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 NOTE: RCPC has a new phone number. Call 510/644-4228 with questions and comments on community issues. 

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VOL. 18 • NO. 4 • ISSUE NO. 189 • April 5, 2003 CIRCULATION: 5,100 RESIDENCES; 200 BUSINESSES

Sponsored by The Rockridge Community Planning Council • 5245 College Ave. PMB 311 • Oakland, CA 94618 • 644-4228

District Redraw Plan Could Split
Rockridge: RCPC Opposed
S

trong opposition to a redistricting proposal that would have split Rockridge in half
was voiced in a letter from the Rockridge Community Planning Council to Oakland
Mayor Jerry Brown and members of the City Council. At a meeting last month, the
Council appeared to be moving away from the drastic change.

The Council’s original Plans A and B kept Rockridge intact, while Plan C1 proposed
dividing Rockridge at Shafter/Keith (near
Market Hall) and attaching the two sections
to different council districts. “This shape
seems particularly odd, and intended at
some level to divide our neighborhood in
two, both in terms of representation and
in terms of neighborhood collaboration,”
RCPC Chair Glen Tripp said in his February
letter. “It just does not make sense to split
such a cohesive neighborhood.”

PHOTO: LYDIA GANS
Rockridge Branch Head Librarian Pat
Lichter enjoys her new position.
New Head Librarian
For Rockridge Library
For the first time in 1-1/2 years, the
Rockridge branch of the Oakland
Public Library has a head librarian. She
is Pat Lichter, a longtime librarian with
extensive experience working in Bay Area
libraries and with young people.

Plan C1 proposes dividing
Rockridge at Shafter/Keith
(near Market Hall) and
attaching the two sections to
different council districts.

At a March 18 meeting, the Oakland City Council tentatively approved the Reid-de la
Fuente compromise plan, which makes significant boundary changes in other districts but
leaves Rockridge intact. A final report will be submitted for approval later this month.
Full details on the redistricting plan are available at www.oaklandnet.com.

Every decade, political district boundaries are redrawn in response to population
shifts. According to the 2000 Census, District 1, which now includes Rockridge, has
grown by only 50 residents while the city of Oakland has grown much more rapidly.
District 1 will need 3,172 additional residents to meet the new population standard, while
other districts will need to lose residents.

Although she lives in Albany, Pat says,
“I’ve spent a lot of time in Rockridge. I
can tell I’m going to love this community,
and the building’s gorgeous. I’m already
having fun.”

Redistricting also affects state and national election units. However, because RCPC’s
concerns are primarily local, the impact of being in two
different City Council districts would be much stronger.
a g e n d a:
RCPC General Meeting

Marilyn Citron, chair of Friends of the
Rockridge Library,
says supporters are
 LIBRARIAN, PAGE 10
 DISTRICT PROPOSAL, PAGE 13

Thursday, April 24, 7:30 p.m.
Rockridge Branch Library
Community Room
5366 College Avenue at Manila
 Candidates Night
Come listen to candidates for the Rock-
ridge Community Planning Council’s
Board of Directors and cast your vote.
 Meet Councilmember Brunner
City Councilmember Jane Brunner talks
about her North Oakland LivableCom-
munities Project and asks: How can we
make Rockridge a better place to live?

Brunner Has Questions, Plans
For Rockridge Improvements
Rockridge is the model of a livable community that City
Councilmember Jane Brunner had in mind when she
launched her North Oakland Livable Communities Project,
but “even though Rockridge is an extremely successful neigh-
borhood, I believe we can make it better,” she says.
At the Rockridge Community Planning Council’s April
24 General Meeting, she’ll be seeking ideas on how we could
make Rockridge an even better place to live. The meeting will
also include brief remarks by candidates for RCPC’s board of
directors, followed by voting at the meeting. Residents may also
vote on Saturday, April 26 at the
Rockridge Library. (The candidates
 RCPC IN APRIL, PAGE 3

Vote for
RCPC Board
Candidtates
at the Apr il
General
Meeting or
on Saturday,
Apr il 26.

April 5, 2003
2.

Around the Neighborhood
by Jacqueline Tasch, Editor, The Rockridge News
College Avenue Merchants:
Always the Core of the Neighborhood
Y

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

ou don’t have to live long in Rockridge to know that the lively
merchant community on College Avenue is at its heart. Even
before the area now identified as Rockridge came to be recognized, College Avenue was
drawing the community together.

SEE COMMUNITY CALENDAR, PAGE 15,
FOR LIBRARY PROGRAM DETAILS.

Growing up on Lawton Avenue in the 1920s, my neighbor Neva remembers lots of
attractions on College Avenue: a Bank of America where Market Hall now stands, a
Chimes Theater nearby, and a German deli that sold pickles and sausage. The streetcar
to downtown Oakland ran up College, and Neva and her playmates would look down
Lawton to see when the streetcar went by on College, then race up Broadway to catch
it there.

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.

Those were different times, of course. Instead of the recycling truck, the rag and bottle
man came by from time to time. “Every Saturday a lady came to the house and washed
our hair,” Neva says, although she can’t remember why that seemed necessary. Kids at
the Alcatraz end of Rockridge went to The Pink School, a one-room school (named after
its color) in the lot where Safeway shoppers now park. Neva and her friends went to the
Claremont School—no Middle to it—which offered Grades 1 through 8.
A

Rockridge News Production
Jacqueline Tasch..................Editor-in-Chief
Margret Elson, Ortrun Niesar, David Hatfield
Neil Getz, Claire Isaacs... Writers
Barry Kaufman...................Food
Jo Ellis...................................Calendar
Theresa Nelson ....................Neighborhood Merchant
Lydia Gans...........................Photography
Lauri Scharber....................Advertising
Susan Montauk...................Business Manager
Don Kinkead.......................Graphics & Layout

fter some time at the New England Conservatory of Music and a brief marriage,
Neva soon returned to Oakland. In 1945, she came back to Rockridge, moving into
a house on Ross Circle with her daughter and her mother—three generations sharing the
house. Although Ross Circle started life as a mere driveway for the Ross farm, by the
1940s a number of houses had been built, most of them bigger and grander than the one
Neva and her family occupied. B. F. Edwards, an executive with Bank of America, lived in
the big house at 106 Ross—the first on the block—and prominent architect Worley Wong
lived up the street, next door to the well-known painter, Jason Schoener. Neva’s daughter
Jacquelin had only one potential playmate on the mostly child-free block. Fortunately,
they became good friends, enjoying the neighborhood’s doings, especially visits by Ah
Bing, who brought his horse-drawn wagon up Ross with produce and other treats.

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,
Eric Neville, Chad Thompson, Michael Whitfield

Not that there weren’t shops at this end of College, too, including a produce market
and butcher at the corner of Florio. In a time before two coffee shops per block, students
tended to hang out at the tables the pharmacy put out for patrons of its soda fountain.
Neva has enjoyed the proliferation of restaurants on College, and she was such a fan of
La Farine’s morning buns that her photo hung on the wall there for a time.

