Extracted text · highlighting “Five Bay”

www.rockridge.org

VOL. 29      NO. 4      ISSUE NO. 310      April 5, 2014                         CIRCULATION: 5,800 Residences; 200 BusInesses

Come
at 7 for
pizza and

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

April 2014
RCPC Town
Hall Meeting
17

April: RCPC Board Election and Bylaws Vote

friends
Board Election Procedures & Voting
At the RCPC Town Hall
meeting Thursday, April 17,
Rockridge residents may vote
for RCPC board candidates.
Twenty-five or more residents
must vote or sign in at the
meeting to establish a quorum.
If the quorum is met, residents
unable to attend the Town Hall
Voter Eligibility
Persons age 18 and over
who live within RCPC
boundaries are eligible to
vote. Verification will be by
driver’s license or DMV ID
card showing an address
within RCPC boundaries,
depicted on the RCPC
website: rockridge.org.
AGENDA
may vote Saturday, April 19, in the
lobby of the Rockridge library,
between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m.
☞Candidate statements
begin on page 3.
Residents will also be asked to
vote on two amendments
to the RCPC bylaws. See
details on page 3.
n RCPC Board Election:
Four incumbents and two
new candidates  will discuss
their candidacy and positions,
and take questions from the
community. Voting will  then
be open. ☞ Candidates’
statements, page 3.
n Town Hall Program:
having trolley cars on College
Avenue; its own movie theater
and a bowling alley; looking
somewhat like a war zone while
Hwy 24 and BART were being
built; battling over highrise
construction and large parking
structures.
  RCPC is inviting Rockridge
residents who lived through
(and in some cases influenced)
some of these changes to
provide an oral presentation
of Rockridge’s changes over
time.  ☞ Town Hall, page 7
Rockridge – How We Got to
Where We Are Today
Rockridge has gone through
many changes over the years:

RCPC Town Hall Meeting: Thursday, April 17 | 7-9 p.m. Rockridge Branch Library, 5366 College at Manila

Safeway-Funded
Residential Permit
Parking Coming to
Safeway/College Area
by Dennis Swanson, Rockridge resident
As part of the settlement negotiated
with Safeway by three neighborhood
groups, Safeway agreed to pay for the
implementation and annual fees for up to
two vehicles per qualifying residence for a
Residential Parking Permit (RPP) program
on certain Oakland streets near the new
College Avenue Safeway building.
Those streets are 63rd from College to
City: ‘Soundwall Study
Petition Falls Short’
by Victoria Eisen, consultant to the city
The city of Oakland’s year-long petition
process to determine the expenditure
of $1.4 million of Caldecott Settlement
Agreement funds has come to a close, and the
results indicate there is not sufficient support
to continue with the studies. The process
What’s the Latest at
Safeway on College?
■
■Concrete
poured for
walls and
ramps
■
■Some
Saturday
workdays
➧➧Not Enough Signatures, page 11
n  Land Use Committee  n
April Meeting Notice
Topic: A café proposed for Broadway just
north of the College Avenue intersection.
Date: April 23, 7:30 p.m., Rockridge Library.
➧➧Permit Parking, page 13
/Courtesy Elisabeth Jewel
Note: Mayor’s OPD Area 2 Safety Meeting Rescheduled
by Elisabeth Jewel
Construction of the new College Avenue
Safeway store is well underway.
Concrete trucks have poured the walls that
will form the ramp from College Avenue to
Mayor Jean Quan, Interim Police Chief
Sean Whent, Area 2 Captain Toribio, OUSD
Superintendent Gary Yee, and Councilmember
Dan Kalb will gather community feedback on
police-community collaboration. Details will be
in the June issue of The Rockridge News.
New Date: Saturday, June 14.
Time and location unchanged:
10 a.m.-12:30 p.m.,
North Oakland Senior Center,
5714 Martin Luther King Jr Way
➧➧Safeway on College, page 12


2.

April 5, 2014
2.

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

When Peter Pan Came to Town

12:30 – 8 p.m.
10 a.m. – 5:30 p.m.
12 – 5:30 p.m.
CLOSED

Tue: 12:30 – 8 p.m.

Wed, Thu, Sat: 10 a.m. – 5:30 p.m.

Fri: 12 – 5:30 p.m.

CLOSED Sun and Mon
by Edward Guthmann
If you pause in front of 5451 College
Avenue, you’ll see this signature inscribed
in cement: “Mary Martin 1985.” Look closer
and you’ll see
the handprints,
n o w  f a i n t
from age, that
the Broadway
legend left in
the sidewalk.
You’re at
the threshold
of Le Kube, a
home-design
shop. From
2001 to 2011,
the storefront housed New Style Motherlode,
a hip-hop dance studio. For 40 years before
that, it was headquarters for Judy Davis, an
influential voice teacher who coached Frank
Sinatra, Barbra Streisand, Janis Joplin and –
very late in her career – Mary Martin.

