← HomeAll issuesMarch 2003Issue 2003_03 · 16 ppShowing matches for “Jacqueline Tasch”‹ PrevNext ›Download PDF
‹Page 2 / 16›
Extracted text · highlighting “Jacqueline Tasch”
NOTE: RCPC has a new phone number. Call 510/644-4228 with questions and comments on community issues.
w w w.rockridge.org
VOL. 18 • NO. 3 • ISSUE NO. 188 • March 8, 2003 CIRCULATION: 4,500 RESIDENCES; 200 BUSINESSES
Sponsored by The Rockridge Community Planning Council • 5245 College Ave. PMB 311 • Oakland, CA 94618 • 644-4228
a g e n d a:
RCPC General Meeting
Thursday, March 20, 7:30 p.m.
Rockridge Branch Library
Community Room
5366 College Avenue
The Bungalow: Arts & Crafts
Architecture and Gardens with
Paul Duchscherer
by Theresa Nelson
Chances are, if you don’t live in an Arts
& Crafts bungalow, there is one next
door or down the block. Well-preserved
and restored bungalow homes are a beloved
feature of the Rockridge environment, and
well-known author Paul Duchscherer has
become a noted expert on all features of
this architectural design and the period
when it was dominant.
Duchscherer will be the guest speaker
at the Rockridge Community Planning
Council’s General Meeting on Thursday,
March 20. Known for his enticing and acces-
sible presentation of the many interesting
facets of the bungalow design tradition,
Duchscerer enthralled a large audience at
an RCPC event some years ago.
Duchscherer and his collaborator,
photographer Douglas Keister, together
have produced four wonderful books on
period architecture, gardens and design:
The Bungalow: America’s Arts & Crafts Home
(1995), Inside the Bungalow: America’s Arts &
Crafts Interior (1997), Outside the Bungalow:
America’s Arts & Crafts Garden (1999), and
Victorian Glory in San Francisco and the Bay
Area (2001). A new series of small-scale
books, to be called Bungalow Basics, will
be published in 2003; topics will include
fireplaces, bedrooms, dining rooms, and
living rooms.
Duchscherer will have copies of
his current books for sale after the
meeting, and will be available to sign
copies. Don’t miss this opportunity to
learn more about the fascinating archi-
tecture that helped make Rockridge
such an interesting neighborhood. Visit
http://www.artisticlicense.org/members/
duchscherer/01.html for information.
General Meeting
Candidates Sought for
RCPC Board Election
At the February RCPC
by Glen Tripp, Chair
How many times have you thought about volunteer-
ing in your community but put it off because you
could not decide the best venue for your efforts? Wait
no longer; the perfect volunteer opportunity is here.
The Rockridge Community Planning Council holds
its annual election in April and welcomes Rockridge
residents to run for six Director positions.
Kids and families of North
Oakland Community Charter
School prepare and share
meals with Oakland residents.
The 11-member RCPC Board, (10 elected members
who serve 2-year terms and one appointed member),
has addressed issues of concern to the larger Rockridge
Community since 1972. Here are just a few RCPC
projects:
Zoning Stewardship
Charter School
Supports Needy
Residents, Earns
RCPC Grant
Over the years, RCPC has represented the com-
munity on planning issues such as rooming house
conversions, pedestrian-oriented retail zoning on Col-
lege Avenue, the construction of Market Hall, and
the construction and proposed expansion of Dreyer’s
International Headquarters.
Community Enrichment
by Jacqueline Tasch
On the Second Friday of
the month, the kids at the
North Oakland Community
Charter School (NOCCS)
make the placemats and the
salads. Their parents bring the
lasagna. Together, the families
serve dinner and—most impor-
tant—sit down to share it with
RCPC was the primary catalyst behind the Rockridge
Library and the new Rockridge-Temescal Greenbelt. Our
subcommittees, Friends of Rockridge Public Library
and Friends of Rockridge-Temescal Greenbelt, were
instrumental in
the fundraising
Local Schools Face Budget Cuts
With Resolve to Continue Improving
SEE “RCPC ELECTION,” PAGE 9
SEE “GRANT,” PAGE 4
by Jacqueline Tasch
Htwo hours early” every day, trying to figure
out how to make the school’s program go
forward in the face of still unspecified
budget cuts resulting from a huge shortfall
at the district level. Members of the staff are
wearing “three extra hats each,” she said.
An afterschool program, which lost fund-
ing last year, has called on neighborhood
businesses, including Dreyer’s, Zachary’s
and Albertson’s, for money and volun-
teers. Nevertheless, Claremont has all the
ow tight are the budgets at Rockridge’s
public schools? It’s so bad that in some
cases, parents are asked to provide such
basics as toilet paper and paper towels. In
spite of that, the schools are generating new
ideas and attracting new support for their
programs, according to speakers at the
Rockridge Community Planning Council’s
General Meeting February 20.
At Claremont Middle School, Principal
Dorothy Wiggins finds herself “waking up
SEE “SCHOOL BUDGET,” PAGE 4
March 8, 2003
2.
Around the Neighborhood
by Jacqueline Tasch, Editor, The Rockridge News
A Weekend in Rockridge
On the Home Front
E
ROCKRIDGE BRANCH LIBRARY
5366 College Avenue
597-5017
HOURS:
Monday, Tuesday, Saturday: 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m.
Wednesday, Thursday: 12:30-8 p.m.
Closed: Friday and Sunday
ver since Bobbie Kinkead, wife of founding editor Don Kinkead,
got out a map and, with Rockridge Neighbor Barbara Anderson,
designed delivery routes and recruited neighbors to staff them, The Rockridge News has
been laid respectfully at the front doors of area residents and merchants by an unpaid
and highly motivated crew of volunteers. The night after Valentine’s Day, the Rockridge
Community Planning Council staged a dinner to salute that crew.
SEE COMMUNITY CALENDAR, PAGE 15,
FOR LIBRARY PROGRAM DETAILS.
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.
The event was more corny than gala. We dressed up the basketball court at the Col-
lege Avenue Presbyterian Church with construction paper hearts made by the students
of the North Oakland Community Charter School, covered cafeteria-style tables with
red paper tablecloths, and tried a variety of strategies for twining and hanging red and
white crepe paper streamers.
The folks we were celebrating provided most of the potluck menu, which was short
on goat cheese, arugula, and walnut oil and long on rice and macaroni, beans and
potatoes, and chicken in various guises: comfort food. The desserts were the fanciest
course—or perhaps just my favorite.
Rockridge News Production
Jacqueline Tasch..................Editor-in-Chief
Margret Elson, Ortrun Niesar, David Hatfield
Neil Getz ........................... Writers
Barry Kaufman...................Food
Jo Ellis...................................Calendar
Theresa Nelson ....................Neighborhood Merchant
Chris Ahlstrand, Ken Ellis,
Lydia Gans...........................Photography
Lauri Scharber....................Advertising
Susan Montauk...................Business Manager
Don Kinkead.......................Graphics & Layout
Although two-year-old Stella Getz was the only one who got up and danced, a lot
of toes were tapping to music by the Rockridge Jazz Sextet — Aaron Cohen (alto saxo-
phone), Janet Somers (keyboard), Steve Fowler (bass), Tom Williard (drums), Bobby
Castro (percussion), and Steve Hanselman (trumpet and flugelhorn). Bagpiper Jim
Beatty capped the evening with a rousing sing-along version of “I’ve Been Workin’ on
The Rockridge News (aka Railroad).”
RCPC Board of Directors, 2002-2003
Glen Tripp............................Chair
Dan Ferdelman...................Vice-Chair
Deborah Larson.................Secretary
Sally Fitzhugh......................Treasurer
David Hatfield, Susan Montauk,Theresa Nelson,
About 60 delivery people and staffers showed up that Saturday night, some still in
high school and others who can recall College Avenue as far back as 1947 or so. My
thanks to them for their faithfulness and to Rockridge News Business Manager Susan
Montauk for organizing the affair.
On the Storm Front
T
Eric Neville, Jacqueline Tasch, Chad Thompson,
he next day, the Rockridge BART station became a staging area for peace as hundreds
of people took the train to San Francisco to join in a worldwide protest for peace.
