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Visit RCPC and The Rockridge News on the Web! www.rockridge.org

Rockrid

VOL. 15 * NO.3 « NO.3 * ISSUENO. 155

MARCH 4, 2000

we

e News

CIRCULATION: 5,300 RESIDENCES

S: 200 BUSINESSES

Sponsored by The Rockridge Community Planning Council * 5856 College Ave. #130 * Oakland, CA 94618 ° 814-6060

RCPC General
Meeting Agenda

Thursday, March 16, 2000, 7:30 p.m.
Rockridge Branch Library,
5366 College Avenue (at Manila)

@ Stupy: Expanding the
Caldecott Tunnel

The March 16 RCPC General
Meeting will be devoted to the
Route 24/Caldecott Tunnel Corri-
dor Study. A representative from
the Metropolitan Transportation
Commission (MTC) will give a pre-
sentation to the Rockridge com-
munity on the same topics pre-
sented at the March | public meet-
ing hosted by MTC, and then

the meeting will be opened for
public questions/comment.
Representatives from other transit
and environmental organizations
will also be present to answer
questions.

The RCPC Board is devoting the
March meeting to the Hwy. 24
study because a date was not final-
ized for the MTC-sponsored meet-
ing prior to the February Rockridge
News press date. A tentative and
incorrect date was printed, seri-
ously compromising our organiza-

Sa

Caldecott Study to Get Airing

At March RCPC General Meeting

ae the first public meet-
ing focussed on the
Caldecott Tunnel Corridor
Study, the Metropolitan

Transportation Commis-
sion (MTC), Contra Costa

officials, and the study con-
Sultants presented a range
of background material
and proposals to a mostly
Contra Costa audience on
February 24. The meeting

format was mainly infor-
mational, with few details
on options. The comparable
Alameda County meeting
scheduled for March |

See “Caldecott,” page /4

Mayor Defends Measure D In

The Mayor argues he needs to
appoint 3 members to the School
Board to spur radical change;
opponents counter that reforms
are already under way

Debate at Rockridge Meeting

4 School reform Measure
D debaters spoke at the
RCPC February meeting.
Mayor Jerry Brown, at
left, School Board
candidate Tania Kappner,
Boardmembers Dan
Siegel and Ken Rice, and
Board candidate Kerry
Hamill examined the finer
points of the proposal.

Mayor Jerry Brown, whose controver-
sial measure would allow him to appoint
three members to the School Board, battled
with board members Dan Siegel and Ken

Rice who strongly support the status quo

by Cy Gulassa, RCPC Board Member

Ithough the Fourth of July is still
months away, fireworks flared during

of seven elected members. The panel also
included two candidates for School Board
District One, Kerry Hamill, who endorses

the measure, and Tania Kappner, opposed.
Following are brief summaries of their

See “Meeting,” page 3

a panel discussion of school reform
Measure D at RCPC’s General Meeting

INSIDE February 17. See “Debate,” page 15
Librarian Gay DUucey........ccccccrrrcssseececeees 2 5

Zoning: CCAC sensssnsnnenrinannnennnnn 3 The Rockridge News Seeks Writers
Rockridge Park Proposals -sscsecssssssssee P looking for writers volunteer staff. While ridge News. Next meeting,
Dominican Sesquicentennial sovssesscossic 7 and a co-editor to assist knowledge of journalism April 9. Please send a
eb tcaceeet ten aiid NOW. icsck 8 in the production of a and editing are welcome, _ brief letter of interest to:
Talkgranh Dike Canes 2225: 10 prize-winning community staff is willing to train Editor, Rockridge News,
Rochsidce Mibbe ieee mccoscscasstee I publication. This is a great applicants. Writers meetat PMB 130, 5856 College
Calendar Classis 12 opportunity to gain experi- Spasso Coffee Shop, 602! Avenue, Oakland, 94618,
Bo rccrall te Weick WAleet <r 13 ence, build a portfolio, College, 10a.m. to noon, or call 428-9130 for more

Crime REPort ........cccccscccccccrssccerercscessoes 14

meet neighbors and have

on the Sunday following

information.

2. RdckridgeNews
pT *Y Gay Ducey Children’s Librarian

jj ae =
mf = Happy Trails
ee My C) n my eighth birthday | received the two best presents
. 7 of my life: a complete cowgirl outfit with a little red
hat, a fringed skirt, spurs, a belt with plastic bullets and
Photo: Chris Ahlstrand two six-shooters, and tickets to the Houston Rodeo and
Fat Stock Show, featuring Dale Evans and Roy Rogers!
My heroes, especially Dale. She didn’t stay home flipping flapjacks; she rode
right alongside Roy and could rope better than he could. | wanted to be
a cowboy, just like they were. | took riding lessons at the Almeda Riding
Stables and pretended that the sad little pony lashed to the metal spokes
was a Stallion. The real cowkids there — the kind with worn-out jeans
and a cool squint — took a dim view of kids like me, but a tenderfoot
has to start somewhere.

We arrived at the rodeo and climbed up to seats so high the rodeo
managers should have provided oxygen. The Grand Parade began and
we watched rodeo clowns, quarter horses, bulls, and riders. Roy and
Dale were at the end: Roy on Trigger, the big Palomino, and Dale on
Buttermilk. They swept their hats off as they rode, nodding and smiling.
| swept mine off, too.

bout the middle of the show, the ringmaster announced a contest for

kids. The prize was a ride on Buttermilk with Dale Evans. | was out of
my seat and down the steps before | knew what the contest was. When |
reached the sawdust ring, | saw a mule restrained by two rodeo clowns.
Not a contented animal. Each contestant had to try to ride the mule from
one barrel to another one, a short distance away. “That's all?” we said.
Well! | was the last kid. The rest were all boys, and | knew the first one
would ride that mule and then I’d lose. Number One circled the mule,
mounted quickly as if to surprise him, and the mule bucked him off before
| could blink. Tough luck. The mule tossed Two and Three, too, and |
forgot about the prize and thought, “ A person could die down here?”
Four began weeping and was led away. It was my turn. | marched smartly
to the mule, but before | could mount in a style which reflected the
high standards of the Almeda Riding Stables, the clowns picked me up
and turned me backwards in the saddle. My God, the embarrassment.
That did the trick, for the mule ambled to the far barrel immediately,

as he was trained to do.

| did not know | had won, | only knew | had not died, until a rider drew
near. And there she was: a goddess. She lifted me into the saddle and put
my little hands on the pommel. We rode all around the great ring, and Dale
whispered to me, “I always like it when a girl wins.”

