Extracted text · highlighting “Jeff Small”

www.rockridge.org

VOL. 23    NO. 1   ISSUE NO. 241    January 5, 2008 
 CIRCULATION: 5,100 Residences; 200 Businesses

Sponsored by the Rockridge Community Planning Council • 5245 College Ave. PMB 311 • Oakland, CA 94618 • 869-4200

Changes in Police Command, Assignments

OPD Changes to New Shifts OPD Assigns New Captain

to North Oakland Area 1
by Karen Ivy, NCPC steering
committee member
Odollars in overtime.
At issue was the length of
individual shifts and the timing
of days off. In 2007 and before,
officers worked 10-hour shifts
four days in succession, followed
by three days off. Beginning
January 2008, they will work
seven 12-hour shifts, with a
rotating succession of days off
over a two-week period: two
days on, two days off, three
days on, two days off, two days
by Susan Montauk,
NCPC chair
New Area
1 OPD
Captain
Anthony
Toribio
n January 12, 2008, the
Oakland Police Depart­
ment (OPD) will begin working
under the 12-hour shift sched­
ule approved in arbitration in
November 2007. Controversy
has swirled around the new shift
schedule, primarily owing to
pressure from police officers and
their union. Administrators feel,
however, that the new schedule
will prove more efficient and
will save the city millions of
Despite his youthful aspect,
the new Oakland Police
Department (OPD) captain of
North Oakland’s Area 1 is an
18-year veteran of the depart­
ment with an impressive resume.
Captain Anthony Toribio takes
up his appointment as North
and West Oakland Captain on
January 12.
Photo: Susan
Montauk
titanic changes for OPD as the
department moves in 2008 to
reorganize its organizational
structure as well as its patrol
Toribio’s assignment reflects

OPD Changes, page 13
¬¬
OPD Captain, page 13
¬¬

A Consultant Considers a Vision of
Retail in Oakland, Sees Opportunity

Agenda: RCPC January
Town Hall Meeting
Thursday, January 17, 7:30 p.m.,
Rockridge Branch Library,
5366 College Avenue at Manila,
Jane Brunner hosts a
look at the findings
Community Room (Upstairs)
by Anna L. Marks
H
Special Election Forum: A non-
■
■
partisan review of ballot issues
by the League of Women Voters
of Oakland:

• League representatives present a
ow many of us have
ventured to Emeryville
in search of computer sup­
plies and lighting fixtures,
to Berkeley for makeup,
to Walnut Creek for home
furnishings, or to downtown
San Francisco for clothing?
Oaklanders apparently prefer
shopping in the surrounding
areas, despite the high cost
of transportation.
neutral pros-and-cons overview of
measures on the February ballot
Open Forum by RCPC on current
■
■
projects: UnderBART improvements;
Fourth Bore report; the new RCPC
Website; various commercial devel­
opments
Oakland retail today
is less robust than
when pictured in this
photo from 1958.
RCPC award presentation to Rockridge
■
■
resident Patrick Daughton
The Election Forum;
League of Women Voters
W
Elwood’s, 17th and Telegraph, October 1958  /The Oakland Tribune Collection,
the Oakland Museum of California. Gift of ANG Newspapers.
According to Conley
Consulting, whose recent
study was requested by Oak­
land City Councilmember
Pat Kernighan and the City
Council and presented at
Jane Brunner’s Town Hall
Meeting this past November,
this “leakage” results in an
annual loss of $10 million
in sales tax revenues that
could be used to provide
more public services. And,
even with the robust Pied­
mont Avenue, Rockridge,
and International Boule­
vard merchant districts,
it’s getting worse, she says,
pointing to the neighboring
communities’ growth rate
of twice that of Oakland’s
since 2001.
e bet you thought the presidential
nominations were the only reason to
vote in February! There are also 10 ballot
measures to decide on. So come hear the
League of Women Voters of Oakland (LWV)
present a neutral pros-and-cons overview
of each measure. This presentation by the
LWV is completely non-partisan and a
Long-time Oakland resi­
dent Denise Conley, leading
the team of consultants, sees
Retail, page 12
¬¬
RCPC Meeting, page 9
¬¬


2.

January 5, 2008

After serving nearly 10 years as Editor of The Rockridge News, Cy
Gulassa has stepped down to have more time to devote to his
workload as President of the Board of Trustees for the Peralta Com­
munity Colleges (Alameda, Berkeley, Laney, Merritt). Don Kinkead,
layout manager of the 21-year-old newsletter, will serve as interim
editor beginning with this issue.

ROCKRIDGE BRANCH LIBRARY
5366 College Avenue
597-5017
HOURS:
Mon, Tues:
Weds, Thurs, Sat:
Friday:
Sunday:
Library program details: See Calendar, page 15.

12:30 – 8 p.m.
10 a.m. – 5:30 p.m.
12 – 5:30 p.m.
CLOSED
See Calendar, page 15, for January hours.
Happy January 1 Through

To mark Cy’s departure as well as the beginning of this New Year,
the newsletter presents the following Cyrilean classic from the January,
2006 issue. Best wishes, Cy.
The Rockridge News, founded in 1986 by Don Kinkead,
is published monthly in Oakland and is sponsored by
the Rockridge Community Planning Council (RCPC),
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.
December 31, Inclusive
by Cy Gulassa
T

he war on Christmas, like the war on terrorism, is complex and exceedingly dangerous.
You can banish the word Christmas with a keystroke, but semantic insurgents are deeply
embedded in substitute words, ready to make a mockery of “mission accomplished.”

To win the war, Christmas must be secularized, antiseptically cleansed of Christ,
Christians and other religious clutter. But first, to be culturally fair, if Christmas must go,
Hanukkah and Kwanzaa must also be stricken. We should not play cultural favorites.

Rockridge News Production
Don Kinkead.......................Interim Editor
Ortrun Niesar.....................The Muse
Barry Kaufman...................Food
Anna Marks.........................Writer
Jo Ellis...................................Advertising &

The word Christmas, unfortunately, is problematic. Coined by Anglo-Saxons as short­
hand for the feast of the birth of Christ, “Cristes mæsse” (Mass of Christ), it has burrowed
so deep into our collective psyches that it’s hard to find an alternative that doesn’t suggest
a baby in a manger and a flock of angels.

Community Calendar
Theresa Nelson.....................Neighborhood Merchant
Susan Montauk...................Business Manager
Don Kinkead.......................Graphics & Layout
RCPC Board of Directors, 2007-2008

The politically correct (PC) suggest a neutral word like “holiday.” That’s a good
choice, but it also poses problems. Holiday(s) include all 12 days of Christmas, making it
difficult to single out a particular day: “Merry holiday!” “What did you get for holiday?”
And how about, “Hurry, hurry, only 10 shopping days left ’til holiday.” Clearly, holiday
is much too generic to be useful.

Ronnie Spitzer....................Chair
Annette Floystrup ............ Vice-Chair
Gloria Bruce.......................Secretary
Susan Montauk...................Treasurer
Jennifer Edmister, Stuart Flashman,
Don Kinkead, Ellen Peterson, Peter St. John,

Another way to test a Christmas substitute is to put it in a song or poem and listen:
“On the first day of holiday my true love gave to me….” Or, “T’was the night before
holiday and all through the house….” Nah!

Jeff Small, Richard W. Smith,
Danica Truchlikova, Margaret Wahlberg
Contact the Board: rcpcchair@rockridge.org
For information: info@rockridge.org

But that’s only the half of it. Holiday derives from the Old English word “haligdæg,”
which literally means holy day, a day parishioners knocked off work but were required
to attend Mass and celebrate a saint or religious event. Even though many local folks
are unaware of the etymology of “holiday,” it’s sufficiently steeped in religious myth to
offend somebody out there. Sorry, holiday must go.

Newsletter Subscriptions
To subscribe to The Rockridge News, send
your check for $20, payable to Rockridge News
Subscriptions, to: Rockridge News Subscriptions at
the address below.
Contacting The Rockridge News

I examined an old, pre-PC neutering of Christmas to determine why it failed to take hold.
Orthographers a half-century ago tried crossing out the “Christ” in Christmas. Although a
good start, it didn’t go far enough. Xmas stirs suspicion that religious meaning has sublimi­
nally survived in the suffix, -mas, the shortened version of Mass. Further, words like Xrated,
Xtreme and Xtravaganza give an unwelcome cast to Xmas, associating it, so to speak, with
bad companions. So any truncation of the word is out — Xtirpated, if you like.

