Extracted text · highlighting “Jennifer Cooper”

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VOL. 28     NO. 10    ISSUE NO. 305    November 2, 2013                    CIRCULATION: 5,800 Residences; 200 BusInesses

Sponsored by the Rockridge Community Planning Council • 4123 Broadway, PMB 311 • Oakland, CA 94611 • 869-4200

Public Safety Information You Want
☞
☞
RCPC Town Hall
Thursday, Nov. 21 | 7-9 p.m.
Over 100 people responded to
a recent RCPC survey to help
identify public safety-related issues
Rockridge residents want to learn
about and discuss as a community.
Also involved are the Neighborhood
Crime Prevention Council (NCPC);
Rockridge District Association (RDA);
Councilman Dan Kalb’s office; College
Avenue Presbyterian Church; Anthony
Toribio (OPD); and Patricia Rose, OPD
Neighborhood Services.
What are we hearing? Most people’s
priority is personal safety – including
family, neighbors and home and prop-
erty. Other leading issues are:
1.	Oakland city budget and crime
2.	Private security patrols
3.	Neighborhood Watch
■
■Fight Crime One Block at a Time:

Learn How to Start a
Neighborhood Watch Group
on Your Street.
7 p.m.: Come for light snacks and
to meet friends;
7:30 p.m.: Program. RSVP: info@rockridge.org
It’s often said, “It takes a village to raise a
child.” Similarly, making one’s village safe
may be best achieved through collective
effort.
Cuts at OPD have left us vulnerable. The
police point out, correctly, they cannot do
it all. Forming Neighborhood Watch groups
is one way we can protect ourselves.
At the November RCPC Town Hall, we
will hear from successful neighborhood
watch groups in Rockridge. We will learn
what it takes to form a group and keep it
going, and what advice they have for new
groups.
Join us Thursday, November 21, 7 p.m.,
at the Rockridge Branch Library. Note
the start time: The program will begin
at 7:30, but please come at 7 p.m. to join us
for light snacks and to meet your neighbors.
So that we can plan for refreshments,
please RSVP: info@rockridge.org
➧➧Safety Survey, page 13
Caldecott Settlement Agreement Projects Advance
Update: Broadway ‘Road Diet’ and Crossing
Improvements Set for Community Meeting
by Victoria Eisen, city of Oakland
consultant for Caldecott settlement-
funded projects
Proposed designs for the Upper
Broadway “road diet” and related
intersection improvements funded with
Caldecott Settlement Agreement funds
are the topics of a community meeting
to be hosted Monday, November 18 by
Councilmember Dan Kalb’s office. The
meeting, scheduled for 7 to 8:30 p.m., will
be held at College Preparatory School,
6100 Broadway at Brookside Avenue. The
meeting room is on the far right-hand
side of the parking lot, facing the gym.
Plans for the project area on Broadway
between Broadway Terrace and Keith
Avenue include:
■
■Resurfacing the roadway
■
■Reducing the number of traffic
lanes from four to three (one lane
in each direction, with a two-way
center turn lane)
■
■Adding bicycle lanes on both sides
of the street
■
■Adding high-visibility crosswalks
■
■Keeping existing on-street parking
➧➧Broadway ‘Road Diet’, page 4
Security Ambassadors for College Avenue
by Chris Jackson, Rockridge District
Association
The Rockridge District Association
(RDA) wants our neighbors to know that
we have started our security ambassadors
program a little earlier this year.
The RDA has contracted with VMA
Security Group, an Oakland company, to
provide unarmed security ambassadors who
will help make your time on the Avenue
even more enjoyable during the holidays.
They will not only help keep us safe but
will provide assistance with directions and
other information for shoppers.
Other pro-active measures have been
put in place to help with overall safety
for our neighborhood:
RDA has a strong working
relationship with the Oakland Police
Department as well as other security
personnel on the Avenue such as at
Dreyer’s and at Bank of America.
Market Hall has increased its
security staff hours. Chad Carlin,
chief security officer for Market Hall,
continues to patrol streets adjacent
to College Avenue. Chad has been
instrumental in the apprehension of
auto burglary suspects and other issues
VMA Operations Manager Steven Long,
left, VMA President Vince Mackey, and
Chad Carlin, Market Hall security, will
work with merchants to enhance holiday
safety on College Avenue.        /D. Kinkead
➧➧College Avenue Security, page 11


2.

November 2, 2013
2.

Essays on matters of local interest are invited for consideration
as Op-Ed pieces for The Rockridge News. Please limit length to
450 words and submit to editor@rockridge.org.

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

Tue: 12:30 – 8 p.m.

Wed, Thu, Sat: 10 a.m. – 5:30 p.m.

Friday: 12 – 5:30 p.m.
	Sunday and Monday: CLOSED. and 11/12, 28, 29
Children’s Hospital Expansion Plans
The View from the ASI (Area of Secondary Importance)

12:30 – 8 p.m.
10 a.m. – 5:30 p.m.
12 – 5:30 p.m.
CLOSED
by Bob Brokl
Children’s Hospital and Research Center
(CHRCO), is back at it, planning an
expansion, addressing seismic issues with
some of their buildings, and trying to weather
the changes to the health care industry.
CHRCO’s last expansion plan, which
called for a 190-foot tower and a footprint
extending well into the neighborhood,
ended when voters soundly rejected the
bond measure that hospital management
had placed on the local ballot.
Now, CHRCO has launched its latest
effort, with new administrators (the top
four have all become UCSF employees in
an evolving affiliation between the two
health care providers), and new plans.
There have been scoping meetings for the
environmental impact report (EIR) before
the Landmarks Advisory Board and the
Planning Commission. CHRCO hired Page
& Turnbull to do their historical analysis.
The hospital’s main campus contains the
original Baby Hospital from 1926, designed
by Edward Cannon, an architect from the
firm of Charles W. Dickey, better known
for the Claremont Hotel, Temescal Library,
and the Old Merritt College, now known
as Children’s Hospital Research Institute
(CHORI), the complex that also houses the
North Oakland Senior Center. The former
school was the focus of a decades-long,
ultimately successful, preservation battle.
The neighborhood directly north of
the hospital, a street car suburb from the
early 20th century, is zoned an Area of
Secondary Importance (ASI*), and covers
approximately 100 buildings in the area
bounded by Martin Luther King, Jr. Way,
Shattuck Avenue, 55th Street, and the
hospital.
Phase 1 of CHRCO’s plans includes a
nearly 100,000 sq. ft., 6-story outpatient
building north of the main campus and
would remove four single-family homes.
Phase 2 involves the removal of six more
homes and construction of several new
buildings within the hospital’s main campus,
the largest being a five-story, 125,000 sq.
ft. acute care patient pavilion. The overall
project would involve about 500,000 sq. ft.
of new construction.
Neighbors are up in arms over the
proposed new entrance to the outpatient
building and the parking garage at 53rd and
Dover, within the ASI. A helipad would be
located on top of the building at 52nd and
MLK, and would remain even though another
would be reconstructed at the south end of
the campus. [Medivac helicopter flights from
Contra Costa County land on the existing
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 nonprofit public benefit organization founded to:
preserve and enhance the unique character of the
Rockridge neighborhood; promote the health, safety
and quality of life of its residents; furnish a forum for
community involvement, and provide leadership and
representation of neighborhood interests.
Rockridge News Production
Don Kinkead	�����������������������Editor
Ortrun Niesar..................... The Muse
Barry Kaufman	�������������������Food
Jo Ellis	�����������������������������������Advertising &
Community Calendar
Theresa Nelson	��������������������Neighborhood Merchant
Susan Montauk	�������������������Business Manager
Don Kinkead	�����������������������Graphics & Layout
RCPC Board of Directors, 2013-2014
Zabrae Valentine	����������������Chair
Christopher Chin	�������������Vice-Chair
Laura Schlichtmann	�����������Secretary
Bernard Baltaxe	�����������������Treasurer
Stuart Flashman	�����������������Chair Emeritus
Andrew Charman, Virginia Hamilton,
Michael Kan, William Kaufner, Don Kinkead,
Lisa McNally, Greg Pasquali
Contact the board: chair@rockridge.org
For information: info@rockridge.org
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
	 Are there community issues you’d like to see
covered in The Rockridge News?
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Contact us at one of the following:
Editor: editor@rockridge.org
www.rockridge.org
The Rockridge News, 4123 Broadway, PMB 311,
Oakland, CA 94611
RCPC Voice-mail: 510/869-4200
➧➧Children’s Hospital Proposal, page 13
* Ed. Note: The author is referring to a
part of the Oakland Planning Department’s
historical and architectural rating system that
ranks structures in a given area of the city by
level of importance.
1: In an Area of Primary Importance (API)
or National Register quality district. Examples:
Old Oakland, Downtown, Oakland Point
(Prescott)
2: In an Area of Secondary Importance (ASI)
or district of local interest. Examples: 23rd
Avenue Commercial, Clawson Neighborhood,
Bella Vista, Jingletown, Carrington Airplane
Bungalows
3: Not in a historic district.
Find more information at http://www2.
oaklandnet .com/Government /o/PBN/
OurServices/Historic/DOWD009155
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.
$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 Trader Joe’s and Zachary’s Pizza
Newsletter Advertising/Deadline
Publication date of the next issue is:
  December 7, 2013
  December deadline is November 21, 2013
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.
November 2, 2013