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

“As far back as I can remember,” Neva says (and that’s going some), “College Avenue
has been much the same as it is today. Lots of small shops with warm service and
friendly people inside.”

 Are there community issues you’d like to see
covered in The Rockridge News?

Which makes it especially hard to see shops closing on College Avenue—some of them
longtime neighbors who’ve added to the quality of life in this special place. Elsewhere
in this issue, you’ll find a list of recent clos-
ings and a story about the departed Sierra
Club bookstore.

I’d prefer to focus on the longtime neigh-
bors who continue to fill our grocery bags,
clean our clothes, cut our hair, and fix our
cars and bikes. Some of you may have stories
about Rockridge’s longtime merchants and
service businesses—those on the street for
at least a decade or two. Others may have
questions about how old favorites came to
be. Please share your stories and questions.
My mailbox awaits your words.
C O N T E M P O R A R Y C L O T H I N G
F O R W O M E N S I Z E 14+
5937 CO LLE G E AVE N U E
OA KL AN D, CA 94 619
T: 510.654 . 514 4

 Do you have questions about newsletter
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
RCPC Voicemail: 644-4228
NEWSLETTER ADVERTISING/DEADLINES
Publication date of the next issue is
 May 5, 2003;
 May deadline is April 17.
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.)

April 5, 2003

At the March RCPC Meeting

Bungalow Fever at RCPC Monthly Meeting

by Claire Isaacs
Tand larger houses in the Craftsman style.
to room directly rather than through a hall.
The Arts and Crafts influence can be seen
in the way construction is exposed. Beams,
columns and supports under the extended
eaves were not covered with stucco, stone
or wood.
But most homes were built for middle
class owners. Potential owners could order
everything from floor plans to interior
and exterior wall treatments, even special
built-ins such as a sideboard, benches,
bookshelves, and cabinets. Special add-ons
included sleeping porches and sliding pocket
doors to hide extra sleeping, studying or
work space. These houses were attractively
economical.
he Arts and Crafts Design Movement
may have originated in England, but
its influence spread widely throughout the
United States between 1900 and 1930. This
aesthetic movement was adapted to residen-
tial housing in the form of the Craftsman
bungalow, a style of housing enormously
popular in California and truly ubiquitous
in Rockridge.
For the rapt audience, this history of
Rockridge’s signature home style was pure
delight. Those who missed this thorough and
detailed presentation may look for books
by Paul Duchscherer and his co-author,
Douglas Keister: The Bungalow, Inside
the Bungalow and Outside the Bungalow,
as well as several on specific aspects such
as fireplaces. They should be available in
local Rockridge bookstores. Duchscherer’s
latest publication is Victorian Glory.
Thus, the people who attended RCPC’s
monthly meeting on Thursday evening,
March 20, at the Rockridge Library, were
absolutely glued to the brilliant slide lec-
ture offered by author and Arts and Crafts
expert Paul Duchscherer. Although the war
in Iraq started that day, an eager crowd of
neighbors abandoned the breaking news
to learn about this beautiful period in home
design. Using a large and exceptionally
varied set of slides, Duchscherer traced the
Craftsman bungalow style through the first
three decades of the 20th century.
More important, “they offered a new
kind of house for a new century,” said
Duchscherer. The long hallways and
entry ways characteristic of Victorians
disappeared. Visitors to a bungalow enter
the living room itself and pass from room
RCPC in April
to from your home? What business
would you like to see close by?
 How can we capitalize on what’s
from page 1
good about your neighborhood to
make Rockridge even better?
RCPC’s General Meeting is one of sev-
eral neighborhood meetings Brunner plans
to hold as part of the North Oakland Livable
Communities Project. At each, residents will
be asked to describe their neighborhood’s
strengths and weaknesses and to identify
the two most important projects. “To me,
a Livable Community is a place where
housing, schools, parks and shopping are
all within easy walking distance, and con-
venient public transportation gets residents
to jobs and social services in other com-
munities,” Brunner says.
describe themselves and their reasons for
running on pages 4 and 5.)
The word bungalow, explained Duch-
scherer, derived from the East Indian word,
bangala, a native mud hut in India featur-
ing heavily overhung roofs. The word was
Anglicized during the English Raj. The
first use of the word bungalow in America
dates to about 1880. Here it describes small,
cottage-like structures, usually one story.
Some built low-rent bungalow complexes,
especially in Southern California, and the
wealthy commissioned custom bungalows
Following are some of the questions
Councilmember Brunner would like resi-
dents to consider:
 Are the streets in Rockridge walkable
and do they feel safe?
 Are there enough high-quality pro-
grams and recreational opportunities
for youth?
 What stores and services can you walk
“When I envisioned this project, I wanted
to replicate the lessons and successes of
Rockridge in every neighborhood in North
Oakland,” Brunner says. “North Oakland’s
neighborhoods are among the best in the
Bay Area, but there is still much we can
do to make them everything we want them
to be.”
WANTED: Homes for sale in Rockridge!
Address
Bed/Ba
List Price
Selling Price
Close Date
6120 Taft
2/2
$599,000
$627,000
03/05/03
5940 Margarido
4/2
$1,175,000
$1,343,000
03/07/03
465 Hudson
2/1
$469,000
$620,000
03/11/03
393 61st
2/1
$595,000
$745,000
03/14/03
5340 Broadway Ter
2/2
$489,000
$510,000
03/21/03
5690 Ocean View
4/1
$849,000
$935,000
03/21/03
59 Bowling Drive
5/6
$3,100,000
$2,800,000
03/21/03
Rockridge sales volume is down 63% (13 homes sold in this quarter vs. 35 in the last quarter)
Interested residents may attend the
RCPC meeting or call Brunner’s office
at 238-7001.

of a home in Rockridge is currently $627,000.
VOTE FOR RCPC
BOARDMEMBERS:
APRIL 24 AND APRIL 26.

This decrease in supply vs. the demand drives the prices up. Median price
If you are thinking of buying or selling
call me for a free consultation.

April 5, 2003
4.

Rockridge Residents to Elect New
Members Of RCPC Board
A

Hiroko Kurihara
62nd Street
O

candidates’ forum and election for the 2003 Board of Directors of the
Rockridge Community Planning Council will take place at the General Meeting
in the Rockridge Library on April 24 at 7:30 p.m. Residents are invited to meet
the candidates, ask questions, and cast their votes. Votes may also be cast outside
the Rockridge Library on Saturday, April 26, from 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

ur family
m o v e d
into the neigh-
borhood almost
five years ago.
We’ve come
to know our
neighbors and almost every merchant
on College Avenue. Now, I’d like the
opportunity to work on long-term
issues that affect the livelihood of this
vibrant neighborhood, like advocating
for sustainable transportation plans
and ensuring that there are more
neighborhood-serving businesses. This
year, I’m starting a skills and interests
survey of my immediate neighborhood
to help share stories and strengthen
our community. My formal education is
in textile design from the Rhode Island
School of Design. I applied my skills towards
urban design, then community economic
development for the past 10 years,
primarily in the not-for-profit field. I have
experience on not-for-profit boards and
commissions. Recently, I started a home-
based socially responsible business that
produces hand-made blankets and scarves.
I feel blessed to be living in Rockridge
with my husband, Jason, my 10-year-old
son, Theo, and my 2-and-a-half-year-old
daughter, Denali. I look forward to being
part of the commitment and energy that
the RCPC Board represents.