It wasn’t easy to find good role models in the media of the fifties,
but Dale Evans was there, roping and ranching with the best of them.
She cast a lasso around my heart that remains there today, and perhaps
around some of yours, too. Dale is not feeling well these days and it
would be a good time for anyone who remembers her fondly to tell her
so. The address is: Roy Rogers and Dale Evans Museum, 15650 Seneca

Road, Victorville, CA 92392.

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March 4, 2000

ROCKRIDGE BRANCH LIBRARY
5366 College Avenue
Se 597-5017 Si
| Hours:
Monday, Tuesday, Saturday: 10 a.m,-5:30 p.m.

Wednesday, Thursday: 12:30-8 p.m.
Closed: Friday and Sunday

SEE COMMUNITY CALENDAR, PAGE 12
FOR LIBRARY PROGRAM DETAILS. |

RockridgeNews

The Rockridge News, founded in 1986 by Don
Kinkead, is published monthly in Oakland and is
sponsored by the Rockridge Community Planning
Council, a non-profit public benefit organization
founded to: preserve and enhance the unique
character of the Rockridge neighborhood; promote
the health, safety and quality of life of its residents;
furnish a forum for community involvement,
and provide leadership and representation of

neighborhood interests.
Rockridge News Production

i

Cy Gulassa .....sessereerssreneees Editor-in-Chief
Jammie Pearson. ...csrerrerserees Writer
Ortrun Niesar......crresessees The Rockridge Muse
Chris AhIstrand ......ecesree0 Photography
Madeleine Alcorta.......... Advertising
Susan Montauk. ....ssceseeeerers Business Manager
(Distribution,
Subscriptions)
Don Kinkeag ..........sscssesseees Graphics & Layout
RCPC Board of Directors, 1999-2000
Chad Thompson..........02+++ Chair
Susan Montauk... Co-Vice-Chair
Marilyn Citron........eccscsesess Co-Vice-Chair
Franz Seidelhuber.............. Secretary
Meredith Kaplan. .............0. Treasurer

Cy Gulassa, Dan Pitcock,
Ronnie Spitzer, Theresa Nelson.

NEWSLETTER SUBSCRIPTIONS

Yearly subscriptions to The Rockridge News
can be obtained by sending a check for $18, payable
to Rockridge News Subscriptions to: Rockridge News
Subscriptions at the address below.

CONTACTING THE Rocxrioce News
mw Are there community issues you'd like to see
covered in The Rockridge News?
w Do you have questions about newsletter
distribution?
w Would you like to volunteer to be a Rockridge
News block captain?
Contact us at one of the following addresses or
telephone numbers:
www.rockridge.org

The Rockridge News, 5856 College Avenue,
PMB 130, Oakland, CA 94618
RCPC Voicemail: 814-6060

News Letter ADVERTISING/ DEADLINES
Articles published in The Rockridge News may
be reprinted only with the permission of the
editors. Publication date of the next issue is
April 8, 2000.
To advertise, call Madeline Alcorta at
594-0388. (RCPC reserves the right to refuse

any display or classified ad that it deems
inappropriate.)

March 4, 2000

ee en | ee » row oy oA se hee . | rsa WT. gar "a4 a el

Rockridge News 3.

Meeting: Caldecott

. ——

from page |

tion's ability to properly notify the Rock-
ridge community of this important Issue.
Clearly the study has progressed to

the stage where all of Rockridge needs
to start asking serious questions. This

is a time when community input to
Oakland officials, Alameda CMA, Cal-
Trans, and MTC is extremely important.
Please come to the March RCPC Gen-
eral meeting and make your voice heard.

M@ Also at the March meeting, there
will be a brief presentation by Willie
Smith, Rockridge resident and member
of Oakland’s new Ethics Commission.

Get an introduction to the purpose and
workings of this new body which hope-
fully will help improve the quality of our
city government.

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A photo montage showing the scale and look of CCAC’s proposed student

housing project at the corner of Broadway Terrace and Broadway, looking toward
downtown Oakland on Broadway.

Revised CCAC Student Housing
Proposal Presented to Neighbors

by Chad Thompson, RCPC Zoning and Design Review Committee Chair

[ response to concerns raised at the Janaury RCPC General Meeting, the development

architect presented a revised design of the CCAC student housing project proposed

for the corner of Broadway and Broadway Terrace. The revised design provides more

“animation” to the sides of the building facing the neighborhood. The design and
other issues were discussed at a meeting hosted by Patty Brunn and Fred Womack at
their home near the project site. Topics ranged from CCAC’s building maintenance

practices to sophisticated critiques of the building design. Although concerns about

parking, loss of views, and the size and design of the proposed building were not
entirely resolved, there was at least a rough consensus that the proposed use of the

site Was appropriate and better than the status quo.

RCPC does not oppose the project, which 1s just beginning the approval process
with the Oakland planning department, but it hopes to see further refinements

as the design matures. For more information contact RCPC at 814-6060 or

E-mail chadthom @concentric.net

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4. Rdckridge News

———

An RCPC Board Candidates’ Forum will be held at the
March 16 General Meeting in the Rockridge Library.
Come meet the candidates and ask critical questions.

Frank J. Giunta Susan Montauk

Mendocino Avenue Boyd Avenue
have lived in san RCPC
Rockridge Board-

since 1972. My member since

interests in 1994, | have had
serving on the

the opportunity
to serve our
community in
many satisfying

RCPC Board
are to help
leverage the

Voting will take pl
and on the following Saturday,
Rockridge Library from 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

extensive talents
and resources
in Rockridge
to make a big
difference in our neighborhood and City.
My priorities are:

¢ Education: help improve Rockridge
area schools through citizen initiatives.

¢ Quality of Life: engage citizens to
promote smart growth, open space, green

consumption, less congestion, and safe,
clean and uncongested streets.

¢ Interaction: work with other
neighborhoods (Temescal, North Oakland
and West Oakland) to partner and support
their initiatives for community improvement
and economic development.

ways. | have
chaired all
three presen-
tations of RCPC’s major fundraiser —
the Rockridge Kitchen Tour — and
currently am business manager of The
Rockridge News.