“dinky, dimly lit… like the office of a not
overly successful chiropractor.”
Three doors down was the eight-lane
bowling alley that became Diesel Books.
Across the
street was a
Safeway that
closed in 1963
and has housed
Levant Rug
Co. since 1965.
“I’m always
astonished that
t hese g reat
stars come to
Oakland on
College Avenue
across from the Safeway,” Davis told a
reporter in the early ’60s.
When Mary Martin came to study in
1984, she was 70 and hadn’t sung in public in
11 years. Her glory days were the 1940s and
’50s: she was the original Maria von Trapp
in “The Sound of Music” on Broadway, the
original Nellie Forbush in “South Pacific,”
and forever endeared herself to Baby
Boomers with live-TV performances as
“Peter Pan.”
When she agreed to headline a gala
concert at Davies Symphony Hall, Martin
knew it was time to get her voice in shape
again. The gala would benefit the Trauma
Unit at San Francisco General Hospital,
which saved her life following a 1982 car
accident. She would not only sing that night,
but wear her original “Peter Pan” costume
and get in the harness that would fly her over
the Davies stage.
I was a young arts reporter for the
Chronicle, and in the weeks leading up to
the concert I interviewed Mary Martin at
the Telegraph Hill penthouse she rented. I
always love it when a celebrity lives up to or
exceeds my expectations, and Mary Martin
was sweet and kind. She treated me like a
favorite nephew.
She reminisced about her years on
Broadway and raved about her son Larry
Hagman, who was having a huge success
on “Dallas” as J.R. Ewing. She mourned her
close friend, actress Janet Gaynor, who was
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, Jennifer Daskal, Kevin Faughnan,
Virginia Hamilton, Michael Kan, William Kaufner,
Don Kinkead, Lisa McNally, Greg Pasquali
Contact the board: chair@rockridge.org
For information: info@rockridge.org
Mary Martin’s signature in the concrete in front
of Le Kube, once the studio of voice teacher Judy
Davis who helped Martin.                     /Don Kinkead
Davis created a series of vocal exercises
that strengthen the vocal cords and help
performers to enunciate and breathe properly.
“I’m a vocal plumber,” she liked to say. “I
fix the pipes, that’s all.”
She was effervescent, larger than life.
“She’s a funny, charming lady who drives
a long Cadillac,” Gerald Nachman wrote
in the San Francisco Chronicle in 1981.
“Smokes like a foundry and has opinions on
everything, her eyes snapping as she talks
with a husky whoop of a laugh.”
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?
	 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, 4123 Broadway, PMB 311,
Oakland, CA 94611
RCPC Voice-mail: 510/869-4200
Davis was beloved by her students, who
ranged from wannabes to major names.
In the early ’50s, Sinatra flew her to Las
Vegas to give his pipes a workout. In 1963,
when Streisand was singing at the hungry i
nightclub in North Beach – a year before she
played “Funny Girl” on Broadway – she had
voice trouble and came to Davis.
“Barbra was a very frightened girl
because she was being catapulted into
a position that normally we grow into
[gradually],” Davis said. “She needed a hand
to hold and a pat on the back.”
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.

Newsletter Advertising/Deadline
Publication date of the next issue is:
  May 3, 2014
  May deadline is April 17, 2014
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.)
➧➧When Peter Pan Came to Town, page 12

Davis’s studio was a low-key presence on
College Avenue: windows blocked by thick
curtains, a discreet sign saying “Judy Davis
Studio.” Nachman described the interior as


3.
April 5, 2014

3.

RCPC Election 2014: Statements of RCPC Board Candidates

Professionally, I am interested in public
policy, particularly in the context of envi-
ronmental sustainability. I earned a gradu-
ate degree in Urban & Environmental Policy
& Planning from Tufts University, where my
interest in energy planning helped me begin
a career in renewable energy research at
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.
Christopher Chin
Incumbent
Christopher Chin
h a s li ve d i n
Rockridge for the
past 14 years, and
in the East Bay for
27 years. While he
has an engineering degree from U.C.
Berkeley, he spent many years after gradu-
ation working for the University on its
IT systems and infrastructure, including
helping to set up the campus-wide wire-
less network. Christopher’s avid interest
in SCUBA diving led him to underwater
cinematography and ocean conservation,
and he went on to found The Center for
Oceanic Awareness, Research, and Edu-
cation (COARE), where he serves as its
executive director. Christopher joined the
RCPC board because he wanted to give
something back to his community, and is
particularly interested in promoting better
communication and participation within
the Rockridge community.
Laura Schlichtmann
Clifton Street
Incumbent
I
have served on
RCPC’s board since
early 2012, and as
Secretary since May
2012. A retired litiga-
tor, I also have ten years’ experience in
state government and a Master’s in urban
planning. