• Horace Mann Elementary School--contact Jeanne Nixon at 533-3120  Please come to help create 5 Mediterranean Garden Venues at Horace Mann School on April 25 from 9 - 11.  It will take many hands to get 200 plants into the ground and apply "guerilla bark". 
• Melrose Community Day School--contact Gehry Oatey at 395-5525
• Sequoia Elementary--to finish up their garden on Scenic Avenue. Contact Nancy Deming. (Above) Friends of  Sausal Creek on Earth Day.

• MPNCPC Clean Up-- Meet at Walgreens parking lot near Courtland. Please bring work gloves & hand tools for weeds if you have them. Contact Jan Hetherington.
• Meditation & Movement In Nature in Joaquin Miller Park, Free Event, Saturday, April 25, 10-Noon:  Immerse yourself in the beauty and awe of nature through earth-based meditations, natural authentic movements and Earth art, we will explore our essential connection with the earth, our self and each other. Learn easy ways to decrease stress, feel more energy and find your creative spirit. All levels of experience welcome.Taught by Ariana Candell, MA, MFT. 10-12 Saturday mornings
  FREE CLASS April 25th and May 2nd, 9th and 16th
  $70 for the series; $25 drop-in. Fridays, 9 - 10:30am (Through May 23)
  Joaquin Miller Park - Redwood Glen Area: Meet at Joaquin Miller Community Center at 3594 Sanborn Drive. To register call 466.5114 on on line.
• UC Berkeley Botanical Garden Spring Plant Sale: Saturday, April 25, 10 am-2 pm. The UC Berkeley Botanical Garden has an incredible number of beautiful and unusual plants that are sure to make a spectacular addition to your garden. Check out their website for a list of practical workshops.

• Love Yo Mama--Earth Day Celebration at Tassaforanga Recreation Center, Saturday, April 25: An all day event at Tassaforanga Recreation Center and Acorn/Woodlawn Elementary School, 1025 81st Avenue, focused on environmental action and reduction of asthma in East Oakland.
   

• Piedmont Avenue's 4th Annual Tulip & Art Festival,with Spring on the Plaza, Saturday, April 25, 11 am-3 pm: Avenue Merchants hosting  local Artists all month long. Take a stroll through the Tulips at Mountain View Cemetery. Spring on the Plaza offers music, dance, fun, food, artisans and merchants at Key route plaza - 41st and Piedmont.

• Bay-Friendly Garden Tour Showcasing Natural Gardening Techniques, Sunday, April 26, 10 am-4 pm:  As Chair of StopWaste.org, I can say this is one of my favoritie project.  The 6th Annual FREE garden tour continues to celebrate the diverse styles of Bay-Friendly with a new crop of garden clusters throughout Alameda County. Highlights include: Backyard orchards and kitchen gardens. Urban habitats for butterflies, birds and bees.  Drought tolerant replacements for water-thirsty lawns.  Registration for the tour is closed now, but if you see signs in the neighborhood most will let you visit their yards.  For more information on Bay Friendly Gardening. (Above) Earth Day volunteers demonstrate one of the Bay Friendly principles of composting with worms at the zoo; composting bins are offered at a discount at website above.

• Vacaville Walk-a-Thon Honors the Legacy of Oakland's Fallen Four, Sunday, April 26: Vacaville Police Officers and Firefighters will be walking from Vacaville to Oakland on Sunday, August 26 to raise pledges for the Oakland Police Officers Association Memorial Fund. All proceeds raised by the team will be delivered to the OPOA for the family trusts of Sgts Romans, Sakai, Dunakin, and the charities designated by Officer John Hege.  Checks should be made payable to the "OPOA Memorial Fund". The walkers will leave Vacaville at 3 am on Sunday morning for the 45+ mile walk.  An open invitation is extended to the community who would like to deliver a donation along the I-80/San Pablo Avenue route and to cheer the team on. Police and Fire apparatus from Oakland, Berkeley and Emeryville will escort the walkers toward the end of the route and across the Berkeley border into Oakland. For additional information, go to www.stepconfidentlyahead.com.
   

• League of Women Voters Hot Topics Meeting Discusses May 19 Ballot Measures, Monday, April 27, 6:30-8 pm at Dimond Library, 3565 Fruitvale Ave.: The measures were part of the compromise to get the state budget passed. Should the state have a spending limit? Do we want to increase education finance? How about using money from the lottery to balance the budget? Shall we change how  tobacco tax money or mental health allocations are used? And finally, should we prohibit state lawmakers from receiving pay increases in deficit years? Free and open to the public.

• Resource Fair for the Fifth Decade (50+) and Above at Lincoln Court, Wednesday, April 29, 2-5 pm: 2400 MacArthur Blvd.  Resources are provided by the Center for Elders Independence --PACED Program, Alliance for Health,  Legal Assistance for Seniors TEAM (Telecommunications Education and Assistance in Multiple Languages), Dimond Improvement Association and ASSETS (Senior Employment Program).   For details, contact Beverly A. Karnatz, special projects coordinator for Self-help for the Elderly, at 336-1952.

• Authors at A Great Good Place for Books, 6120 LaSalle Avenue in Montclair:
   
  • Wednesday, April 29, 7 pm: Lynn Freed, author of Reading, Writing, and Leaving Home: Life on the Page, will be reading from her new novel, The Servants' Quarters
     
  • Historian Edith Gelles will be discussing her new book, Abigail and John: Portrait of a Marriage, on Thursday, April 30th at 7 pm.

Free Screening of The Garden, Thursday, April 30, 5:45 pm, Grand Lake Theater

 

Creating a balanced budget for Oakland is a painful challenge this year. With an $83 million budget deficit, and only $150 million in general fund monies that the Mayor and Council can move, every City program is going to face cuts. In addition employees will face about 10 percent in wage or benefit cuts, several hundred jobs may  be eliminated, and new revenues must be found.  No one strategy will balance the budget. While the Council has the final say on a budget; we really cannot do this alone. We are taking extraordinary steps this year to ask for public input and creative thinking. There are four ways you can weigh in:

• Attend one or more of the many public meetings and hearings (see below)
• Check out the Oakland Budget Challenge, an online budget balancing exercise where you get to choose your priorities. We are the first city in the state to use this software, this has been a special project of my office and the Finance Committee staff person Sabrina Landreth. (Above)
• Keep up to date at http://oaklandbudget.blogspot.com
• Send in your suggestions at budgetsuggestions@oaklandnet.com
   

We will know more when we receive our Third Quarter report on revenues later this month, but the County is now predicting we will receive less property taxes than last year by about two percent. We have not seen a decline in property tax revenues for over three decades. The City counts on the slow creep up in property taxes as homes are sold, but the current real estate crisis has led to lower assessments. This and other lower tax revenues mean that the City may now face a $80 plus million deficit. 

 These are some opportunities to be heard on budget priorities: 

• The Mayor and City Council Members will hold several joint hearings in April before he releases his proposed budget in May. There is one more:
  • Monday, April 27, 6:30 pm (Lakeside Garden Center)

Revised Council Schedule for Budget Approval

• Presentation of the Mayor's Proposed Budget, May 5, 4 pm
• Workshop on the Mayor's Proposed Budget,Wednesday, May 13, 4-7pm, Council Chambers
• Budget Workshop #1, Thursday, May 28, 4-7pm, Council Chambers
• Budget Workshop #2, Monday, June 1, 4-7pm, Council Chambers
• Final Budget Adoption and First Reading of Ordinances, Tuesday, June 16, 6 pm, Council Chambers
• Second Reading of Ordinances, Tuesday, June 30, 6 pm, Council Chambers
   
• In addition, there will be a live televised "Budget Townhall" on Wednesday, May 27 at 6:30 pm during which KTOP viewers can call-in to have their budget questions answered on-air.

<<

• Learn about City resources that are at your disposal for cleaning and greening your park
• Hear about our on-line support group for volunteers
•  Take home a handy OPC Toolkit for Park Stewards
• Learn from other neighborhood groups how to galvanize support for your park and how to connect with groups looking for volunteer hours
• Sign up to report your own volunteer hours so your efforts can be officially counted.  

If you've worked on an Earthday Project, helped survey a park during the Love Your Parks day in October, or otherwise worked on a park clean-up or planting project, please come to this event-- and bring your friends. Contact OPC for details.

• Two other measures were approved to go to the full Council on April 21st:
  • A proposal to increase Medical Marijuana Club tax rates was approved for the ballot.
  • The Real Estate Transfer Tax proposal for a technical fix to make sure corporations pay the same real estate transfer tax as individuals was also approved for the ballot.
  • A parcel tax to replace the Landscape and Lighting District (LLAD) increase was withdrawn for consideration at a later election. The LLAD passed last year but not enacted by the City because of a San Jose lawsuit challenging how taxes were determined by household.  Because of the likely  legal challenges caused by this ruling, a parcel tax for about $46 is being considered to restore park and lighting maintenance to last year's level.  We did not think there was enough time to explain and organize for the special election
  • An Alternative to a Parcel Tax Above a Temporary General Sales Tax Increase of one quarter  for two years which could fund a wider spectrum of services including police, senior, road and sewer repairs as well as parks did not receive the super majority vote of six required for a special election.

If all five of the ballot measures pass the City will save $6-7 million, a small but significant part of the $80 plus million deficit.
 

• Volunteers Needed for District 4 Pilot Radar Training, May 1, 5-8 pm, Eastmont Substation, MacArthur Room : Last year, our office hosted three successful pilot speed reduction projects  on 35th Avenue/Redwood Road, Skyline Blvd. and Foothill Blvd. OPD trained volunteers on using a radar gun to clock speeding cars on problematic thoroughfares in District 4. A team of three people work together to collect data over 4-6 weeks. Then, OPD sends letters to owners of vehicles going over the speed limit to warn them that they could have received a costly ticket had the police been doing the clocking. A number of NCPC's in District 4 have found this a practical way for members to help educate speeders in their neighborhoods. If you are interested in participating, please contact Michael Johnson in our office.

• Laurel Farmer's Market Every Saturday,10 am-2 pm, 4173 MacArthur Blvd: The Oakland Community Farmers' Market is held in the Laurel District on Saturdays YEAR ROUND from 10am-2pm. The market is at 4173 Macarthur Blvd (near Maybelle St) in the parking lot of the Laurel Office Center/Trattoria Laurellinos. Stop by to check out the new vendors in the coming weeks!
  • Khaled of Bee Healthy Honey
     
  • Christopher of Kai Fresh Farms
  • Eric of Schletewitz Farms

• North Hills NCPC Town Hall Meeting on Solicitation and Construction Site Complaints, Wednesday, May 6, 7 pm, Highlands Country Club, 110 Hiller Drive: Antoinette Renwick, manager of the City's construction complaint/code compliance unit, and Barbara Killey of the City Administrator's office will address increasing concerns about solicitors and construction site complaints. Town Hall Meetings are held 3 times a year and are open to the public.

• Dimond Clean Merchant Program: Keep Oakland Beautiful pilot CLEAN MERCHANT in Dimond recognizes merchants who consistently
  keep their property clean and litter-free.  For information about program benefits, contact  Stan Dodson.  Residents are encouraged to patronize and acknowledge merchants who display the CLEAN MERCHANT decal in their window.  Request the CLEAN MERCHANT brochure at a participating location to read about "The Dimond in Action".
  
   

• Beat 13Y Neighborhood Watch Block Captains Summit, Saturday, May 16, 10-11:30 am. Contact Barry Pilger.

• Family Yard Sale to Benefit Butters Canyon, Sunday, May 17, from 10- 3 pm: The Yard Sale is back by popular demand after last year's successful event.  Do a little Spring Cleaning to find things you no longer need and put them to good use in support of this local treasure.  Proceeds will go to help preserve Butters Canyon for all of us who enjoy this unique space and for those who will follow in our footsteps and bike tire tracks.The primary site will be along Robinson Dr. close to the intersection with Butters Dr. For details, email butterslandtrust@aol.com
  
   

 

• Brand New 2 Bedrooms and 3 Bedrooms in Fruitvale for $500 Down: East Bay Asian Local Development Corporation (EBALDC) has brand new two and three bedroom homes for sale in the Fruitvale/Lower San Antonio neighborhood of Oakland.  The Sausal Creek Homes, built with assistance from the City of Oakland, are offered to first-time homebuyers for as little as $500 down. The homes are currently priced at $237,400 for the two bedrooms and $265,100 for the three bedrooms.  EBALDC will work very closely with the potential homebuyers to help them with their credit, down payment and loan approvals. If you know of any renters who are interested in purchasing but haven't been able to find the right home or can't quite take that step towards buying a home, EBALDC will work with them to purchase these homes. These homes are newly constructed and have a one year warranty.

• Vote for Montclair's 2009-2010 Pet Mayor: This annual event raises funds for the Montclair Veterinary Hospital Pet & Wildlife Fund. Nominations for the next "Pet Mayor" of Montclair are accepted between April 1 and April 30. All entries must be accompanied by a $25 entry fee and a CD with a digital photo of your pet. The Primary is May 3-May 31; Mayor's Race Voting is June 1-June 28 with the winner announced at 1 pm on June 28. For details, contact Lee Richter at 339-2400.

• Plastic Bags vs. Reusable Bags: Two years ago, I co-sponsored Oakland's Plastic Bag initiative in an effort to reduce the use of "t-shirt" plastic bags at grocery stores in Oakland. A suit requiring Environmental Impact Report(EIR) studies stalled full implementation. While a statewide EIR is being planned, we have made inroads in decreasing the use of plastic bags by encouraging the use of reusable bags and many local stores have stopped using plastic bags, including Whole Foods which made it a national policy after our efforts. Meanwhile, new state legislation is moving forward to help cities with the clean-up of plastic bags.  Take a look at the new Youtube video that Save the Bay has just launched. Also check out the article on the Huffingtonpost. 

• Free "Green House Calls" from California Youth Energy Services (CYES): A CYES 'green house call' is a great way to save money, help the environment, and support young people all at the same time. Teams of professionally trained Energy Specialists will visit your home, install FREE energy saving equipment, and provide you with a personalized energy-saving plan.The California Youth Energy Services program is funded through the East Bay and Marin Energy Watches, Pacific Gas & Electric Company partnerships. The program is funded by California utility rate payers under the auspices of the California Public Utilities Commission. The summer program runs for six weeks starting June 30th, so call early to reserve your appointment! Call 665-1501 ext10 to sign up, or visit their website at www.risingsunenergy.org
• 500 Extra Free Bulky Pick Up Opportunities: Are you putting off your Spring cleaning? Don't wait! Waste Management is giving away 500 extra bulky waste pickups. When they're done, they're done. Individual home owners are already eligible for one bulky waste pick up a year. This would be an additional opportunity. Call 613-8710 to schedule an extra pick up.
• Free Drought Goodies from EBMUD:Check out EBMUD's website for a list of great drought saving goodies-- from audit kits and mirror signs to garden hose nozzles and low flow showerhead with on/off switch.
   
  
  
   
• 16th Annual Bike to Work Day, Thursday, May 14, 7-9am: Each year I join District 4 residents at Cycles of Justice in Montclair and meet up with Council Member Pat Kernighan's riders by Lake Merritt to City Hall for a free pancake breakfast and raffle drawing. Mark you calendars now!
   