The greatest strength of Oakland is
in its neighborhood organizations. RCPC
is fortunate to attract an abundance of
community talent to promote its goals.
From planning and zoning to public safety
and traffic, our voice is heard at City
Hall. | hope to continue working with
RCPC to help “preserve and enhance
the unique character of the Rockridge

¢ Image: work with the City and neighborhood.”
neighborhoods to enhance our local,
regional and national image as a caring and é< °
progressive community. If N ominated,

I Will Coo!”’
waren meen am

le a a ane oe in
ee ee

Communes like relationships, require :

communication and work. RCPC pee
provides the forum for the Rockridge ae |
community to convey its concerns about
quality of life issues such as planning,

ws
.

schools, crime, College Avenue character.
And RCPC provides each of us the place
to work on addressing our concerns. | like
participating on the RCPC Board because
we tackle these issues and involve the
larger community in solving them.

| would like to continue on the Board

Jamie Pearson and her husband
Rich are the proud parents of new
baby Avery Paige, born November 27,
1999. Congratulations Jamie and Rich!

ockridge News book reviewer |

and encourage all of you to get involved
and help us improve the quality of life for
our neighbors, our families, and our local
merchants. (No photo available.)

(None of the three are candidates for
the Board, but Avery seems to have
a resolute expression. Who knows
about the future?) Photo; Susan Montauk

March 4, 2009

RCPC Board Candidates State Qualifications for Office

ace at the April 20 General Meeting

April 22, in front of the

Cody Ruedaflores

Rockridge
community
from Pasadena
with my wife
to work with
Kaiser Perman-
ente as a State
Contract
Administrator
in Oakland.

| wish to work with RCPC to preserve
the heritage of our neighborhood,
maintain a safe living environment,
provide community outreach, improve
recreational and educational resources,
and attract businesses. | offer a fresh
perspective to the Board to make
decisions in the best interest of
the Community. | have great project
management, negotiation, financial and
analytical skills, which will be an asset
to the Council and the Rockridge

Community.

Chad Thompson
Carlton Street

A: chair of
the RCPC
zoning and
design review
committee, |
have tried to
protect and
enhance our
wonderful
neighborhood
character. As
chair of the RCPC Board, | have tried
to support the tremendous effort put
forth by the countless volunteers that
make RCPC a model of a successful
neighborhood organization. With your
endorsement | will continue efforts

to protect and enhance our quality
of life.

March 4, 2000 RockridgeNews >.

ne ee

—

 & es — > a“

Thanks, Nancy:

Welcome, Madeline!

by Susan Montauk

1e Rockridge News \s sad to say
ie to Nancy Morton, who
is completing her

RCPC’s newsletter.

Madeline attended the February
meeting of the newsletter’s writers

with an idea for an

last month as Ad
Manager. We’ve
been very fortu-
nate to have her
expertise at a cru-
cial time when
we expanded from
12- to 16-page
format in Septem-
ber 1998. She’s
kept us in the
black ever since.

A consummate
salesperson and
community vol-
unteer, Nancy has
brought on board

a host of new and satisfied advertisers.
Happy to meet merchants, she has gone far
afield of Rockridge to bring new advertis-
ing to the newsletter. She looks forward
to staying connected to The Rockridge
News and is currently busy training
her replacement, Madeline Alcorta.
She wishes to thank the loyal adver-

tisers for their continued support of

article. When she
learned we were
looking for a new
Ad Manager, she
volunteered to take
on the job. She
has been living in
Rockridge for a
year and a half and
works at Barclay’s
and Ilde.

Her interest in
the media began
in high school as
editor of her school
newspaper, and
continues at JFK University where she is

pursuing a degree in Liberal Arts. Eager to
get started, she will be introducing herself
to merchants beginning in March. She

feels strongly about building community
relationships.

Photo: Susan Montauk
Madeline Alcorta (left) learns the ins

and outs of advertising from present Ad
Manager Nancy Morton.

We welcome her to The Rockridge
News staff and look forward to her con-
tribution.

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[* Rockridge News is looking
for Block Captains and Marshall

replacements for the following
routes:

MARSHALL: Lower Rockridge

Pick up presorted bundles and
deliver to 5 District Captains
in lower Rockridge (near 5Ist
Street).

CAPTAINS:

Route #09H / Up Keith from
McMillan to 5925 Broadway;

Route #15F / Both sides of
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Route #03C / Eucalyptus odd #’s
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Route #CAvy / College Avenue
merchants distribution between
Alcatraz and Claremont Ave.

You can volunteer by calling Susan
Montauk, 547-3855. Please refer to
the route # in your message.

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Rockridge Park Design To Be

March 4, 2000

>

il

Displayed at Local Libraries

by Theresa Nelson,
Parks Committee Co-Chair

he Rockridge Park draft Master Plan,

unveiled in January, is going through
further refinements by the designers and
City staff during February and March.

From March | through March 15 (pos-
sibly a few days more), full-size drawings
of the phase one building plans will be
on display at the Rockridge Library in
the upstairs balcony area. Adjacent to the
drawings will be a box for your comments.
Plans for the linear park, including details
of the children’s play area, the color palette
and landscaping, will be displayed at the
Temescal Library during the same time
period. Stop by either location, look at the
updated drawings and let the designers
know what you think.

According to Janet Hansen, Project
Manager for Friends of Oakland Parks
and Recreation, staff may or may not plan
a final meeting on the design. It might be
in late March or early April. The DMV

has at last agreed to a 5-year easement
for the small corner area near the trees
to make this part of the Park. However,
there is no final decision from the Creek
Restoration Program regarding funding

for creek-related projects.

Any new meeting dates will be
announced in The Rockridge News, and

at RCPC’s website, www.rockridge.org.

To get on the mailing list, please contact
Janet Hansen at 238-4719.

Watch for future fundraising announcements.

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March 4, 2000

Rockridge’s St. Albert’s College
hosts concerts to mark the jubilee

by Rev. Fabian Parmisano, O.P.

he new millennium marks the 150"

anniversary of the arrival of Domini-
cans in California, and the 69" anniversary
of the founding of St Albert’s College,
a five-acre seminary and retreat center
located at the cul-de-sac of Birch Court
in Rockridge.

It was in the late months of 1850 that
Bishop Joseph Alemany and two others
voyaged across the Atlantic, trekked
through the Isthmus of Panama, sailed up

the Pacific and, on December 7" of 1850,
landed in San Francisco harbor.

The western Dominicans, members of
the 700 year-old Order of Preachers, first
settled in Monterey. After three years they
moved to Benicia, a more populous center,

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R6ckridge News

Dominican Order Celebrates 150"
Anniversary of Arrival in California

>
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“J e."."

Photos: Cy Gulassa

« Prior of St. Albert’s, Rev. José

Pimentel, O.P.

> The Cloister at St. Albert’s College,
Birch Court.

and from there gradually sent out priests
and sisters to all the major cities and
towns in the Bay Area and eventually to

centers in other western states, including
Alaska and Hawaii.

[° 1931, to be closer still to San Francisco
and the University of California in
Berkeley, the Dominicans purchased the
Raymond A. Perry estate in Oakland,
with its rich variety of flora and a Lake
Temescal rivulet running through it, and
over the years erected the four wings
of the monastery that presently house
and educate some 50 Dominican friars.
St. Albert’s also serves as a sabbatical
school for priests, religious, and laypeople
throughout the world.

On April 15 of this year, St. Albert’s,
along with the whole of the western
Dominican province, will celebrate the
jubilee at a mass in St. Mary’s Cathedral,
San Francisco. The Dominican Master

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General, Very Rev. Timothy Radcliffe,
and the Archbishop of San Francisco,
Most Rev. William Levada, will officiate.
Bishop John Cummins of Oakland and
other bishops, priests and religious from
across the country will participate in the
festivities.

St. Albert’s will join the celebration
with two fund-raising events and a free
concert in its Chapel (6172 Chabot Road),
acclaimed for its acoustics. Seating is
limited to 200. Call 596-1800 for informa-

tion and reservations.

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by Father David O’Rourke

Réckridge News

ERTS

We were there
to learn how
to draw on
our own and
the church’s
spiritual and
intellectual
resources in
order to make
sense of our
own lives.

4 Father O’Rourke in
front of St. Albert’s
on Chabot Road.

Priory during the seeking-self sixties

A distinguished scholar reminisces about life in St. Albert’s

ome time during the second week of September in 1958 I moved
from Kentfield, in Marin County, to St. Albert’s Priory on Chabot
Road. I had finished the required year as a Dominican novice in

-- Kentfield, made the beginner’s three-year vow of obedience, and was

moving to St. Albert’s to begin my studies — three years of philosophy

and four of theology. In those days St. Albert’s was still a combined

‘@ residence and college, legally distinct functions which were physically

we’ separated in 1964 when the Graduate Theological Union was formed
>€ and the classes and library moved to Berkeley.

6025 College Ave. © Oaklana,
(510) 595-0837

ENGLISH & FOREIGN
LANGUAGE

NEWSPAPERS &
MAGAZINES

| was then twenty-five years old, short-haired, trim and shiny, and,
__ except for the novitiate year, new to California. So I really didn’t

3167 College Ave
J ust above Alcatraz

March 4, 2000

know what to expect on the other side of
the new San Rafael Bridge. But it didn’t
take many minutes onto the East Bay
landfall to learn that not all California was
like Marin County. Other surprises came
equally fast. Since I have not lived at
St. Albert’s for many years, this account
is necessarily retrospective and impres-
sionistic.

hortly after unpacking I decided to

pamper myself with an afternoon cup
of tea — a forbidden luxury during the
novitiate. The entire first floor of the old
brick wing is occupied by the refectory, or
dining room. Long, oak refectory tables,
enough for 125 men, were set around the
perimeter. Down at the far end a gaunt,
long-limbed man in the black-and-white
lay brother’s habit was carrying on a full-
voiced monologue with the empty room
as he wiped off the tops of the tables. He
stopped, peered long over his glasses, and
definitely down on, the new arrival. Then
he went back to tidying up, as though the
blank table tops held more interest than
anything I could muster.

I was not unaccustomed to the ways
of poets, or even to mavericks. William
Carlos Williams had been our family
doctor. And the only two Californians I
knew on my arrival here were not models
of reticence. One, a Cal professor, had
earlier been fired for refusing to sign
the non-Communist oath. And my uncle,
a San Francisco labor leader, had the

Continued top of next page

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A

> we

|

March 4, 2000

St. Albert’s

from previous page

distinction of being labeled a Communist
by Richard Nixon during his 1952 run
for Congress. But even in that context
Brother Antoninus, or William Everson as
he was in lay life, was truly different. He
could, and did, wither youthful cant with
a glance. Lest there be any doubts, he let
us know that our lack of life experiences
really did outweigh all and any virtues
to which we may have pretended. An
eminent poet and outspoken member of
San Francisco’s Beat Generation, he also
became a good friend and mentor, helping
turn what could have been years of dry
study into a human adventure. For he
attracted a fascinating group of off-beat
artists and intellectuals among whom I
came to feel at home.

Before entering the Dominicans, I had
studied philosophy for a couple of years
in a seven-hundred-year-old Dominican
monastery in Provence, prodded there by

Acupuncture and Herbal
Medicine

Mary Goulart, RN, FNP, LAc
595-0527

——

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_ RoéckridgeNews

Jacques M, who had taught at Yale. My
window looked out on Cezanne’s Mont
St. Victoire, but the phenomenal view was
from an unheated and unplumbed room.
Tough living. And mixed in with the
fabled landscapes and perfumed maquis
was an intellectualism as demanding as the
life was austere. But it all held together in
a Satisfying, if not gratifying, union.

Re that 13"" Century authenticity to
1930s gothic in the midst of Rockridge
art nouveau and California guelconque
was a toss of metaphors — a little like
training for an ascent of the Matterhorn at
Disneyland. In Paris, during my student
days, there had been serious rioting
against the government of Guy Mollet. But
Berkeley’s Free Speech Movement was
just talk. It all stopped for the weekend,
and a long weekend at that.

Still, the asceticism, while different,
proved to be real. Perhaps because of the
growing sense that young Californians
were entitled to whatever and right now,
developing the discipline required for an
intellectual and spiritual life became an
increasingly isolating task. At least the
spartan living conditions at St. Albert’s
encouraged that effort. The classy look of
the grounds and public areas notwithstand-
ing, the Dominican community’s living
quarters were simple. Relatively small

yoga classes
with

Chris Williams

Wednesdays 7 P.M.