Rockridge residents who are over 18 and who live within RCPC boundaries
are eligible to vote (see map at www.rockridge.org for boundaries, or at the
library). Voters will be asked to verify their address with a driver’s license.

the special nature of our community
and if re-elected I will work toward the
preservation and enhancement of our
neighborhood.
Dan Ferdelman
Claremont Avenue
For the past two
years I have served
on the RCPC Board
and the RCPC Land
Use Committee. I
have worked with
residents, the city of
Oakland, property owners and developers
to foster a satisfying built environment
and good community. I would like to
continue to serve our community and
ensure it remains the dynamic and charming
place we all love. I currently work for a
residential architect in San Francisco as
project manager and designer, but my
education includes a degree in Community
Planning. My experience includes working
on residential and commercial remodels
and new construction; I have also
worked for community nonprofits and
city development agencies. As a five-
year resident of Rockridge, I appreciate
David Hatfield
Manila Avenue
I

am
running
for
re-election to the
Rockridge Community
Planning
Council
because my first year
on the council has
been enjoyable and
there’s more I’d like to do. In my first
year on the RCPC, I became involved in
our ongoing website redesign and also with
the committee to explore the beautification
of the exterior of the BART station. I was
also recently named Editor-in-Chief of The
Rockridge News. My wife and I are expecting
our first child in July and we plan to make
Rockridge our home for quite a few years.
I’d like to be as involved as possible during
that time.
CANDIDATES CONTINUE TOP OF NEXT PAGE

!
!"$

"!$
#

April 5, 2003

site design as they do to building design.
Common areas such as the BART Station,
the 51st Street median, and neighborhood
parks and playgrounds need regular review
to assure they meet safety, utility and
aesthetic standards. Further, if resistance to
a fourth Caldecott bore fails, land use must
be an essential part of mitigation. I would
appreciate your vote and promise to work
hard for the good of the community.
interested neighbors with community
service opportunities. Additionally, I’d
like to support the UnderBART project
and the completion of Phase II of the
Rockridge-Temescal Greenbelt. Thanks
for your support.
Jessica Pitt
James Avenue
Ihave
lived
in
Rockridge for the past
four years and recently
became a homeowner
in the neighborhood.
I work for a non-
profit
community
d e v e l o p m e n t
organization in Oakland and assist
neighborhood organizations throughout
the city to build their capacity to shape local
development. I would like to become more
involved in my own community and bring
my experience and skills in neighborhood
development to Rockridge. This year, I
served on the District 1 Community
Development Board, which recommends
allocations for Oakland’s Community
Development Block Grant funds. As an
RCPC board member, I would seek to
encourage opportunities for neighborhood
residents to become more involved in
decisions that affect our community, and
to build a stronger sense of community
among Rockridge residents.
Greg Yoch
Shafter Avenue
Glen Tripp
Hillegass Avenue
My name is Greg
Yoch. My wife
Ahroon and I have lived
on Shafter Avenue in
Rockridge for about
a year. I’ve been a
resident of the Bay
Area since 1996. My professional
background is in business, specifically
marketing, sales and consulting. I am
currently the Director of Retail Sales
and Marketing at Niman Ranch in
Oakland. I’m thrilled with the Rockridge
neighborhood and all it has to offer. My
goal is to be more connected with the
people of this community and make it
even a better place. I would like to do
that by applying my leadership, creativity,
and organizational skills to the RCPC. One
of my first objectives is to organize fun,
informal events to promote greater social
connection between residents.
Ijoined the RCPC
Board two years
ago shortly after
moving here with my
family. In my first year,
I involved myself with
recruiting volunteers
for the big FROGpark build and helping
to create the community service grant
for schools that was recently awarded
to North Oakland Community Charter
School. I was elected Chair in my second
year and have since involved myself mostly
in the duties of organizing the monthly
board meetings, recruiting new volunteers,
helping the organization set its strategic
priorities, and enjoying being a new father.
In the next two years, I’d like to focus
even more on the idea of connecting
John Potis
College Avenue
Iam volunteering to
serve on the RCPC
Board because, as a
landscape architect, I
would like to continue
to see excellent land
use in the Rockridge
neighborhood. It’s
important to assure that neighborhood
projects, especially larger scale projects
like Dreyers, Market Hall and the CCAC
dormitory, devote as much attention to
Rockridge Kitchen Tour Seeks Volunteers
 Rockridge Kitchen
Tour Co-Chairs Deborah
Larson, Susan Montauk,
and Natalie Mehta
(pictured from left to
right) are busy cooking
up plans for the 2003
Tour. You can help.
PHOTO: LYDIA GANS
by Natalie Mehta
T

he Rockridge Kitchen Tour Committee has had the pleasure of being invited
into a number of neighborhood homes as we continue the selection process
for kitchens to feature in the fall tour. Suffice it to say that the temporary incon-
venience of cooking on a camping stove in the garage and washing dishes in the
bathroom sink has resulted in many stunning renovations to Rockridge kitchens,
and we look forward to a spectacular tour on September 28.

The tour has become a Bay Area favorite since its incep-
tion in 1995, and much of its success is due to the enthusiasm
 TOUR, PAGE 13

April 5, 2003
6.

April 19: FROG Community Day Offers Opportunity

by Carroll Moore
Iopportunity to make your own ceramic
tile to decorate the playground. “We had
such a tremendous response to the tile-
making fundraiser, we’ve already nearly
filled the playground fencing with tiles,”
says tile-making volunteer Karen Cheever.
The tile-making ($25 each) will take place
near the Hardy Park play structure. Don’t
forget your checkbooks.
for us to join in common cause.
When you come to the Hardy or Redondo
Parks, please bring work gloves, a water
bottle, rake, broom and hand whisk if pos-
sible. You may want to label your belongings
so they don’t get mixed up with others. Bring
your own lunch for a picnic in the park
from 12 to 1 p.m. Beverages and dessert
will be provided for all volunteers. If you
can bring a dessert for the group, please
contact Kate at 658-7833.
f you and your kids have spent happy
times at Hardy or Redondo playgrounds,
or you can take an hour or so to do a little
neighborhood spring cleaning, one golden
opportunity is the Friends of the Rockridge-
Temescal Greenbelt (FROG) semi-annual
Community Day on April 19. We need help
to sweep the walkways and play structures,
rake the groundcover, sift the sandboxes,
collect trash and do other family-friendly
tasks. Bring children of all ages for an hour
or the whole day – anytime between 9 a.m.
and 5 p.m. There will be something for
everyone to do.
Contact carroll@arcadiaworks.com
if you have questions or need more
information.
This workday will also be your last

FROG Playgrounds Free of Carcinogenic Wood
I

n February 2003, the Consumer Products Safety Commission issued a report acknowl-
edging the health risks associated with common “pressure treated” CCA (chromated
copper arsenate) lumber. Since the 1970s, much of the wood used for playgrounds, decks
and other outdoor construction has been treated with pesticides that contain arsenic or
other carcinogens. These carcinogens leach from the wood and create significant health
risks when contacted, including an increased incidence of bladder and lung cancer.