3.

In a small study of the relationship between
transit accessibility and residential tenants’
use of off-street parking spaces, the city
looked at three areas: the Fruitvale BART
station, Jack London Square, and Telegraph
Avenue. The city had hoped to find that
tenants in buildings with better transit
access didn’t use cars as much, so perhaps
off-street parking requirements could be
decreased. The results of the study were less
than spectacular. The study was small to
start with and participation was not strong.
As a result, although the study attempts
to claim good transit access correlates with
less auto use, the numerical results were
unimpressive and not statistically significant.
RCPC intends to submit a comment
letter pointing out the study’s weakness. It
might be that reduced parking requirements
make sense, but this study doesn’t justify
that conclusion.
on the College Avenue Safeway.
Agendas: Please check with
committee chair Stu Flashman,
652-5373, or e-mail stuflash@aol.
com the week before the meeting
for an updated agenda.
The RCPC Land Use Com-
mittee meets Wednesday,
November 27, Rockridge
Branch Library, upstairs
meeting room, 7:30 p.m.
Topics will include an update
Rockridge Shopping Center project, where
Safeway representatives have been generally
more cooperative, is like night and day.
■
■College Avenue Safeway
Project (College & Claremont
Avenues)
As previously reported, Safeway violated
its settlement agreement with the three local
community groups (including RCPC) by
submitting a building permit application
to the city without first meeting with the
groups to discuss changes to its plans
that differ from what the City Council
approved last December. Those changes
were considerable, and not for the better.
In subsequent meetings, the groups got
Safeway to restore some portions of the
earlier design, but on one major issue –
building height – Safeway’s current plans
are still several feet higher than what the
Council approved. Safeway remains firmly
obstinate on this issue, claiming it had
underestimated how thick some building
structural elements needed to be. The groups
have continued to negotiate, but, under the
settlement agreement, Safeway might ask the
city to move ahead with its current proposal
and leave city staff to decide whether to
hold the company to the Council-approved
plans. Negotiations continue.
Safeway also provided revised plans
for the retail shops building. There were
some significant changes, although nothing
as shocking as a five-foot height increase.
Here, too, the community groups suggested
changes to bring plans closer to what the
Council had approved, some of which
Safeway accepted. However, Safeway has
also submitted a building permit application
for this building.
The difference in Safeway’s approach
to the community in this project, and the
■
■Bourbon & Beef Restaurant,
5634 College Avenue
This new restaurant replaced the Water
nightclub, after about a two year hiatus.
While RCPC is happy to have that storefront
space occupied and active again, some of
the tenants who live above the restaurant
have not been as overjoyed. It seems there
have been noise and garbage problems with
the new business. The Land Use Committee
met with tenants and the building owner,
and the building owner then met with the
restaurant owner. It appears that remedies
are in the works. RCPC is happy to have
played a role in getting the problems resolved.
■
■Bica Coffee Shop,
5701 College Avenue
This popular coffee shop and hang-out at
the corner of Miles and College had planned
to apply for a beer and wine license, but now
has decided to apply to the city to be a full
restaurant, which would require a conditional
use permit. The Land Use Committee
will be considering the application at its
November 27 meeting. The committee will
seek feedback from community members,
especially nearby residents.
New Swings, Play
Features Coming to
Frog Park
Tell Us What Kind and Where
F
ROG continues to make progress on
plans to add Toddler (bucket) and regular
swings, along with other play features in
Big Frog/Hardy Park.
■
■View the plans and take the survey
to share your preferences: www.
frogpark.org.
■
■Residential Off-Street Parking
Report
As part of its city-wide rezoning process,
Oakland has been considering changes
to its off-street parking requirements for
residential and commercial buildings. A
particular focus has been “transit-rich”
areas, which include College Avenue and the
area around the Rockridge BART station.
■
■Questions and comments? Interested
in donating or volunteering? E-mail
us at info@frogpark.org.
Frog Park Swings: You Can Help
Fund the Next Stage
We’re still collecting community input
and have to coordinate with city
hall, but the FROG Park committee hears
loud and clear that folks want robust park
enhancements.
Anticipating the need for a fundraising
drive to realize that vision, we are seeking
private and corporate donations to meet a
$40,000 goal.
You can donate now at www.frogpark.
org. Look for more details at the park and
in this newsletter, coming soon.
— Carol Behr, FROG chair,
and Annie Suttle


4.

November 2, 2013
4.

from page 1
AC Transit Proposes Changes to
51 Line; Kills 21 Parking Spaces

Broadway ‘Road Diet’
to improving pedestrian
crossings of the reconfigured
street, as called for in the
settlement agreement,
particularly at Lawton Avenue
and Ocean View Drive.
Staff will also present
proposals for pedestrian
crossing safety improvements
at strategic locations between
the three existing traffic
signals at Keith Avenue,
Manila Avenue and Broadway
Terrace.
For more information,
contact the city’s Caldecott
proje ct s consu lt a nt,
Victoria Eisen, at victoria@
eisenletunic.com; 510/525-
0220.
(See graphic, below.)
Similar lane reconfigura-
tions have been implemented
on other Oakland streets
including Market Street, West
Street and Lakeshore Avenue
along Lake Merritt. They
improve safety partly by
allowing pedestrians to cross
just two lanes of traffic instead
of four, preventing “double
jeopardy” whereby vehicles
stopping for pedestrians block
the view of vehicles in adjacent
lanes. They would also reduce
traffic speeds and provide a
designated space for bicyclists.
In addition to the
Broadway road diet, city
staff will present an approach
by Ronnie Spitzer, Transportation Committee member, and Greg
Pasqualli, RCPC boardmember and Transportation Committee member
AC
Transit received a $10
million grant to design
and implement infrastructure
modifications along the entire
Line 51 route to increase reliability
and on-time bus performance, and
improve safety for pedestrians and
AC Transit riders.
According to plans presented
at two recent public meetings, the
modifications could delete up to
21 College Avenue parking spaces
between Chabot Road and Broadway,
and add additional northbound
turning lanes, relocated bus stops,
a right-hand dedicated bus lane
between the Clifton and Broadway
intersections, and substantial transit-
friendly infrastructure upgrades such
as transit-controlled signal lights.
Detailed plans may be viewed at:
http://bit.ly/line-51.
Relocating existing bus stops
across the intersection – the “far
side” location – generally serves to
enhance pedestrian safety, reduce
congestion, and correct sub-standard
bus stall lengths along College
Avenue, transit planners said. While
in some cases, the net parking space
count is reduced by one space, in
other places substantially more
parking spaces will be lost.
For example, the proposal to
relocate the northbound Rockridge
Library bus stop to just north of
Manila, and to remove the parking
spaces in front of the Rockridge
Branch Library in favor of a left
turn lane, with a net loss of six
parking spaces, is unacceptable to
RCPC. We believe retaining the
existing Library bus stop location
and not adding the turn lane better
serves the community’s needs
without sacrificing bus travel time.
Similarly, we are not in favor of the
proposed left turn lane at Lawton
with the accompanying loss of seven
parking spaces. RCPC believes the
city agrees with the organization’s
position about the undesirability of
these changes.
A proposed bus-only curbside
lane between Clifton and Broadway
removes three to five parking spots,
with the current light replaced by a
transit-prioritized signal.
T h e  Br o a dway/C ol l ege
intersection is scheduled for
substantial reconfiguration in 2014
as an element of the Rockridge
Safeway Shopping Center project.
A left turn from southbound College
Avenue to northbound Broadway
➧➧AC Plan Cuts Parking, page 13
Still here for you!
While we await the return to normal parking conditions,
your support means more than ever.
Yasai Market
655-4880
Southie
654-0100
Ver Brugge Foods
658-6854
La Farine
654-0338
Trappist Provisions
594-2339
Vino!
652-6317
The Meadows
653-3322
Wood Tavern
654-6607


5.
November 2, 2013

5.
Friends of the
Rockridge Library
Looking for New
Board Members

College Avenue Presbyterian Church Tradition

Volunteers Make Church’s Community
Thanksgiving Day Meal an Enduring Success

by Reverend Monte McClain, Pastor
For nearly 25 years, the College Avenue
Presbyterian Church community has
hosted an annual Thanksgiving Day
community meal. Begun as a way to build a
deeper sense of community and to respond
to concrete needs, the meal continues year
in and year out to work towards those goals.
Rockridge today is an established,
vibrant community. The Bible lifts
up a definition of community as one
in which those who are the least
among us – the widow, the orphan
and the foreigner – are not only not
forgotten, but also have their place.
Our annual meal is a way in which
we serve each other, investing our
time and resources to care for others,
from the urban poor who live here,
to the homeless who live in Oakland,
to the elderly who are often alone at
the holidays.
This Thanksgiving, the church hosts the
meal on Thanksgiving Day, November 28,
11 a.m.– 1 p.m. at 5951 College Avenue.
The meal is a joint project involving diverse
members of our Rockridge community:
congregational members, local merchants
and local residents. An opportunity to gather
as a community to respond to the needs of
those struggling with hunger, solitude and
joblessness, the meal generally is served to
between 200-300 people by more than 50
volunteers gathered in the shared desire to
make this event possible. The meal is open
and free to everyone.
by Jennifer Alper, FORL boardmember
It’s been a vibrant year in the Rockridge
Library, as patrons from the neighborhood
and beyond continue to enjoy our wonderful
branch.
The Friends of the Rockridge Library
(FORL) have played an important role in
the programs that make our local branch
thrive. In addition to supporting and funding
the Summer Reading Program intern and
key publications and periodicals, FORL has
funded a variety of children’s programs and
workshops. Most recently, FORL agreed to
purchase several new laptop computers to
help visitors more easily access the Internet.
All of this would not be possible without
the strong support and donations from our
community “friends” and the work of our
board members.
FORL is looking to fill the role of
secretary on our board. We are also
looking for prospective board members
with skills in marketing, communications
and fundraising. Taking part in the Friends
of the Rockridge Library leadership is
a wonderful way to give back to our
community, and work with a terrific group
of people committed to our local branch
library.
To learn more about the Friends of the
Rockridge Library and ways to get involved,
please e-mail Carol Bieri at cgbieri@gmail.
com, or Kathy O’Neal, onealkathryn@gmail.
com, for more information. Our website
address is: www.friendsofrockridgelibrary.
org/
We welcome your support.
Donations of money and food are
gratefully accepted. It’s because of such
donations that the meal takes place. You
can also give of your time. Help is needed
beginning Monday, November 25 through
Thanksgiving Meal volunteer cooks in the
College Avenue Presbyterian kitchen.
Wednesday the 27th to prepare and set-up
and decorate the church gym for the meal.
Significant help is needed the day of the
event to set-up, cook, serve and also clean-up.
The latter requires the most work and
often is the one the least amount of people
want to do.
To volunteer, sign up online, or find a
donation list, visit the Thanksgiving section
on the church website at www.capcoakland.
org or contact Kathryn in the church office:
capc1@sbcglobal.net, phone 510/638-3665.
Coming
Soon
5 Offers
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391 60th
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Daniel Stea
Advocacy & Integrity
Since 1997
Broker / Owner /
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510.867.4094
BRE #01452156


6.

November 2, 2013
6.

Groves, a policy researcher with RAND
Corporation, got involved “because we
have too much to lose by doing nothing.
We have a wonderful, diverse and walkable
community. I believe that the recent crime
spree is jeopardizing this. I consider myself
an engaged community member.”
I was impressed that Kirsh would take
on the task of mobilizing his section of
Rockridge even though, thus far, he is a
renter. “We moved from Noe Valley,” he
says. “Rockridge is the perfect place. We’re
committed to the neighborhood. We’re here
to stay.”
“I wouldn’t say I’m an activist,” Kirsh
says. Instead, “I’ve been activated. Something
picks you. This is a first step and a sensible
approach. What we don’t want to do is create
a culture of fear.”
Although their original
plan included armed patrols,
they heeded the concerns of
those community members
worried about adding more
guns to the mix.
“We decided that it would
be most appropriate at this
time to try unarmed patrols,
and while doing so assess if
it meets our security needs,”
they explained in a recent
e-mail.
So, starting this month,
unarmed VMA personnel
in cars marked with VMA
logos will patrol our streets,
and, for those who signed
on, keep a watchful eye on
our houses.
“Ninety-five percent of our staff lives
in Oakland,” says VMA general manager
Elizabeth Caprini, who lives in the Oakland
Hills. “It’s important that the patrol officer
know the area. We’re out there to become
part of the community.
“We don’t profile anybody,” she says,
in response to some people’s fears. “We’re
not out there to look for problems. We’re
there to prevent problems. We’re all in this
together.”
The Rockridge area “is a relatively
simple, small patrol,” Caprini says, compared
with the vast swath of her Oakland Hills
area that signed on to have VMA patrol
this past September. “I don’t keep track of
(crime) statistics, but it has brought a level
of peace of mind.”