I was not among them, although large pieces of my heart went along for the ride. For
two decades, I was paid not to have opinions and the habit is hard to lose. The world
of journalism prizes what it calls objectivity (a deliberate refusal to take sides); some
journalists won’t even vote as evidence that they score high on this attribute.
Michael Whitfield
NEWSLETTER SUBSCRIPTIONS
Annual 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.
Articles published in The Rockridge News may be
reprinted only with the permission of the Editor.
CONTACTING THE ROCKRIDGE NEWS
While I have never gone that far, I do seem to have a gift for ambivalence, at least
when it comes to political issues. You name the question and I can probably advocate
a minimum of five sides to it. I’m finding this particularly uncomfortable lately.
Are there community issues you’d like to see
covered in The Rockridge News?
Do you have questions about newsletter
Whether or not we should make war against Iraq is only one of the issues on everyone’s
mind these days. Closer to home, we find that our governments have fewer dollars to meet
growing needs. Some tough decisions lie ahead: What school services are dispensable?
Should we ignore the closing of another neighborhood’s library to make ours safe? Are
cutbacks of city recreation facilities a viable option as long as our kids have places to
play? How do the several hundred Rockridge residents whose income puts them below
the poverty line manage in times when everyone is feeling the pinch?
distribution?
Would you like to volunteer to be a Rockridge
News block captain?
Contact us at one of the following addresses or
telephone numbers:
Editor: jatasch@mindspring.com
www.rockridge.org
The Rockridge News, 5245 College Avenue,
PMB 311, Oakland, CA 94618
These issues are hard to address in a monthly newsletter, its content set in stone
almost two weeks before the new issue reaches your doorstep. Events would almost
certainly overwhelm any factual stories we attempted to write. Yet, these are the issues
that trouble our minds and fill our conversations.
RCPC Voicemail: 644-4228
NEWSLETTER ADVERTISING/DEADLINES
Publication date of the next issue is
April 5, 2003;
April deadline is March 20.
Advertising rates are $22/column inch. Six-month
pre-pay rate available. To advertise, call Lauri
Scharber at 655-2196. (RCPC reserves the right
to refuse any display or classified ad that it deems
inappropriate.)
For those who pray, I’d say this is a good time to do it. For those who don’t, maybe
a spirit of goodwill and hopefulness will add some light and warmth to the days ahead.
Be well.
3.
FROGpark Coordinator Bids Farewell to Her Legacy
W
March 8, 2003
hen her son Gaelen was two years
old, Eileen Fitz-Faulkner began look-
ing around for neighborhood playgrounds,
similar to those she remembered fondly from
her own childhood.
“I saw so many playgrounds being torn
down because they didn’t meet current
standards,” she says. “The same kind of
playground was going up everywhere: all
tubular metal structures in primary colors.
I really felt passionate about children being
challenged by different structures in dif-
ferent places, having something unique to
where they live.”
FROGpark
development
volunteer Eileen
Fitz-Faulkner says
“So long” to an
attentive park
Living in Rockridge, Eileen soon
became aware of a groundswell of interest
in neighborhood playgrounds, with Theresa
Nelson and Steve Costa among its early
prime movers. After attending a couple of
meetings, she recognized that hers was the
loudest voice supporting a playground that
would make an individual statement.
denizen.
PHOTO: LYDIA GANS
concerns. During a design day, students at
eight local schools told planners and parents
what they wanted in a playground.
who wonder). Local history also played a
part at Redondo Park, with a hut reminding
visitors of local Native Americans, and a
ship recalling the Spanish adventurers who
were the first Europeans in the area.
A lot of the kids’ pictures featured tree-
houses: There’s a nice big treehouse at Hardy
Park. One little girl suggested building a
turtle sandbox for small children, and that’s
why the park’s centerpiece is not shaped
like a frog (if you were among the many
Eileen hesitated. “I didn’t feel qualified,”
she says, and she was also pregnant. “Still,
I was the best that was going to happen
as far as I could see.” She looked at Steve
and Theresa: “If you stick with me to help
handle city politics, I will be the co-ordina-
tor to build the playgrounds.” It took years
for the Friends of the Rockridge-Temescal
Greenbelt (FROG) to find the space, make
the plans, win the approvals, and get the play-
grounds built at Hardy Park and Redondo
Park, and all that while Eileen was at the
center of the action. She helped to raise
money and form a steering committee; she
made sure people were in place to watch
kids, cook food, collect tools—“to organize
all the various aspects of this community
park build.”
About 1,500 people joined in the mile-
stone event when the community turned
out to build FROGpark in the Fall of 2001.
SEE “EILEEN,” PAGE 6
FROG Seeks New Steering Committee Members
by Sally Fitzhugh
D
o you love the FROGpark playgrounds? Are you amazed that volunteers could
create such unique community assets? Looking for a way to give a little back to
your community in a fun, social, family-oriented way? We have a spot for you!
At Friends of the Rockridge-Temescal Greenbelt (FROG), we need new volunteers to
lead us through the next phase of development. The FROG Steering Committee coordi-
nates the spring and fall Frogpark playground maintenance days. We also provide input on
the continued development at the park, making sure that the ideas and concerns of local
families are in the forefront. To get this done, we meet about four times per year and split
up the various roles described in the accompanying coupon. We hope you’ll join us.
Making sure that the playgrounds had
that unique stamp was the center of her
For more information, please call Sally at 653-
6430, log onto http://www.frogpark.org, or complete
SEE “FROG SEEKS,” PAGE 6
March 8, 2003
4.
Grant
School Budget
going to support enrichment programs.
Enrollment now tops 400—and the PTA
supports the TP (toilet paper) fund.
from page 1
from page 1
Peralta Elementary School’s Parent
Teacher Group has links with the broader
Lower Rockridge Parents Group to build
neighborhood support. Besides experienced
teachers, a resident artist and a variety of
music and science learning projects are
available to students.
dozens of low-income and needy Oakland
residents who have dinner at the College
Avenue Presbyterian Church.
students it can handle, and administrators
are developing a new academy format that
would establish schools within the school
on themes such as international studies and
math/science.
In its first-ever community service
grant to schools, the Rockridge Community
Planning Council is providing $1,000 to
support this program, which began January
10 and will continue into the next school
year. Principal Jennifer Bloom led a delega-
tion of parents and kids to accept the grant
from RCPC’s Susan Montauk and Deborah
Larson at the February General Meeting.
At Arts Far West, teacher Bill Compton
says, “I haven’t seen a roll of paper towels
since September.” The school also faces
the challenge of restructuring from the
only K through 12 school in the district to
a 6 through 12 beginning in September.
However, there’s a promising new alliance
with the California College of Arts and
Crafts, which has never had an art educa-
tion program but sees Arts Far West as “a
natural laboratory.”
These programs support School Board
Member Kerry Hamill’s notion that the dis-
trict is making good progress on teaching
and learning, despite its financial difficul-
ties. She brought to the meeting a proposal
for cuts that would focus on central admin-
istration and districtwide reductions outside
the core of classroom services.
The church serves dinner to the needy
every Friday evening at 6 and also rents
space to NOCCS, so connecting the two
programs was natural. When Bloom first
approached Pastor Bill Beatty about having
NOCCS sponsor some of the dinners, she
was thinking of it as a “service learning”
project: providing the children an opportu-
nity to learn civic responsibility. It quickly
became a community building effort as well.
After sitting side by side over dinner with
homeless people and others struggling to
make ends meet, Bloom says, “we don’t
wear blinders any more—we know we’re
all part of the same community.”
“The kids deserve to get the educa-
tional funds, whatever happened at the
top to cause this crisis,” she says. Instead
of waiting for state leaders to swoop down
with a laundry list of budget cuts, she said,
voters need to “tell the state what we want
for our kids.”
North Oakland Community Charter
School is developing its program using
facilities at College Avenue Presbyterian
Church, with support from “mandatory
parent involvement” and a variety of out-
side grants, including one from RCPC (see
Charter School, page 1).