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473 Hudson Street

Oakland

Saturdays 9 A.M.
@Temescal Arts Center
48th St. between Shattuck

& Telegraph
Chris 510/654-9041

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rooms with a sink, Army surplus bed, and
scrounged desks, all built on the cheap
when money was tight. And trotting down
the cold asphalt tile of a long corridor
at 2:00 AM to a common bathroom that
is better than the Greyhound bus station
but not up to a McDonald’s is not many
people’s idea of home. Ditto for the
common showers, whose steam is handled
by leaving the windows always open,
even in January. My dorm at Yale — we
called them Colleges — was elegant by

comparison.

oday St. Albert's is a residence for

Dominican students preparing for
ordination and ministry at the Graduate
Theological Union, or GTU, in Berkeley.
But in 1958 it was still a “house of
studies” to use the traditional Dominican
description. (We never used the word
seminary — much too plebian.) We were
there to learn how to draw on our own
and the church’s spiritual and intellectual
resources in order to make sense of our
own lives. What use you would put that
to could be figured out later. But first
came your own sense-making. And that
I found much to my liking.

In retrospect they were creative, even
stimulating years, when standing out was
valued more than fitting in. I don’t know
what it’s like now. You need younger eyes
for current realities. But forty years ago it
was actually an exciting place.

Lauren G. Field, MF

Licensed Marriage & jamily Therapist aN
Lk # MFC + 29025 ;

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5332 College Avenue

Suite 100

Oakland, California 94618
(510) 658-2525

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10.

Réckridge News |

March 4, 2000

Lively Debate Over Bike Lanes on Telegraph Avenue

Cyclists want continuous bike
lanes linking downtown Berkeley

with downtown Oakland

by Cy Gulassa, RCPC Board Member

Ww" all of the publicity about
pollution and knotted traffic, you'd
think improving bike safety on a major
Oakland street, especially one notorious
for bike accidents, would be a no-brainer.
Guess again.

At Council-member Jane Brunner’s
monthly téte-a-téte with constituency
February 5 at Peralta School, City engineer
Michael Vecchio discussed alternatives
for improving bike safety on Telegraph
Avenue. These range from “do nothing
except post signs asking motorists to share
the road with bikes,” to creating north
and south bike lanes while preserving
two car lanes in each direction. The end
game is to link up with existing bike
lanes on Berkeley’s Telegraph Avenue to
create a continuous bike highway between
the cities.

The Oakland plan is a good start, the
majority of speakers said, but is less than
perfect. It does provide for bike lanes
in both directions, but they periodically
disappear at congested intersections,
leaving cyclists and autos to merge In a
dangerous free-for-all. Clearly, cyclists
relish the idea of a straight shot between
the cities, but they want safe, continuous
lanes. Some even brought their bikes to
the audience for rhetorical emphasis.

But a vocal minority doesn’t want any
changes on Telegraph. Bike lanes, they
argue, would consume too many parking
spaces, bikers would collide with opening

voice/fax§510/428.0305

e-mailidbrarch@sirius.com

Daniel Ruark
Architect

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car doors, ambulances and fire trucks
would have to slow down, merchants
would lose foot traffic, cars would bottle
up at left turns (six of which, Ms. Brunner
pointed out, lead to short, little-used dead-
end streets) and motorists would lose a
fast artery to downtown (ignoring that the
adjacent freeway provides just that). In
brief, they want cyclists to use side streets
and to leave Telegraph pretty much in its
present state of imperfection.

t the end of testimony, Councilmem-
ber Brunner said she sensed no
consensus. Those favoring bike lanes —
the majority of speakers — considered the
plan a good start, but want improvements;

the minority want bikes banished. Brunner
intends to delay taking the issue to City
council to provide time for review.

Her priority, she says, “is to make the
best decision possible,” even if the extra
time required means forfeiting a $90,000
striping grant from the Bay Area Air
Quality Management District.

Waiting for nays and yeas to come
together, one participant quipped, “may
take up most of the new millenium.”

The City map below illustrates how
the discontinuous bike lanes would affect

existing parking spaces and traffic lanes
between 48" and Aileen Streets.

AA, Bike Lone

(is) Traffic Signol

a Turn Lone

><) On Street Porking
4 Existing Left Turn Lone Removed

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March 4, 2000

Spring Onions and
Latkes

pring is an outrageous time of the
S year: wild, wooly, wonderful and noisy.
No, | am not necessarily referring to the
Spring Primaries. It’s all that noisy energy
that manifests itself in natures Crazy
dance all around us. It's the pounding
rain and the gusting wind. It’s crashing
branches and rushing creeks. It's the
silent noise of ominous storm clouds
piled high above the Bay. It’s all those
other sounds that fill your space as
you jog through this neighborhood
or that. Above me, cedar waxwings,
swinging everywhere in birches and
cedars, make a racket rivalling that of our
new crosswalk birds. Gulls are noisily
perusing schoolyards, looking for left-
over lunches; chickens are clucking ina
neighbor’s driveway; a rooster is crowing
somewhere; geese are honking down on
Colby. No kidding. With all this ruckus,
we know it’s Spring. It feels great, and
we don’t need the politicians!

Readings
At DIESEL, A Bookstore, come hear the
sounds of poets and writers as they read
their works aloud. DIESEL’s offerings
are so good, | decided to list them all.
Readings start at 7:30 p.m. Call 653-9965
for additional information.

Thurs, March 9; Spectrum: Bay Area
Women Writers Debut. Come and hear
Kara Gall, Frankie Holtz-Davis, Zinna
Riley and Yvette Cancetta Thomas. Come
and learn also more about Taking The
Leap, a popular practicum to help you
get started in a creative career.

Fri., March 17: Poet and artist Enrique
Martinez Celaya will read from his new

, Statuary

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Rockridge News

11.

krid
«ve Roe . Se My.

by Ortrun Niésor |

book, Unbroken Poetry, and will talk on

the relationship of poetry to his art,
which is being shown at Rena Bransten
Gallery in San Francisco.

Sat, March 25: Scott Savage, Quaker
and co-founder for the Center for Plain
Living, will read from his new book,
A Plain Life, a fascinating account of a
week-long walk becoming a meditation
on slowing down, appreciation of place

and community, and authenticity in the
plain life.

Thurs., Aril 6: Frances Mayes’ reading

from her new paperback, Bella Tuscany,
will surely make this a special evening
for all of her admirers.