• Bay Friendly Spring Gardening Workshops: Find out how to build healthy soil, minimize fertilizer use and select appropriate plants at these FREE, hands-on workshops running from March 14-June 2. You can register on-line now.
   

• Bring Back the Natives Tour, Sunday, May 3, 2009: This free, award-winning tour features 50 pesticide-free gardens that conserve water, provide habitat for wildlife, and contain 50% or more native plants.  The Native Plant Sale Extravaganza will take place throughout the week end of May 2 and 3.  Gardens are being sought for the May, 2010 Tour--The application can be found here. The Tour is also seeking a volunteer webmistress/webmaster; experience with HTML and CSS, and editing size and resolution of digital images is necessary. If interested, contact Kathy Kramer at 236-9558 between 9 am and 9 pm.

• Merritt College Horticulture Club Spring Plant Sale, Saturday, May 9, 9 am-3pm: Come to 12500 Campus Drive for the annual Merritt College Spring Plant Sale, featuring Mediterranean plants, California natives, bamboo, vegetable starts and a silent auction of gardening books. Volunteers needed. Call 436-2491 to volunteer. or 436-2418 for general information.
  
  For a list of 25 ways to Keep Oakland Green....
   

• Car Thefts Up:  While car thefts are down over 30% citywide, there has been a slight upswing in recent weeks.  I've noticed increased  reports above Hwy 13.  Lock your car and park in you garage or close to the house (within the area of a motion detector light if possible.)

• New Online Citizen Reporting at www.oaklandpolice.com: If you've been a reader of our newsletter, you know how frequently we encourage residents to report crime. The reports generate the data that OPD uses to set priorities, as well as provide practical information to help police spot crime trends and solve crime. You don't have to wait for an officer to show up at your door, or download a form and fax it back to complete a crime report. Oakland's has been up and running for several months now to report certain property crimes:
  • Lost Property
  • Theft
  • Vandalism
  • Vehicle Burglary
  • Vehicle Burglary
  • Vehicle Tampering

• The Hidden Crime in Montclair: This week is Sexually Exploited Minors Week, I caught this shot of Nola Brantley (second from right) of MISSSEY at our Safet Place Alternatives Drop In Center for Sexually Exploited Youth.  Recently, Nola and Cherri Allison of the Family Violence Law Center spoke about the issue of domestic violence and commercially sexually exploited children to a small gathering of members of Beats 13 X,Y,Z and 12Y. While we know that domestic violence happens in all neighborhoods, those who attended where blown away when we heard that the Family Violence Law Center received 626 calls from Montclair alone between July 1, 2008 and March 31, 2009-- that's 45% of all of their calls for the entire City of Oakland! These statistics do not always show up in the OPD crime reports, although there are typically several reported instances of domestic violence in each of the Beat 13 areas every month. There were three points made to the group:
  • Domestic violence isn't about anger, it's about physical and emotional power and control over an individual.
  •  If you suspect domestic violence, show support to the victim by letting her (usually it's a woman) know that you have access to information about local resources. Recognize that it is up to the victim to make the call for help, but at least be there to listen, be non-judgmental and provide information about resources.
  •  MISSSEY (Motivating, Inspiring, Serving, and Supporting  Sexually Exploited Youth) seeks volunteers as mentors, public speakers, office helpers, and those with professional skills. For details, check out their website at www.misssey.org.

• Census Workers Now Going Door-to-Door: Starting this month, US Census workers are going door-to-door in the neighborhoods and mapping "Living Quarters" via GPS. This is supposed to make the actual count next year much easier. The Census Workers are easily identified-- they carry a hand-held GPS unit and   wear around their neck a white plastic ID card without photos but with the Department of Commerce, Bureau of Census log, in red or blue. They also carry a black bag with "U.S. Census Bureau" in huge white letters on the side. They won't necessarily contact the homeowner or resident unless they have a question. Please be aware they may be checking to see if there are other "living" quarters in the back of the house. The local police have been notified, but if you are suspicious, please don't hesitate to ask for their ID and to call the police.
   