Chabot School is a champion at fund-
raising, with $100,000 from a recent auction
$5 FREE DRYCLEANING with garment orders over $28
or $3 OFF orders over $15
Dry Cleaning only Present with incoming order
C O N T E M P O R A R Y C L O T H I N G
Garden Cleaners
5808 College Ave., Oakland
F O R W O M E N S I Z E 14+
EXPERT
SHIRT
LAUNDERING!
601-1188
Mon-Fri 7-7 • Sat 8-6
(Across from Albertson’s & Zachary’s Pizza)
5937 CO LLE G E AVE N U E
OA KL AN D, CA 94 619
T: 510.654 . 514 4
!
!" $
" !$
#
5.
March 8, 2003
Friends of the Rockridge Library
Opens Annual Contribution Drive
by Marilyn Citron, Chair, Friends of the Rockridge Library
F
riends of the Rockridge Library (FORL) begins its annual contribution drive in the
midst of a city budget crisis that will affect libraries. Even more than usual, our
library needs to make new Friends. Your contribution will ensure that the Rockridge
branch continues to thrive.
PHOTO: DON KINKEAD
A cloudy sky frames the Rockridge
Branch Library on College Avenue.
FORL is a nonprofit neighborhood resource that provides funds for book acquisi-
tions and other library-related materials not covered by the City of Oakland Library
budget. In 2002, FORL funded a number of subscriptions including the (daily) New York
Times, the Los Angeles Times and Value Line. FORL also purchased music CDs and
CD security boxes for the library collection. For 2003 we expect to provide magazine
and newspaper subscriptions, as well as audiovisual materials for the children’s, teen
and adult collections.
Oakland’s Budget
Issues Plague
Rockridge Branch
T
We thank all who gave monetary gifts to FORL during 2002 and encourage your
continued support. Don’t forget our library cart. Book donations are greatly appreciated,
and money collected from their sale also helps to supplement the library’s budget.
hanks to an outcry from Oakland read-
ers in February, the city backed away
from closing branches and cutting back
hours to make up for its budget deficit.
The community let it be known that it
opposed “a draconian approach to cutting
services,” says Rockridge librarian Gay
Ducey. “That was important information
for the city to hear.”
Our annual FORL meeting and election will be part of the RCPC General Meeting
on Thursday, April 24, at 7:30 p.m. in the Rockridge Library. All current directors are
running for reelection. If you are interested in joining the board, please contact me at
mbcitron@yahoo.com. We look forward to seeing you.
& Friends of the Rockridge LIBRARY &
Friends of the Rockridge library (FORL) is a non-profit neighborhood resource operating to
provide funds for book acquisitions and other library-related materials not covered by the
City of Oakland Library budget. Become a FRIEND today!
Name:
Address
C/S/Z
e-mail:
Enclosed is my check for:
Gay, nevertheless, puts a couple of
restraints on her enthusiasm. First, while
the Rockridge branch is suffering no
cuts—and was never under threat of clo-
sure or reduced hours—it will be affected
by the substantial cuts imposed on the main
library, which lost 11.5 full-time positions
and 4 systemwide positions, one of them the
part-time volunteers coordinator. “I like to
“LIBRARY MONEY,” PAGE 10
Student or Senior: $10
Individual: $20
Family: $25
Business: $50
I would like to make a special contribution: $
Please make checks payable to F.O.R.L. and mail to:
Friends of the Rockridge Library, 5245 College Avenue, #311, Oakland, CA 94618
Thank You.
The Kitchen Takes Shape for Fall RCPC Kitchen Tour
by Natalie Mehta
While the winter rains have had many Rockridge residents checking for
roof leaks and cleaning gutters, others are busy with more aesthetic
pursuits. Paul Weinstein and Deborah Larson are continuing work on a
kitchen renovation that includes new cabinetry, counters, appliances,
flooring, lighting, and wall finishes.
!
!
The couple has spent many hours planning, painting, and
hanging cabinet doors, as pictured at right, and look forward
!" "
to completing the renovation in time for the fall Rockridge
Kitchen Tour.
" !#
!
"
When asked about progress on their kitchen, Deborah tells
us she “had a dinner party for 12 people the other night—so I’d say
it’s definitely a working, if not yet beautiful, kitchen.”
The planning committee thanks those who have responded to our call for
potential kitchens, as we continue to search for outstanding kitchens for our
2003 Tour. If you or someone you know has a “special” kitchen, please contact
Susan Montauk at 547-3855.
PHOTO: SUSAN MONTAUK
March 8, 2003
6.
Rockridge BART Station
Serves as a Peace Parade
Jumping Off Point
Pictured here are just two of the hundreds of peace
marchers who embarked for San Francisco from
the Rockridge BART Station on Sunday, February
16. There were enough marchers from Chabot
Canyon alone to hold a neighborhood association
meeting on the train. At the bottom of the escalators,
neighborhood teens were selling Crispy Cremes for
Peace, and business was good.
PHOTO AND CAPTION: CLAIRE ISAACS WAHRHAFTIG
FROG Seeks, from page 3
Eileen
from page 3
and return the form below today.
Frogpark Steering Committee
I would like to join the FROG Steering Committee
My areas of interest include:
“The playgrounds would never exist without
a very dedicated core group of people,”
says Eileen.
Yes!
Though not a lifelong volunteer, Eileen
was drawn to this project by her passion-
ate interest in playgrounds. In the process,
she learned something about community
involvement. First, she says, “you don’t have
to do or know everything—just taking on a
little piece moves the project along greatly.”
She also found that there were rewards:
“Being in a project in your neighborhood,
you get to meet so many people,” she says.
“Everywhere I went, stores, restaurants, I
knew people and they knew me. It made
Rockridge seem like such a small town—
you’re not anonymous any more.”
Officer (President, Treasurer,
Materials & Equipment Logistics
(purchase, rent, storage & tools facilitation)
Team Member:
Fundraising
FROGpark Art Program
Secretary)
Public Relations
Website Management
Representative to the FROGpark
Development
Graffiti clean up
Not sure yet, I’ll figure that out later.
Phase II Steering Committee
Event Coordinator (maintenance,
volunteers, food)
Name:
Address:
Phone:
e-mail
Best time to reach me:
RETURN TO: FROG c/o RCPC 5245 College Ave #311, Oakland, CA 94618
Recently, Eileen and her family—includ-
ing the son, Soren, she was carrying when
the FROGpark project began—moved to
Orinda, where they could have a house with
plenty of running room for two growing
boys.
“I might have moved away, but that park
is always going to be there, a treasure for
the community,” she says. “I’ve left it in a
lot of loving hands.”
7.
March 8, 2003
First Steps in
Preventing
Rockridge Crime
by Neil Getz
At 11:50 p.m. on the evening of December
20, 2002, Leslie left the Rockridge
BART station after an extended day of
work in San Francisco. Leslie and her
fiancé Frank had purchased a house and
moved to Rockridge just three months
earlier, lured away from San Francisco by
Rockridge’s tree-lined streets, walkable
neighborhoods, shops, markets, and ready
access to freeways and BART. As Leslie
headed home through the darkness of Forest
Street, a man walked up behind her, put a
gun to her head, and asked her to hand over
her briefcase. He then knocked her to the
ground and ran away without so much as
a “Welcome to Rockridge.”
Rockridge has a crime problem, and
Frank and Leslie want to know what
they can do about it. Police alone can’t
stop crime. Even with 100 more Oakland
police officers, the chances of a beat officer
seeing a robbery in progress are less than
Ronald McDonald’s chances of being elected
President. Future articles in The Rockridge
News will outline crime prevention measures
oriented at specific crimes such as robbery,
but here are places to start:
Form or join a Home Alert group.
The Community Services Section of the
Oakland Police Department (OPD) provides
educational sessions and materials to Home
Alert groups in Oakland. Get a group of
your neighbors together, pick a date and a
location, and call Community Services at
238-3066 at least two weeks in advance.
OPD will make a 60- to 90-minute free
presentation on what your block can do to
fight crime. OPD offers 22 different Home
Alert presentations covering a wide variety
of crime-related subjects, from home secu-
rity to protection of your block in the event
of a complete breakdown of city services.