 Are there community issues you’d like to see
covered in The Rockridge News?
 Do you have questions about newsletter
distribution?
 Want to volunteer to be a Rockridge News
block captain?
 Would you like to write a letter to the Editor?
Contact us at one of the following:
Editor: editor@rockridge.org
www.rockridge.org
The Rockridge News, 5245 College Avenue,
PMB 311, Oakland, CA 94618
RCPC Voicemail: 510/869-4200

I thought maybe Yule might suffice. It has a nice ring: “Merry Yuletide.” “Light the
Yule log.” “Presents all around the Yule tree.” But the word is not as secular as it seems.
Tracing it back to Middle English, Yule derives from “yole” which means “Christmastide.”
I could trace it to Old English and thence to Teutonic
and beyond, but why be excessive? Yule is useless.

Articles submitted for publication may be e-mailed
to the above address. Submissions are limited to
600 words; must include the author’s name, phone
number, e-mail address, and city or neighborhood
of residence; and are subject to editing. To reprint a
Rockridge News article, please contact the editor.
Happy Whatever, page 10
¬¬
$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 Avenue, Oakland
601-1188
Mon – Fri  7 – 7 • Sat  8 – 6
Across from Zachary’s Pizza
Newsletter Advertising/Deadlines
Publication date of the next issue is
 February 2, 2008
 February deadline is January 17.
Advertising rates are $26/column inch. Six-
month pre-pay rate available. For display ads,
call Jo Ellis at 653-3210 (after noon), or e-mail
joellis1@hotmail.com. RCPC reserves the right to
refuse any display or classified ad that it deems
inappropriate. (Classified ad contact, page 14.)
EXPERT
SHIRT
LAUNDERING!


!

3.
January 5, 2008

Project Meeting: Hauser Creekside
Rockridge Branch Library, 6–8 p.m., Jan 7
P

Wanted: Planning
and Project
Review Committee
Members
R

roject developer Hauser Architects has invited the community to a presentation at
the Rockridge Branch Library, 5366 College Avenue, on January 7 from 6 – 8 p.m.
They will discuss the findings from the City planning staff’s Initial Study – a review of
the probable environmental impacts on the neighborhood that are significant enough
to be included in the City’s Focused Environmental Impact Report that will follow
the Initial Study. According to Hauser, City planning staff will be present to answer
questions.

ockridge residents interested in joining
the RCPC Project and Planning Review
Committee (PPRC) are invited to submit a
letter describing their interests/background
according to the following guidelines plus
a professional resume by January 15, 2008
to rcpcchair@rockridge.org or RCPC,
5245 College Avenue, PMB 311, Oakland,
CA 94618. A selection committee will
interview candidates for the full board’s
consideration.

More importantly, the Planning Commission will hold a public hearing on the Ini­
tial Study two days later, January 9. This hearing is expected to begin at 6 p.m. in the
Commission’s regular meeting room in City Hall. Staff has said that other than traffic,
they found no significant impacts on the immediate surrounding neighborhood.

At this hearing, residents can present persuasive arguments for the study of
impacts that are deemed significant to them. Please attend this meeting. The Planning
Commissioners are responsive to thoughtful and passionate statements of nearby and
other affected residents.

Any adult 18 or over residing within the
RCPC boundaries may apply for a position
on the PPRC. Selection guidelines include,
but are not limited to, the following:

A link to the City’s Initial Study can be found on the RCPC web site (www.rockridge.
org). A project description and review is in this edition of The Rockridge News in the
Project Updates article below.

RCPC’s Planning and Project
Review Committee (PPRC)
1. Experience and/or education in
architecture, urban planning, urban design,
land use, and environmental review (or
equivalent as determined by the selection
committee);
PROJECT
UPDATES
found over 1,700 additional daily vehicle trips
would be generated by the proposed project.
Because the City’s subsequent Initial Study
found potential significant project-related
and cumulative transportation impacts that
could degrade the quality of the environ­
ment and adversely affect human beings,
an Environmental Impact Report (EIR)
focussed only on traffic impacts must be
prepared.
Hauser Creekside (Global
■
■
2. Ability to read and interpret prelimi­
nary architectural drawings (or equivalent as
determined by the selection committee);
Video site) — 5132 Telegraph
☛ Developer invites the
community to a project
presentation, January 7, at the
Rockridge Branch Library (see
box above)
☛ Planning Commission
hearing, January 9 on
Creekside environmental
document scope and overall
project (see box above)
3. Ability to read, interpret, and apply
the zoning provisions of the Oakland Plan­
ning Code (or equivalent as determined by
the selection committee);
4. Availability to devote the necessary
time to the review of potential planning
changes and proposed projects;
The January 9 Planning Commission
hearing action covers overall project com­
ments, the Initial Study, and the scope of
the EIR. The scope could be expanded in
response to the public hearing input and
neighborhood comment: All are encouraged
to attend or submit a comment letter. All
public comment material must be submitted
by January 21, 2008 to planner Darin Ranel­
letti, at dranelletti@oaklandnet.com.
5. Availability to attend some daytime
meetings and late afternoon-evening
planning commission and city council
hearings;
Project Description: The existing Global
Video building will be demolished and
replaced by surface parking and construction
of up to 120 residential units (115 market-rate
units and five very low-income affordable
housing units), with approximately 7,700
square feet of ground-floor commercial
space, and 120 parking spaces.
6. Familiarity with urban planning,
development, and/or transportation issues
in Rockridge; and
7. Supports the RCPC mission statement
(see www.rockridge.org).
The project includes three buildings
above a ground-floor podium facing Tele­
graph Avenue, Claremont Avenue and
Clarke Street with heights ranging up to
around 65'.
Safeway Rebuild —
■
■
6310 College Avenue (College
& Claremont avenues)
Project Description: Safeway plans to
enlarge and modernize the 23,000 sq. ft. store
site, creating a larger store and increased
parking. Safeway met with the community
in an RCPC Town Hall meeting on June
21, 2007. The current store was built prior
to adoption of the current College Avenue
small-retail oriented zoning. Building a new
store under the current C-31 zoning could
necessitate several variances, a Conditional
Use Permit, and a major Design Review
process. This is because a new store such
as Safeway is proposing would have major
conflicts with the purpose and provisions
of the C-31 zone.
As proposed, the project requires numer­
ous exceptions to existing zoning laws.
Requested are five variances, a Conditional
Use Permit and a state affordable housing
bonus density allowing more project units than
permitted by the Oakland General Plan.
A project pre-application has recently
been filed with the City. Safeway indicated
they would return to the community in the
near future and present the design.
A required project traffic impact study


4.

January 5, 2008

Letters to the Editor
Daughter Attacked: We No Longer Feel Safe
Editor:
I am writing to you to tell you that our daughter, a third-year
college student, was violently attacked in front of our Rockridge
home the night of December 6, around 9 p.m. She was walking
from her car parked on Thomas Avenue to our home on the 5300
block of Broadway. She heard the footsteps of a man following
her, ran up the stairs of our house and, two steps from our door,
the attacker grabbed her by her ankles. She screamed loudly and
our son opened the door, scaring off the attacker. My son saw him
get into a dark Mercedes. Within seven minutes after we called
the police, six patrol cars and an ambulance arrived. Officers
found a dark Mercedes parked around the corner with its lights on.
Two weeks ago, one of our neighbors was also attacked walking
home from College Avenue, at 2 p.m. in the afternoon. She was
hit from behind by a man who was seen driving a dark Mercedes.
We believe it was the same person. Anyway, we are all scared
to leave our home. My son and daughter now carry pepper spray
with them and we use a buddy system when they come home at
night. This is no way to live! We have lived for over 25 years in
Rockridge, but have never personally experienced any crime. We
are thinking of moving out of Oakland to a safer community.
The Rockridge News welcomes letters to the editor. Your
name, address, phone number and e-mail address and city/
neighborhood must be included for verification. Only your
name will appear with your letter. Letters may be edited for
clarity and brevity.
Private Road Affects the 5175 Broadway Project
Editor:
I am writing as a resident of Desmond Street who is concerned
about additional traffic that will be created by the 5175 Broadway
Condominium Development Project.
Despite my letters to various stakeholders involved in this proj­
ect, the “official” traffic study for this condominium project made
no mention of the private road that connects Broadway, next to the
former Poppy Fabrics business, and Desmond Street. This private
road is totally unregulated and a danger to the neighborhood. On
the Desmond Street end, this private road is the width of a private
driveway. And yet, two-way traffic is allowed. There are no stop
signs on either end of the road, no posted speed limits or speed
bumps, and no one monitoring cars and trucks that use this road.
Both cars and trucks use this private road as a “cut through” street.
The addition of a condominium development will only increase the
safety and pollution problems associated with this road. Vehicles
using this private road often “zip” out of the Desmond Street end
of the road without even slowing down. To make matters worse,
large tractor-trailers use this road, and when these trailers exit on
the Desmond Street end of the road, there is a sign posted indicat­
ing that trucks must make a right hand turn only, heading towards
Coronado. This causes substantial truck traffic up Desmond Street
from tractor trailers. Some of them make a right turn on Coronado
to make their way back to Desmond Street, while others make a
U-turn or K-turn at the intersection of Desmond and Coronado,
and then go back down Desmond Street to 51st Street.
— Peggy E. Ludwig
[Copies sent by the author to Mayor Dellums
and Councilmember Jane Brunner.]
Editor’s Comment: The letter above and another, sent
anonymously, describe acts of violent physical assault in Rockridge
residential areas. The Rockridge News will withhold letter writ­
ers’ names upon request, but does not print anonymous letters.
However, equally violent or disturbing crimes are frequently
reported in on-line forums. The recent letters and postings clearly
show that the citizenry of Oakland — and Rockridge — feel
under siege. Some writers feel the police are understaffed and
therefore overwhelmed by the onslaught of crime. Citing the
difficulty of recruiting applicants who can successfully complete
the training and be hired on to the force, Police Chief Tucker
and Mayor Dellums have designed a redeployment of working
officers to begin to meet the crime challenge. Two reports on
that process appear on page 1.
The traffic report for the 5175 Broadway development project
did not take this private road and its traffic into consideration. At
the recent neighborhood meeting with Ms. Lucy Armentrout, the
developer’s representative, Ms. Armentrout indicated that she was
unaware of this private road.
Find Rockridge-related on-line forums at Yahoo! Groups (http://
groups.yahoo.com/). Type “Rockridge” in the “Find a Yahoo!
Group” search box.
I do not believe that this project can go forward in isolation of
the traffic problems it will cause, and I also believe that it is time
for all stakeholders to acknowledge the impact that this road will
have on the safety of those of us who live near it.
— Deborah Curtis
[See article on this project, page 5]
Seismic     Analysis
&
Foundation
                   Engineering
■              ■              ■
Specializing in
Seismic Retrofit
(510) 220-0274
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5.
January 5, 2008

Mixed-Use Housing Proposed for 5175
Broadway, Former Gas Station Site

Children’s
Hospital Seeks
New Parcel Tax
to Fund Retrofit
by Susan Parker, for Livable Oakland
Iby Rockridge News staff
Hthe project. The project manager has met
with abutting property owners and RCPC
boardmembers. The project was presented
to neighbors at a meeting sponsored by
Councilwoman Brunner in January 2007,
and at a neighborhood meeting at Red Oak
Realty’s office in December 2007.
ave you been an annual shopper at
the Delancey Street Christmas Tree
lot at Broadway and Coronado? You may
need to find a new source come Christmas
Future.
n a bid to finance seismic improvements
that must be made by 2013, Children’s
Hospital Oakland (CHO) has collected
66,000 signatures for a ballot measure that,
if approved by Alameda County voters,
would establish a parcel tax of $24 per year
for residential property and up to $250 for
commercial property. Measure A, expected
to be on the February 5 ballot, would raise
$300 million to help meet the costs of seismic
upgrades. Other construction contemplated
in the measure includes a 12-story high-rise
tower and new helicopter-landing pad.
A proposal to develop the lot — the long-
neglected site of a closed gas station and,
subsequently for many years a Christmas
tree sales center — has been filed with the
City, according to Lucy Armentrout, AICP,
consultant to the developer.
RCPC boardmember Peter St. John
reports that 20 neighbors of the proposed
project and two representatives from RCPC’s
Planning and Project Review Committee
(PPRC) met with Armentrout in mid-
December to review and comment on the
project. The main concern of the neighbors
was the proposed garage entrance/exit on
Coronado Avenue, currently a one-way
street into Broadway, St. John said. Neigh­
bors want Coronado to be a two way street
from Broadway to the Coronado Avenue
driveway of the project site and Wendy’s
Hamburgers driveway and want traffic bar­
riers to prevent right turns out of Wendy’s
onto Coronado.
Armentrout said the complexity and
cost of cleaning up the benzene and other
contaminants left when the station closed
and that may also have leaked from under­
ground fuel tanks until their removal in 1999
have deterred developers since the 1970s.
However, Oakland real estate values now
make clean-up and redevelopment of the
property affordable, she said.
Concerned CHO neighbors to the west
of Shattuck Avenue, between 52nd and 55th
streets, calling themselves Livable Oakland,
have filed an argument and rebuttal against
Measure A. Livable Oakland supports
CHO’s mission to serve patients in a seismi­
cally safe facility, but opposes building a
tax-payer subsidized 180-foot tall building
that threatens to destroy a vibrant, family-
oriented Oakland neighborhood.
Rockridge Heights, LLC purchased the
lot in mid-2006, and completed the build­
ing design in June 2007. The mixed-use
condominium project of 28 residential units
of approximately 1,000 square feet each
along with two commercial units would
cover a total of 2,995 square feet.
Other concerns of neighbors were the
negative parking impacts on Coronado
and Desmond, the need to control balcony
storage, and rental restrictions on the condo
units. Also mentioned, said St. John, were
the need for a shadow study, alteration of
the roof angle to decrease shadowing and
the height of the building.
For years, CHO has expanded in a
seemingly unplanned fashion, buying and
maintaining buildings along Claremont,
Telegraph, Dover, Martin Luther King, and
52nd and 53rd streets. It has taken the same
haphazard approach to the State’s seismic
safety law. According to Livable Oakland
members, CHO has no master facilities
plan and no contingency plan in the event
it cannot raise the $700 million. The group
feels the hospital can afford to earthquake-
retrofit its current inpatient facility, but is
According to Armentrout, the residential
units are designed for buyers wanting to live
within a small “footprint” and seek an active
urban lifestyle. Only three of the residential
units have two bedrooms. The remaining 25
are one bedroom units. Rockridge Heights
hopes to find neighborhood-serving buyers
or tenants for the commercial spaces, none
of which has been designed for restaurant
use, said Armentrout.
St. John said the comment period on
these documents is still open. The project’s
initial hearing before the Planning Com­
mission is slated for January 16, 2008.
View project information on the Major Projects sec­
tion of the Planning and Zoning page: http://www.
oaklandnet.com/government/ceda/revised/
planningzoning/MajorProjectsSection/
5175BroadwayIS_FINAL_clean120707.pdf
Armentrout said project proponents
have valued public participation in shaping
Children’s, page 7
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6.