Three Guys Step Up to Help Deter Crime

by Judith Doner Berne
All of us who have signed on to one of
the private security patrols recently
proposed for large areas of Rockridge
fervently hope that it will help stem the
muggings, robberies, burglaries and car
thefts that have hit the area over the last year.
But no matter what, many feel we owe our
thanks to Paul Liu, Steve Kirsh and David
Groves, and those who have worked with
them, for providing us with a plan of action
and listening to our concerns along the way.
It was Liu, a straight-talking economist
at Google, who started the ball rolling.
“He’s the godfather,” says Kirsh, a business
development director for a digital agency,
who describes himself as a foodie and a
drummer.
Before Rockridge News editor Don
Kinkead and I sat down with them in early
October, the two had not met.
“I don’t think there was a specific
crime,” says Liu, that spurred him to start
calling security firms a few days ahead
of the brazen armed robbery at the casual
carpool pickup at Claremont Avenue and
Hudson Street. (The suspects were later
apprehended.)
Rather, it was the rat-tat-tat of incidents
highlighted by the robbery of students
outside Oakland Tech and the more recent
mugging of his neighbor that prompted
him to start calling security firms, he says.
“In the past six months, the criminals
have stepped it up – the kids at Oakland
Tech, the carpool …It’s like they’re saying
you might as well mug eight or 10 people
at a time,” Liu says.
“I don’t want to be a community organizer,
an activist, or a politician,” he says, rather
emphatically. “I also didn’t want to collect
checks from people and then return them
(if we didn’t make our quota).”
So he trolled the Internet for a crowd-
funding source “that focused on all or
nothing.” That turned out to be group funding
platform Crowdtilt.com.
Kirsh and Groves didn’t want to re-invent
the wheel. They used Liu’s model to inform
their areas of Rockridge. That included using
both the funding source and the security
group, VMA, which he had vetted.
Liu had done his homework. He talked
with Chris Jackson, operations manager for
the Rockridge District Association (RDA),
that uses the VMA Security Group to patrol
businesses along College Avenue. He also
checked with OPD Capt. Anthony Toribio,
commander of Area 2 which includes
Rockridge, who says he has a good working
relationship with VMA.
“I was looking for a security service
that would give us some street presence,”
Liu says. “Our hope is that there will be a
visual deterrent effect. If they come across
incidents in progress, when perpetrators
Steve Kirsh, left, and David Liu set up crowd-funding
sites using Crowdtilt.com to measure community
interest in hiring private security patrols in adjacent
areas of Rockridge. David Groves, not pictured, started
a third Rockridge area site. The Temescal NCPC is holding
public discussions to gauge interest in a similar approach in that
neighborhood. See details on page 7.                               /Judy Berne
are faced with a security officer, that they
will run.”
As of the deadline for this column,
approximately 20 percent of residents had
signed up, more than $57,000 had been
raised from more than 600 contributors
and all three geographic areas were a go.
“We’re funded separately but we’re all going
to be in sync,” Kirsh says. “VMA is going
to have its officers collaborate.”
Kirsh, Groves and Liu definitely fit
Rockridge’s family demographics – each
is married with two young children.
For Liu, it was a choice of making a
stand or moving away. “We had been living
in Cambridge, Massachusetts,” he says. “We
picked Rockridge because we wanted that
same feel – walkability, neighborliness,
good transit. It’s a unique combination. We
like where we are.”
➧➧Helping to Deter Crime, page 13


7.
November 2, 2013

7.

Temescal, Others
Consider Private
Security Patrols
Interest in private security patrols appears
to be spreading throughout Oakland. A
recent post on the Temescal Yahoo groups site
(TemescalNeighborhood@yahoogroups.
com) by Temescal Neighborhood Crime
Prevention Council head Lee Edwards
cites a meeting held in Temescal, and an
“all-Oakland” meeting held at the Dimond
Library to discuss patrol parameters.
Edwards wrote: “The Temescal meeting
last week moved us further down the path
toward private security patrols in our
neighborhood. There were nearly 100
attendees at the meeting, representing
all perspectives. We took their input
and concerns regarding private security
patrols and will incorporate this into our
implementation and selection process.
“The Temescal leaders of this process
to implement increased security attended
an ‘all Oakland’ meeting in late October
at the Dimond Branch Library. This forum
was comprised of representatives from
Oakland neighborhoods that have — or are
in the process of implementing — private
security patrols.
“Over 100 attendees discussed the
processes, pitfalls and benefits of these
patrols. The initial evidence, though
still very current, is that the patrols have
lowered the numbers of certain types of
crimes, and, additionally, have made it so
residents feel a bit more at ease walking

Crime Stats Got You Down? You Are Not Alone: Join Your NCPC

What Is NCPC?
A
Neighborhood Crime Prevention
Council (NCPC) is made up of you
and your neighbors working together
and in partnership with the Oakland
Police Department (OPD) and other city
agencies to address ongoing problems in
your neighborhood.
NCPCs generally choose three priorities
for the Oakland Police Department Problem
Solving Officers (PSO). The Neighborhood
Services Coordinator, PSOs, beat officer,
and other city agencies work together and
with the NCPC to develop and implement
a strategy to address the priorities. OPD
reports back to the NCPC about progress
on the priorities until the problems are
resolved or changed.
Throughout the city, NCPCs are
organized on the basis of their area’s
police beat. Rockridge is covered by beats
12Y and 13X. Residents in the beat area
staff and run the group. All neighborhood
residents are invited to attend its meetings.
Meetings of the Greater Rockridge
NCPC (GRNCPC) are held on the second
Thursday of each month at the Rockridge
Branch Library, 5366 College Avenue.
The November
NCPC Meeting
■
■The Greater Rockridge NCPC
(GRNCPC) meets on the second
Thursday of each month.
Date: November 14, 2013
Time: 7 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.
Location: Rockridge Library, 2nd
floor meeting room, College and
Manila
E-mail the NCPC at chair@rockrid-
gencpc.com if you have items you’d
like to add to the NCPC agenda.
■
■November Agenda Topics
(List subject to change)
1.	 Presentation on the Logitech
camera discount program, followed
by Q and A.
2.	 City public survey on what the
citizens want in a police chief. Our
Neighborhood Services Coordinator,
Patricia Rose, will hand out cards for
people to enter their thoughts.
3.	 Crime Statistics: NCPC Chair
Frank Castro
4.	 OPD Status Reports, beats 12Y
and 13X, and neighborhood issues
discussion.
Find more NCPC information at: http://www.rockridgencpc.com/
their neighborhood streets.
“To all of our neighbors anxious to get
private security patrols in the Temescal
District, please bear with us. We want to
make sure that we don’t rush into this, and
there is a ton of work to be done. These
types of decisions take time and research.
It took one neighborhood over two years to
begin these patrols. Another neighborhood
went from concept to near implementation
in two months. Which way is best for us?
Which method results in the best outcome?”
— Compiled by Don Kinkead, editor
Lic. 691894
Martin Coyle       510-655-8717     Mike Tracy
     5221 James Ave. Oakland Ca. 94618
w w w . c o y l e h o m e r e m o d e l . c o m


8.

November 2, 2013
8.