Rockridge and Temescal had no com-
munity playgrounds until October 2001,
when more than 1,300 volunteers labored
side-by-side to build the park play struc-
tures. In those sad and uncertain days after
9/11, FROGpark was a place for us to work
and be together, joined in community by
a powerful and peaceful task. The work
continues, and everyone can still be a
FROGpark volunteer.

The FROG playgrounds do not contain CCA treated wood. Responsible alternatives,
including ChoiceDeck (recycled plastic lumber), ACQ Preserve (non-toxic exterior lumber)
and other environmentally sound materials were consciously used, and the playgrounds
do not pose a carcinogenic risk to any users. Visit www.leathersassociates.com for more
information about the safe materials used throughout the FROG playgrounds, and go
have fun at the park!

As part of FROG’S negotiations with
the city, the community agreed to help keep
the play areas and structures in good shape.
During Community Days in the spring and
fall, we add new features, clean the play
structures and grounds and do needed
repairs. The work provides another chance
FROGpark Offers
Materials Surplus
If you’re planning to build a deck for
your backyard or if other projects
are on your spring agenda, the FROG-
park playground project has surplus
lumber at heavily discounted prices—
and it is environmentally responsible
and non-toxic (no arsenic!). The
wood is pressure-treated 2x4 and
2x6 lumber suitable for decking and
other weather-exposed construction.
You’ll not only save lots of money by
buying from FROG, your purchase will
help fund other community projects.
For information, call Jimmy Pedersen
at 652-8440.

$5 FREE DRYCLEANING with garment orders over $28
or $3 OFF orders over $15
Dry Cleaning only  Present with incoming order
Garden Cleaners
5808 College Ave., Oakland
EXPERT
SHIRT
LAUNDERING!
601-1188
Mon-Fri 7-7 • Sat 8-6
(Across from Albertson’s & Zachary’s Pizza)

April 5, 2003

April 19: Temescal
Creek and 51st
Street Cleanup
Get a head start on
Earth Day celebrations
Two local groups are organizing volunteers
to spruce up our public areas in time for
spring. While official Earth Day activities
elsewhere in the Bay Area are taking place
on April 22, Oakland crews will hit the streets
on April 19.
by Jacqueline Hoeppner-Freitas, Chair,
DMV Neighbors Association
Temescal Creek and neighboring areas
on 51st Street are targets for Earth Day
volunteers in North Oakland on April 19, in
a cleanup is sponsored by the DMV Neigh-
bors Association (DNA), under the City
of Oakland’s Adopt-a-Creek Program. The
nearby Colombo Club, an Italian neighbor-
hood organization established in the 1920s,
will provide the pasta part of a potluck for
workers after the job is done.

Rockridge Area Crimes
Reported to OPD
Report Period: 2/20 – 3/15/03
by Neil Getz
Date
Description
Address
2/20/03.......Burglary: Commercial...........................B’way (Coronado - College)
2/21/03 .......Attempted Robbery..............................Taft & College
.......Vehicle Theft...........................................B’way (Napa - B’way Terr.)
.......Vehicle Theft...........................................Colby & Claremont
2/22/03.......Burglary: Residential .............................Claremont (Clarke - Telegraph)
.......Theft: Personal Property [Over $400]
Boyd (Clifton - Cavour)
2/23/03.......Burglary: Residential .............................Locksley (Clifton - Cavour)
.......Burglary: Residential .............................Shafter (Clifton - Cavour)
2/24/03 .......Petty Theft: Shoplift..............................College & Harwood
.......Burglary: Auto........................................Cavour & Locksley
2/25/03.......Burglary: Commercial...........................College (Bryant - Clifton)

.......Vehicle Theft...........................................Ayala & Howell
.......Petty Theft w/Prior for Theft/Burglary/Robbery
Telegraph & Alcatraz
.......Petty Theft w/Prior for Theft/Burglary/Robbery
Telegraph (50 St. - 51 St.)
2/26/03.......Burglary: Residential .............................Hudson (Shafter - Miles)

At 9 a.m., volunteers for the creek-and
street-cleaning projects should sign in at
Temescal Creek in the Department of
Motor Vehicles parking lot at Clarement
and Cavour. Tasks will include weeding,
raking, picking up debris, sweeping, prun-
ing, and cutting back ivy. Creek volunteers
should wear boots because of the wet creek
bed. Fifty-first Street volunteers will work
between Telegraph and Lawton Avenues.
The City will supply some gloves, gar-
bage bags, and tools (rakes, hoes, shovels,
brooms, loppers, etc.). However, volunteers
are urged to bring their favorite, well-marked
tools and gloves in case city supplies run
out. In addition, wheelbarrows are always
welcome because green waste is stacked,
not bagged.
When the work is done—about noon—
the DNA-Colombo Club-sponsored potluck
will take place at 5275 Redondo, across
Cavour from the DMV. Donations of side
dishes such as green salad or fruit salad
are always appreciated. The Colombo Club
brings pasta and garlic bread; the DNA will
supply dessert and beverages.