January 5, 2008

highly recommend. Our own Alice Waters’
new cookbook, “The Art of Simple Food,”
is her best yet. San Francisco Restaurateur
Cecila Chiang’s amazing memoir “The
Seventh Daughter” is an absolute must for
any lover of Chinese cuisine. Judith Jones’
memoir, “The Tenth Muse,” is a joy to read.
Judith Jones, now in her 80s, is the queen of
cookbooks at Knopf. Jones was responsible
for bringing Julia Child, Marcella Hazen,
Edna Lewis and Claudia Roden to American
home cooks.
Special Shoutouts
Rock  ridge
Cornucopia
Cornucopia
Barry A. Kaufman
Rockridge Culinary Roundup
With nearly 80 restaurants, specialty
food markets and cafés within its
boundaries, Rockridge continues
to be one of the primary culinary destina­
tions for the Bay Area. I believe there isn’t
another community in the Bay Area with the
range of top-end restaurants and gourmet
markets as Rockridge. As we enter into the
New Year, it’s a good time to review some
of the culinary treasures found along Col­
lege Avenue.
New Kids on the Blocks
of Double Rainbow Ice Cream. Noodle soup
slurping is all the rage in New York. The
soups at Noodle Theory meld flavors from
all over Asia: thick Japanese noodles, Thai
flavors of coconut milk and satay paste, a
pungent yellow curry from China, and slices
of pork belly from Korea. As with all the
soups served at this small gem, ingredients
are good and fresh.
Kid Friendly
The two Mikes and Jeff at À Côté – you
■
■
are the best.
Rick, Tad, Mario, Carl and especially
■
■
Jerry at Ver Brugge Meats – you are truly
a community treasure.
Trader Joe’s manager George Yamashita
■
■
– welcome to our community.
In addition to the many fine dining
restaurants, College Avenue has several
child-friendly options. My 4-year-old
granddaughter particularly loves Tachibana
Sushi Bar and Cactus Taqueria. Tachibana
has princess and Nemo plates and cups and
child training chopsticks. The wait-staff are
attentive to children’s tastes, i.e. no wasabi on
the tuna sushi. Cactus Taqueria has become
the Rockridge destination restaurant for
families with children of all ages. With a
varied menu, Cactus is an ideal restaurant
for even the most finicky eater.
Elegant Dining
Poached Pears
(adapted from “The Art of Simple Food,”
Three new wonderful restaurants opened
this year to excellent reviews: Wood Tavern,
Somerset, and Noodle Theory. Wood Tavern
is perhaps one of the best restaurants to
open on College Avenue since Olivetos.
Rich and Rebekeh Wood have brought a
level of elegance and an outstanding and
ever changing menu to the former Grass­
hopper space. The restaurant has been a
hit since it opened in February, not just for
the food but because of the warm service
orchestrated by the Woods. I just love the
pork belly appetizer.
by Alice Waters)
4 cups water
1-¼ cups sugar
Zest and juice of 1 lemon
4 medium pears, peeled, stem on
Bring to boil water and sugar in pot big
enough for the pears. Turn down to a simmer,
add zest and lemon juice. Place pears in the
simmering water. Cook until tender but not
soft. Remove from the heat and let cool.
Serve warm or chilled.
Barry Kaufman is a graduate of the California
Culinary Academy. Barry is available for cooking
classes. His email is kaufman42@earthlink.net.
For special occasion fine dining, College
Avenue offers many of The San Francisco
Chronicle’s top 100 and Zagat-listed restau­
rants. These include Citron, Garibaldi’s on
College, Oleveto Restaurant, Wood Tavern,
and my personal favorite, À Côté.
Bookstore
As with the Woods, the proprietors of
Sumerset (as in Sumerset Maughan) owned
the very successful Miss Millies in San
Francisco. Sunday brunch is the absolute
best time to dine. Somerset features all
your American breakfast favorites with a
made-from-scratch, organic twist on every­
thing from waffles to bacon and eggs and
pancakes. The menu features an innovative
fusion of Mexican, American, and even
English flavors.
Winter Classes
Enrolling Now
Try a
FREE
Class!
I need to include our two neighborhood
bookstores in the culinary roundup. Diesel
Books and Pendragon offer some of the best
selections of cookbooks in the Bay Area.
These are hard times for independent book
sellers and both stores deserve our full
support. Here are three books on cooking I
MONART classes include:
• Pre-school
• Basic Drawing
• Intermediate
• Advanced
• Adults & Seniors
Noodle Theory is a small Asian-inspired
noodle soup restaurant in the former space
COLLINS ROOFING
Family Owned & Operated
Sarafina, age 11
Discover the MONART Difference!
482-2227  Seamus
www.collinsroofing.com
Quality Work  •  Free Estimates
Lic # 695711
Fine Arts Classes for Children, Teens and Adults
Rockridge:  5400 College Avenue
 Elmwood:  2930 College Avenue
Weekend Brunch in Elmwood
5427 Telegraph Ave., Oakland, CA 94609
www.eastbaymonart.com
510.654.DRAW (3729)


7.
January 5, 2008

Stauder Automotive — Local Car
Doctors Keep Rockridge Rolling
using the seismic safety requirement to
justify a major expansion.

Children’s
from page 5
by Lydia Gans
T
Claremont Middle,
Oakland Tech High
and Cal State Hay­
ward.” It’s pretty
much the same for
his brothers. Of the
business he says,
“I have customers
I’ve known since I
was 10-years-old,
friends and parents
of friends.”
here’s nothing
like having a
doctor handy in
the neighborhood,
a family doc who
remembers your
conditions and idio­
syncrasies, listens
with a sympathetic
ear and usually can
find time to take
care of you without
making you wait
around forever. And
that’s true not just for
a doctor to look after your body, but for a
doctor to look after your car as well. We’re
lucky here in Rockridge to have the Stauder
brothers who do just that.
Livable Oakland is not against CHO’s
expansion, but prefers it be done in a way
that will not destroy the 100-year old neigh­
borhood. Members believe CHO should
continue to consider sites along the I-580
corridor, Mandela Parkway, or Pill Hill, or
build a lower, more neighborhood-friendly
structure on its existing campus.
CHO’s expansion will affect adjoining
neighborhoods as well, the group believes,
pointing out that traffic patterns and heli­
copter flight patterns will change. Livable
Oakland says residential “for sale” signs
are sprouting in the CHO neighborhood. As
residents who shop in nearby neighborhoods
move away, those neighborhoods’ merchants
stand to lose business.
T h e  S t a u d ­
ers work on most
cars, domestic and
imported. They see
a lot of Toyotas, Hondas and Subarus. Bob
notes that the people in the neighborhood
“actually want to take care of their cars. We
do lots of smog work because people are
concerned about the environment.” Except
for major jobs like engine and transmission
rebuilding, the Stauders fix just about every­
thing and take care of periodic checkups and
basic maintenance. They do a lot of brake
work, because of the hilly terrain. Bob says
people living up in the hills are “constantly
coming down the hill and need brakes.”
Stauder brothers Jim, left, and Bob,
ready for the next job. Photo: Lydia Gans
For more information, visit www.liv­
■
■
ableoakland.org or email sqparker@pacbell.
com.
Other information is available on-line at:
Now named Stauder Automotive Services,
the brothers’ auto repair shop has been at 5930
College Avenue since the ’50s. It was Sheaff’s
Service Garage until Bob Stauder bought it
10 years ago. A skilled mechanic who grew
up in the neighborhood, he says, “I’ve worked
on cars in this area basically my whole life.”
His brothers Jim and Mike are with him in
the shop along with John Accacian, another
mechanic with years of experience, who has
been working there for about 20 years. John’s
father-in-law was the former owner.
East Bay Business Times: http://www.
■
■
bizjournals.com/eastbay/stories/2007/10/29/
story1.html?page=1
bNet Research Center:
■
■
http://findarticles.
com/p/articles/mi_qn4176/is_20070919/
ai_n20506348
SFGate.com (SF Chronicle): http://
■
■
www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/
a/2007/12/23/BAS8U31U9.DTL
We’re fortunate to have the services of
skilled, reliable car doctors located right
in our neighborhood. It’s another perk,
along with the shops selling classy clothes
and pretty things and the restaurants offer­
ing a world of gourmet foods, that makes
Rockridge such a great place to live.
The Stauders have been around Rockridge
a long time. Bob recalls, “I grew up on
Oak Grove, went to Rockridge elementary,
Kitchens
• Design
• Remodeling
• Showroom Sales
www.acornkitchens
andbaths.com
KITCHENS & BATHS
510
547-6581
4640 TELEGRAPH AVE  •  OAKLAND
HOURS: T-F  10-5  •  SAT. 10-4


8.

January 5, 2008

Why RCPC Joined in the Suit
Against the Caldecott Fourth Bore

opposite to rush hour commute traffic, it is
quite likely that within a few years those
traffic jams will again occur due to “induced
demand”, when new capacity generates even
more use, recreating the prior problem. More
importantly, the newest Caldecott Tunnel
bores accommodate more cars traveling
into the Rockridge area during the morning
than leaving in the afternoon, potentially
forcing cars into Rockridge. Pollution will
be ever-increasing. Traffic impacts on
Rockridge streets and intersections were
not evaluated in the Caltrans study, and no
mitigations offered.
Current status:
by Ellen Peterson, RCPC representative
to the Fourth Bore Coalition
Background: The California Depart­
ment of Transportation (Caltrans) has
proposed building an additional tube, or
bore, in the Caldecott Tunnel, presently
three separate bores. Caltrans prepared
environmental reports to analyze project
impacts and to determine mitigations for
the impacts. RCPC and other community
planning groups pointed out evident defi­
ciencies in the report. RCPC subsequently
joined with the Fourth Bore Coalition
(FBC), an organization of neighborhood
groups and residents on the west side of
Caldecott Tunnel, in a suit to invalidate
the environmental reports. Below, Ellen
Peterson writes of the concerns leading
to the suit.
Rconstruction will cause massive east bound
backups during the 4.5 years of the project.
These backups will result in ever more cars
cutting through Rockridge neighborhoods
to avoid the mess. Yet no Rockridge neigh­
borhood traffic management or mitigation
measures are included anywhere in the
environmental study.
Noise in Rockridge is high
and will get worse:
The noise in many places along Highway
24 is already above the federal maximum
standard of 67 decibels (dB)* requiring
noise abatement. FROG Park, Claremont
Middle School and the Chabot Recreation
Center have sound readings of 70dB to 72dB.
Caltrans admits there will be an increase
of 2dB to 3dB during the project and, after
construction, from more freely flowing
traffic. The school and the park would
each then have noise levels around 75dB,
well over the federal maximum. However,
Caltrans has never offered Rockridge a
comprehensive noise abatement program;
Rockridge isn’t included in the study area.
(For dB comparison, birdcalls have a sound
level of 44dB; conversation is 60dB; run­
ning a vacuum cleaner creates 70dB; and a
garbage disposal generates 80dB.)
Traffic impacts and air pollution
could increase long-term:
At this time, the Fourth Bore Coalition,
including the RCPC, is entering negotia­
tions with Caltrans to settle the suit. It is
hoped a better Caldecott Improvement
Project and Fourth Bore for the entire Bay
Area results.
*
What is
a Decibel (dB)?
A
CPC and the Fourth Bore Coalition
do not want to stop construction of the
Fourth Bore project. Both RCPC and the
FBC do want to ensure that serious negative
impacts from the project are adequately
mitigated. But, Caltrans did not include
any part of Rockridge within the study
area and therefore did not address project
impacts on the neighborhood, its schools,
or its public resources such as FROG Park.
Among those impacts are:
4½ years of construction effects
on Rockridge street traffic:
decibel (dB) is one-tenth of a
bel (B). The dB is a ratio between
elements of sound such as pressure and
intensity as a measure of sound level. It
is commonly used in acoustics to com­
pare different sound levels.
— http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/decibel
Air pollution has particularly devastating
effects on children, many of whom attend
the schools and play at parks located along
Highway 24. Long-term air pollution is
expected to increase all along Highway 24
after construction of the fourth bore, as more
vehicles use the highway. While fewer traf­
fic jams are expected for vehicles traveling
Under Caltrans’ current construction
staging plan, all westbound trucks hauling
tunneling debris will exit from Highway
24 at Broadway Avenue. That means over
100,000 heavy truck trips on Rockridge
streets generated by this project will pass
through intersections already heavily used
by pedestrians – including Rockridge chil­
dren – and automobiles. In addition, the
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9.
January 5, 2008

