DISTRICT 4 NEIGHBORHOOD NEWS #134
1.
Office Hours at the
2.
3.
Final Vote on Side Show Ordinance Goes to Council Before
Summer Recess
4.
New Restrictions on Dogs and Roosters Proposed
5.
Chabot's New
Planetarium Takes You Out of This World to the Edge of the Universe, Opens
Saturday
6.
New Children's Zoo Opens
this Saturday
7.
Old
8.
Harry Potter Parties at Local Bookstores
9.
Annual Dimond
Picnic/Dimond Rec Open House, Sunday, July 24 &
More Neighborhood Events
10. National Night Out,
11. Gardening
Scam & Wheel Locks
12. Call 238-7388 for Wildfire
Prevention Questions/Concerns
13. Vicious Dog Questions
14. Joaquin Miller Working
Group Meets July 11th and July 28th
15. More “Green” &
Community Events
Chinese Lion and
Laurel Merchant Lease Wong (Komodo Toyz) confer at
the Laurel Street Fair last Saturday; owner Luann Strauss at the Laurel Books
booth behind.
This is
a weekend to enjoy city life…Get out of the house and enjoy at least one of the
events below, it will remind you why you live in
1. Office Hours at the
Bring Something
Sweet for a High Hopes Bake-off. Call
532-2606 to help.
The fair, sponsored by the Laurel
Merchants Association, our office and the City's Community Economic Development
Department, showcased local merchants, neighborhood groups, and cultural
groups. Many thanks to Lease Wong, owner
of Komodo Toyz,
Local Bobby Sharpe and
his NiteLites helped close out a day of great music
under arches while residents danced in the streets.
3. Final Vote on Side Show Ordinance Goes to Council Before
Summer Recess: Unless you
have been avoiding the news, you probably know that I have been working on a
compromise over the Mayor’s side show ordinance and it is expected to pass its
final reading next Tuesday and becomes immediately effective. NBC’s Dateline aired this piece on side shows last week,
while somewhat sensationalized it does demonstrate the polarization on this
issue. Recent statistics show that almost half of the participants live outside
of
·
In
addition to any reckless driving charges and having the participating cars
towed, cars may be seized and auctioned off after a hearing held within ten
days.
·
The most
controversial aspects were aimed at non-driving participants. The previous proposal would have made anyone
within 100 ft of a sideshow guilty of a misdemeanor. The new ordinance narrows
the definition to some who is “knowingly present” and is “actively” involved –
helping to block intersections, caravanning, etc.
·
This
ordinance makes the first two incidents an infraction (like a traffic ticket)
and does not go on the participant’s record, but fines stay high and increase
with each offense: $500, $750, and
$1000. I am comfortable with this
because I have been working with Probation, the City and District Attorneys,
and Public Works to ensure that participants have education/community service
options in lieu of the fines. I believe
if the cited young people have to clean-up the streets they have trashed and to
meet residents whose homes have been damaged or whose autos have been damaged
or whose family members have been killed or
injured….we have a chance of changing their behavior and attitudes.
·
Finally,
Chief Tucker has guaranteed that police training and policies will require at
least one verbal warning before citation and that new authorized in car video
systems will be installed in the patrol cars assigned to side shows first.
4. New Restrictions on Dogs and Roosters
Proposed: Based on our earlier hearings last year, the
Public Safety Committee has passed a change to the city’s animal ordinance that
will be heard by Council in September. Proposed Ordinance.
This is a summary of the main points:
·
Roosters
will be prohibited within the city limits without special permit. Besides the noise issue, police often find
that people who have roosters are engaged in illegal cock fighting.
·
The
number of dogs per household is limited to 3 similar to nearby cities. Animal rescue groups, breeders, 4 H Clubs and
individuals may be exempted after a site visit and permits are issued.
·
Licensed
dogs must now also be “chipped.” The
electronic microchip will help identify the dogs and their owners.
