60 residents came out to hear from Area 1 Captain Toribio (above).
   

• Dimond Streetscape Meeting Draws 30 Residents for a lively meeting on the Dimond streetscape on Wednesday at Lincoln Courts senior residence.  The Dimond is part of a larger Metropolitan Transportation Commission funded Fruitvale Alive project to improve safety on two miles of Fruitvale Avenue and small portions of MacArthur Blvd. The meeting focussed on improvements to the Dimond business district with special emphasis on the Champion/ MacArthur intersection, the 580 freeway environs and Fruitvale Avenue from Harold to Coloma. The design features increased lighting for pedestrian safety and  pedestrian friendly elements such as sidewalk extensions into the roadway known as bulb outs.  It will develop a transit plaza at Champion and MacArthur, create signage and kiosks for way-finding and stress the relationship of the Dimond district to Dimond Canyon and Sausal Creek.    Additional funding from my office, Peets Coffee, and Council President Ignacio De La Fuente will allow for a number of artistic features that go beyond the basis of the MTC grant. This was the first in what will be a number of meetings on this important streetscape project.  If you are interested in participating in the meetings or submitting a proposal for art work, please contact Richard Cowan in my office at 238-7041.
   

• Stolen Property Open House Attracts Hundreds:  The main lesson I took away from last week's event was that I am going to buy an engraving tool or borrow one from the Neighborhood Alert program and put identification on my bikes, tools, and lap tops. Unfortunately, tools are often reported stolen from garages, especially after construction projects in our area.  Remember to lock your garage doors and consider engraving your more expensive tools. Most of the items remaining at the Police Administration building were tools (some had identification markings), little jewelry, not many electronics, only two older lap tops and 3 bikes. If you missed last weekend, the police expect to do another day later in the month.
   

• Increase in Graffiti: Several neighborhoods have reported an increase in tagging.  Please call in graffiti on public property as soon as possible. Use this form or call the Graffiti Hotline at 238-4703 or Public Works Call Center at 615-5566. Graffiti on private property is the responsibility of the owner, if you see graffiti that has not been removed on private property after a reasonable amount of time you can report it to a Code Enforcement officer at 238-3381.
   

Oakland Citizens Police Academy Taking Applications: Want to know more about criminal law, crime prevention, police procedures, and meet officers from all sections of the Police Department?  Classes meet every Saturday, 9am-Noon, from February 16 to May 17.  For more information and applications:  OPD Neighborhood Services Division, call 238-4523 or contact Paula White.

 

• 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%.

• 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 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 *

• Allendale Park Neighborhood Sign:  Over Earth Day's and other events, neighbors led by Steve Reuss have turned a weedy median at 38th and Suter into a pocket garden gateway into Allendale.  Working with a local company and Steve, we commissioned this beautiful sign for the spot.
   

• First Crew of 15 Trained for Pilot Radar Gun Program: After two training workshops, we now have 15 volunteers who will be monitoring speeding vehicles on 35th Avenue/Redwood Road starting later this month. This is a pilot program that I've funded for District 4. Volunteers, in teams of 3, will periodically monitor speeding traffic and keep records of which vehicles are traveling above the speed limit. The information will be transferred to OPD's Traffic Patrol. They will match the license plate with DMV information and will send out a warning letter to the vehicle owners. No tickets-- but we hope this will be yet another reminder to local residents to take their time and drive safely. For details, contact Michael Johnson in our office at 238-4272. (Above) Officer Dan Tirapelli trains our Radar Gun volunteers last weekend.

• The Metropolitan Transportation Commission grant to re-time 9 city traffic signals along our busy High Street corridor. The re-timing should help alleviate traffic congestion and improve air quality. The project will study the collision history, traffic patterns and operations, and on-street parking occupancy. It will also count vehicular, pedestrian and bicycle volumes.  If you have comments or observations on this project, please contact Michael Johnson in our office and we will pass them onto the study group.

• Skyline Blvd Work on Slide: Ever since winter rains caused a landslide on Skyline Blvd. near Snake on January 4, the road has been closed to through traffic. The City's Engineering and Construction staff and Cal Engineering and Geology geotechnical engineers have prepared a plan for temporary emergency repair to open at least one lane of Skyline Blvd.  Work began this week; the goal is to have this work completed by the end of the month. Plans for a permanent repair and identification of funds are also underway, the estimate to repair the damaged roadway and debris clean up is $1.5 million. 
  • Geotechnical Work: contact Wlad Wlassowsky, Transportation Services Manager, 238-638, 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 at UC Berkeley. To participate, register online.(Fee)

• 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 Molly Bolt  at 501-3672.
  
  << Hundreds of natives planted last weekend (see red tags) in the rain on Beaconsfield...good job!
   
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• China Bans Plastic Bags,  In California Plastics Industry Sues Oakland to Halt Ban:  Earlier this month, China announced a ban on plastic bags, an effective savings of 37 million barrels of oil or 3 billion bags a day.  Meanwhile here in California where Oakland's Plastic Bag ban was to go into effect on January 18th, in a delaying tactic the plastics industry is asking the city to do an Environmental Impact Report before implementing the ban. We went to Court this week and now await a decision. Chronicle Article (Above)  The Save the Bay Pelican joins us at  a press conference urging Oakland retailers to voluntarily comply.
   

• In the interim we urge Oaklanders to bring their own bags and to encourage their retailers to voluntarily comply with the plastic bag ban. Whole Foods announced at our press conference above 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. Council Member Nadel and I authored this ordinance to ban plastic bags and encourage reusable shopping bags: Ordinance to Ban Petroleum Based, Non-Biodegradable Carry Out Bags at Large Retail Stores.
   

• 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.

• 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. 

• Valentine's Day Love Missions in Challenger Learning Center, Saturday, February 16, 3:30 & 5:30 pm and 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.

• Lunar Eclipse: Red Moon Rising: Come to Chabot Space & Science Center for a "front row seat"-- Wednesday, February 20, 5-8 pm.

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' 1st Author Event of 2008: Meet Diana M. Rabb, author of Regina's Closet: Finding My Grandmother's Secret Journal, at the Laurel Book Store on Wednesday, March 5, 7 pm. 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,