Susan Bernosky LUTCF
Insurance Agent
(510) 450-9050
5940 COLLEGE AVE #A
OAKLAND
susanbernosky@allstate.com
CA Lic: 0738807,0D34069
Call me today to see how you can save
when you combine your auto policies.
(Spend more on your honeymoon).
Notary Public available

The Rockridge
News Needs You!
W
No More Veggies?
Farmer’s Market
Found Closed
Me have an opening for a Block Captain
to deliver the newsletter to route #17F
(both sides of the 5200 block of Locksley,
between Clifton and Cavour). It’s a once-a-
month job that takes about 10-15 minutes:
Easy, but so important to our community.
To volunteer, please contact us at 547-3855
or smontauk@gmail.com.
any regular DMV Farmer’s Market
shoppers were distressed to find it
unexpectedly closed when they made their
regular shopping trip on Sunday, December
16. With no evident advance warning of the
closing, many feared the end of the market
could be at hand.
RCPC Meeting
Responding to numerous postings on
neighborhood forums, Councilmember Jane
Brunner clarified the closing:
from page 1
“After working on [establishing the
market] with the DMV, the State and the
Colombo Club, the State and the City agreed
to allow a farmer’s market at the DMV, but
requested that we let the Colombo club use
the lot two Sundays a year, one close to
Christmas and the other around Easter.
terrific opportunity to educate yourself on
the candidates and issues. Sponsored by
RCPC, it takes place Thursday, January 17,
at 7:30 at the Rockridge Library. Following
the presentation by the LWV, the RCPC will
continue the Town Hall Meeting with updates
and discussion of current projects.
The RCPC will also be honoring Rockridge
resident Patrick Daughton for his service to
his community and his city with a Rockridge
Champion award. Friends and colleagues of
Patrick are invited to attend.
“Ron Pardini, the farmer’s market pro­
vider, agreed to have his market close two
Sundays a year when he was chosen to be
the provider of the farmers market.”
So: no cause for alarm: December 16
was one of the Sundays.
YOUR FINANCIAL LIFE GOES BEYOND
STOCKS AND BONDS. SHOULDN’T YOUR
FINANCIAL STRATEGY DO THE SAME?
HALLIE HART, CFP®, FINANCIAL ADVISOR
510-208-3823
MERRILL LYNCH
1111 BROADWAY, 22ND FLOOR
OAKLAND, CA 94607
Complete architectural
services since 1970
5278 College Avenue
Oakland, CA  94618
(510) 654-6755   fax 654-3424
CFP® is a certification mark owned by the Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards, Inc.
Total Merrill (design/words) is a registered service mark/service mark of Merrill Lynch & Co., Inc.
© 2007 Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated. Member, SIPC.

Rockridge Still Shows a Strong Real Estate Market at 2007 Year End
Close Date Bed	Bath	 Address
Orig Price
LP
SP
12/21/2007
2
2
5335 Broadway Ter.
$489,000
$489,000
$470,000
12/21/2007
2
2
5343 Broadway Ter.
$487,000
$487,000
$495,000
12/28/2007
2
1
324 Hemphill Pl.
$575,000
$575,000
$600,000
Avg Pr: $517,000   Avg SP: $521,666     December Average Days on Market = 12
December Average price per square foot = $536    December Average List to Sell = 101%
Current Supply of Inventory = 2 months combined (2.6 mo. SFR, 1 mo.Condos)
2006 Yearly # Sales 117 vs 2007 # Sales 118 = less than 1% increase in sales
2006 Median Sales Price $850,000 vs 2007 Median $820,000 = 3.5% decrease in value

Insurance and savings subject to availability and qualifications.
Savings applies to most major coverages. Allstate Indemnity
Company:  Northbrook, IL.
©2004 Allstate Insurance Company.


10.

January 5, 2008

Residents Appeal Five+ Story
Telegraph Condo Proposal
Happy Whatever
from page 2
Will time quiet cultural misgivings?
Consider the fact that many daily words are
loaded to the steeple with bulky religious
trash, yet we protest not. Take just one of
dozens of examples: The fifth day of the
week, Thursday, named after Thor, the god
of thunder. Despite its explicit homage to
a pagan deity, no one has implored The
Rockridge News or any other publication I’m
aware of to strike “Thor” out of Thursday.
The same for the rest of the days of the
week. Have you ever met anyone carrying
a sign demanding, “Free Friday of Freia?”
In fact, few know who the pagan goddess
Freia is. I’m not sure myself.
upper Telegraph. Telegraph neighbors,
including the owner of Clar’s Auction Gal­
lery were also strongly against the project
for similar reasons. Negative comments
regarding the faux tower, the buildings’ scale
and proposed open-air stairs that would be
visible up and down Telegraph and from
Highway 24 were also heard.
5666 Telegraph plans draw ire
by Dahn Van Laarz, upper Telegraph
Avenue resident
Concerned about excessive height, major
shading of nearby residences, improper
rezoning procedure, and a possible precedent
for significantly taller buildings north of
Highway 24 on Telegraph, neighborhood
residents are appealing the Administrative
Approval of a condominium project at 5666
Telegraph Avenue. Residents have learned
their appeal (CDV07-225) will be heard in
January, though a firm date is not set.
The lone exception was the owner of
one of the 1940s 4-plexes on the west side
of Telegraph, who said he intended to rede­
velop with a significantly taller building if
the 5666 project were approved.
In mid-October, planners approved the
plans as submitted, asking only for a change
to the balcony railings on the upper floors.
They also approved a previously undis­
closed application for on-site cell phone
transponders.
Kahn Design of Berkeley and developer
Tom Anthony propose to build two towers
containing 15 market-rate condominiums
above a ground-floor parking structure.
The front tower would rise to more than
58 feet, the rear to 48 feet. Adjacent homes
and apartments are mostly one-story, with
heights ranging from 12-19 feet. Mixed-use
and commercial buildings in the immedi­
ate area range from 20 feet to the 39 foot
Hollywood Books building at 57th Street.
Zoning for Telegraph from 55th Street to
Berkeley allows up to 40 feet in height.
I suspect, however, that opponents of the
word “Christmas” are much too impatient
to wait a few thousand years for time to
quench long-term associations.
So, after lengthy consideration, the most
timely and politically neutral name I
can think of as a substitute for Christmas,
Hanukkah and Kwanzaa is December 25,
as in “Happy December 25.” When applied
to all the 12 days of the Christmas season,
this solution provides uncanny precision.
Witness, “What are you doing December
25 eve?” Or “Have a great December 25
through January 1, inclusive.” No confu­
sion here.
Neighbors appealed, sending the project
to the Planning Commission. Due to size
thresholds, this project goes only before
the commission, not the City Council. The
project has been reassigned to Case Planner
Dave Valeska, as the previous planner is out
on extended medical leave.
For current information, contact the
planner at 510/238-2075, log on to the
“colbyparkwatch” or “temescalfamiles”
yahoo groups, or go to www.standoakland.
org/condoWatch.shtml.
The project has been controversial since
plans were made public in July. The plan­
ning department and Jane Brunner’s office
received so much feedback that the original
public comment period was extended, cul­
minating in a raucous neighborhood forum
held August 20 at Bushrod Park Recreation
Center. Overwhelmingly, neighbors asked
that the proposal comply with existing
zoning, especially regarding height. Idora
Park residents worried about visual blight
and reduced property values. Neighbors on
Vicente, 57th Street, and Ayala were also
concerned about height, afternoon shading,
and precedent for higher buildings along
True, it is difficult to adapt to tradi­
tional song:
I wish you a merry December 25,
I wish you a merry December 25,
I wish you a merry December 25,
And a happy January 1.”
In spite of the infelicity of this rendi­
tion, I’m convinced the new system will do
just fine. “Merry December 25” improves
with repetition and is culturally neutral, an
idyllic repose in the heavy seas of religious
controversy.
I urge its adoption. In a generation or
two, most everyone will regard the change
as immutable tradition and bask forevermore
in cultural quietude. The war on Christmas
would be won definitively, and Christ and
Christians banished forever. The victory
could be celebrated on Armistice Day,
oops, sorry: Veterans’ Day, which could be
renamed National November 11 Day.
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11.
January 5, 2008