most beloved foods are actually Italian in
origin, such as the muffuletta sandwich or
barbecued shrimp created at Pascal Manale’s.
From pizza to pasta to gelato, the Italian
influence on contemporary American cuisine
is pervasive. Restaurants with wood burning
ovens cooking unique thin-crust pizza are
popping up everywhere; and the lines for
homemade gelato seem endless. One could
say that Italian cuisine is now as American
as apple pie.
This month’s recipe is an Italian riff on
French crudités. Bagna cauda, translated
as “hot bath,” is an antipasto of raw sliced
vegetables dipped in a hot olive oil, garlic
and anchovy bath. Bagna cauda is easy to
prepare and is a perfect pre-dinner snack.
Bagna Cauda
Ingredients
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
¼ stick of unsalted room temperature
butter
3-4 anchovy fillets, minced
3 large garlic cloves, minced
Assorted fresh crunchy vegetables, cut
into bite-size pieces
Loaf of crusty Italian bread
Preparation
Rock  ridge
Cornucopia
Cornucopia
Barry A. Kaufman
Mangia – Buon Appetito
Readers of this column know of my
conviction that there are only three great
world cuisines: French, Chinese and Italian.
Of the three, Italian cuisine is the most
ubiquitous. Wherever you travel, you can
always find a restaurant that serves pasta
or pizza. Some of the best Italian food I’ve
ever had was on our recent trip to Buenos
Aires. It is estimated that one-third of the
population of Buenos Aires has Italian roots.
I’ve found good Italian fare in Istanbul,
Marrakesh, and Saigon. For most American
parents, pizza, pasta or macaroni and cheese
is the go-to meal for their children. I grew
up with Chef Boyardee spaghetti out of a
can – hard to imagine!
When I arrived in the Bay Area, I
went to San Francisco’s North Beach to
experience traditional Italian food. From
the first bite, I was disappointed. This was
not what I learned authentic Italian food
was in New York and Brooklyn. Where
was the rich and deeply flavored marinara
sauce and thin crust pizza? What was with
the cream sauce? I soon found out that the
Italian immigrants that settled San Francisco
came from northern Italy, mainly Genoa,
Trieste and Liguria, whereas in New York
and Brooklyn, and even Boston, Italian
immigrants came mainly from Sicily and
southern Italy.
As with all great world cuisines, there
are regional differences. Our own Rockridge
A16 restaurant is steeped in southern Italian
coastal food particular to the region of Puglia
that combines its seafood tradition with the
seasonal bounty of Northern California
harvest.
Market Hall’s Pasta Shop, as we know,
is the Bay Area’s destination for all things
Italian. However, when it comes to old-
school Italian fare, Genova Delicatessen
in the Temescal Triangle is the real deal.
Established in Oakland in 1926 by Italian
immigrants from Genoa, Genova has become
a community institution. The welcoming
display cases offer a vast variety of traditional
Italian meats, cheeses and condiments. The
frozen entrees, sold throughout Northern
California, include ravioli with meat sauce,
meatballs and sausage and lasagna. I never
mind waiting in the ever-present long line. The
customers reflect the diversity of Oakland; but
when you’re at Genova, everyone is Italian.
In the U.S., Italian cooking is not only
differentiated by regions of origin in Italy but
also by American cities where immigrants
settled. The most recognizable example of
this is Zachary’s, that serves Chicago-style
deep-dish pizza and also New York-style
thin crust.
One of the most interesting Italian
influences on American regional cuisine
is found in New Orleans. When we think
of New Orleans, our thoughts go to Creole
or Cajun cuisines. It turns out that New
Orleans was the first site of immigration of
Italians and Sicilians into America in the
19th century. Within one generation, Italian
cooking was fully integrated into traditional
New Orleans cooking. Many of New Orleans’
y
y
Whisk oil, butter and garlic in
a small bowl. Transfer to small
saucepan. • Cook over low heat 15
minutes, stirring occasionally. • Pour
sauce into a flameproof ceramic
bowl. Set bowl over alcohol burner
to keep warm. • Dip vegetables into
bagna cauda and serve with bread.
Barry Kaufman is a graduate of the California
Culinary Academy. Barry is available for cook-
ing classes and tours of East Bay ethnic markets.
His e-mail address is kaufman42@comcast.net.
Serving Rockridge
since 1992
5400 College Avenue at Manila


9.
November 2, 2013

9.

Desertification of BART Station Landscaping:
Costly Plants Wither and Paint Chunks Fall
Ill Wind in October
Blows No Good for Kales
Avenue Resident

Right Turn, Left Turn;
I Just Want to Drive on
Your (Smoothed) Street
Scenes in Rockridge
Restriping work on newly-
paved Claremont Avenue
between Telegraph and
Hudson finishes a job the
neighborhood wanted done
for a long time: Banishing
pot-holes. Now, smoother
rides. Thank you, Public
Works.
During the windstorm in
early October, a 35-year-old
redwood tree next door to
M.C. Haug’s home snapped
off near the top, which then
plunged through the roof of
a backyard cottage, injuring
no one.
Following a two-year seismic retrofit of the columns
supporting the overhead tracks at the Rockridge
station, BART relandscaped the grounds with
attractive plantings and an automatic watering
system, completing the project in early spring, 2011.
Less than three years later, the plants are dying and
the protective paint on the columns is falling off.
not elect to underground utility lines on their
own. The high cost of undergrounding for
the affected households is not adequately
balanced by the esthetic benefit.
The neighborhood needs to closely
consider everyone’s ability and desire to
pay for something that imposes an expense
as high as that proposed to underground
the lines.
— Gary Barg
Letters to the Editor
The Rockridge News welcomes letters to the editor. Your name, address, phone
number, 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 at the editor’s discretion. Views expressed in any letter are the
writer’s own, and may not necessarily be shared by the editor, or by RCPC.
lines is high. If the task can be classified
as one that PG&E would cover, financial
hardship for members of the community
would be avoided.
If, however, the expense is not covered
by PG&E, I think the neighborhood should
Avoid Costly Undergrounding
Editor:
The September issue of The Rockridge
News carried an op-ed piece calling for the
undergrounding of utilities in Rockridge.
The expense for undergrounding utility
Two Ways People Behave Poorly
Editor:
I have noticed a trend of bicyclists (with
and without children) running stop signs
and motorists double parking all around
the neighborhood.
My concern is that these two actions
have potential for accidents or unneeded
stress. I would like to ask cyclists to NOT
run stop signs.
As for double parking on College, it
is plain rude. There may not be parking
on College itself, but double parking on
adjoining streets causes traffic problems as
well. Even people who double park in front
of day care centers or schools need to find
a better system.
I would just like these two issues to
be voiced in The Rockridge News so that
your readers are aware that the community
is aware.
— Jesse Humberto Ortega
Specializing in Rockridge Real Estate
Most real estate transactions in Rockridge from 2011 – 2013*

The winter season traditionally comes with a reduced number of active homes on the market
in Rockridge, beyond our already low inventory. More folks can be distracted with the holidays,
possibly creating opportunities with less competition. It is also a great time to plan for an early
spring marketing of your home if you plan to sell. Feel free to call if you’d like a home valuation.

*personally represented over 30 transactions valued at over $30 million in Rockridge in just the
2011-2013 time period (out of over 75 total transactions valued at over $50 million from 2011-2013)

For Lease:  3BD 2BA home, Chabot Dist - $4,300/mo   Just Leased: 1BD 1BA  apt - $2,095/mo
Just Sold: 3BD 2.5BA condo home, Sold @ $950,000 - 432North.com
COMING: 4+BD 2.5 BA homes, Chabot District, 3BD 2BA in Peralta District
Lawton Associates is a proud long time sponsor of our Rockridge community and schools
Happy Thanksgiving!
Call for a real local expert opinion.
Perry Riani, Senior Real Estate Specialist
Lawton Associates BRE# 01402540
510.813.3799
priani@earthlink.net
L A W T   O   N
A  S  S  O  C  I A T  E  S
R  E A  L    E  S T A T  E
B  R  O  K  E  R A  G  E
LAWTON ASSOCIATES REAL ESTATE BROKERAGE


10.

November 2, 2013
10.

Oakland Tech Offers School
Tours to Future Students,
Parents
Oakland Tech offers prospective students
the nationally renowned Paideia
program, rigorous “schools within a school”
academies centered on different career
fields, special academic programs, AP
courses, the comprehensive Performing
Arts program, athletics and more.
There are many ways for families
considering Oakland Tech to learn more
about the school. Oakland Tech offers
the community a first introduction at its
annual Information Night/Open House on
November 7, starting at 6 p.m.
A series of two-hour tours beginning
November 19 offers prospective parents and
students an opportunity to visit the facility
and classrooms during a typical school day.
“Shadow days” are available to 8th grade
students whose families have already visited
Oakland Tech and who have decided they’re
interested in seeing more. The visiting
student spends a day or part of a day with
a Tech student, following the Tech student
host’s schedule.
Sign-up for a Tour or Shadow day on
the Oakland Tech Web site at http://bit.ly/
OT-tours.
Compiled by Ronnie Spitzer
Tech’s School ID is SF093 (that is a zero
before the 93).
For further questions, contact Ms. Wolfe
at Oakland Tech, 510/879-3050, ext. 103
(1:30-3:30 p.m.)
Oakland Tech Rep’s
Upcoming Performance
Oakland Tech’s award-winning student
theatre company will perform Tarell
Alvin McCraney’s “In the Red and Brown
Water” from November 14 through 16, in
the Oakland Tech Auditorium, with 7 p.m.
performances on Thursday, Friday, and
Saturday, plus a Saturday 2 p.m. matinee.
Tickets are $8 youth/$10 adult at the door.
“In the Red and Brown Water” is set
in rural Louisiana with characters whose
personalities reflect the mythical gods of
the Yoruba religion. The play follows the
journey of Oya, a young runner who turns
down a track scholarship to take care of
her sick mother, only to find herself faced
with deep questions about the meaning of
family and happiness.
Oakland Tech Call
for Student D.C. Trip
Fundraising Support
Every other spring, the Paideia program
leads a trip to Washington, D.C. and
New York City for seniors to study the
American government close up, not out
of a textbook. The tour, arranged by the
non-profit Close Up Foundation, provides
opportunities for Tech students to meet
with government officials, lobbyists and
news people, and interact with students
from all over the country.
The Paideia teachers must raise $30,000
for 23 exceptional students whose families
cannot afford the entire cost of the trip.
Thank you in advance to community
members and businesses for their generous
support of these students.
Two ways to donate have been arranged.
Checks may be written to the Close
Up Foundation and sent to: Oakland
Technical High School, c/o Maryann
Wolfe, 4351 Broadway, Oakland, CA
94611. Online contributions can made at
www.closeup.org through the “support
a school” donation option. Fill out your
information, the amount you want to
donate and then “submit”. Please copy
Ms. Wolfe at maryannwolfe@comcast.net
so she can track the fundraising progress.