•  District Problem Solving Officers:  Have a chronic issue that involves criminal activity?  Let your beat's PSO know:

• Laurel 25x: Ryan Kabahit Rkabahit@oaklandnet.com
• Dimond 22x: Rick Coglio RCoglio@oaklandnet.com
• Bret Harte/Joaquin Miller 22y: Ann Pierce Apierce@oaklandnet.com
• Jefferson 24x: Joseph Fong JFong@oaklandnet.com
• Montclair 13z: Maureen Vergara MVergara@oaklandnet.com
• Maxwell Park 28x: Keith Clement JClement@oaklandnet.com
• Melrose 27x: Anthony Burns (temp) ABurns@oaklandnet.com
• North Hills 13y: John Haney Jhaney@oakland.net
• Allendale 24y: Richard McNeely RMcNeely@oaklandnet.com

• Truancy Hotline - 879-8172: This number should be used for locations where truancy is a chronic issue or for locations where you suspect school aged children are not being allowed to attend school. This hotline runs in 7 languages by the school district and helps the schools and police target chronic truants  They will not respond immediately.  But if you know there is a location where truants usually gather, a home, store, park, etc.  Give them the location, names if known, and times they gather.  This helps the police and school officials plan sweeps and visits to families.
   
• The Measure Y website and e-newsletter contain a wealth of practical information and an area list of services and programs, www.MeasureY.org.
• Daily Crime Reports Posted On-line:  One of the 200 plus daily emails I read each day are the cumulative statistics of crime reports. The police are now posting them online.  Basically they track what we call "Part 1 Crimes," which are collected nationally by the Department of Justice.
• Program Your Cell Phone for the Oakland Fire Department and Medical Dispatch:  In addition to 777-3211, which will connect you directly to the Police Dispatchers from your cell phone when you are in Oakland (9-1-1 on your cell connects you to the Highway Patrol),  you may also want to program into your cell phone Oakland Fire Department and Medical Dispatch at 444-1616.
   
• Lists of phone numbers for Area and Problem Solving Officers/Beats.
   
• 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. 
• Make anonymous calls for drug activity to 238-DRUG.

• Free Child Car Seat Inspection, Lake Merritt Boat House, Saturday, May 2, 10 am-2 pm, 568 Bellevue Ave, Off Grand Avenue: 90% of all car seats in Alameda County are not installed correctly. Make sure your child is safe. Have your car seat properly inspected for FREE. Free Child kits available. RSVP By appointment only, email or call  251-9510
• Eat Out & Support Bret Harte Middle School, Tuesday, May 5-Thursday, May 7: Eat at Red Boy Pizza at Lincoln Square, 4100 Redwood Road, present a flyer and 15% of the tab (minus alcohol), goes to Bret Harte Middle School. Sponsored by the PTA. A fun way to raise a little 'dough' for your local public school. Contact Charles Seliger for details at 703-9004.
   
• Parents' Night Out at Redwood Heights Recreation Center, Friday, May 8, 6-10:30 pm: Bring the kids (Kindergarten and older) to Redwood Heights Rec Center  for dinner, indoor and outdoor games, crafts and movies while you enjoy a night out. Cost is $20 if you sign up by May 1; $30 if you sign up later. Please send your child with a blanket/pillow so your child can get
  comfy for the evening movie. For more information call the Redwood Heights Recreation Center 482-7827.
   
• Hershey Track & Field Games for Oakland's Youth, Saturday, May 9th, Laney College: Participants can enter two track and one field event or two field and one track event,up to and including the State/Provincial Final.Please check the event that you wish to participate in at this meet.The relay counts as a run event. To participate, call for entry form at 238-3897 and return it by May 1,2009. Forms can also be turned in to your Coach or Recreation Leader at any school site or OPR Recreation Center. Register for events at www.CoachO.com. For more information, contact the OPR City-Wide Sports unit at 238-3897.  
   