Get involved in your NCPC. Once
your block determines its needs and pri-
orities, join the Rockridge Neighborhood
Watch Network, elect a block captain, and
send your block captain to the monthly
meeting of the 12Y & 13X Neighbor-
hood Crime Prevention Council (NCPC)
Rockridge Area Crimes
Reported to OPD
Report Period: 1/23 – 2/19/03
by Neil Getz
DATE
DESCRIPTION
LOCATION
1/23/03 ..... Grand Theft ...................................... Ocean View (College - McMillan)
..... Burglary: Auto .................................. Colby & Mcauley
1/24/03 ..... Burglary: Residential......................... Claremont (Colby - Chabot)
..... Burglary: Residential......................... Claremont (Colby - Chabot)
..... Burglary: Auto .................................. College & Oak Grove
1/27/03 ..... Vehicle Theft .................................... Hillegass (Telegraph - Woolsey)
..... Petty Theft: Shoplift ......................... Alcatraz & Telegraph
1/28/03 ..... Burglary: Auto .................................. Manchester (Acacia - Ocean View)
..... Burglary: Auto .................................. 50 St. & Lawton
1/29/03 ..... Petty Theft w/Prior for Theft/Burglary/Robbery ...... B’way (Coronado - 51 St.)
..... Petty Theft: Shoplift ......................... B’way (Coronado - 51 St.)
1/29/03 ..... Burglary: Auto .................................. Chabot & Ivanhoe
1/30/03 ..... Grand Theft ...................................... College (Miles - Birch)
..... Burglary: Auto .................................. Alcatraz (Dana - Telegraph)
..... Burglary: Auto .................................. Claremont & Hillegass
1/31/03 ..... Burglary: Auto .................................. Ocean View (Brookside - Manchester)
..... Attempted Auto Theft ....................... B’way & Lawton
..... Burglary: Residential......................... B’way (Napa - B’way Terr.)
2/1/03 ..... Burglary: Residential......................... Colby (63 St. - North)
2/2/03 ..... Petty Theft: Shoplift ......................... College & 63 St.
2/3/03 ..... Burglary: Auto .................................. Harwood (Auburn - College)
2/4/03 ..... Personate to Get Money/Property .... B’way (Napa - B’way Terr.)
..... Burglary: Residential......................... Keith (McMillan - College)
..... Burglary: Residential......................... Keith (McMillan - College)
2/5/03 ..... Vehicle Theft .................................... B’way & Lawton
..... Burglary: Residential......................... Dana & 66 St.
..... Grand Theft ...................................... Claremont & Martin
..... Burglary: Auto .................................. Claremont & Cavour
2/6/03 ..... Theft: Personal Property .................. College (Birch - Miles)
2/7/03 ..... Burglary: Residential......................... Taft (Manila - Mendocino)
..... Vehicle Theft .................................... Clifton (Shafter - Locksley)
2/8/03 ..... Vehicle Theft .................................... Cavour & Locksley
..... Petty Theft: Shoplift ......................... College & 63 St.
2/9/03 ..... Burglary: Residential......................... Contra Costa & Buena Vista
..... Petty Theft w/Prior for Theft/Burglary/Robbery ..... B’way (Coronado - 51 St.)
2/10/03 ..... Vehicle Theft .................................... Alcatraz (Irwin - Raymond)
2/11/03 ..... Vehicle Theft ..................................... 62 St. (Hillegass – Colby)
2/12/03 ..... Petty Theft: Shoplift .......................... 51 St & B’way
2/14/03 ..... Burglary: Residential......................... B’way & Virmar
..... Attempted Burglary: Residential ....... Miles (Ivanhoe – Ross)
2/15/03 ..... Vehicle Theft ..................................... 63 St. (Dana – Colby)
2/16/03 ..... Attempted Burglary: Auto.................. Manila & Glendale
2/17/03 ..... Burglary: Residential......................... Claremont & Clarke
..... Vehicle Theft ..................................... 51 St. & Manila
2/18/03 ..... Robbery ............................................ Clifton (east of B’way)
..... Petty Theft: Shoplift ......................... B’way (Coronado - 51 St.)
..... Attempted Burglary: Auto ................. Manila & Cavour
2/19/03 ..... Burglary: Residential......................... Brookside (Eustice - B’way)
..... Burglary: Commercial ...................... Telegraph (50 St. - 51 St.)
..... Burglary: Residential......................... 51 St (B’way - Desmond)
..... Vehicle Theft .................................... Manila & 51 St.
..... Vehicle Theft .................................... Boyd (Clifton - Hudson)
..... Personate to Get Money/Property [Over $400] .... 62 St. (Hillegass - Colby)
2/20/03 ..... Petty Theft: Shoplift ......................... College & 63 St.
Dial 911 to report crimes and suspicious actvity in progress.
See “Rockridge Crime,” page 12
(Cell phone users in Oakland, call 777-3211 for 911 service.)
Remember: If you don’t report it, it didn’t happen.
March 8, 2003
8.
poached or baked. Although officially an
endangered species, Coho or silver salmon
is often available in the summer and is ideal
for baking. Sockeye salmon usually comes
canned. If you can get it fresh, grab it. No
other variety packs as much flavor. With
a deep red-orange color, sockeye is ideal
for making cold cured gravlox or smoked
salmon. Fresh king, coho and sockeye are
expensive. However chum and pink salmon
make good eating at a much lower price. You
can pick up a whole chum or pink salmon
for about a dollar a pound.
Salmon is King
Ga whole roasted, poached, or grilled salmon
for feeding a large crowd. Rockridge’s own
Ver Brugge prepares a magnificent whole
poached salmon presented on a bed of
dill and sliced lemons. But every serious
backyard griller who wants to impress a
crowd should know how to barbecue a
whole salmon.
Hrilled, poached, baked, sautéed,
steamed, cured, smoked, or stuffed.
Eaten raw, shaped in croquettes, cooked
in parchment, grape leaves and corn
husks. Salmon is king. Once a seasonal
food, salmon is now available all year long
thanks to aquaculture or “ocean ranching.”
On any given day, most supermarkets or
fish markets are likely to offer some sort
of salmon, and nearly every California
“nouvelle cuisine” restaurant has salmon
on the menu.
I use pink or chum to make pickled
salmon. Considered a delicacy among
eastern European Jews, pickled salmon
is similar to Mexican ceviche. Chunks
of salmon are cured for about a week in
a brine of pickling spices and white-wine
vinegar. I love having it in the refrigerator
as a snack with a glass of white wine or a
shot of ice-cold vodka.
ere’s my approach. Cut five deep paral-
lel slashes to the bone on each side of
the fish. Place a slice of lemon and a sprig
of dill in each slash. Stuff the cavity with
very thin slices of onion and more dill sprigs.
Pour melted butter and white wine over the
fish and loosely wrap in heavy aluminum
foil. Place on a hot grill and cook using the
10 minutes per inch of thickness rule, a 7
to 9-pound salmon should take about 20
minutes. This approach combines the best
qualities of steaming and grilling.
The following simple but crowd-pleas-
ing recipe — grilled salmon wrapped in
grape leaves—is adapted from a standard
menu item at Joyce Goldstein’s Square One
restaurant in San Francisco. Grape leaves
packed in brine are available in our local
markets.
Salmon are anadromous, which means
their life cycle includes phases in both fresh
and salt water. Eggs are laid on a gravelly
river bed, and depending on the species,
immature fish can spend anywhere from
a few weeks to two years in fresh water.
Then, salmon migrate to the ocean where
they grow to sexual maturity. After one to
four years in the ocean, they return to the
river of their birth to spawn and complete
the cycle. How they do this—and without
the Auto Club or online mapmakers—is
still a mystery.
Grilled Salmon Wrapped
In Grape Leaves
Several species of salmon, caught in
the wild or raised on fish farms, are com-
monly found in our local Rockridge markets.
Chinook or king salmon is the rarest and
therefore the most expensive, but it has the
best flavor and highest fat content. Chinook
is great for grilling, broiling and other dry-
heat cooking methods, but it’s also delicious
Ingredients
6 salmon fillets (4-6 ounces) skinned
12 large grape leaves rinsed and patted dry
Olive oil, lemon juice
Freshly ground pepper
Toasted pine nuts
Golden raisins plumped in hot water
There is nothing quite so impressive as
Directions
1. Wrap each salmon fillet around the
middle with two grape leaves (stem
side facing the fillets). Don’t look for
perfection. The grape leaves will stick
to the salmon pretty well.
2. Brush the wrapped salmon with olive
2003 Sales in Rockridge off to a good start:
oil and lemon juice, then sprinkle
lightly with ground pepper.
3. Place on hot grill or broil 3-4 minutes
Address
Bed/Ba
List Price
Selling Price
Close Date
5304 Manila
1/1
$399,000
$462,000
02/26/03
5334 Broadway
3/1
$489,000
$541,000
02/14/03
5952 Howell
2/1
$425,000
$495,000
02/09/03
468 Hudson
4/2
$645,000
$595,000
01/09/03
6107 Colby
4/3
$925,000
$925,000
01/09/03
each side. The grape leaves will get
very crisp.
4. Place the fish on plates and sprinkle
with pine nuts and raisins.
Serve with cous-cous and sautéed
spinach.
Rockridge Sales volume is down 66% (4 homes sold in January & February of 2003
Barry Kaufman is a graduate of the Cali-
fornia Culinary Academy. His e-mail is
kaufman42@earthlink.net. Barry is available for
private cooking classes and fundraising events.
vs. 9 in 2002). This decrease in supply vs. the demand drives the prices up.
If you are thinking of buying or selling
call me for a free consultation.
9.
March 8, 2003
Rockridge 2003:
Ourselves
Through
The Camera
T
RCPC Election
from page 1
and volunteer coordination needed to create
these gems. Current projects include an
effort to improve College Avenue under
the BART station, an annual $1,000 grant
to neighborhood schools to further develop
community service projects, and opposition
to the Highway 24 Fourth Bore project.
The Rockridge News
he 3rd annual Rockridge photo exhibit
is planned for September-October, the
specific date to be announced. Everyone is
welcome to join in. There is no age limit.
All we ask is a keen eye and a passion
for taking pictures. The rest will surely
follow.
Published since March 1986, this
monthly newsletter is hand-delivered to
4,500 homes and 200 businesses in Rock-
ridge and serves as the primary vehicle
for neighborhood communication. Volun-
teers and professionals lend their skills
in the production of this award-winning
publication.
General Meetings
For more information, call Ortrun
Niesar 510/652-6664 or Lydia Gans 510/
658-4445.
These public meetings are held the third
Thursday of the month at the Rockridge
Library. Speakers have included Oak-
land Schools Superintendent Chaconas,
City Attorney Russo and Mayor Jerry
Brown.
Rockridge Kitchen Tour
This biennial fundraiser for RCPC
has become a favorite Bay Area event.
The 2001 tour drew a crowd of over 900
visitors to the nine elegantly redesigned
residential kitchens.
Candidates must be 18 years of age and
live within RCPC boundaries. They must
indicate their intention to run for office
by March 20 by sending us a 125-word
statement and photo, which will be pub-
lished in the April issue of The Rockridge
News. Candidates will speak briefly at the
April 24 General Meeting, where voting
will also take place. Mail statements with
photos to: RCPC, 5245 College Avenue
PMB 311, Oakland, CA 94618. For fur-
ther information, visit RCPC’s website,
http://www.rockridge.org or leave us a
message at 510/644-4228.
ROCKRIDGE RESIDENT
RCPC 2002
Financial Statement
(Cash Basis)
RCPC General Fund
Income
Interest Income
$ 346
Fundraising
231
Rockridge News
35,727
Total Income
$ 36,304
Expenses
Insurance & Sales Tax
$ 1,578
Office Expenses
1,526
Legal and Accounting
1,160
Kitchen Tour &
Other Committee Activity
430
Rockridge News
29,788
Total Expenses
$ 34,483
Friends of Rockridge Library (FORL)
Income
Interest Income
$ 926
Book/Card Sales
2,923
Dues & Donations
8,175
Total Income
$ 12,024
Expenses
Sales Tax
$ 118
Office Expenses
316
Gifts to Library
6,306
Total Expenses
$ 6,740
Friends of Rockridge Greenbelt (FROG)
Income
Interest Income
$ 18
Fundraising (tiles, penny drive, etc.)
574
Corporate & Individual Donations(1) 28,800
Total Income
$ 29,392
Expenses
Insurance & Sales Tax
$ 2,454
Office Expenses
800
Playground Build
29,105
Playground Maintenance
3,089
Contributions to Greenbelt
11,291
Total Expenses
$ 46,739
Whistlestop Account
No activity in 2002
Assets
Cash Accounts
RCPC
$ 8,817
FORL
8,657
FROG
27,118
Whistlestop
955
Other Assets(2)
RCPC CDs
20,310
FORL CDs
55,209
FROG/Phase II Restricted Gifts
23,035
Total Assets
$ 144,099
Liabilities
$ -
(1) excludes public funds pledged from Coun-
cilmember Jane Brunner’s Paygo Account for
capital improvements to the Greenbelt.
(2) excludes any outstanding FROG pledges
and remaining wood inventory.
RCPC tax records are on file at the
Rockridge library for public review.
March 8, 2003
10.
Library Money
As a result, Gay, who has been with the
Rockridge library since it occupied the space
now used by Jucy’s on the north side of the
BART station, is the acting library chief and
shares the children’s librarian role—all in
three days a week. “I’m always astonished
at how librarians make do,” she says. “We
are a helpful bunch.” They’re also “really
tired folks.”
top of the branches in terms of traffic and
lending volume.
During the school year, kids from the
Claremont Middle School are regular visi-
tors, along with young families and their
kids, people with disabilities, the computer-
less looking for Web access, and a “robust
group of older readers,” including a Chinese
couple, one using a walker, who show up
regularly to read the Chinese news on the
computer. “If a librarian could construct an
ideal library in terms of professional satisfac-
tion,” Gay says. “It would be hard to imagine
one better drawn than Rockridge.”
from page 5
think of the Oakland Public Library as one
library with a number of different service
points,” Gay says. By that reasoning, the
Rockridge branch “is profoundly affected,
however subtly.”
More important, this round of cuts only
covers the budget through June 30. “It means
nothing more than that we’ve got a breather,”
Gay says. New budgets are already being
prepared for the year beginning July 1, and
a deficit is almost certain.
Although her work is stressful, Gay has
“never gotten over the romance of librar-
ies” or her love for the Rockridge branch.
With more than 1,000 visitors on a recent
Saturday, Rockridge is always near the
The Rockridge branch faces the cutbacks
with funds for materials and supplies already
frozen. While it’s fully staffed at the level of
library assistants and library aides, Rock-
ridge has lacked a head librarian for years,
and the reference librarian recently moved
on, leaving that position vacant, too.
Temescal Branch
Breathing Easier, Too
The Temescal Branch Library was one of
seven slated for temporary closure under
the original plan for library budget cuts. Tem-
escal manager Sally Bean says she credits the
community’s support for keeping the branch
open, as well as Councilmember Jane Brunner’s
highly productive Community Advisory Meeting
on library problems February 1. Temescal has
Oakland’s first Tool Lending Library, as well
as a collection of books written in both the
Amharic and Tigrinya languages, established
by a previous manager because of the many
patrons from Ethiopia and Eritrea.
1'+ *'2'0 01'**- 1 *'#211*#/-*#11#-/"-&, /",#/ -6/'%0 6 /+#,/'+ '!)21'#//#7
'1 //',%1-,+6 6 0&'" / / -..#/2*'##&+ , / / #36/1/2,'#0 / 6* ,"#/,(
*-4/'%&1#- !& *#$$ - /10' 6 -601#/ 1#3# 6+ ,/,'# #51-,-, 1-,# '06 , ,!6 200'%
#"-/+ /1 , %#/
4- 2,,#* - "#/)#*#6
8&-,#
8444./24# !-+!* /#+-,1
Your Rockridge
Mortgage Expert!