.......Burglary: Auto........................................Claremont & Martin
.......Burglary: Auto........................................Ocean View (McMillan - B’way)
.......Assault with Caustic Chemical...........Telegraph (50 St. - 51 St.)
2/27/03 .......Burglary: Residential .............................Telegraph (Claremont - 55 St.)
.......Burglary: Auto........................................Ayala (Martin - Howell)
.......Burglary: Residential .............................49 St. & Lawton
.......Vehicle Theft...........................................50 St. (Lawton - Shafter)
2/28/03.......Vehicle Theft...........................................Desmond (Coronado - 51 St.)
.......Burglary: Auto........................................Auburn (Florio - Mystic)
.......Burglary: Auto........................................Taft (B’way - College)
3/1/03..........Theft: Personal Property.....................Telegraph & 51 St.
..........Vehicle Theft...........................................Oak Grove (Forest - College)
..........Burglary: Auto........................................55 St. (Vicente - Telegraph)
3/2/03 .........Robbery ...................................................Colby & 61 St.
.........Vehicle Theft...........................................Colby (Alcatraz - Woolsey)
3/3/03 .........Burglary: Auto........................................Whitmore (Gilbert - B’way)
.........Vehicle Theft...........................................49 St. & Coronado
.........Burglary: Auto........................................Ocean View (McMillan - College)
3/4/03 .........Burglary: Auto........................................Whitmore (Gilbert - B’way)
.........Burglary: Auto........................................Telegraph (Claremont - 55 St.)
3/7/03..........Vehicle Theft...........................................Lawton & Clifton
..........Burglary: Auto........................................Clifton & College
3/9/03 .........Vehicle Theft...........................................Coronado (49 St. - 51 St.)
.........Burglary: Commercial...........................Telegraph & Alcatraz
.........Burglary: Commercial...........................College & Chabot
.........Petty Theft: Auto Clout.......................Taft (B’way - College)
.........Burglary: Auto........................................Keith & McMillan
3/10/03 .......Petty Theft ..............................................Telegraph (Alcatraz - North)
.......Burglary: Auto........................................Bryant & College
3/11/03........Burglary: Auto........................................Rockwell (Mystic - Florio)
3/12/03 .......Burglary: Auto........................................Whitmore (Gilbert - B’way)
.......Burglary: Residential .............................Belgrave & Napa
.......Vehicle Theft...........................................Hudson (Shafter - Locksley)
.......Burglary: Auto........................................Shafter (Forest - Hudson)
.......Burglary: Auto........................................Manila (Bryant - College)
3/13/03........Petty Theft: Shoplift..............................B’way (Coronado - 51 St.)
3/14/03 .......Burglary: Auto........................................Miles (Avon - 51 St.)
3/15/03........Burglary: Commercial...........................College (Oak Grove - Chabot)

Dial 911 to report crimes and suspicious actvity in progress.

For more information call Margaret at
655-1767.

(Cell phone users in Oakland, call 777-3211 for 911 service.)
Remember: If you don’t report it, it didn’t happen.

April 5, 2003
8.

Sierra Club Bookstore Closes After 25 Years on College

by Claire Isaacs
A
$300,000 a year, just before the Oakland
Firestorm of 1991. As residents left the
area while houses were rebuilt, store sales
dropped. For the last several years, sales
have been about $200,000 at best.
familiar, friendly, even funky little
bookstore run by the local Sierra Club
Chapter at 6014 College Avenue shut its
doors permanently March 15. Rumors and
other signs of impending demise had spread
for at least two months. A few weeks ago,
when the volunteers who staffed the store
stopped accepting donated books for their
ongoing $1 outdoor sale, it was obvious the
end had come.
Meanwhile, the rent began to creep up,
5% to 7% a year, said Bennett. The original
landlord had sympathized with the Sierra
Club’s cause and kept the rent low. His
sons and heirs felt obliged to maximize
the return on the property.
“In this time of recession and difficult
conditions for all independent bookstores,
our bookstore has been losing an increasing
amount of money. This, alas, cuts into the
funds available for the Chapter’s conserva-
tion mission,” The Sierra Club’s newsletter,
The Yodeler, explained in its March issue.
Finally the line was crossed, as income
fell below expenses.
“There are more and more conservation
issues to deal with all the time, requiring
more funds,” said Bennett. In addition to the
campaign to keep oil drilling out of parts
of the Arctic Refuge, the Sierra Club has
been working to establish the East Shore
State Park, and is concerned with plans to
develop the Albany Race Track and Franklin
Canyon. Bennett said that the board decided
that funds to keep the store open would be
better spent on conservation and member-
ship activities.
PHOTO: CLAIRE ISAACS
A final customer enters the Sierra Club
Bookstore in its closing days.
A few days before it closed, customers
wandered forlornly through the shop, its
shelves nearly emptied by a sale at 40%
off. Among the leftovers: an atlas of India,
a map of Hungary, snowy Christmas card
scenes, stacks of 2003 Sierra Club Calen-
dars, and stationery made of recycled paper.
Fairs and Festivals of Illinois, Indiana,
and Ohio might have a limited local audi-
ence, but others seemed to have more
appeal, for example, Conversations with
Eminent Women in Science or California
Bass Angling Guide. And there were also
one-of-a-kind gems like Road Frames,
the American Highway Narrative, by Kris
Lackey, which described a 63-day journey
across America in 1903. The “first public
account of a transcontinental automobile
journey,” it appeared only 33 years after
the death of the last surviving member of
the Lewis and Clark Expedition.
the closure between hugs and tears.
When it rented the College Avenue
space 25 years ago, the Sierra Club’s San
Francisco chapter wanted office space,
but the C-31 zoning for College Avenue
requires that street-level space be oper-
ated for retail purposes. Thus the shop
was opened, showcasing the Sierra Club’s
many beautiful publications, calendars, and
cards as well as offering a wide variety of
materials on ecology, natural history, sci-
ence, conservation and travel.
The Sierra Club Chapter now has
offices in Berkeley at 2530 San Pablo
between Dwight and Blake. The fight to
retain open space in the Bay Area, pay
for Environmental Impact Reports, and
support environmentally minded public
officials goes on.
Ed Bennett, long-time Executive Board
member and now assistant treasurer of the
Sierra Club chapter, said income peaked at
Nevertheless, Rockridge will miss the
little “green” hangout on College, a victim
of changing times.
CLOSED
Giglio Restaurant
5427 College Avenue
Presiding over the store’s demise was
part-time co-manager Iris Goldman, a
volunteer for many years, who consoled
visitors and explained the reasons behind
Creme de la Creme
5362 College Avenue
Sierra Club Bookstore
6014 College Avenue
NEW STORE
FIT: Clothes for
A Modern Lifestyle
5707 College Avenue
Open Monday – Saturday
11 a.m. – 6 p.m.
Boero, Inc.
5410-18 College Avenue
Cellular One
5467 College Avenue
CLOSED/MOVED
Juicy News
3167 College Avenue, Berkeley
Red Tractor Cafe
5434 College Avenue