• Sequoia Dad's Club Annual Pancake Breakfast, Sunday, May 3, 9 am -Noon: Bring family, friends and neighbors for a complete breakfast and plenty of conversation! Proceeds support Sequoia students and school activities. Children, $3, Adults $5, kindergarten and under FREE.  For additional information, contact Scott Wikstrom at 531-4245.
• Bret Harte Expo, Saturday, May 9, 10 am-2pm, 3700 Coolidge Avenue in the Laurel: Book Fair · Open House · Academic Contest · Musical Presentation · BBQ and Potluck · Bake Sale · Art Shows · Games · Craft booths · Peace Wall
  The community, Bret Harte families (present, past, and future), and 4th grade parents are especially welcome!
  
   

Oakland Youth Orchestra Auditions, Tuesday, May 5,Wednesday, May 6 and  Saturday, May 9:

• Oakland Feather River Camp Recruiting Teens for Teen-in-Job-Training, June 29-July 20, 2009:  The 2009 Teen-in-Job-Training (TJT) Program is a dynamic leadership and job-in-nature-training program for youth from 15 to 17 years old. It will be held at Oakland Feather River Camp, located in the Plumas National Forest near Quincy, California, approximately 200 miles from the San Francisco Bay Area. Teens will receive a $400 monetary stipend for their work. For an application, call 336-2267 or email Feather River Camp.
   

• Oakland East Bay Symphony's FREE Forum on Race Relations in Art, Saturday, May 2, 2- 4 pm, Downtown Oakland Senior Center, 200 Grand Ave.:  The forum will focus on two musical works featured in the 2008/09 season of OEBS, Show Boat, the first racially integrated musical on Broadway (1927) and Otello, Verdi's thrilling opera of passion, treachery and deceit, first performed in 1887 and based on William Shakespeare's play, Othello. The forum explores the race relations themes of both of these great works with film clips and a panel of music, social and legal experts. Among other topics discussed, the forum will tie the historical issue of the "Loving Law" into the contemporary issue of the recent ban on same sex marriages. Hear Michael Morgan, OEBS Music Director; Rachel Moran, UC Irvine Law Professor; Paul von Blum, UCLA, senior lecturer in African American studies and
  expert on Paul Robeson, renowned 20th century African American actor, singer and speaker, and Reginald Daniel, UC Santa Barbara professor of racial and ethnic sociology. Call 510-444-0801 or visit www.oebs.org for details
   

Free Disaster Preparedness Class in Cantonese, Saturday, May 23, Noon-5. American Red Cross Bay Area Chapter

EBBC Bike Safety--Street Skills Workshop, Tuesday, May 5

• 2009 Destination Oakland Photography Competition Now Open for Entries: Photographers are invited to enter the 2009 Destination Oakland Photography Competition to share their best images of Oakland's many views. A total of $3,000 in prize money will be distributed, including a Grand Prize of $1,000. In addition, photographers will receive payments if their photos are used by Oakland organizations or Oakland-based commercial businesses, such as Oakland hotels, who have requested use to promote travel to Oakland through the OCVB. All proceeds paid to the OCVB for the use of the photos will be split between the OCVB and photographers on a 50/50 basis.The photographers retain rights for other uses.  Entry is free. For details, email destinationoakland@yahoo.com.

• Native Californians Bless Leona Canyon Regional Open Space Preserve and The Peralta Hacienda's New Exhibit--"Becoming California, Becoming America", Saturday, May 9, 9 am: Ohlone elder Marvin Marine, along with Gilbert Ramirez and Paul Mondragon, will lead a blessing of a trail that runs through Leona Canyon Regional Open Space reserve.  Michael Chernofsky will lead a walk up to the trail. Later that day, they will bless the opening of the Peralta Hacienda's new exhibit, "Becoming California, Becoming America". From noon until 3 pm, Marvin will be at the Hacienda to teach California Indian dances, alternating with members of the Calicanto Singers teaching dances of Oakland's early Spanish settlers. Peralta Hacienda's staff will offer traditional children's games, crafts, cooking demonstrations and more from Oakland's past. No charge or reservations for the walk or dance, Reservations are needed to view Peralta's new exhibit at a charge of $1. Reserve your tickets by calling 532-9142.