Mon–Fri 9:30 - 6:00
Sat 9:30 - 5:00
CHIMES
PHARMACY
Serving Rockridge Since 1909
• Lo
• Lo
• Lo
• Lo
• Low Interest Refinance Loans
w Interest Refinance Loans
w Interest Refinance Loans
w Interest Refinance Loans
w Interest Refinance Loans
• No P
• No P
• No P
• No P
• No Points,
oints,
oints,
oints,
oints, No Fees Options A
No Fees Options A
No Fees Options A
No Fees Options A
No Fees Options Availab
ailab
ailab
ailab
ailable
lele
lele
• No-And-Lo
• No-And-Lo
• No-And-Lo
• No-And-Lo
• No-And-Low Do
w Do
w Do
w Do
w Downpa
wnpa
wnpa
wnpa
wnpayment
yment
yment
yment
yment
Pur
Pur
Pur
Pur
Purchase Loans
hase Loans
hase Loans
hase Loans
hase Loans
3210 College
Near Alcatraz
652-1990
Garrick Werdmuller
Garrick Werdmuller
Garrick Werdmuller
Garrick Werdmuller
Garrick Werdmuller
Mor
Mor
Mor
Mor
Mortgage Loan Specialist
tgage Loan Specialist
tgage Loan Specialist
tgage Loan Specialist
tgage Loan Specialist
510.814-4
10.814-4
10.814-4
10.814-4
10.814-4702
702
702
702
702
Real Estate Broker, California Department of Real Estate License # 00930036, (916)227-0931
11.
March 8, 2003
2616 WOOLSEY STREET
(3100 Benvenue Avenue, City of Berkeley)
(APN 016-1411-006-00) (10/10/02)
Proposal: To extend an existing garage 3'-0"
to align with the southern wall of the existing
residential building.
Applicant: Oso Koenigshofer
Owner: Barbara Knecht
Planning Permits Required: Minor Variance
to build within the required side yard setback
(7'-6" minimum required; 0'-0" proposed);
Regular Design Review for exterior residen-
tial alterations
Historic Status: Potential Designated His-
toric Property (PDHP); Survey rating: B-1+
Case Planner: Pete Vollmann at 238-6167 or
pvollman@oaklandnet.com
5490 KALES AVENUE
Proposal: To construct a 53 square-foot,
second-story addition to a single family
dwelling.
Applicant: Jason Kaldis
Owner: Jodi Schiller and Benjamin Douglas
Planning Permits Required: Mediated
Design Review for a second-story residential
addition in the S-18 Zone
Historic Status: Potential Designated His-
toric Property (PDHP); Survey rating: Dc2+
Case Planner: Leigh McCullen at 238-4977
or lmccullen@oaklandnet.com
PHOTO (FILE): CLAIRE ISAACS
CarShare puts you in the driver’s seat.
City CarShare
Membership
Gets Rolling
It’s been nearly a year since the first green
Beetle appeared on College Avenue,
parked outside Zachary’s Pizza waiting for
City CarShare members to come take it for
a ride. About six months ago, the Beetle’s
twin and their cousin, a silver Jetta wagon,
took up residence at the BART station, also
waiting for riders.
5040 GOLDEN GATE AVENUE
Proposal: To construct a new carport within
the side yard setback.
Applicant/Owner: Diane & Wayne Dia-
mond
Planning Permits Required: Special Resi-
dential Design Review for residential altera-
tions; Minor Variance to building within the
required side yard setback (5'-0" minimum
required; 0" proposed)
Case Planner: Jason Madani at 238-4790 or
jsmadani@oaklandnet.com
5410-5418 COLLEGE AVENUE
Proposal: To renovate the existing building to
accommodate three new commercial spaces. The
building now contains a manufacturing use.
Applicant: Kava Masih
Owner: Paul Boero
Planning Permits Required: Regular
Design Review for exterior alterations in the
C-31 Zone
Case Planner: Pete Vollmann at 238-6167 or
pvollman@oaklandnet.com
They have not been disappointed. Accord-
ing to a report prepared for City CarShare
in January, the three cars spend about 180
hours a month giving rides to CarShare
participants. To join CarShare, members
pay a deposit and application fee, as well as
modest monthly fees and per/hour, per/mile
charges when they use a vehicle.
In the year since City CarShare moved
across the bridge from San Francisco, about
200 Oakland members have signed on,
including 20 families or groups of friends
and 7 Oakland businesses.
Daryl C. Norcott, East Bay director of
City CarShare, hopes the cars will become
“part of the fabric of the neighborhood,”
available for residents who occasionally need
a ride for errands, shopping, or excursions to
neighboring parks and recreation areas.
The cars are also an attraction to outsid-
ers, who can BART to the Rockridge station
and then take a car to nearby destinations.
“We feel strongly that CarShare works when
it’s near transit and it’s easy for people to
get to the cars,” says Norcott. “Once you’re
a member, you just make a reservation on
the website or on the phone, go to the car,
and then you’re off.”
Other City CarShare vehicles are located
throughout Oakland and Berkeley, and
two new locations will open on campus
at UC Berkeley. For more information,
call 510/352-0232 or check the website:
http://www.citycarshare.org
March 8, 2003
12.
Rockridge Crime
Report suspicious persons and activity.
Strangers hanging out on your block on foot
or in a car for no apparent purpose qualify
as suspicious individuals, as do recycling
thieves and door-to-door solicitors without
city permits. OPD cannot stop and question
such people without probable cause, but a
telephone call from a resident stating that
persons or activities are suspicious provides
OPD with sufficient probable cause. Inno-
cent people and private detectives will be
only mildly inconvenienced. People with
drug paraphernalia, weapons, burglary
tools, and/or outstanding warrants will be
severely inconvenienced, and your neigh-
borhood will be safer as a result.
from page 7
(see http://www.rockridge.org/NCPC). The
purpose of the NCPC is to represent the
needs and priorities of citizens in Com-
munity Beats 12Y and 13X (including all of
Rockridge) to the OPD. Yeda Altes, Com-
munity Services Coordinator for OPD, also
attends the meetings.
K
T I M W R I G H T
E L E C T R I C A L C O N T R A C T I N G
now your neighbors. You don’t have
to subscribe to the Home Alert/NCPC
system to make your neighborhood safer.
Have a block party. Invite your neighbors
to dinner. Make a neighborhood directory
and a neighborhood e-mail list. Good neigh-
bors talk to each other and watch out for
each other — that’s what makes them good
neighbors. Tell your neighbors when you
will be out of town. If a neighbor stays at
home during the day, tell that person the
hours your house will be empty. If you know
who your neighbors are, you will also know
who your neighbors aren’t.
2831 Hillegass Avenue, Berkeley
Phone: 510.729.5352 / Fax: 510.549.9251
License# 729761
A safer Rockridge starts with organized
residents taking responsibility for their own
safety.
" "! #
! "
!
!" ! !" #
"
!
"
! "
Mary Jane McConville...The Team You Can Trust
You Come First
You Come First
You Come First
You Come First
You Come First
OPEN DAILY 12 - 2
5352 College Avenue
Providing Exemplary Service
In Rockridge since 1980
Shannon Klatt
Shannon Klatt
Shannon Klatt
Shannon Klatt
Shannon Klatt
Buyer Specialist Realtor
(510) 287-5520 direct line
Mary Jane McConville
Mary Jane McConville
Mary Jane McConville
Mary Jane McConville
Mary Jane McConville
Senior Realtor
(510) 287-9583 direct line
Call Mary Jane today for all your Real Estate needs
(510) 339-8400 office ♦(510) 287-9583 direct line
Your Neighborhood Pub
Jan Carlisle
Administrative Assistant
Lisa Anderson
Escrow Coordinator
13.
March 8, 2003
Making a
New Turn
T
PHOTO: DON KINKEAD
THE NEIGHBORHOOD MERCHANT
BY THERESA NELSON
urning the corner of College Avenue at
Broadway, you’ll come upon U-Turn, a
recycled clothing store for women, men and
children with an enormous selection and
amazingly low prices. Their “one-of-a-kind
treasures and finds” are truly affordable and
appeal to a wide variety of tastes.