April 5, 2003

Finding Time for Art
In Times of War
With our political leaders focused
on war, and government budgets
going to support waging it, our arts
community finds itself sadly neglected—
not an unusual experience. But the arts
will survive. Try to eliminate them and
you might as well tell the world to stop
breathing. In fact, tough times tend to
reveal the valuable contributions of the
arts to help sustain our spirits and distill
some meaning from all the chaos and
confusion around us.
by Ortrun Niesar
Elizabeth House serves as a temporary
haven for disadvantaged women and their
children. Director Courtenay Redis takes
every opportunity to enrich the lives
of her community with art. When I
visited, the walls were covered with
art works and photographs, and the
kids had just finished their afternoon
music lessons.
Look around you for art exhibits—for
example, To Conjure a Language at the
Pro Arts Gallery Downtown—and poetry
readings or plays that respond to war.
Everyone can engage in art themselves—so
use painting or writing or photography or
crafts to express your powerful feelings.
Make beauty, not war.
Somehow Courtenay never has a
shortage of artists willing to donate
their time and talent. As Elizabeth
House looks to raise funds this year,
many artists are stepping forward to
help out. On Saturday, April 26, an art
exhibit/ auction and dessert reception
at Holy Redeemer Center in Oakland
will benefit the women and children
at Elizabeth House. Women artists,
among them Rockridge artists Karen
LeGault, Carol Aust, Claire Lomax and
It’s important to find time to enjoy
or participate in artistic expression—and
important as well to contribute resources
that support the arts. Here are a couple
of opportunities:
Elizabeth House
Art Auction
The dedicated volunteers who operate
Elizabeth House on Colby Street know
that art and music can be great healers.
" "

Elizabeth Opalnik, will donate most of
the works to be auctioned. If anyone
wants to donate more art, attend the
auction or volunteer, call Elizabeth House
at 658-1380 or visit their web site at
www.oakehouse.org.
Park Day School
Garden Tour
On Sunday, April 27, Park Day School
will hold its 17th annual fundraiser, Secret
Gardens of the East Bay. This year, the
emphasis is on gardens designed for
outdoor living, featuring the work of
some of the Bay Area’s most noted
garden designers. The tour will benefit
scholarship and academic programs at
Park Day School located at 370 43d
Street. For more information and tickets
call the Garden Tour Hotline 653-6250.or
look up www.secretgardentour.org.
Feather River
Arts Camp
The Annual Adult Arts Camp
sponsored by the Oakland Parks and
Recreation Department at the Oakland
Feather River Camp near Quincy will
take place this year from July 20 to 27.
The cost is extremely reasonable, and
the setting is spectacular. Classes will
be taught in painting, pottery, writing,
guitar, meditation, papermaking, musical
instrument making, nature photography
and more. Wow! And we didn’t even
know this was available to us. To take
advantage of this hidden treasure, call
Karen LeGault, 510/601-1619, or e-mail
her at klegault@jps.net. Karen is co-
director of the camp.
Rockridge
Photo Exhibition
NOTE: The dates for this year’s
exhibition are September 21 to October
31. Please call Lydia Gans, 658-4445, or
e-mail me at oniesar@aol.com if you
would like to participate.

April 5, 2003
10.

Librarian
from page 1
“thrilled to welcome new Rockridge branch
manager Pat Lichter. We look forward to
working with her, and we know she will
be an asset to the branch.”
Rockridge’s good fortune in getting
a full-time leader is ironically a result of
Oakland’s budget problems, a crisis that
just weeks ago threatened to close or reduce
services at some branches. Instead, most
of the cuts were made at the downtown
branch. Pat’s position directing programs
in the Children’s Room was restructured,
and she was transferred to Rockridge.
She’s getting a warm welcome there
from old friends and colleagues. Gay
Ducey, who has been acting head librar-
ian, is also a children’s librarian, and the
two have worked together on projects in
the past, including Head Start training. Pat
has also worked on special projects with
Erica Siskind, Gay’s partner as Rockridge’s
children’s librarian.

1'+*'2'001'**-1*'#211*#/-*#11#-/"-&,/",#/-6/'%0 6/+#,/'+'!)21'#//#7
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As it happened, to fill in for a sick staffer,
Pat spent part of her first day in Rockridge
doing a Saturday story time. “It’s already
obvious to me that Rockridge parents are
enthusiastic readers,” she says, “and they
share their love of books with their children
from a very early age.”
Staffing the reference desk—there is an
unfilled reference librarian’s position—Pat
has learned that Rockridge’s adult custom-
ers are well-read and interested in politics,
particularly in these troubling times.
Pat brings to her job experience as “pretty
much every kind of librarian,” working with
children and teens and as reference librar-
ian and branch manager over a career more
than two decades long. Talking about her
new job, she shows an enthusiasm that’s
not always associated with veterans: “I had
a friend over just to show off the library,”
she says, “to stroll around the neighborhood
and smell the flowers.”

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11.

April 5, 2003

North Oakland
Neighbors
For Peace
 Protesters of the
move toward war
by Lydia Gans
Fin Iraq gathered
rom the whimsical display in Scout’s
window featuring “Weapons of Mass
Decoration,” to the person who tossed
rocks through that window, to the many
people who wrote messages of support
on the board that temporarily covered the
window, there are strong feelings aplenty
about the war in Iraq.
at the Rockridge
BART station in a
candlelight vigil to
make their views
known.
PHOTO: LYDIA GANS
When five Rockridge neighbors called a
meeting March 1 at the Rockridge Library
to talk about peace, 30 people showed up.
Many ideas for actions were proposed,
committees were formed, a preliminary
mission statement was formulated. It was
agreed to expand to include the Temescal
area, and North Oakland Neighbors for
Peace was off and running.
unconditionally oppose the intended war
against Iraq by educating and organizing
our community and other neighborhoods
to spread the anti-war message.”
April 10 (details: Community Calendar), a
petition drive, informal house meetings to
talk about the war and aftermath, leafleting,
street theater and more.
On March 16, hundreds of neighbors
joined in a candlelight vigil at the Rockridge
BART station as part of a worldwide plea to
stop the move to war. With the war under
way, North Oakland Neighbors for Peace
initiated a variety of activities including an
informational evening at Diesel Bookstore
with Norman Solomon and Reese Erlich on
Jack Gerson, one of those who called
the first meeting, declared, “The obscene
amount of money going to the Pentagon
ought to be going to rebuild our cities, it
ought to be going into schools, into hospitals,
into housing, into mass transit. But instead,
these essential services are being cut to the
bone and the money is being used to fuel
the war machine.” Responding to those who
feel that since the war has started we should
support our troops, Frank Fried, another of
the original members, pointed out that “the
best thing we can do to support our troops
is to bring them home, alive, quickly.”
At the next meeting a week later, the
mission statement was agreed on. “We are
neighbors joining together to actively and

This is a time for people to connect with
each other, to talk, to inform themselves
and to act in whatever way moves them.
North Oakland Neighbors For Peace offers
an opportunity to do so. For information
call 658-5520 or 843-0599.

April 5, 2003
12.