Chabot
Elementary
Building Project
Approaches ’08
Groundbreaking
In design for the last year, final building
plans await state approval. Groundbreaking
for the project is set for June 2008, just
after the school year ends. The project is
expected to take 16 months to complete,
with work continuing throughout the 2008-
2009 school year. While construction and
education coexisting on a tiny campus is
not ideal, it is another way the school com­
munity has worked to ensure a cost-effective
and timely building project.
Chabot’s construction schedule will be
conducted in three phases:
Summer 2008
■
■
 – Demolition of old
portable classroom buildings; regrading
and resurfacing of the lower play yard;
relocation of new and existing portables
to the upper play yard for use during the
2008-09 school year.
September 2008 - June 2009
■
■
 – With
the student body secure in the original
classroom building and temporary por­
tables on the upper and lower yards,
construction of the two new buildings at
the south end of campus will take place.
About half of the lower play yard will be
available to students and the community
outside of school hours.
by Shelly Fierston and Polly Winograd
Ikonen, Chabot parents and members of the
Chabot Long Range Planning Committee
C
While the Measure B funds enable
Chabot to reconfigure and modernize its
buildings, the funding does not fulfill the
campus master plan. To fill that gap, the
Chabot PTA launched capital campaign
Chabot: Way To Grow! in fall 2007 to
raise $500,000 for landscaping, playground
improvements, rehabilitation of Chabot’s
award-winning garden (which will be demol­
ished during construction), and classroom
furnishings. For more information on the
campaign, visit www.ChabotElementary.
org/WayToGrow.
habot Elementary is on track to break
ground in June 2008 on construction
of two new buildings and rehabilitation of
all its exterior spaces. These new build­
ings will replace 12 outdated portables
with permanent classrooms, provide a new
multi-purpose room for lunches, physical
education and assemblies, and create a
new library and media center. The $17.5
million in bond funding from Measure B,
passed by voters in 2006 also funds other
facility upgrades.
Summer 2009
■
■
 – Temporary portables
will be removed from the play yards (6-7
will remain for permanent use), and the
upper yard will be regraded and resur­
faced.
By the start of the 2009-2010 school
year, the campus should be ready for full
use by school and community.
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Serving Rockridge Since 1909
3210 College Avenue
Near Alcatraz
652-1990
2004 A.G. Edwards & Sons, Inc. • Member SIPC
a
cross-cultural congregation
striving to partner with
         the Rockridge community
   in lifestyle and service.
College Avenue Presbyterian Church
5951 College Avenue, Oakland  510 658-3665
SUNDAY WORSHIP 10:30 AM • VISIT: CAPCCHURCH.ORG
OUR WONDERFUL COMMUNITY MEAL, FRIDAYS, 6-7PM
A GREAT OPPORTUNITY TO SERVE




12.

January 5, 2008

only mixed-use can support current land
values. To be successful, a mixed-use plan
must have local government policy support.
Councilmember Brunner recalled a conver­
sation she had with the mayor of Walnut
Creek, who revealed that 40 years ago their
city council made a plan for retail develop­
ment, and never changed its course.
loyal customers, yet is concerned about the
high level of crime — vandalism, burglary,
shoplifting, and even armed robbery. He says
that these factors can put a small business
out of business, and notes that the police
department doesn’t respond quickly to non-
violent crime.
C
Retail
from page 1
Oakland’s potential as an enlivened city with
more pedestrian-oriented, retail activity in
its urban centers. To achieve this, Conley’s
group suggests a four-tiered “Retail Enhance­
ment Strategy” which includes increasing
retail in neighborhood centers beginning
with upper Broadway (Piedmont Avenue to
27th Street), new and better retail citywide,
recruiting new stores, and improving exist­
ing retail districts.
rime is a top priority for Council­
member Brunner, who, in response
to Silvera and other resident’s comments,
confirmed  that the District Attorney does
not prosecute shoplifters, auto break-ins,
and other misdemeanors because of lack of
courtroom space. Brunner wants to continue
working to find a solution, as well as to
adjust Oakland’s gross receipts tax to help
small businesses thrive.
Conley pointed out that Oakland is
larger than any of the adjoining cities and
yet is underperforming in “sales captured.”
She says that Oakland should be the East
Bay’s central marketplace town square.
While Oakland does import sales in some
areas, the city, she says, should be getting
approximately $817 million in annual sales,
not the current $600 million — and is losing
as much as $10 million in tax revenues and
as many as 10,000 jobs.
Upper Broadway was selected due to
the fact that large lots — encompassing a
rare 10-acre parcel equaling 450,000 sq. ft
of retail space — could soon be available
if Broadway’s Auto Row relocates to the
former Oakland Army Base. With higher
building heights, ground floor retail with
office and residential units on top, adequate
access and parking, and the right tenant
mix, upper Broadway would be an ideal,
walkable, retail corridor, attracting shop­
pers from adjoining neighborhoods, and
even from outside the city.
C
This initial study is a first step; Phase
II of the study will be completed in March
2008.
Speaking on behalf of concerned retailers
was Scott Silvera, owner of Scout Hardware,
who opened his store about five years ago
in an empty storefront on College Avenue,
and moved to Temescal this past year. He
likes the fact that in Oakland, small busi­
nesses can open without direct competition
from big box stores and are able to maintain
To see Conley’s report, visit http://
clerkwebsvr1.oaklandnet.com/detailre­
port/matter.aspx?key=14310 (download
second attachment “view report”).
Anna Marks has been a Rockridge resident since
1989, and enjoys living in the Bay Area because
of its beauty and diversity.
onley’s study (which included a survey
of approximately 2,300 residents)
found that grocery stores, drug stores,
bakeries, and neighborhood shops which
offer convenience are often lacking in
many localities, but the bigger problem is
with the “companion goods” like apparel,
department stores, gifts, home furnishings,
jewelry, and other types of merchandise
which are rarely within walking distance for
many city residents. The vision is a diverse
selection of products, with a price mix that
reflects Oakland’s diverse population. Phase
II would then look at the rest of the city.
The group has identified 52 neighborhood
“nodes,” since, Conley says, one project
isn’t enough to reverse this trend.
The study determined that a retail-only
plan would not work due to high land values;
Rebecca Lueck, LCSW
Individual and
Family Counseling
(415) 235-1071
Located at College and Alcatraz
Treating relationship issues,
anxiety, depression, panic disorders,
childhood trauma, grief, infertility
and adoption, and addictions.
Sliding scale : Insurance accepted