 
­
24


 
	
3rd Floor
Market Hall
TM
Ste. 312
rockdent.com
510.653.6677
Bruce D. Fong, D.D.S.
Filippo Cangini, D.D.S, M.S.
Advanced Preventive,  Restorative,  Periodontal  Gum Care,  and Dental Implants.
Lic. #0670129


11.
November 2, 2013

11.

Open House, School Tours for
Future Claremont MS Families
A
special open house for prospective
students and their families is scheduled
Saturday, November 16, 1 to 4 p.m.
Families are invited. Questions? Contact the
Claremont Middle School office, 654-7337.

OUSD Implements Common Core Standards
An Informational Meeting
School Board Director Jody London
will host an informational meeting on
the new Common Core State Standards
and Math. Learn why the U.S. is moving
to the Common Core Standards, and how
the math is rolling out in Oakland.

Middle School, 5750 College
Avenue. Light refreshments
will be served.
For more information and to RSVP:
jody.london@ousd.k12.ca.us
We look forward to seeing you.
Jody London
Director, District 1, Board of Education
Oakland Unified School District
510/459-0667
New Math Standards
Monday, November 18,
7 - 8:30 p.m., Claremont
Rockridge Prices Level Off in October

College Avenue
Security
from page 1
in Rockridge.
Much of my own time is dedicated to
many of these community and security issues
and we do our best to keep all Rockridge
businesses informed.
I hope to see you all out enjoying our
neighborhood and shopping here on College
Avenue, helping to keep Rockridge the
vibrant neighborhood we work so hard to
maintain.
Henry C. Levy & Co.
■ ■ ■ ■ ■
Certified Public Accountants
and Consultants
A Professional Corporation
■
• tax preparation • estate planning
• tax planning
• business valuation
5940 College Avenue, Suite C
Oakland, California 94618
510.652-1000   FAX 510.654-2363

Closing date BR BA Address
Original price List price DOM
Selling price

10/4/13 3
2
455 Clifton Street
$749,000
$699,000 54
$683,900
10/9/13 2
2
5400 Broadway Terrace
$721,000
$721,000 8
$718,000
10/9/13 2
1
348 Glendale Ave
$679,000
$679,000 12
$736,000

• Median sold price $718,000 vs. $875,000 in 2012
• Price per square foot is $512.91 vs. $519.74 in 2012
• Original list to sell is 99%


12.

November 2, 2013
12.

2013 RCPC Kitchen Tour a Success
Tour photos/Ellen Popejoy
A docent describes the features of
a home’s kitchen to a Tour visitor.
Tour visitors ready to enter a
popular home.
Thanks to gracious home owners,
innumerable volunteer hours, extensive
press coverage, beautiful weather, and the
generous support of our local businesses,
nearly 500 people enjoyed the 2013
Rockridge Kitchen Tour. Key trends and
features of the tour included:
• Vintage stoves and refrigerators
refurbished to provide decades more use
to their owners and classic style to their
kitchens;
• Diverse eat-in kitchen options
including banquettes, peninsulas, islands,
and floating tables that provide owners and
guests comfortable space for lingering;
• French doors, accordion doors,
skylights, and generous sized windows
Norman H. Burg, DDS
that bathe kitchens in natural light and
connect them to the beautiful outdoors;
• Special features including art,
collections, and family heirlooms
incorporated into kitchens to reflect the
personalities of their owners.
RCPC would like to extend special
thanks to our premier sponsors: Lawton
Associates for underwriting event posters
and postcards, and Red Oak Realty for
sponsoring all of the refreshment stations.
As always, RCPC will use the funds raised
during this event to continue investing in
our community for the benefit of all. For
more information, please see the Tour
website at www.rockridgekitchentour.org.
— Natalie Mehta, chair
General Dentistry
(510) 652-1517
5700 Broadway, Oakland
A Prevention Oriented Practice
Design, Installation and Maintenance
Native Plant Gardens & Stonework
 Kitchen Tour planning and support:
Andrea Hurd, Horticulturist and Stonemason
License #883905 h tel. 510.558.8429
www.mariposagardening.com
Elizabeth McLeod, left; Ronnie Spitzer ; Don
Kinkead; Natalie Mehta; Nancy Sale and
Keziah Moss. Not pictured: Kelly Patrick
Dugan and Annette Floystrup.
Photo: Liz Monaghan
Rockridge design
firm providing
creative, livable
design solutions
•  Residential Remodels
•  Kitchens + Baths
•  Green Building Design
•  Color Consulting
every sunday night at 6 pm
W e ’ re  In  The   
neIghborhood
Jennifer Cooper, owner
5275 James Avenue
Oakland, CA  94618
5 1 0 . 6 5 2 . 5 0 3 6
pumpkinhousestudio.com


13.
November 2, 2013

13.

AC Plans
Cut Parking
Safety Survey
take that improve options for at-risk kids
• Measure Y renewal
What’s next? Our goal is to provide
Rockridge residents with useable
information. This may simply mean more
proactive circulation of existing material,
or public forums to explore and discuss
an issue together.
Let us know what you think. E-mail
chair@rockridge.org.
Also, be sure you are on the RCPC
E-News list: e-mail your request to info@
rockridge.org.
from page 1
4.	Using street design to reduce crime
Other issues identified as areas of
interest can be addressed in 2014:
• The relationship between the
likelihood of prosecution and crime rates
• The perspective and experience of
OPD
• Who is committing the crimes?
• Actions Rockridge residents can
from page 4
will be added. The reconfigured Broadway/
College intersection is one element identified
in the 1993 Rockridge Area Plan to reduce
cut-through traffic in neighborhoods by
completing roadway connections.
RCPC believes maintaining parking is
critical to support College Avenue businesses,
and that parking must be balanced with
enhancing pedestrian safety and transit
speed and reliability. RCPC wants College
Avenue and the Rockridge neighborhood
to be places people can come to on foot, by
bike, by bus or BART and by car.
We will continue to watch this
intersection, and the other proposed changes,
to ensure changes occur with maximum
benefit and minimal impact.
own experiences.
None of the three regard this as a
permanent solution. “This is a kind of
Band-Aid on the whole societal question
of how we can solve crime in this city as a
whole,” Liu says. “It’s not about building a
gate around Rockridge,” Kirsh says. “I want
to protect myself; but we need to find a way
to have a bigger conversation.”
Helping to
Deter Crime
from page 6
However, Rockridge residents will
want statistics. “I’ve told a few folks I will
do what I can in terms of data,” Liu says,
during the four-month trial period. The
hope, of course, is that it will be obvious
from the police crime reports and from our
Contact the RCPC Transportation Committee
with your questions and comments by e-mail:
transportation@rockridge.org
Judy Berne welcomes your comments and column
ideas. She can be reached at judyberne@att.net.
LAW OFFICES OF
KYLE M. JOHNSTON
only the doomed residences and two nearby
holdouts, not the ASI. The Baby Hospital
survives this most recent expansion, but
CHRCO challenged the city’s rating of the
structure as a “B,” requiring California
Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) analysis
as part of the EIR. The 150-year-old McElrath
family magnolia would go.
Commissions, neighbors, even the state
Office of Historic Preservation have all
advised CHRCO to build up at the southern
end of the main campus, allowing for
future expansion and not chewing up the
neighborhood.
There is more to come; the EIR process is
just beginning. Heather Klein, the city’s case
planner, can be reached at 510/238-3659, or
e-mail hklein@oaklandnet.com.
Children’s
Hospital Proposal
5315 COLLEGE AVE.
OAKLAND, CALIF.
510.527.1880
from page 2
single pad after following Highway 24 to
avoid flying directly over residential areas. –
Ed.] In all, 10 houses would be demolished;
neighbors that remained would then endure
more than seven years of construction.
The Page & Turnbull analysis examined
CALL FOR YOUR FREE
INITIAL CONSULTATION
FAMILY   ╬   BUSINESS   ╬   ESTATE
WWW.KYLEMJOHNSTON.COM
G
Robert Brokl lives in a “street car suburb” near
the CHORI project neighborhood.
GRUBBCO.COM
a
cross-cultural congregation
striving to partner with
         the Rockridge community
   in lifestyle and service.
510.652.2133
3070 Claremont Avenue • Berkeley
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
510.339.0400
1960 Mountain Boulevard • Oakland