Conversation

Conversing in another language takes
practice that, for adults, is best done in
a friendly, non-judgmental environment.
A laid-back Spanish conversation group
meets every other Wednesday at 7:30
p.m. at DIESEL. It’s free and free-form.
Come enjoy leader Mark’s hospitality. A
French group meets Monday mornings for
six-week sessions, led by Miriam Misrach.
There is a fee involved in this one. Call
DIESEL at 653-9965 for details.

Book Clubs

Thinking of joining one? Or forming your
own group? Once again, DIESEL is the
place to find information and assistanc,
Amy McCurdy, a writer herself, will
be glad to meet with you to discuss
which books might make good book club
choices. You can reach her at DIESEL. The
bookstore also sponsors two on-going
book groups.

Book Signings
On March 23, Cody's will host a book
signing for Rockridge resident and
author Elizabeth Fischel’s fourth book,
entitled Reunion, The Girls We Used To
Be, The Women We Became, published
by Random House. Congratulations
Elizabeth! Elizabeth will also be at the

Rockridge Library on Sunday afternoon,
March 26.

Call to Artists

The City of Oakland has another $10,000
commission to award for the design and
execution of a new mural for the Fruitvale
Plaza Park. Competition is open to all
artists of San Francisco and Alameda
Counties. Deadline is March 30, 2000.
Call 238-6239 for more information.

Update on Rockridge
2000, a Pictorial Essay

Several photographers have expressed
interest in participating in creating
a pictorial essay documenting life in
Rockridge in 2000. Great! We're gonna
do it. Anyone interested in joining us,
please call me at 849-5310.

Allen Stross of the Berkeley Historical
Society will be giving a workshop on
Landmarks, Landscapes and Light on
March 18 from 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 pm.
Call 848-0181 for more on this. Allen
is a master photographer and board
member of BHA.

House Tours and Lectures

BAHA and OHA are beginning their
Spring lecture series and planning
their May house tour. Please call
Oakland Heritage Alliance (763-9218)
or Berkeley Architectural Heritage
Association (841-2242) for complete

information.

To Reach the Muse

Call me at 849-5310 or e-mail me at
oniesar@aol.com.

Deadline for announcements is the tenth
of each month.

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12.

Réckridge News

March 4, 2000

Rleiassirieds

Your Message Here

Your 36-word message: $18 (phone number
counts as one word). Mail to: RN Classifieds,
5856 College Avenue, #130, Oakland, CA
94618. April deadline is March 23.

Rockridge Apartment Sublet
Sublet and cat sitting from 4/8 to 7/5.
Furnished 2 BD, | BA, 5 minutes walk from
BART, College Ave shops. 3 stories w/private

laundry, dishwasher. $900/mo (negotiable).
Chris, 595-9211, digi@acm.org

Guitar, Bass or Drum

Lessons in Rockridge

Older rock to indie and alternative. Blues,
country, jazz, reading, theory optional. 18
years teaching experience. Positive, fun
approach designed for your specific needs.
First lesson free. Lenny Gill 601-1579,

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COMMUNITY CALENDAR

Submit Items To RCPC COMMUNITY CALENDAR,
I 5856 College Avenue, #130, OAKLAND 94618 or call 814-6060.

/ Boy Scout Troop 274

I 70th Anniversary Reunion/Celebration, March 12, at

§ 5:00 p.m. at the Colombo Club. For information and
reservations call Kathleen Guevara at 428-0439, To vol-
unteer your time call 654-3975.

I california College of Arts and

Crafts 5212 Broadway, 551-9210
Mar 23, 7 p.m.: Textile Department Lecture Series:
J Louise Bérubé.

| April 15-May 6: Olive Art Center Exhibition: Capp Street
Project: Jim Hodges

borhood has risen from the ashes! The event begins at
the Montclair Recreation Center, 6300 Moraga Avenue.
Guests will receive maps to the homes located primarily
in the Rockridge area. Admission is $20 per person

in advance, and $25 on the day of the event. Res-
ervations: mail checks payable to JLOEB Home Tour

c/o Cherie Soza, 173 Clyde Drive, Walnut Creek, CA
94598. For more information, visit the League website

at www.jloeb.org.

Claremont Middle School

Looking for teachers or other professionals to provide
after-school enrichment programs for GATE (gifted and
J talented) students. Areas of interest are drama, science
! and journalism. If you would like to hold workshops
or classes for 6th, 7th or 8th graders in any of
I these areas, or to assist a teacher, please contact
I Ms. Harris, Assistant Principal at 879-2010, or e-mail:
mharris@ousd.k12.ca.us. Claremont Middle School is
p_located on College next to the Rockridge BART Station.

NCPC Meetings
Methodist Church, Manila/College. Neighborhood Crime ,
Prevention Council meets 2nd Thursday of each month at

7:30 p.m. at the. Public invited.

a Ge Ge Ge Ge ee ees see ee ee ee ee ee |

. College Avenue

Adult Activities Center
I College Avenue Presbyterian Church, 5955 College Ave.

All activities Wednesdays, 11-noon. Lunch follows, $1.75.
J Slide shows (SS) in Lighthouse Room.

| Mar.8: Tai Chi demonstration
Mar.15: Video “Spike Jones”
Mar.22: Storytelling-audience participation
I Mar.29: Video “Prohibition”
I Apr.5: (SS) “Mexico/Copper Canyon”, Charlie Fitch

Rockridge Branch Library
STORYTIMES:

© Toddlers: 10:30 am Saturdays, March 4, 11, 18, 25

© Preschool: 10:30 and 11:00 am Tues, March 7 and 21
© Pajama story hour: 7:00 pm Weds, March 8 and 22
LAWYERS IN THE LIBRARY:

Free advice 6-8 pm, Ist Thursday of each month.
Signup starts at 5:00 pm.

New Boox Discussion Group

A book discussion group focussing on other times and
places will meet of Rockridge Library on 5 Thursday

information or to register and get the reading list,

call the Library at 597-5017 by Thursday, March 30.
Leon Ginsky, who has been facilitating book discussion
groups since 1974, will provide background information
and guide the discussions.

| Jane Brunner
| Community Apvisory MEeetinc

| Saturday, Mar, 4 10:00 a.m.-12 noon at Peralta Elemen-
tary School, 460 63rd Street. 10 o.m.-Neighborhood
, Concerns, 10:45 o.m.-Discussion with Mayor Brown.

I The Junior League

1 Of Oakland East Bay

| “Phoenix” House and Garden Tour, April 8, 2000 from

| llam to 4pm, with proceeds benefiting organizations
whose focus is Children at Risk. Five fabulous post-1991

Oakland Hills fire homes will be showcased on this tour.