U–Turn
One-of-a-Kind Treasures and Finds
PHOTO: LYDIA GANS
readings are planned. Recep-
tions for artists whose work
is displayed in the store are
held every few months when
new works are mounted. One
wall is devoted to exhibiting
works by CCAC students: the
current exhibit features Japa-
nese anime-style illustrations
by Igo. Through mid-March,
the store is hosting an exhibit
of colorful molas from the
Kuna Yala people of Panama.
These are textiles, embroidered
and appliquèd with colorful,
almost fluorescent designs on
black backgrounds. The store also offers
handmade T-shirts with the same exotic
embroidery as the artwork, as well as wallets
and greeting cards in the same style.
Althea Norwood, the charming and
friendly manager of the store, noted that
the low prices and great quality are big
attractions. “When you shop here,” she told
me, “you can spend $40 and leave with two
bags of clothes,” instead of the one top that
you might get somewhere else. The store’s
“$2 Tuesdays” have been extremely popular.
Each Tuesday, all items of one type (jeans,
dresses, etc.) are on sale for $2 each. And
one Tuesday a month, everything — yes,
everything — in the store is priced at only
$2. Brand names like Gap and Banana
Republic are included.
PHOTO: LYDIA GANS
Althea Norwood, Zina Vigay, Nora Merz and Joelle
Wright are ready to help you make the U-Turn.
variety of people shopping: active young
mothers with children, creative 20-some-
thing students, stylish women in their 40s
and 50s, and a dapper older man.
While U-Turn gets all its clothing
from donations, staffers select the best for
their store and pass items they do not use
to other organizations; they also receive
clothing from the Buffalo Exchange. The
store’s mix is constantly changing, but it’s
always seasonally appropriate. If you’d like
to donate, just call to set up a time to bring
in your items.
U-Turn is owned by Harbor House
Ministries of Oakland, a grassroots, inter-
denominational and multi-ethnic outreach
organization, which has served the Fruitvale
and San Antonio districts of Oakland since
1972 (http://www.hhministries.org). U-Turn
is one of their economic development pro-
grams, offering local youth training and
employment in retail while they complete
their educations. All the youth (high school
and college) working at U-Turn come to the
store via involvement with various Harbor
House programs for leadership, educational
and economic development.
But the clothes are just part of the story.
Joelle Wright, a friendly CCAC student who
works at the store, said, “One of our goals
is to involve the arts in this space, to make
it a place for the community to visit and
shop, to invite in friends and family to cel-
ebrate the arts and a variety of expressions
of creativity. One of the great things about
working here is the real integrity U-Turn
has about giving great prices for clothes, so
everyone can afford to be a part of this.”
When I visited in mid-February, an
Eddie Bauer poly vest in perfect condition
was $5, and a Liz Claiborne dress $8. If
you’re flexible, you can easily find a stylish,
affordable jacket, dress, pants, top, shoes
or accessories for men, women or children
at U-Turn.
The store’s pale green walls, purple ceil-
ing and fascinating music mix make this a
bit different from other recycled clothing
stores. A small stage at the rear has been
used for music presentations, and poetry
“People now come from all over the East
Bay, because they know we have a wonder-
ful selection of clothing at excellent value,”
said Althea. While I was there, I noted the
In April, U-Turn will celebrate its first
anniversary with a fashion show and party
at the store. Be sure to stop by for details,
and plan on taking some time to find your
own treasures.
U-Turn
5251 Broadway, Oakland
Phone 654-8887, Fax 594-2487
Open Tuesday — Saturday,
Where Cooking IS the Party!
11 a.m. — 6 p.m.
OFFERING
In-Home Cooking Classes
Custom-Designed Cookbooks
www.LulusKitchen.com 510.520.6397
March 8, 2003
14.
Natural Weight Loss
I’m a 30 year Rockridge resident who lost 25lb
with this incredible program, eating delicious
snacks and healthy meals all day long! The life-
time maintenance component means I’ve gained
no weight back for 11⁄2 years now! Previously
available only in doctors’ offices, now I am able
to offer it to you in your own home! Nancy
655-4345. nancybill@mindspring.com
MAC Help!
Are you frustrated with your Macintosh?
Want to do more with your computer but
don’t know how? Apple alumna is available
for house and office calls: advice, training,
and solutions. Rachel 658-7691.
Your Message Could Be Here
Your 36-word message: $18 (phone number
counts as one word). Mail to: RN Classifieds,
5245 College Avenue, PMB 311, Oakland, CA
94618. April deadline is March 20.
Jazz and Classical Piano Lessons
Rockridge jazz pianist with UC Berkeley
music B.A. offers lessons in jazz, blues, clas-
sical, music theory, ear-training, technique.
Experienced, patient teacher, all ages/levels.
Janet 653-6783.
Pilates or Gyrotonic®
1 FREE SESSION with purchase of package.
CLASSES: Pilates MAT, Pilates Group Reformer,
NIA®, Yoga & Yamuna® Body Rolling. First
Class Free. Workshops & Teacher Training
Certifications. Mind-Body Connection, 5255
College Ave., 510/420-0440 (www.mindbod
yconnection.net)
Home Repair Expert
Carpentry, remodeling. Doors and windows,
glass and locks, small electrical, plumbing jobs,
drywall, painting, fences, decks and other odd
jobs. Good rates. Ric M 510/464-5934
Your Local Fiduciary
Successor Trustee, Executor, Conservator of
the estate, 55 or VA payee. Trustworthy, knowl-
edgeable, I can do it all or provide crucial help.
Elizabeth Callaway Trust Services. 530-1720.
Tahoe Condo for Rent
Our lovely 3br/2+ba condo in Incline Village is
available for rent! Sleeps eight, is fully equipped!
Close to everything! Call 652-6664 for more
information.
"#
!
!
!
Rockridge Resident
Leila S. Gough
leila.gough@agedwards.com
1999 Harrison Street, #2050
Oakland, CA 94612
ORTRUN NIESAR
Rockridge Real Estate Marketing Consultant
Direct: 510/986-9560
Email: oniesar@aol.com
"SHOULD YOU
SAVE FOR YOUR
KID'S COLLEGE
OR FOR YOUR
RETIREMENT?
OR BOTH?"
#!1.'0'#/ ,$$#.#" 0&.,1%& ))/0 0# '+ +!' ) #.2'!#/ #!1.'0'#/ '+
+" #%'/0#.#" .,(#.# )#. #* #. $$'!# ,$ 1-#.2'/,.3
1.'/"'!0',+ ,10&
0& 0.##0 '+!,)+
4 ))/0 0# +/1. +!# ,*- +3
))/0 0#!,*
15.
March 8, 2003
Compiled by Jo Ellis
COMMUNITY CALENDAR
Check Your…
E-mail Rockridge News Community Calendar items to: joellis1@hotmail.com, phone 653-3210, or mail to: Rockridge News
Community Calendar, 5245 College Avenue, PMB 311, Oakland, CA 94618. Deadline is the next to the last Tuesday of the month.
District 1 Councilmember Jane
Brunner’s Monthly Community
Advisory Meeting
Light exercise, socializing, travel programs and
music.
Special programs 11am to noon
FOR ADULTS:
Lawyers in the Library: Free legal advice.
First Thursday of each month from 6 to 8pm.
Sign-up begins 5pm.
3/19 Kathy’s slides of Ireland.
3/26 Reading of Children’s Literature
4/2 Charles Fitch slides of Alaska
4/9 VCR tape: Land of the Eagles
Field Trips: 3/14 Trip to Los Gatos
Hot lunch available at noon for $1.75. For details
and inf. on upcoming field trips and events, call
Kathy at 531-6724
North Oakland Multi-Purpose
Senior Center
First Saturday each month, 10am to noon, Peralta
Elementary School: 460 63rd St. (parking on
Alcatraz Ave., just east of Telegraph). More
inf. and April 1 meeting topic: 238-7001 or
www.oaklandnet.com.
Oakland City Council Meeting
Library Hours: Mon. Tues. Sat. 10am to 5:30pm.