5. Chabot's New Planetarium Takes You to the Edge of the
Universe, Reopens Saturday: Chabot
remains the most advanced planetarium in the nation with a new full-dome
digital projection system. This system projects a brilliant seamless image
over the entire 70-foot dome surface and delivers amazing digital sound. The combined 6 digital projectors make you
truly feel “on board” as you travel through space and look at our universe up
close. Integrating the latest data from
our space probes and space telescopes, the new system literally gives you a
view from the edge of the known universe!
Three new shows open Saturday: http://www.chabotspace.org/visit/planetarium.asp
·
Sonic Vision: Dazzling computer generated art accompanies tracks from Radiohead, U2, David Bowie, Coldplay,
and many more. (left)
·
The
Search for Life: Are We Alone?
Narrated by actor Harrison Ford, we journey in search of the answer to this
most intriguing question from the depths of Earth’s oceans to the outer reaches
of the cosmos featuring breathtaking visualizations—many seen for the first
time—such as a brilliant panorama of deep space, a walk on Mars and a dramatic
visualization of the formation of our own fragile planet.
Developed by the
·
Secret of the Cardboard Rocket
Two young adventurers turn an old cardboard box into a rocket! With
the help of a magical book and their vivid imaginations they blast off on an
awesome journey to the most amazing places in the Solar System. An excellent
introduction to the nine planets of our Solar System. Especially for ages 5 –
10.
6. New Children's Zoo Opens this Saturday: Another
7. Old
Oakland Outdoor Cinema Returns, Oscar Winner Rita Moreno Introduces “Westside
Story”: Tomorrow
night, July 16, 2005, Rita Moreno, who received a "Best Supporting
Actress" Oscar for her memorable performance as Anita, will introduce the
classic “West Side Story” at 8:00 p.m. Free screenings once a month from July
to October, transforms Washington Street between 10th and 9th
streets into an outdoor cinema starting at sunset. Limited seating is
available; filmgoers are encouraged to bring their own chairs and blankets. For
more information, call 238-4734 or http://www.filmoakland.com.
Enjoy one of the new restaurants in historic Old Oakland before hand. Cuisine
varies from pub food and juicy steaks to Cajun seafood and sushi. Four new Old
Oakland restaurants are opening this season: Breads of India (948 Clay), Tamarindo (
8.
Harry Potter Parties at Local Bookstores:
·
Laurel Book Store: The Laurel Book Store will be holding a
·
Party for Harry Potter and the
Half-Blood Prince. Come guess the number of Bertie Bott's
Beans, watch Harry Potter movies, and more! Refreshments provided, but please
bring a bag lunch.
·
9. More Neighborhood Celebrations:
·
·
Friends of Sausal Creek Summer
Celebration—Save the date of Saturday,
July 23 from 4 until
·
First Annual Dimond Picnic/Dimond Rec
Open House, Sunday, July 24—The
Dimond Improvement Association hosts
the first Annual Dimond Picnic from
The
10.National Night Out—
between residents and with local police
departments and to send the message that crime is unwelcome in our
neighborhoods. This year, every party in
11.More Scams &
Wheel Locks: You hear
someone urgently knocking at your door late at night, the middle aged man tells
you he is your neighbor “down the street” and his wife and children are in the
car and he needs money for gas to take them to the hospital. He promises to pay
you back. Sometimes he needs the money for “heart medication.” If you offer to give him gas or call an
ambulance, he disappears. The gentleman probably lives in our area, he hits
neighborhood bordering 580 regularly. We
have a few descriptions of his car. Let
us know if he comes to your door.
Next time you use an ATM machine, please be alert to the use of a
self-contained card reader that scam artists may have placed over the over the
legitimate recessed card reader. It matches the legitimate ATM and does not
look like an add on or a patched job. It also allows
the real ATM to read the information on your card and to complete your
transaction. The problem is that it reads and stores their information on your
card on a separate self-contained card reader. The scam artists can then make
another card for their own use and have access to your bank accounts.
