DISTRICT 4 NEIGHBORHOOD NEWS #80

June 15, 2004 –District Town Hall Mtg, Butters Rezoning, Redwood Rd, AC Bus Cuts Reduced, Marj Saunders Park, Outdoor Cinema, & Oakland Living Wage

1. Office Hours at Laurel Office on Saturday
2. Town Hall on City Budget & Proposed Violence Prevention –Safety Initiative, Monday, June 28^th, 7-9 pm
3. Butters Rezoning Passed by Planning Commission
4. AC Transit Cuts Reduced, Many Thanks!
5. Redwood Road Re-Paving
6. Dumpsters & Shepherd Canyon Wildfire Prevention Clean Up
7. Outdoor Cinema, Friday, June 18, 8 pm
8. Dedication of Marj Saunders Park, Saturday, June 26 10:30 - Noon
9. Fireworks Warning for 4^th of July
10. Glenview Walking Tour
11. Boston Trip

1. Stop by the Laurel Office Friday Morning or Saturday: Come by either day and get this nice copper pin to celebrate the Laurel, designed by our office and produced by Gerry Goeres, the Laurel Merchant Association president! Join us tomorrow (Friday) morning for coffee, donuts, and celebration as we kick off the streetscape work in the Laurel.

I will staff the Laurel Office at 4173 MacArthur Blvd. this Saturday from 10 until Noon. Note our new schedule: Richard Cowan staffs the Laurel Office on Wednesdays from 4 to 6 p.m. Claudia Jimenez staffs the Dimond Police Substation at Safeway from 4 to 6 p.m. on Thursdays. I hold monthly office hours at the Montclair Century 21 Offices (6211 La Salle Avenue). The next Montclair office hours will be Saturday, July 17^th, 10 am to Noon.

2. Join City Manager Deborah Edgerley at a District 4 Town Hall Mtg, Monday, June 28^th, 7 pm:C will host a Town Hall meeting on the City’s budget & cuts and on the proposals for a new Violence Prevention & Safety Ballot Initiative on Monday, June 28^th, 7-9 pm at Redwood Hts. Rec Center. City Manager Deborah Edgerly runs this city on the day-to-day level. She is also the former budget director. You can ask her almost anything about the city and get an informed answer. Budget information is available here.

I will also be discussing the proposals for a new ballot initiative for violence prevention programs and community policing. Please join us for lively discussion.

Walking at tree top level on Butters Dr. in the Land Trust area you can often seen many birds.

Canyon and Creek to left.

3. Butters Canyon Rezoning Passes the Planning Commission: Over the last 18 months we have worked on several projects to preserve the natural beauty of our area…negotiating the purchase of Castle Canyon, developing a working plan for Shepherd Canyon, projects in Joaquin Miller Park. One of the most exciting new efforts has been the city-neighborhood efforts to preserve Butters Canyon. The Butters Land Trust formed by the neighbors has acquired through donations and grants several parcels of land in the heart of one of the most beautiful creek areas in the Bay Area. Many thanks to our understaffed Planning Department for squeezing this project in with the help of interns, volunteers and neighbors. We were able to complete a zoning study to rezone the area for less density, part of the solution for preserving the canyon over the long term. I want to thank the dozen neighbors who came to speak last night and the Planning Commission which voted unanimously to support the proposal.

4. AC Bus Cuts Reduced! The Governor’s Budget would have cut BART and AC Transit dramatically, by taking away approximately 40% of their operating budget equivalent to $30 million
over the next two years. AC Transit would have had to make cuts equal to cutting student service or all weekend service. Those cuts were reduced to about $4 million. Thanks to the many who called and faxed the Governor.

5. Redwood Road Paving to Start Mid-July: The Chronicle Watch Update (June 8) tells the story: A contractor's dispute that has held up repaving on Oakland's Redwood Road has been resolved, clearing the way for work to begin this summer. The $7 million contract was awarded last week by the appeals board of the Alameda County Transportation Improvement Authority, which is funding the repaving of Redwood Road and 59 other Oakland sites. ChronicleWatch began reporting on the matter in April, after readers complained about poor conditions on "Rocky Redwood Road," as tipster Kristin Furuichi Fong dubbed it. "It is riddled with potholes and monstrous cracks," she said. Larry Walters told us that the street posed a particular risk to bicyclists. "A bike tire is a 1/2-inch wide. There are crevices there that are 2 inches wide," he said. Public works spokesman Niccolo Deluca said crews went out seven times over the last year to patch the road. Last month, several city leaders, including City Manager Deborah Edgerly and Councilwoman Jean Quan, rolled up their sleeves to help fill potholes on Redwood Road. "The Public Works Agency is honored to have the participation of so many of our city leaders," said Public Works Director Raul Godinez, who was also on hand to hear from local residents. Deluca said that work will begin on Redwood Road by mid-July.