13.
January 5, 2008

mandatory overtime.
before under Chief Richard Word, and was
not successful.
Wanted: Candidates
For NCPC Election
T
The 12 hour shift schedule better supports
■
■
the proposed geographical policing model
which also goes into effect in January.
The shift changes and a new area com­
mand structure will be tested and debated in
the coming months. Many officers believe
overtired and overstressed officers will
resign, leaving OPD with an even greater
staffing problem. Authorized staffing is
803 officers; at 729 (last available number
of officers), OPD is sorely understaffed.
Oakland should have double that number,
compared to other cities of the same size.
Recruiting for the training academies has
been challenging and standards have been
lowered to attract candidates; new recruits
have barely kept ahead of the attrition rate
of about five officers each month.
he Greater Rockridge Neighborhood
Crime Prevention Council will hold
elections for executive officers at its Febru­
ary 21 Town Hall Meeting at the Rockridge
Library. Anyone 18 and older and a resident
or business member of beats 12Y/13X (see
www.rockridgencpc.com for boundar­
ies and election details) is eligible to run.
Contact info@rockridgencpc.com for
more information.
Under this model, a team of officers is
assigned to one of three areas: Area 1 is
North and West Oakland; Area 2 is Central
Oakland from the Lake Merritt to High
Street; Area 3 is from High Street to the
San Leandro border.
Police Union Opposed
The police union, which has been firmly
opposed to the new shift plan, presents
these arguments:
OPD Changes
They’re already overworked and under­
■
■
staffed; 12 hour shifts would be too much
from page 1
The police department really needs more
■
■
officers, not longer shifts
All eyes will be on the “new OPD” and
critics will not be in short supply.
on, three days off. Officers will have a
minimum of 8 hours off if required to work
consecutive 12-hour shifts.
The geographic policin
■
■
g model was tried
Each officer will have a three-day
weekend every second week; also, every
alternate second week, each officer will
work a three-day weekend. The rotations
begin on Monday; the three-day periods run
from Wednesday through Friday.
Police Management in Favor
house where on-going drug dealing was only
halted periodically by officers who chased
the dealers away. This officer made arrests,
called EBMUD and PG&E to get the water
and gas turned off, and advised the lender that
he would be cited if the property were not
cleaned up and secured. Problem solved.
OPD Captain
from page 1
scheduling [see “OPD Changes to New
Shifts,” page 1]. A new construct of three
geographical command areas replaces the
system of six Police Service Areas (PSAs),
each led by a Lieutenant—North Oakland’s
PSA 2 was led by Lieutenant Jim Meeks—
whose authority extended only to the Crime
Reduction Teams (CRTs), Problem Solving
Officers (PSOs) and walking officers, not to
the patrol officers. Now, patrol officers will
be assigned on a seniority basis to a year’s
term in one district, under the command
of one captain and his lieutenants. “It will
make us more efficient,” says Toribio. “The
problem of disconnect will vanish.”
Chief of Police Wayne Tucker fought
for this new shift schedule and Mayor
Dellums backs it. They cite a number of
advantages over the former 10-hour shift
duty schedule:
Toribio expects his beat officers to do
this kind of policing, which he calls proj­
ect-based. He says that each call should be
treated as if it is “the only one standing. You
need to provide citizens with the service they
deserve,” he continues. He also thinks doing
the job properly improves officer morale.
“Most people become officers because they
want to make a difference. When they do
the job right they get satisfaction, a sense of
accomplishment and pride.”
The 4-10 schedule requires more people
■
■
than the 12-hour shift schedule, to cover a
given 24-hour period. The arbitration deci­
sion, available at http://www.oaklandpolice.
com/geninfo/OaklandOPOAshiftschedule.
pdf, quotes a study which says that a 4-10
schedule requires 25% more officers to
cover a beat over a seven day week than
the traditional 5-8 schedule; it didn’t make
comparisons with a 12 hour schedule.
Anthony Toribio will be the guest speaker
at a special Neighborhood Crime Prevention
Council meeting at the Rockridge Library,
7 p.m. on January 24. Block Captains and
NCPC Block Contacts are invited to attend.
Contact your NCPC at info@rockridgencpc.
com for more information.
Toribio has a special interest in com­
munity policing. He thinks each beat officer
should be a community policing officer, one
who does more than the cursory on-the-fly
type of policing. He gives the example of
an officer called to deal with an abandoned
The 4-10 schedule requires more manda­
■
■
tory overtime than the 12-hour schedule; one
goal of the 12-hour schedule is to eliminate
Order New Market
Jeff Auen, Realtor
Residential and
Income Properties
Jaoffice@comcast.net
Norman H. Burg, DDS
Handbook for
Buyers and Sellers at
www.JLAHomes.com
Straight Talk
• Renovation Consultation for
Resale and Purchase
• Over 200 Vendor References
from floors to kitchens
• 60-Step Marketing and
Pre-Sale Plan for Owners
• Over 30 articles free at:
www.JLAHomes.com
General Dentistry
(510) 652-1517
5700 Broadway, Oakland
Creative
Solutions
www.JLAHomes.com
1-800-805-8827
Results
Jeff Auen
A Prevention Oriented Practice


14.

January 5, 2008

Handyman
Carpentry, electrical, kitchen, bath, decks,
fence, drainage, foundation repair, windows,
walls, dry rot, termite damage. Lic#458473
Don 510/812-0310.
Your Message Could Be Here
Your 36-word message is $20. (Phone number
counts as one word). Mail to: RN Classifieds,
5245 College Avenue, PMB 311, Oakland,
CA 94618. February deadline is January 17.
For information: e-mail smontauk@gmail.com
Pacific Boychoir Auditions
The Boychoir is auditioning boys ages 5-10. No
experience necessary for this once-in-a-lifetime
opportunity for boys, concerts with orchestras, at
sporting events, and around the world. Convenient
rehearsals at Alcatraz/Colby. 510/652-4722.
Homeopathy – “Green”
Family Medicine
Homeopathy is effective medicine. It is also one
of the “greenest”. I treat many issues: migraines,
menopause, fertility, skin, digestion etc. All ages.
All natural. Shana Sturm: 510/367-4161.
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. Rick 510/761-7168.
Aesthetic Pruning
I specialize in pruning trees and shrubs under 20
feet tall. I work with trees to enhance their natural
beauty. Specialties: maples, camellias, conifers,
fruit trees, focal points, hands-on pruning instruc­
tion. Bruce Thompson 510/428-4964.
Housecleaning Cooperative
We clean homes, apartments, offices, and help
you clean up for moves, in and out. Careful
professional attention to detail and reasonable
rates. Ask for our excellent references. Please
call: 510/499-5836.
Pet Services
I’m a college student with free time on the
afternoons and weekends. I’ll love to walk your
dog(s) to the neighborhood park. Call me at
510/207-0231. References upon request.
Unexpected Guests?
Short-term rental, lovely room 2 blocks from
Rockridge BART in owner’s flat. Wi-fi, cable,
t.v. Suitable for one person. Photos available.
Barbird@aol.com 510/652-7044.
Start the New Year with
TAI CHI and QIGONG
Thursday, 10 am & Saturday, 9 am. Rockridge
Methodist Church social hall. 303 Hudson at
College. Visit our website www.harmonytaiji.
com or call Gail 415/786-2469.
Manicure & Pedicure
We use Zoya polish which does not contain
formaldehyde or toluene or DBT. Call Halina
@ Milagro Salon, 5269 Broadway @ College.
510/593-5080. Mention this ad and receive a
10% discount.
Electromagnetic Fields and
Environmental Health
Childhood leukemia? Environmental illness:
Learn more about the invisible pollutant we live
surrounded by. Visit emf.danmattson.net or call
Dan at 510/658-2819 for a free brochure.
Quality Gardening
Skilled maintenance and fine gardening. Planting
and design, pruning, irrigation, outdoor light­
ing, clean-ups. Ecological practices. 14 years in
Berkeley/Oakland. Local references. Green’s
Gardens. 510/593-3490.
Rockridge Reflexology
Advanced hand and foot techniques. Winter
special: book 2 sessions, 3rd free! Gift Certifi­
cates available. Close to BART. Unique and cozy
setting. 510/601-0614. rockreflex@bigfeetbud­
dha.com. Relax, Restore, Rebound.
John Love Massage Therapy
Deep Tissue, Swedish, Zen Shiatsu, Prenatal.
Incall or Outcall. All ages, body types, and
configurations. Certified and registered for
business in Oakland. See www.johnlove.mas­
sagetherapy.com (note: corrected website
address) or call 510/326-1335.
DINEIN/TAKEOUT/CATERING
Restoration / Renovation
Custom Wood
Windows and Doors
(510) 893 1157
3211 College Ave. Berkeley
510.658.3461
www.flavors-india.com
www.woodenwindow.com    Lic 640153

G
R  E  A  L  T  O  R  S
The GRUBB Co.
510.339.0400
1960 Mountain Boulevard •Oakland
510.652.2133
3070 Claremont Avenue • Berkeley
Energize yourself at your friendly,
independent, neighborhood gym!
Formerly Inside Out -
new owner, new look,
new classes, new energy!
This is not your typical gym!
Pay-as-you-go memberships.  Light, airy space.
Over 45 classes a week.
Motivating instructors & trainers.
Group Classes, Personal Training, Childcare
4444 PIEDMONT AVE, OAKLAND (510) 655-8308
WWW.INSIDEOUTSIDEFITNESS.COM
Thanks for
another
great year!

$PMMFHF
"WF
	


f h k f v k p


15.
January 5, 2008

E-mail Rockridge News Community Calendar items to: joellis1@hotmail.com, phone 653-3210 (after noon), 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.