14.

November 2, 2013
14.

Electrical Repairs &
Remodels
From doorbell repair to whole-house rewiring,
we’ve been doing electrical work in Oakland
and Berkeley for over 30 years. Sutorik &
Company, www.sutorikandco.com,  lic#397149.
510/655-3677.
HOUSE REPAIRS &
REHABS, INTERIOR &
EXTERIOR
Kitchen & bath remodel, tile, decks, dry
rot, drainage, walls, termite damage, doors,
windows. Professional work for affordable
prices. Lic#458473. Don 510/812-0310.
Personal Assistant
I can help with your project and household
or personal needs. Highly experienced, ver-
satile, and efficient. Allow me to make your
life simpler. Contact Cynthia 510/326-9985;
cd.warren@comcast.net.
Gardener-Over 20 Years
Serving the Rockridge Area
Highly trained in both materials and design.
Excellent references. Please call Chris at
510/655-0157.
Love Your Surroundings?
(The Rockridge News apologizes for posting the
wrong phone number in earlier editions.)
Need help getting organized? Want to de-
clutter your home or office? Let me redesign
your environment in your style & create space
and harmony. Free, no-obligation consulta-
tion. Laura Panica, Organizational Consultant.
510/407-2679. www.liferestyled.com
Barber Tim Piper...
formerly of Right Angle, has his own shop!:
936 B Clay Street in Old Town Oakland.
Same phone number for appointments:
510/381-5330. Same low prices. Walk-ins
welcome. Thurs./Fri./Sat., 10-6.
Licensed General Contractor
Craftsman rehabs and restoration. Kitchens
and baths, finish and structural work, seismic
upgrades, doors and windows, inside or out,
big or small. Professional and courteous. Many
local references. www.catconstruction.biz.
Craig: 232-5978.
Your Message Could Be Here
Your 36-word message is $22. (Phone number
counts as one word.) Mail to: RN Classifieds,
4123 Broadway, PMB 311, Oakland, CA 94611
December issue deadline is November 21.
For information: smontauk@gmail.com
Holiday Special! Penelope’s
Aesthetics Skin Care Salon
25% Off waxing and facial services. Gift
certificates available. Receive excellent,
relaxing services with a gentle and personal-
ized treatment. www.penelopecalef.com By
appointment. 510/594-1552
TAI CHI and QIGONG
CLASS in ROCKRIDGE
Improve your health through breathing and
gentle wholebody exercise. Thursday 9:30
am and Saturday 9:00 am. BKU Methodist
Church, 303 Hudson (College at Manila).
Visit our website  www.harmonytaiji.com
Email gail@harmonytaiji.com
Temescal Farmers’ Market
Open Sundays, 9am to 1pm (all year). Locally grown
fruits and vegetables; fresh ranch eggs; home-made
bakery items; fresh cut flowers; unique prepared foods,
fresh locally caught fish, handcrafts and more. Sample the
goods; meet the grower; learn about unique food varieties
and cooking tips; and listen to live music. Bring your own
reusable bags. 5300 Claremont Ave. (off Telegraph) at
DMV parking lot. More about Certified Farmers’ Markets
at urbanvillageonline.com.
There’s a
new broker
in town.
INTERIOR-EXTERIOR LEAD
CERTIFIED PAINTERS
Professional preparation. Many local
references. All work Guaranteed
(510) 654-3339
Susan Bernosky
Strahan
Insurance
Services, Inc.
510-450-9051
NA MA S T E
SUMMER
SPECIALS
$139
5 CLASS PASS +
60 MINUTE MASSAGE
10 CLASS PASS +
60 MINUTE MASSAGE
$199
BERKELEY | GRAND LAKE | ROCKRIDGE
W W W. I L O V E N A M A S T E . C O M


15.
November 2, 2013

15.

E-mail Rockridge News Community Calendar items to: joellis1@hotmail.com, phone 653-3210 (after noon), or mail to:
Rockridge News Community Calendar, 4123 Broadway, PMB 311, Oakland, CA 94611. Deadline is the next to the last
Tuesday of the month.

Compiled by Jo Ellis

New Rockridge News
Routes Open Up
We have two new paper routes so,
volunteers, take your pick. Lynn
Crosby is stepping down from her
Eucalyptus route and Eileen Marrinan
from her Rockridge Boulevard South
route and we thank both of them for their
service to the community. If you live
close to either of those routes and wish
to begin the Rockridge News monthly
exercise regimen please let us know:

Community Calendar

Neighborhood Crime Prevention
Council (NCPC)
Residents and business members engage in discussions
about crime and public safety with representatives of
OPD. 2nd Thursday each month. Rockridge Library,
upstairs meeting room, 5366 College Ave. Info at www.
rockridgencpc.com or chair@rockridgencpc.com.
Rockridge Branch Library
5366 College Avenue, 597-5017
** Free computer help & tutoring (for all ages) **
Tuesdays 4-6pm and Saturdays 1-3pm. See Vicky Chen.
FOR CHILDREN
Family Story Time: Stories/songs/rhymes (to age 5);
Saturdays, 10:30am.
Pre-School Story Time: (ages 2 to 5); Thursdays,
10:30am.
Toddler Story Time: (up to age 2); Thursdays, 10:30am,
upstairs.
All story times followed by Play Time; parents and
caregivers invited.
Special Events:
Tues. each month.
■
■Teen ’Scape: Join other teens each Wed. after school,
2:30 - 4:15pm. Play video & board games, make crafts,
enjoy light snacks.
■
■International Games Day at Your Library: Compete
with players from other libraries on Super Smash
Bros. Brawl. Nov 16, 11am to 2pm. Light refresh-
ments provided.
FOR ADULTS
■
■Rich Harwood of the Harwood Institute for Public
Innovation: Be an active citizen and an agent for positive
change. Discuss how residents can work together towards
common goals that improve our community. Wed, 11/20,
7:30pm - 9:00pm. More info: http://www.oaklandlibrary.
org/events/rockridge-branch/join-together-positive-
change-rich-harwood-harwood-institute.
Route 03C: Along Eucalyptus in
Oakland boundaries. Odd numbers
along Eucalyptus from 33-99; Even
numbers along Eucalyptus from
32-100.
Route 06D: Both sides of
Rockridge Boulevard South from
6101 to 6184.
Email smontauk@gmail.com or call
510/547-3855 and name your route.
■
■East Bay Chronic Pain Group: First and Third Tues.
each month, 3-5pm. Info: Susan Malley, 655-3278 or
susanmalley@yahoo.com.
■
■Writers Support/Critique Group: All writers welcome.
Bring 17 copies of up to 5 pgs. (double-spaced, MS
margins) of any prose for on-site reading/discussion
(also welcome to come empty-handed). Third Saturday
each month; 1 to 5pm. Sponsored by the California
Writers Club, Berkeley branch. Info: 420-8775 or
Writefox@aol.com.
■
■PeopleOlogie Native Crafts Workshop: Thurs, Nov
14, 4- 5:15pm. Celebrate Native cultures of Central &
South America. Make plaques like those made by the
Olmec, Maya, & Aztecs. Sign up in advance at the
Children’s Desk, or phone Erica at 597-5017.
Calif. College of the Arts (CCA)
Holiday Fair: Shop for one-of-a-kind, affordable gifts
made by students, alumni and staff: ceramics, hand-blown
glass, jewelry, clothing, photos, textiles, paintings and
more. Live jazz and holiday treats. Saturday, Nov 23,
11am to 3pm. CCA campus, 5212 B’way, main walkway.
Info 594-3678 or www.cca.edu/.
Jazz at the Chimes
The VNote Ensemble: fusion of Venezuelan folk music
with adventurous jazz explorations. Sunday, 11/17, at 2 pm,
followed by artists’ reception and refreshments. Tickets at
the door (cash only) beginning 12:30; doors open 1:30pm:
$15 general; $10 seniors (60+) and students. Hear selec-
tions at www.vnoteensemble.com. The concert series
features Bay Area jazz musicians in a landmarked Julia
Morgan venue. Chapel of the Chimes, 4499 Piedmont
Ave. Wheelchair accessible. Free parking. Info: www.
jazzatthechimes.com, chimesjazz@gmail.com or 654-0123.
Wisteria Ways House Concert
Panacea: eclectic blend of 5 Bay Area musicians
performing Baltic, Celtic and Medieval music. Saturday,
Nov 23, 8pm (house opens 7:30). Inside venue; not
wheelchair accessible. See and hear them at: http://
www.folkloric.net/panacea.htm. $15-20 donation for
musicians (cash only at the door). 383 61st Street. For
reservations (highly recommended), RSVP to info@
WisteriaWays.org or 655-2771.
North Oakland Senior Center
Programs include: Arts/crafts; health counseling; dancing
and exercise; trips, tours and theater outings; Alzheimer’s
Caregivers support groups, computer classes/more.
■
■Lawyers in the Library: Free legal advice and refer-
rals. First Tues. each month, 5 to 7pm. (Advance sign-up
starts 4:45pm at adult reference desk). Volunteer
lawyer leaves before 7pm if no more people present.
ART EXHIBITS (subject to change; call to confirm)
Gallery:
Nov: Darril Tighe: Abstract Paintings
Dec: Darril Tighe: Abstract Paintings (extended)
Lobby Display Case:
Nov: Peter Langenbach: whimiscal sculpture.
Dec: Peter Langenbach: whimiscal sculputure (extended).
Dec: Kwanza Display.
LIBRARY HOURS
Tues, 12:30 to 8pm.
Wed., Thurs. and Sat. 10am to 5:30pm.
Fri., 12 to 5:30pm.
Closed: Sundays and Mondays.
Also: Tues,11/12 for Veteran’s Day, and
Thurs & Friday, 11/28 & 11/29 for Thanksgiving.
Diesel Book/Poetry Readings, Events
■
■Junior Center of Arts & Sciences “In The Style
Of...” Workshops: Attend one or both sessions,
Thursdays, 12/ 5 and 12/12, 4 to 5:15pm. Learn more
about an artist and create your own art in the style
of one of their masterpieces. Andy Warhol’s painting
“Silverspot Butterfly” will be the inspiration on 12/5
and Faith Ringgold’s collage-painting “Aunt Harriet’s
Underground Railroad in the Sky” will be the inspira-
tion on 12/12. Phone or stop by the Children’s Desk
to reserve a spot.
FOR TEENS
■
■Teen Advisory Board (ages 14-18): Advise the library
how to better serve teens. Get community service
credit for school. Snacks provided. 1st Saturday
each month, 1 to 2pm.
■
■Rockridge Ninjas: watch Anime, 5-6:30 pm; 2nd
MAXI
LILLEY
THE ROCKRIDGE REALTOR® WITH A
designer’s
eye
All FREE and open to the public.
y
y Wed., 11/6. 7pm. David Henry and Joe Henry: Furious
Cool: Richard Pryor and the World That Made Him.
y
y Sat., 11/9, 7pm. Local author Daniel Alarcón: At
Night We Walk in Circles.
y
y Mon., 11/11, 7:30pm. Amnesty International Meet-
ing (2nd Mon. each month): All invited to exchange
ideas on action.
y
y Sun., 11/10, 3pm. Poetry Flash with Amber Flora
Thomas and Sholeh Wolpé
DIESEL, A Bookstore, 5433 College Ave. More info (other
events and discussion groups): 653-9965 or events@
dieselbookstore.com.
Book Signing/Food Tasting
Mollie Katzen presents her new book, The Heart of
the Plate: Vegetarian Recipes For a New Generation.
Sunday, Nov 10, 1 to 3pm. The Pasta Shop, Rockridge
Market Hall, 5655 College Ave. Info: 250-6005 or www.
rockridgemarkethall.com.
y
y BART Tickets on sale for $9 (a $24 value) for
seniors 65 and over.
y
y New Zumba Gold for Seniors: Thursdays,1-2pm
($5/class); through Dec. 19th.
y
y Flu Shots: Nov 12, 9-11am
Annual $12 membership entitles seniors 55 + to discounts
on activities and trips. Mon. – Fri., 9am to 4:30pm. 5714
Martin Luther King, Jr. Way. Subscribe to “The North
Oakland Senior Times” for full schedule of classes/
events, lunch menus, and volunteer opportunities.
Info: 597- 5085.
REALTOR® – DRE# 01919653
510.919.8997
maxi@redoakrealty.com


16.

November 2, 2013
16.

aboutface&body
dayspa      oaklandberkeley
5438 Boyd
Sold SuBStantially over the asking price!
The seller is thrilled! Benefit from “the power
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Want to know the market value of your home?
Visit: www.RockridgeHomeValue.com
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3190 college avenue
at alcatraz
berkeley, ca 94705
BRE# 00875454
BRE# 01404404
p 510.428.2600
www.aboutfaceandbody.net
KEVIN BROWN
Broker
654-8707 or 593-4780
sun-tues 10:30-5:30
wed-sat 10:30-8:00
PROVIDING

Professional,

Full Service

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To Rockridge Clients
 For Over 26 Years.
Living? Love it in Oakland!
We Need More Rockridge Homes to Sell
As of press time, there were only 6 Homes for
Sale in Rockridge. Normally there would be approx.
24 Homes actively on the market right now in
Rockridge. Sellers are seeing multiple offers and
over asking offers because of the continued tight
supply of homes for sale.  If you had thought
about selling in the past, but thought prices were
too low, you might be surprised as prices have
increased significantly. Call me for an evaluation of
your home and its value in today’s seller’s market
32
SPECIALIZING IN

OResidential Sales

OIncome Property

OCommercial

OProperty Management
FOR SALE IN ROCKRIDGE
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5353 College Avenue
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Luxury is not a price point...
*NOTE:  Because of Rockridge Newsletter lead
time, all prices are not available at print deadline.
It’s an experience!
Ron Kriss, Broker
Lawton Associates
L A W T O N
mcguire.com   |   510.883.7000
510-547-5970 Ext. 55
ronkriss@jps.net
“#1 in Rockridge Real Estate”
A S S O C I A T E S
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www.LawtonAssoc.com
R E A L   E S T A T E
B R O K E R A G E