Hillside School Provides Safe Harbor for Education

by Janet Somers
Hthey wouldn’t have the same idea. I’d say,
hey, walk up the hill, come see this beauti-
ful garden, this beautiful archway that the
kids made. The garden isn’t vandalized, the
garden isn’t destroyed, and the kids spend
all day here!”
mental health assistants to do classroom
interventions: like when one student starts
pushing his chair back and forth, and the
others follow suit, and pretty soon they’re
all pushing their chairs back and forth and
laughing, and suddenly five kids have disap-
peared from the room. Monitors now deal
with such situations, leaving the teachers
free to teach.
igh on a hidden cul-de-sac above Chabot
Road sits a terraced vegetable garden,
decorated with handpainted tiles and framed
by a curlicued arbor.
In a low-lying, nondescript modern build-
ing at the foot of the garden sit the expelled
students, juvenile offenders and foster care
kids who built and tend it—students at Rock
La Fleche Community Day School, one of a
handful of “alternative education” programs
administered by the county.
It would be difficult to determine how
much crime in the area actually has been
caused by Rock La Fleche’s hapless pupils;
various neighbors, police and the school
administration all have different perceptions
of the issue. “There’s nothing wrong with a
black kid walking up and down my street,”
said one neighbor, speaking anonymously.
“I think we’re being paranoid.”
Despite some clowning around, most of
the students observed during a recent visit
were well-groomed and polite. Students
walked the hallways purposefully, without
the sunglasses and hats one neighbor said
they wore in previous years.
Rock La Fleche probably doesn’t exist on
most Rockridge residents’ radar screens. It
moved to the Chabot Road site seven years
ago from East Oakland, into a building that
previously housed another school and was
already named “Rock La Fleche,” after a
former Alameda County superintendent of
schools. The school’s population – usually
numbering 50 to 60 – consists of expelled
students, abused or neglected teens living
in foster care or group homes, and kids on
probation for crimes ranging from sexual
harassment to pulling a knife on some-
one. Most are boys, and most are African
American.
Even fearful neighbors, though, might
find reason for hope in several programs
that began last year. All students are now
transported to and from the closed campus by
van. The county also has formed a partnership
with Seneca Center, a Bay Area nonprofit
organization that provides care for seriously
troubled children. Seneca has provided a
new principal, an onsite therapist and four
During Ms. Robinson’s nutrition class,
one student repeatedly grasped her hands
as she walked by, at one point getting down
on his knees and gazing into her eyes, long-
ing for attention; Ms. Robinson responded
with kindness, rubbing his hands while she
continued the classroom discussion. She and
 CONTINUED NEXT PAGE
Over the years since Rock La Fleche’s
arrival, groups of neighbors have held meet-
ings with police and school officials about
car thefts, break-ins and other problems they
believe are the fault of its students. “Since
the school came in, we’ve had nothing but
problems,” said one neighbor.
But Kelly Robinson, who runs the school’s
garden program and teaches its nutrition
class, said, “If folks knew the children,
Mary Jane McConville
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Providing Exemplary Service
In Rockridge since 1980
Shannon Klatt
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Buyer Specialist Realtor
(510) 287-5520 direct line
Mary Jane McConville
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Administrative Assistant
Lisa Anderson
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Escrow Coordinator

13.

April 5, 2003

Tour
from page 5
of community volunteers, many of whom
return year after year to help out. This year
we have openings on the publicity, photog-
raphy, food, flower and raffle committees
and we are, of course, looking for docents
to show off our kitchens. All our volunteers
will be treated to a preview of the kitchens
that appear on our tour, but that’s just part
of the reward.
 Nestled among
trees and a student-
created vegetable
garden, Rock La
Fleche school sits on
a hillside overlooking
upper Chabot Road.
Helping the Rockridge Community
Planning Council raise funds to continue
its work on behalf of the Rockridge neigh-
borhood is the added bonus!
Photo: Lydia Gans
“nasty faucet water.”
CONTINUED FROM PREVIOUS PAGE
There’s one part of the school that both
enjoy, though: working in the school’s
garden, a joint venture with the California
College of Arts and Crafts and the Cali-
fornia Nutrition Network. “It’s the most
fun I’ve ever had,” said Shannon. “We got
tomatoes, we got everything.”
fellow staff members consider giving affec-
tion part of the job.
If you’ve got only a few hours (or a few
more) we’d like to have you on board to
make this year’s tour the best yet. To find
out which job may suit you or to recommend
a special kitchen for the tour, call Deborah
Larson at 547-3855. To volunteer as a docent,
call Nancy Sale at 655-4625.
Shannon and David, 12th-graders whom
the administration picked this year to be
student body president and vice-president,
respectively, don’t like the new behavior-
modification program instituted by Seneca
Center last August. “This is like a prison,”
said David. “We get searched when we walk
in the door.” And Shannon had a bitter com-
plaint: “I don’t feel like I’m being treated
right at all,” he said. “I sometimes get the
feeling, coming here, some of the teach-
ers, they don’t want to see us.” The two
are particularly angry at having had their
classroom Brita water taken away after
the whole class used it to cool themselves
off by pouring it over their heads one hot
day. Now they have to drink what they call
At first, the kids weren’t interested in
gardening and were mystified by fresh
vegetables. Now they’re harvesting five
kinds of lettuce each week and eating it,
along with other vegetables, at the student-
run salad bar.
District Proposal
from page 1
RCPC would have to familiarize two dif-
ferent sets of Council staff members with
planning and zoning issues on College,
depending on whether the project is on
College near Berkeley or on College by
Market Hall.
Ms. Tarango, the school’s social worker,
says her reward comes when a student leaves
the school with a life plan—what she likes
to call a “map.” David has one already:
he wants to attend Chabot College, then a
four-year college. “I want to be at least an
electrician,” he says.
“We are all volunteers working to make
our City a better place, and this would
effectively double the volunteer time our
neighbors must spend on issues, thus reduc-
ing our effectiveness and ability to effect
positive change,” Tripp said in his letter.
Shannon hopes to attend Brooks College
in Long Beach and become a film-maker.
His life plans include a left-handed compli-
ment to the school: referring to the movie
about the prison on Alcatraz Island, he
said, “First movie I’m going to make, I’m
going to make it about this place. It’ll be
called ‘The Rock.’”

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April 5, 2003
14.

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drywall, painting, fences, decks and other odd
jobs. Good rates. Ric M 510/464-5934.
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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.
Vote in the
RCPC Board Elections…
At the General Meeting Thursday, April 24 or
on Saturday, April 26. Details, page 4.
Mon–Fri 9:30 - 6:00
Pilates or Gyrotonic®
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package.CLASSES : Pilates MAT, Pilates
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Teacher Training Certifications. Mind-Body
Connection, 5255 College Ave., 420-0440
(www.mindbodyconnection.net)
Sat 9:30 - 5:00
CHIMES
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Serving Rockridge Since 1909
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"#

!
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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'#/ ,$$#.#" 0&.,1%& ))/00# '++!') #.2'!#/ #!1.'0'#/ '+
+" #%'/0#.#" .,(#.#)#. #* #. $$'!# ,$ 1-#.2'/,.3
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15.