Who's responsible: Raul Godinez II, Oakland's director of public works (510) 238-3962; rgodinez@oaklandnet.com

6. Dumpsters & the Shepherd Canyon Clean Up: Nimble climbers and determined weeders spent last weekend climbing the upslope side of Shepherd Canyon to clear away brush before the Wildfire Prevention District deadline. Neighbors used the dumpster for their own green waste as well. Note that residents of the Wildfire Prevention District can put out green yard waste every other week during their regular green waste pick up. If you have more than can fit in your green waste container, please use paper yard waste bags (not plastic). You can place as many bags as necessary, in addition to your green waste container. The unlimited green waste pick-up service is one of the new benefits negotiated with Alameda Waste Management by the Wildfire Prevention District. For details, log on to: www.oaklandrecylcles.com.

If you need a dumpster for a community or school project, please contact my office at 238-7004. No private or commercial projects please. Each Council District is awarded a limited number of dumpsters each year.

7. Outdoor Movies Downtown: It’s like going to a drive-in without the car.

Tonight, Friday, June 18, 2004, the inaugural screening of the Old Oakland Outdoor Cinema series will feature “Raiders of the Lost Ark,” the action/adventure film directed by Steven Spielberg on a Washington Street building between 10^th and 9^th streets.

5:00 p.m. -- Live music provided by Jesso’s Seafood Restaurant

8:00 p.m. -- Movie shorts followed by the feature presentation

Limited seating provided. Bring your own chairs and blankets. The Outdoor Cinema is wheelchair accessible. Free parking will be available at 8^th and Washington streets. Old Oakland is one block from the 12^th Street/City Center BART station. For more information, call (510) 238-4734 or visit www.filmoakland.com.

The Old Oakland Outdoor Cinema series will present free, outdoor movie showings once a month. Future screenings include “Field of Dreams” on July 16; “Tootsie” on August 20; and “Singin’ in the Rain” on September 10. Sponsored by the City of Oakland’s Film Office and Cultural Arts and Marketing Department, in association with the Old Oakland Historic District Business Association.

Marge in center, Earth Day 2004

8. Dedication of Marj Saunders Park: For more than 50 years, Piedmont Pines resident Marjorie Saunders has been a community activist and open space advocate. In 1949 she helped with the acquisition of the former Boys Scouts Camp that is now Montera Middle School and Joaquin Miller Elementary School. Over the years, she has worked on replacing septic tanks, reopening Chelton Road when it was closed by a landslide, defeating a proposed 4-lane highway on Skyline Boulevard, and preserving Beaconsfield Canyon. She was a strong supporter for the Measure K Open Space bond measure and the Joaquin Miller Community Center project. Now in her 90’s, Marj continues to serve as a role model for younger community leaders—she continues to volunteer to keep the park clear of debris and litter. In recognition of her long-time leadership, 110 local residents petitioned the City to rename Sulphur Springs Park (known as “painted rock” at the intersection of Chelton and Ascot Road) the Marj Saunders Park. The dedication will be held on Saturday, June 26 from 10:30 to Noon. All are welcome!

9. A word of caution for a safe 4^th of July: The Oakland Police and Fire Departments remind local residents that it is illegal to buy, sell, transfer, use or possess fireworks in Oakland. There’s a hefty fine if you are caught doing any of these--$1,000! (Oakland, Cal. Health & Safety, 8.06.030 (2004). This is particularly important given the early fire season statewide. To report any illegal activities, please contact the anonymous Fireworks Hotline at 238-2373.

10. Glenvew Walking Tour, Saturday,July 10^th, 10 am-12:30 pm. “Oakland's Walkways and Streetcar Heritage” led by Jason Patton. Tour is limited to 20 persons. Call the Oakland Heritage Alliance office at 510/763-9218 for reservations or tours@oaklandheritage.org.

Oakland has over 200 off-street pedestrian routes that provide shortcuts through long street blocks. This tour highlights pathways designed to connect homes to streetcars, schools, shops, and parks. Ride the bus along a former streetcar line to the Glenview neighborhood and learn the history of Oakland's streetcar suburbs as we walk through Trestle Glen to Grand Lake. A long walk up many steps.

An exclusively Glenview Tour is July 31^st.

11. City Team to Study Boston Community Policing Model: I will be joining a team of Oakland officials including Chief Word from June 23 to June 25^th to study the Boston Community Policing Model as part of our efforts to learn more about their success in reducing crime and to improve Oakland’s community policing efforts.

JEAN QUAN

Council Member, District 4

City Hall, 1 Frank Ogawa Plaza

Oakland, CA 94612

510 238-7004, 986-2765 fax

www.jeanquan.org