Organizing the community to stem increasing car thefts, the Dimond Improvement Association sold
their first shipment of 25 Club steering wheel locks and have 50 more on order!
Winner International, which
manufactures the Club, offers the product at one third of retail price to
community groups. Congratulations to chair Hoang Banh and the DIA for their
initiative!
12. Call 238-7388 for
Wildfire Prevention Questions/Concerns:
We passed our
vegetation inspection after hiring someone to cut the branches near our roof.
The new improved forms are left and your door and another copy will be mailed
to you if you have to make improvements on your landscaping. Fire Marshall James Williams will take my
place with Sue Piper from our office at our August 7th
· The Oakland
Wildfire Prevention District Website
· Our Fire
Season Checklist from last year is still quick and useful
Vegetation
Management Update: The goats have covered over 400 acres in the
hills, a little more than half done. The
roadside crews who use a “tiger mower” to cut weeds is
behind schedule, partly due to the rains and increased growth. Next week residents in my area should see the
work on roadsides.
13. New
Rooster & Dog Limits Proposed: There have been many inquiries and incidents regarding dogs in recent
weeks. If you have complaints about dogs
in your neighborhood, contact our Animal Control Services at 535-5603. If you have an immediate dangerous dog
situation, call 911. My staff is studying the SF
policy recommendations and researching what out city can do about this
complex issue. KQED Forum did a very
informative show on
this. If you have ideas please contact Claudia Jimenez in our office. The
City Council will receive a report from staff in the fall about policies
concerning vicious dogs.
We have had
several complaints of dogs off leash in neighborhoods – Laurel, Maxwell Park,
and Allendale – who have attacked other pets.
We are still trying to learn the addresses of these dogs. If you have information, please contact
us. 238-7004.
14. Joaquin Miller Park Working Group Sets Priorities for Coming
Year: After many hours of review, the Joaquin
Miller Park Working Group has settled on the following items to focus on during
the coming year:
· Signage (clean up/repair, new)
· Traffic/parking on Joaquin Miller and Skyline
· Fund raising, promotion, volunteer organizing
· Cascade improvements—pools, expand relandscaping with wildflowers, natives, fire resistant, drought tolerant; explore additional lighting
· Improving safety on trails
· Work with volunteer groups to promote environmental ed programs in the park (FOSC, Native Plant Society, etc.)
· Benches at vistas
· Fenced dog park
· Parking at the tot lot
Additionally, the group will explore ways to fund the surveys and planning documents necessary to strategically enhance the park:
§
overall maintenance plan
§
cultural preservation plan
§
habitat management and long-term vegetation
management plan
§
hydrology study to assess drainage, erosion, negative impacts on
streams and habitats
§
carrying capacity of park (define level of desired restoration)
§
create and implement a coordinated safety improvement plan
On
Thursday, July 28, the Working Group will devote its meeting to discussion
about improving trail safety. The meeting will be held at the
·
Task force members and protocols
· Matrix of
actions & policies recommended by workshop participants.
· For
details or minutes,
check out our website, www.oaklandnet.com/parks
or contact Sue Piper at 238-7042 or spiper@oaklandnet.com
15. Upcoming “Green”
& Community Events
·
Last Weekend for Woodminster Theater’s
“
·
Maxwell Park Clean-up Sunday, July 17th: Meet at
·
Prescott Circus
Theatre Summer 2005 Performances (Free):
July 20, 11 am and
1:30 pm and Thursday, July 21 11 am and 1:30 pm, Malonga
Casquelourd Center for the Arts (1428 Alice Street,
Oakland). Call 482-1674 for group reservations.
· Friends of
FOR ADDITIONAL
INFORMATION PLEASE VISIT
JEAN QUAN
Council Member,
District 4
City Hall, 1 Frank
Ogawa Plaza
510 238-7004,
986-2765 fax