I These are inspiring examples of how this Oakland neigh-

Secular Humanists of

The East Bay (SHEB)

Discussion group March 5, 7 p.m. at the Rockridge

Public Library. SHEB is a lively group of individuals

who identify themselves as secular humanist, humanists
atheists, agnostics, freethinkers, skeptics, and other

names related to their many and varied interests and I
philosophical convictions. |

We share beliefs in free speech, democratic institutions J
which respect minority rights, separation of church and J
state, and the need to live in this world and to look '
to human experience and abilities to solve human

problems. 510/486-0553, or: eastbayhumanists.org }

i
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I
I
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nights, 7-9 pm, April 13 through June 29. For more I
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March 4, 2000

R&ckridgeNews

Farewell to
Trish West

Rockridge News writer and her
husband move to Mendocino

hat? Trish and Charlie West moving

to Mendocino?” “Impossible!”
“They're too young to retire.” “Somebody
talk them out of it!” “What’s going to
happen to The Rockridge News?”

That’s how the RCPC board of direc-
tors reacted during a recent meeting when
it got the news. And with good reason.
For a long time, Trish has been the brawn
and brain of RCPC’s monthly publication,
The Rockridge News.

Since starting with the The Rockridge
News in 1987, Trish has published over
300 articles on topics from mayoral
debates to interviews with celebrities. But
her specialty was College Avenue. She

400 Alcatraz Avenue, Oakland

4 A few of the
fifty friends who
came to Ocean
View to tell
Charlie (the big
guy in the
middle) and Trish
(to his right),
thanks, good luck
and goodbye.
New Rockridge
neighbors Joyce
and Brian Jones

are to Charlie’s
left, *

EXPLORING THE SPIRITUAL LIFE |
St. Augustine’s Catholic Church

invites the Rockridge Community to participate in a series of sessions on
FORMING AND RE-FORMING YOUR SPIRITUALITY

For those who are...
... Searching for a spiritual path
... Wanting to deepen their spiritual life or
... Involved in a 12-step recovery

No cost for the series - Free-will donations will be accepted

Wednesdays at 7:30, March 15, 22 and April 12
For more information call (510

monitored activity along the commercial
Strip and introduced business owners
to the community through her popular

column, ~The Neighborhood Merchant,”
written with elegance, wit

and style. Shop owners fre-
quently asked for interviews,
but Trish declined, basing
her choices instead on feel-
ing and intuition. “I write
best about things that appeal
to me. I don’t want to be
a professional promoter,

vy

a:

Tine
C18

by Trish West

13.

ago, staff could always count on her
as emergency backup. Her enthusiastic,
“Sure, love to help you!” was as thrilling
to an overworked staff as any line out
of Shakespeare.

When 5,500 copies of the The Rock-
ridge News showed up each month at
Julie Dewey’s house on Chabot, Trish
was there, helping to break down the
stacks for distribution and mail copies to
subscribers. At monthly meetings of the
Neighborhood Newsletter Task Force,
she was also there with a fresh batch of
home-baked cookies, helping newcomers
to learn the craft. She wrote voluminously
for many Bay Area publications, among
them The Agenda, The MacArthur Metro,
Temescal News, Oakland News, The
Monclarion, The Phoenix Journal and
the Oakland Chamber of Commerce

hbothood &
Meneivamie

grinding out pieces in alpha-
betical order according to
formula.”

Farewell, Trish. Many Thanks!

r Yrish did a lot more than
write great articles. As copy editor

she was the undisputed master of correct
spelling and punctuation, able to spot
a typo or a misplaced hyphen even on
a fourth-generation fax. Although she
stepped down as co-editor several years

——

) 653-8631

newsletter. And, as if that’s not enough,
in 1995 she founded and has published
Neighborhood Notes, a newsletter for the
residents in the Ocean View, Margarido,
Manchester, and Alpine Terrace area. She

hopes a replacement editor from the area
will soon volunteer.

So last Sunday, about fifty friends
visited their home on Ocean View for
one last Valentine's day party, a glass
of wine and lingering goodbyes. And if
there were any doubts about whether they
really intended to move, the fact that the
rooms were stripped of furniture and that
Charlie’s prized books were boxed was
pretty convincing evidence.

Good luck, Trish and Charlie, and
thanks for all the talent and hard work.
And yes, thanks for the memories.

— RCPC Board of Directors

* Also pictured with the Wests and the Jones’ are,
to Charlie and Trish's right, her cousin Sarah
Jane Parrott and friend Pavel Pogodin. To the left
of the Jones’ are Bobbie and Don Kinkead and, in
front, Harriet Gulassa. Photo by Cy Gulassa

R&ckridge News —

a

March 4, 2000

Reach Rockridge community policing Officer
J. Watson by paging her 1:00-11:00 p.m.
Tuesday through Friday, at 330-4539; at the tone,
enter your return phone number. Officer Watson
urges residents not to hesitate to report suspicious
activity to the police using the non-emergency
number, ///-3333. Suspected crimes in progress
should be reported using 91 |,

MUGGINGS

Rockridge community policing officer
Watson reports that on Wednesday, January
26, around 10:30 p.m., two pedestrians were
robbed at gunpoint on Oak Grove near
College. The suspect, described as a black
male, age 25-30, 5'9", wearing dark clothes,
fled in a waiting vehicle. These may be the
same individuals responsible for three other
robberies on dark side streets.

On January I5, around 6:00 p.m., an
armed robbery on the 400 block of Hudson
was reported to the police.

RESIDENTIAL BURGLARIES

Three burglaries reported to police:
January 13, Cavour near Miles; January 18,
Clifton near Claremont; February 2, 5300
block of Lawton Ave.

ASSAULT

A resident reports that at 8:30 a.m.
Friday, February 4, a woman was assaulted
on the 300 block of 62nd Street (between
College and Hillegass). The victim told the
resident who responded to her yell for help
that she had been grabbed from behind
by a man who told her, “You're coming
with me.” A witness gave chase and got the
handbag back. The victim related that her
assailant was in his 20s, about 5'7", and was
possibly Hispanic.