April 5, 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
Hot lunch at noon for $1.75. For details on upcom-
ing field trips and events, call Kathy, 531-6724.
North Oakland Multi-Purpose
Senior Center
Peace Vigil at the Rockridge BART station on Sundays
from 7-8pm. For information, call 658-5520 or 843-
0599. The North Oakland Neighbors for Peace will
meet at the Rockridge Library on April 14 from 7 to
9pm. All are welcome.
First Saturday each month, 10am to noon at
Peralta Elementary School, 460 63rd St. (parking
on Alcatraz Ave., just east of Telegraph). Note:
Jane Brunner will be at the April RCPC meeting to
get your input about how to improve Rockridge
through her North Oakland Livable Communities
Project. For more inf. and to get Meeting Topic
for May 3 : 238-7001 or www.oaklandnet.com.
Greater Rockridge
Neighborhood Crime
Prevention Council (NCPC)
5714 Martin Luther King, Jr. Way. Center Hours:
Monday – Friday 8:45am to 4:45pm. Classes,
workshops and educational/social events:
• AARP Tax assistance every Tuesday until
Free Comedy Showcase & Open Mic
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
tax day
• Computer Classes
• Craft and sewing classes
• Walking groups and field trips:
Sign up in advance for: Sacramento by Amtrak on
April 10 , Reno Hilton over-nighter on April 24-25
and Yosemite June 4-6. The newsletter, “North
Oakland Senior Times,” provides a full schedule
of classes and a monthly lunch menu: (suggested
donation: seniors age 60 + $1.75 and $4 for those
under age 60). Call 597- 5085 for details about
membership, newsletter, class or appointment
times and opportunities to become a volunteer.
Elder Care Support Group
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
Writer’s Support/Critique Group
Steering committee meetings the 3rd Tuesday
of each month, 7 to 8:30pm. Claremont Middle
School, 5750 College Avenue. At the April 15
meeting, residents and business members of
NCPC’s 12Y and 13X districts are invited to bring
up their concerns about crime and public safety.
For more information see the link to the NCPC
webpage at www.rockridge.org.
Rockridge Branch Library
1st Saturday of the month - May 3rd, 2 to 5pm; June
7th, 2:30 to 5:30pm. Rockridge Branch Library.
ALL writers welcome. Bring 6 copies of any 5 pages
of your prose for on-site reading/discussion with
warmhearted peers. Sponsored by the California
Writers Club, Berkeley branch. For more informa-
tion: Writefox@aol.com
Chabot School PTA’s Annual
Spring Auction
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
Art Auction Benefit
5366 College Ave. Celebrate National Library
Week – April 6 through 12. Come in to get a new
library card and take your pick of bookmarks at
the Children’s Reference Desk.
FOR CHILDREN:
• Toddler Story Time, Saturday at 10:30am: 4/5,
Saturday, April 26, 6 to 11pm, Oakland Masonic
Auditorium, 3903 Broadway. Chabot’s chief
fundraising event to generate funds for computers,
library resources, art and music in the school. For
tickets contact Pam Rich at yak_girl@hotmail.com
or Clair Hamner at 596-9099.
Fundraiser: Children’s Support
League of the East Bay
4/12, 5/3 and 5/10.
• Pre-School Story Hours, Tuesday at 10:30 and
Saturday, April 26, 7 to 10pm, Holy Redeemer
Center, 8945 Golf Links Road. Proceeds from
“Sweet Inspirations: A Community Art
Experience and Auction,” will benefit
Elizabeth House, a residence for homeless and
low-income women and children at 6423 Colby
St. in Rockridge. ROCKRIDGE ARTISTS STILL WANTED:
deadline for submission is April 12.
Donate paintings, photographs, edible art, crafts,
or give lessons in your art form. In return, you
will get publicity through press coverage, website
exposure, a tax deduction, and the gratitude of
the women and children of Elizabeth House. For
information, contact Gail Sullivan: 658-7755 or
sullivang25@hotmail.com
May Day Spring Festival
And Garden Opening
11am: 4/15 and 5/6.
• Pajama Story Time, Wednesday at 7pm: 4/9,
4/23 and 5/14
SPECIAL EVENT: MAKE A BOOK
Saturday, April 5, 2 to 3:30pm. Make and
decorate your own journal, photo album, diary or
blank gift book for a friend. Ages 5 to 15; kids 7
and under please bring an adult helper.
FOR YOUNG ADULTS:
Teen Advisory Council meets the second Thurs-
day of the month, 3:30- 5:30pm: 4/10 and 5/8.
FOR ADULTS:
Lawyers in the Library: Free legal advice. First
Thursday of each month, 6 to 8pm. Sign-up
begins 5pm.
15th Annual “Heart of the Home” Kitchen Tour
Friday and Saturday, April 25 – 26, 10am to 4pm.
The tour will showcase five remodeled kitchens in
Piedmont (maps will be provided) and a Boutique
at the Piedmont Community Center, 711 Highland
Ave., Piedmont. The Boutique will feature unique
vendors, raffle prizes, a grand door prize and a
gourmet, catered luncheon. All proceeds go directly
to programs for children’s charities in the East Bay.
Tickets: $30 per person in advance, $35 on the days
of the tour. Call in advance for tickets and luncheon
reservations: 273-9109 or www.wehelpkids.org .
College Avenue Adult Center
Library Hours: Mon. Tues. Sat. 10am to 5:30pm,
Wed. Thurs. 12:30 to 8pm. Closed Fri. & Sun.
Join the festivities for the opening of the new
Learning Garden, dedicated to world peace.
Thursday, May 1, 5:30 to 7:30pm, Far West
School, 5263 Broadway Terrace.
Created and presented by Arts Far West School,
CCAC Center for Arts and Public Life, and CCAC
students. For more information: 594-3754
Date to Remember: April 19
For more information call 597-5017
Rockridge Library Art Gallery
College Ave. Presbyterian Church, 5955 College Ave.
Every Wednesday, open from 9:30am to
1:30pm. Light exercise, socializing, travel programs
and music.
• Special programs 11am to noon
4/9 VCR: Land of the Eagles
4/16 VCR: Biography of Arthur Godfrey
4/23 Visit from the Charter School children
4/30 Kathy’s trip to Norway
5/7 Charles Fitch slides of Europe
• Field Trips

4/25 Ruth Bancroft Garden in Walnut Creek

5/10 Stinson Beach
During April, the Gallery will be showing paint-
ings by Frank Edie: still life’s in acrylic. Anyone
interested in showing artwork at the Rockridge
Library art gallery: Call Judith at 843-8812.
North Oakland Neighbors
For Peace will host a discussion featuring
Norman Solomon and Reese Erlich, authors of
Target Iraq, to talk about the war. Thursday, April
10 at 7pm, Diesel Books, 5433 College Ave.
The group also sponsors a weekly Candlelight
TWO Earth Day warm-up activities!
See Rockridge News articles pages 6 & 7.
 FROGpark Community Day Spring Cleaning;
 Temescal Creek & 51st Street Clean-up.
Help jump-start spring in Rockridge!

April 5, 2003
16.

Don Coelho

339-4721

27th year
serving Rockridge!

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