Wed. Thurs. 12:30 to 8pm. Closed Fri. & Sun.
For more information call 597-5017
Diesel Book/Poetry Reading
and Events
5433 College Ave. All events are free and open to the
public.
Thursday, March 6, 7:30pm Dao Strom: Grass
Every Tuesday, 7pm, City Hall
Oakland Planning Commission
Roof, Tin Roof
Sunday, March 9, 2pm. Manifest Press celebrates
1st and 3rd Weds each month, 6:30pm, City Hall.
Agendas and details at www.oaklandnet.com.
Rockridge Branch Library
5714 Martin Luther King, Jr. Way. Hours: Monday
– Friday 8:45am to 4:45pm. Following are high-
lights from a variety of activities:
Saturday, March 8, 10am to noon: Free work-
their latest journal, syllogism 5. Poetry reading,
snacks and libations.
Sunday, March 16, 2pm. Giovanni Singleton,
5366 College Ave.
FOR CHILDREN:
Toddler Story Time on Saturday: 3/1, 3/8, 4/5
shop for families and caregivers sponsored by
the Alzheimer’s Association
Tuesday, March 11, 10:30am: Computer Class
editor: nocturnes: a local journal of contemporary
authors and poets. Poetry reading, punch and
cake.
Thursday, March 20, 7:30pm Tamim Ansary:
and 4/12 at 10:30am
Pre-School Story Hours on Tues.: 3/4, 3/18,
registration for spring sessions. Beginners
through Internet use. Free for age 50+
Wednesday, March 12, 2 to 6pm: Spring
West of Kabul, East of NewYork.
Sunday, March 23, 2pm Renee Swindle: students
4/1 and 4/15 at 10:30 and 11am
Pajama Story Time on Wed.: 3/12, 3/26, 4/9
Dance. $5 fundraising donation in advance at
the reception desk.
AARP Tax assistance every Tuesday until tax
from her UC Extension Class, Developing the
Novel, will read and discuss their works in prog-
ress.
Thursday, April 3, 7:30pm Amelia Barofsky,
and 4/23 at 7pm
SPECIAL EVENTS:
Free Book Swap for ages 5 to 15.
(Date here) Set up from 3:00 to 3:30pm, swap
from 3:30 to 4:40pm. Refreshments to follow.
Bring books you are finished reading and swap
for others. Bring a blanket or mat for display.
Landscape drawing class for ages 10 to 18.
day.
Craft and sewing classes
Walking groups and field trips: Sign up in
editor: Regeneration: Stories from our 20s.
Group reading.
Sunday, April 6, 2pm Elizabeth Robinson, editor:
advance by March 19 for trips to Sacramento,
Reno, and Yosemite.
The Newsletter, “North Oakland Senior Times”
provides a full schedule of classes and a monthly
lunch menu. Call 597- 5085 for membership
details, class or appointment times and opportu-
nities to become a volunteer.
Elder Care Support Group
Five Fingers Review. Group reading from literary
journal.
Wednesday, April 9, 7:30pm Wes “Scoop” Nisker:
Saturdays, March 22nd and March 29th from
1:00 to 3:00pm. Artist Alan Leon presents
“Panorama Oakland,” a two-session class
on drawing landscapes. Call or visit for early
sign-up: enrollment limited to 20 students.
FOR YOUNG ADULTS:
Teen Advisory Council meets Thursday, March
The Big Bang, the Buddha, and the Baby Boom:
the Spiritual Experiments of My Generation. Book
publication party and performance.
Diesel Book Groups:
Tues. March 11, 7:30pm Reading Anna Karenina
(parts 5-8) by Tolstoy
El Grupito – Spanish Language Conversation
Alta Bates Medical Center, Herrick Campus, 2001
Dwight Way, Berkeley, 3rd floor, room 3369B
(take elevator B). Free for family/friends caring
for older adults. 3rd Wednesday of each month,
4-5:30pm. For information on all support/
education groups offered by Alta Bates/Sutter
Health: call Monica at 802-1725 or e-mail
Monicalcsw@alum.calberkeley.org
Rockridge Artists Wanted
13th, 3:30- 5:30pm. (2nd Thursday each
month)
Group. Wednesday, March 19 at 7:30pm. Drop in
for a casual, friendly opportunity to improve your
Spanish.
For more information: 653-9965 or
www.dieselbookstore.com
Free Comedy Showcase and
Open Mic
Donate your work exhibition and auction at
“Sweet Inspirations: A Community Art Experience
and Auction,” a benefit for Elizabeth House, a resi-
dence for homeless and low-income women and
children at 6423 Colby St. in Rockridge. We need
your paintings, photographs, edible art, wearable
art, quilts, crafts, handmade gifts, or give lessons
in your art form. In return, you will get publicity
through press coverage, exposure on our website,
a tax deduction for your contribution, and the
gratitude of the women and children of Elizabeth
House. Deadline for submission is April 12.
*The Art Auction will take place at: Holy Redeemer
Center, 8945 Golf Links Road, Saturday, April 26,
from 7 to 10pm. For information, contact Gail Sul-
livan: 658-7755 or sullivang25@hotmail.com
Start your career in comedy at A’Cuppa Tea, 3200
College Ave, (corner of Alcatraz). Every Tuesday, 7:
30 to 9pm. Be there by 7pm to sign up. Also: Every
Saturday, 7 to 9pm: free acoustic music perfor-
mance. For more information call 420-0196.
Rockridge Toastmasters
Every Tuesday, 7pm, Veterans Building, 200 Grand
Ave., Oakland. Improve your public speaking skills
in a friendly and supportive environment. For
more information call Craig at 597-0951 or e-mail
www.rockridgetoastmasters.org
College Avenue Adult Center
College Ave. Presbyterian Church, 5955 College Ave.
Every Wednesday, open from 9:30am to 1:30pm.
March 8, 2003
16.
Don Coelho
339-4721
27th year
serving Rockridge!
Buying or selling real estate in 2003?
Call me… the proven professional
Un-Trenching
“YOUR 24/7”
REALTOR”
Live ... Work ... Play
America
I can help you
Buy or Sell
in Rockridge!
L A W T O N
{ }
Coming in Feb.
Beautiful Duplex
on Regent Street
A S S O C I A T E S
R E A L E S T A T E
B R O K E R A G E
Trenchless
Sewer Pipe Replacement!
Ron Kriss, Realtor®/Partner
Lawton Associates
510-547-5970 Ext. 55
ronkriss@jps.net
“I Know Rockridge”
Drain & Sewer Pipes
TV Inspections & Repair
845-1229
Terry Kulka *
339-4789
Proven Results in Selling Rockridge Homes
* Terry is in the top 5% in production for
Coldwell Banker nationwide and is a proud supporter of
Chabot Elementary School
OFull Service Real Estate O
Serving Home Owners, Renters, Buyers, Investors
25 years of Marketing/Negotiation Experience
20 years of Renovation Consulting
Complete Client Support from Pre- to Post-Sale
Rockridge Resident for 25 years
Jeff Auen
"I wholeheartedly recommend Jeff to any prospective seller or buyer.
He lived up to his promise of providing full service ³ and more."
C.O.: seller/investor, Shafter/Forest, Rockridge.
www.HomesEastBay.info 1-800-805-8827
Heritage Century 21
Jan Fougner
OWNER – BROKER
BUYING OR SELLING IN
ROCKRIDGE? IF YOU
NEED THE SERVICES
OF A REALTOR, CALL
ME. I HAVE 26 YEARS
OF ROCKRIDGE SALES
EXPERIENCE AND THE
EXPERTISE YOU NEED.
6 5 5 - 2 3 3 0
ROCKRIDGE
R
E
A
L
T
Y
6 0 1 9 C O L L E G E AV E N U E
KEVIN BROWN
Broker
654-8707 or 593-4780
PROVIDING
Professional,
Full Service
Real Estate Brokerage
To Rockridge Clients
For Over 24 Years.
SPECIALIZING IN
Residential Sales
Income Property
Commercial
Property Management
Better Homes
Realty
5353 College Avenue
Oakland