Book Signing at Laurel Books Store, Thursday, May 21, 7 pm, 4100 MacArthur Blvd.:

• Walk to End Poverty & Violence, Saturday, May 30, 9 am, Lake Merritt Bandstand: Stop by for the Community Fair at 10 am. For details, contact City of Oakland Community Action Partnership at 238-2362 or download forms from the web at www.oaklandCAP.org.

• <<Ellen Geffen at the "Rock" or Sulphur Springs on Earth Day, one of the streams that flow into Sausal Creek, reviews plans for native plantings. The man on the left grew up in Oakland and came back to share his photos from his childhood of he and his father from past work days .

• Garden with the Friends of  Sausal Creek--Harvest seeds of native plants, help propagate seeds at the native plant nursery, work to remove invasives throughout the Sausal Creek Watershed or attend their bimonthly educational workshops. There's something happening several days a week and on most weekends, in Dimond Canyon, Joaquin Miller Park and Beaconsfield Canyon. Check out their monthly calendar of events at the FOSC website.
   

• Free Puppet Show, Tuesday, April 28, 7 pm, at the Dimond Library:

• "The Boy Who Cried Wolf"  by Puppet Art Theatre, an updated version of the classic folk tale.
• Toddler Time, Wednesday mornings, 10:15 am, songs, books and movement for ages 0-2
• Preschool Storytime: Wednesday mornings, 11 am, stories, songs and finger plays for children ages 3-5.
• Family Storytime: every Tuesday evening, 7 pm, stories, songs and finger plays for ages 0-6
• Teen Time: every Thursday, 3:30-4:30 pm, games, music, food and crafts for teens 12 and up.
   
• 1-on-1 Basic Computer Training,  Thursdays, 11-Noon, Fridays, 4-5 pm: Do computers freak you out? Are you confused about using email, sending attachments or submitting online job applications? For more information call 482-7844.
   

• 140th Anniversary of the Golden Spike Explored at Main Library, Sunday, May 10, 2-4:30 pm: Celebrate the completion of the Transcontinental Railroad, America's most ambitious and significant 19th-century infrastructure project. Join local historian Dennis Evanosky, Oakland History Room librarian Kathleen DiGiovanni, Chinese-American historian Ernest Chann, and Camron-Stanford House historian Frances Rhodes, as the library celebrates the 140th anniversary of the driving of the Golden Spike at Promontory Summit, Utah, on May 10, 1869. The FREE event includes talks at the Oakland Main Library, 125 14th Street, West Auditorium, followed by a reception at the Camron-Stanford House, 1418 Lakeside Drive, just across the street from the library.
   

• Laurel Books Celebrates Children's Book Week, May 10-16: Meet Elizabeth Partridge, Christina Meldrum, Lea Lyon and Debra Sartell. 52 children's authors will be featured at 12 different book stores throughout Northern California under the sponsorship of the No. CA. Children's Booksellers' Association. Note that the store hosts a story time for young children every Wednesday at 3:30 pm. Laurel Books is located at 4100 MacArthur Blvd. in the Laurel.

• Sunday, April 26 from 4-6 pm is the monthly Teacher Tea-- this month the topic is history.
• Thursday, April 30, 7 pm: Elana Dykewomon reading and signing her new novel Risk. 
• Tuesday, May 5, 7 pm:  Micheline Marcom's Mills Annual Writing Class reading.  A few of her students who've read in the past and now have books coming out this year.  
• Friday, May 8, 7 pm: Writing Down Dementia with Kim Fowler and Sue Schleifer.  If you or someone you know is taking care of a parent or loved one with dementia, please come to this free writing workshop to explore thoughts and feelings around these sensitive issues.  No writing experience needed; come and get yourself some new tools for support.