Home INVASION IN
NEIGHBORING COMMUNITY

The Oakland Tribune reports that on
Tuesday, February 8 at 8:45 a.m., a /0-year-
old woman was tied up and robbed at her
home on Broadway Terrace. Police believe
the robber entered the home through a rear
door the woman had left unlocked after
having come inside a few minutes earlier. The
police say that there have been no similar
robberies in the area. The assailant was
described as an African-American male, 30 to
35, about 6'2", between |80 and 190 pounds,
and clean-shaven with a dark complexion. He
was wearing a black jacket, blue jeans, brown
shoes, a black knit cap and black knit gloves.
Anyone with information about the incident
is asked to call police at 238-3426.

Car BREAK-INS

On Wednesday, February 9, a caller
reported having observed a car break-in on
Presley Way near Miles at around 1:45 p.m.
The suspect was described as a black male,

6' tall with a large build and a clean-shaven
head.

On Thursday, February 18, a van was
broken into on the 1600 block of Harwood
Avenue.

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from page |

could not be reviewed at our press time.
The study will conclude by June, 2000.
with possibly three more public meetings.
Final study recommendations will be
passed to the California Transportation
Commission.

Presently, Costs Of a new bore and
possible funding sources are undeter-
mined. CalTrans’ preliminary estimate is
$130-150 million, the Study consultant
comes in at $200 million so far, and the
Sierra Club claims $300 million. MTC’s
figure should be finalized in the coming
months. State funds and local sales taxes
are likely funding sources. The bore js
definitely the largest capital item under
consideration in the study.

TC’s proposal falls into three main

packages: operations/HOV, bus/
BART, and anew Tunnel bore. Operations
items include improvements to arterials
bisecting and intersecting Hwy. 24, meter-
ing on-ramps in off-peak direction, and
relocation of merges near the Tunnel. No
specifics were presented as to arterial
“improvement,” or metering. The HOV
option could include converting shoulders
to carpool and bus use.

Bus/BART improvements include
expanding BART parking, feeder bus
service to BART stations, employee
shuttles, and possible peak hour bus
service through the Tunnel. Few specif-
IcS were presented. Adding a bore of 2
or 3 lanes would produce a permanent
Tunnel configuration of 4 lanes eastbound
(towards Contra Costa) and 4 or 5 lanes
westbound (towards Alameda County).
This represents NO new lanes for com-
muters heading to Contra Costa in the
evening, the “main” commute traffic.
“Counter-commute” vehicular traffic, with
lower volume, would most benefit from
a new bore, as would weekend traffic.
No projections of traffic volumes along
Hwy. 24 with a new bore in place were
presented. No environmental mitigations
are being considered at this point.

A wide range of options is being
considered and no public input has guided
the choices. MTC and our elected officials
need to hear our opinions and answer our
questions. Please attend the March RCPC
General Meeting and find out more about

this important study.

March 4, 2000

a eae aetna a catia, cages St.

Schools Debate

from page !

responses [0 questions submitted by the
Rockridge audience.

“The system is broken,” sald Mayor
Brown. “You can't fix it by just putting
4 new speedometer on it. It demands a
-adical overhaul.” He cited bad leadership,
weak principals, no accountability, no
follow-through, and until recently, a
School Board that was unable or unwilling
to do anything. While agreeing that the
system needs more resources, he said it
should have done a lot better with the
money it got. He dismissed 1970s style
activism as a means of reform because we
are in a “conservative, tepid age, and the
eleven-volume Education Code makes
the system as rigid as the Soviet Union.”
Only the “shock treatment of political
pressure will produce real, sustainable
reforms.” He promised to appoint “people
of intelligence, integrity and commitment
who will do a better job of keeping the
board focused on serving students.” He
dismissed arguments that appointing board
members deprives citizens of the right to
vote. “If the people want Measure D, they
have to vote for it. What could be more
democratic?” While he supports collective
bargaining, he deplored the obsession of
the teachers union with obsolete ideology

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and a “command and control” mindset

that leads it to Oppose innovations like
charter and magnet schools.

Rov member Dan Siegel countered
that Measure D is not only anti-

democratic, it is redundant because the
school board right now has a majority of
four committed to reforms like firing the
superintendent, appointing an interim.
authorizing the FCMAT study, develop-
Ing a facilities plan and, in spite of the
Mayor’s Opposition, hiring Superintendent
Chaconas. This new majority is working
to eradicate the old, racist view of OUSD
as a System that serves “a bunch of low-
income black and Latino kids who won’t
learn much anyway so you don’t have to
pay much attention to them.” The district
has been exploited, he said, “by those
who see it as a great place for adults to
find easy jobs and hand out contracts to
friends.” To change this, the School Board
needs the support of the public, “but we
don’t need three more guys appointed by
the Mayor.” While he wants to work with
the unions, Siegel believes the current
leadership is so reactionary and divided
that it alienates the majority of teachers
who want more progressive change.

Board member Ken Rice agreed with
Siegel and added to the accomplishments
of the new board majority, including site-
based selection of principals, doubling
the number of charter schools, increasing
the salaries of principals to be competi-
tive county-wide, and hiring a deputy
superintendent in charge of facilities. Since
there were over twenty well-qualified
applicants for the job of Superintendent,

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he thinks the reputation of OUSD “can't
be that bad.” He’s putting great stock tn
the ability of Superintendent Chaconas to
continue the thrust of reform and thinks a
better campaign to publicize improvements
would enhance OUSD’s image.

Kerry Hamill, Schoo] Board Candidate
for District One, said, “The people of
Oakland demand change. Voters elected
Brown because they see him as a powerful
political force and agent for change.” She
wants to take advantage of that influence
to create a very specific, well-articulated
reform plan that’s easy for the public to
understand and measure. “Reform has to
come from the political side of the Board,
it can’t come from the superintendent
alone, especially since superintendents
don’t seem to last very long in Oakland
and board members come and go.” She
wants a plan that’s consistent and coherent
and as easy to read as a report card. “The
Rockridge Library shows what a miracle
people can do. OUSD has to be our next
miracle.”

Be by the Oakland teachers
union, School Board candidate Tania
Kappner says Measure D is part of the
Mayor’s plan to take over the city. “We
don’t need mayors to tell us how to fix
schools,” she said. “Our plan is simple.
Just fight for more resources and take
control so they’re used for supplies in the
classroom and doing things that work.”
She is strongly opposed to charter schools
and other “union-busting strategies.” She
is confident that activist board members
like her can mobilize the community and
bring accountability to the system without
Measure D, and that unions historically
have been a positive force for change.

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March 4, 2000

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