Community Calendar
Compiled by Jo Ellis

Neighborhood Crime Prevention
Council (NCPC)
Art Exhibits
B’way (at Brookside). Wheelchair accessible; free
parking. More info: 420-2351 or www.college-prep.
org/livetalk.
Gallery: January: John Baldwin: mixed media figurative
and abstract works.
Lobby Display Case: January and February: Paul
Robeson Centennial Committee display.
NCPC Town Hall for Block Captains. Thursday,
January 24, 7 pm , Rockridge Libary. Guest Speaker:
Area 1 OPD Captain Anthony Toribio. Contact info@
rockridgencpc.com to RSVP.
Space-Time Considerations:
CCA Math & Science Fair
LIBRARY HOURS:
Mon. and Tues, 12:30 to 8pm.
Wed., Thurs. and Sat. 10am to 5:30pm.
Showcasing the creativity of California College of the
Arts (CCA) students in incorporating science and math
into the arts, and the arts into math and science. January
24 through February 3; opening reception Friday, 1/25
8-10pm. Gallery hrs: Mon., Tues., Thurs. and Fri., 8:30am
to noon and 1-4:30pm. CCA Oliver Art Center, 5212 B’way.
More info at www.cca.edu/calendar.
Rockridge Branch Library
5366 College Avenue, 597-5017
Fri., 12 to 5:30pm.
Closed Sundays and Mon., 1/21 for MLK Jr. Day.
Diesel Readings and Events
SPECIAL NOTICE
■
■
: The Oakland Library’s Second
Start Adult Literacy Program begins an 18-hour
training program on January 12, from 9am to 12pm for
volunteers who will offer free tutoring to adults (16 and
older) in reading and writing. A 9 month commitment
and advance registration are required of tutors. For
info about becoming a Second Start tutor or student,
call 238-3432.
FOR CHILDREN:
All events are FREE and open to the public.
Sunday, 1/13, 3pm: Local author
■
■
Cornelia Read:
The Crazy School.
5433 College Ave. For more information about other
events, Book Discussion Groups and El Grupito, the
Spanish discussion group: 653-9965 or www.die­
selbookstore.com.
Jazz at the Chimes
Concert and Artist Reception featuring jazz guitarist Bruce
Forman. Sunday, 1/20, 2pm. Ticket sales at the door begin
at 12:30pm: $10-15 (cash only) for concert, reception and
refreshments. Kids under 12 free. Sponsored by the Lifemark
Group Arts program that features Bay Area talent. Chapel
of the Chimes, 4499 Piedmont Ave. Wheelchair accessible.
Info/Reservations: 228-3218. www.lifemarkgroup.
com/oakland/special_events.asp.
Toddler Story Time:
■
■
1st and 2nd Saturdays,
10:30am:1/5, 1/12, 2/2.
Pre-School Story Time:
■
■
 1st and 3rd Wednesdays,
10:30am: 1/2, 1/16, 2/6.
Pajama Story Time:
■
■
 2nd and 4th Tuesdays, 7pm:
1/8, 1/22.
SPECIAL EVENTS FOR KIDS & FAMILIES:
Peralta Elementary School
Kindergarten Open House
Wednesday, January 16 at 6:45pm. 460 63rd Street.
Meet the principal and kindergarten teachers and learn
about our instructional programs. To RSVP for childcare
during Open House, call 879-1450. School tours for
Peralta Elementary are now available on alternating
Mondays and Thursdays. Call 879-1450 to schedule
a tour date. More info at www.peraltaschool.org.
To get info on Oakland Unified School District’s Open
Enrollment procedures, contact OUSD’s student assign­
ment office at 879-8111.
“Sunday Salon” at the Parkway
The League of Women Voters (LWV) of Oakland pres­
ents a free showing of Who Killed the Electric Car?,
Sunday, 1/13. Doors open at 1:15pm for refreshments
and socializing: 1:45 pre-film welcome and intro: film
at 2pm followed by discussion. More info at 834-7640,
www.lwvoakland.org or www.whokilledthe­
electriccar.com.
Drop by any time starting 1/8 through 1/31 to make
■
■
paper snowflakes or experiment with Kirigami. Get
supplies, patterns and instructions at the Children’s
Reference Desk.
FOR TEENS:
Anime Club: Teens 13 and up
■
■
, watch and talk about
anime (Japanese animation) with other teens. 2nd
Tuesday of each month, from 5 to 6:30pm, upstairs
meeting room. Meet 1/8 to watch Naruto 3: the Movie.
More info: Susy Moorhead, 597-5017.
FOR ADULTS:
Old Man River: Mark Twain
and the Mississippi
Peace Corps Information Session
Returned Peace Corps Volunteers will share stories.
Volunteers work in 74 countries in education, health,
business, environment and more. No upper age limit to
join. Learn more Tuesday, 1/22, 6 to 7:30pm, Rockridge
Library, 5366 College Ave. More info: Nick Bosustow,
452-8444, nbosustow@peacecorps.gov, or www.
peacecorps.gov.
A unique combination of dramatic portrayal (Daniel Halford
as Mark Twain) and slide show will bring to life the golden
age of river steamboats. Saturday, 1/12, 5pm. $10 donation.
College Avenue Presbyterian Church, 5951 College Ave
(in the church sanctuary). For more info: 658-3665.
Writers’ Support /Critique Group
■
■
: ALL writers
welcome. Third Saturday of each month (1/19) from
1 to 5pm. Bring up to 5 pages of your prose for on-
site reading/discussion. Sponsored by the California
Writers Club, Berkeley branch (www.berkeley­
writersclub.org/). For more info: 420-8775 or
Writefox@aol.com.
Knitting Classes for Seniors
■
■
 (50+): with instructor
Teri Barr. All levels welcome. Beginners bring light
color yarn and a pair of size 8 needles. If experienced,
bring projects to work on. Tuesdays, 12:30-2:30pm,
upstairs meeting room. NOTE: no class 2/5 (an
Election Day).
Lawyers in the Library: Free legal advice
■
■
. NOTE:
Cancelled January and February.
Luna Kids Dance
LiveTalk@CPS
FREE open house and dance class. Family and kids
welcome for dance, play, improvisation and refresh­
ments. Saturday, 1/12, 1 to 2:30pm. Julia Morgan
Center for the Arts (Studio C), 2640 College Ave.,
Berkeley. More info: Tricia Ong, 644-3629 or kids@
lunakidsdance.org.
College Preparatory School Lecture Series: open to all.
Chocolate: A Cultural Taste and History: presented
by John Scharffenberger, local chocolate maker,
who will share his extensive knowledge and some
chocolate. Thursday, 1/17, 7:30 to 9pm. Doors open at
7pm for complimentary refreshments. Tickets: $15 ($5
students). Proceeds support the endowment fund and
financial aid program. CPS Buttner Auditorium, 6100
Sing-Along and Concert
Puttin’ On the Ritz: Songs of Irving Berlin. An evening of
more than 30 Berlin tunes. Lyrics projected on a screen
so everyone can sing along with the piano. Saturday,
1/12, 7:30pm. Temple Sinai’s Harpham Chapel, 2808
Summit St. (bet. B’way and Telegraph at 28th). $12.50
at the door. More info: Phillip Rubin, 547-8080.
WINSTON’S PLUMBING
HEATING & ELECTRICAL
Master Composter Training Program
lic.# 537739/554406
Since 1979
• Trenchless Sewers
Currently accepting applications through January 11 from
Alameda Co. residents for the 2008 class. Participants
learn the art and science of composting and then train
others through a community outreach project. All receive
several books and a compost bin. Teachers who complete
the program are eligible for a $200 stipend to use toward
school garden and/or classroom compost activities.
Weekly Tues. night classes from early Feb., through
mid May. More information at 891-6508, 444-SOIL or
StopWaste.Org at www.BayFriendly.org.
• Earthquake Protection
• Tankless Water Heaters
• Remodel & Repair
510-652-8014
www.winstonsplumbing.com
“”May your toilet never runneth over!”


16.

January 5, 2008

ROBERTS ELECTRIC
VINITA GOKHALE
ROCKRIDGE REALTOR AND HOMEOWNER
Happy
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Visit my new
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Rockridge Neighbors:
SERVING THE EAST BAY SINCE 1932            CA. LIC# 728215
www.myrockridgeneighbors.com
510-717-0630
510-428-0757
Email: Vinita@realtyadvocates.com
510-717-0630
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Over 25 Years Experience
Helping the Environment =
Compact Fluorescent Lighting.

Ron Kriss of
Lawton Associates
has committed to converting
every home he sells in 2008
to compact fl uorescent lights.
Convert your home and help
make a difference.
IMMEDIATE RESPONSE
(510) 465-3000
License #754966
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510-547-5970 Ext. 55
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p 510.428.2600
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Is there a move in your future?
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terrykulka@att.net
http://www.terrykulka.com
With over 300 homes sold –
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OWNER – BROKER
BUYING OR SELLING IN
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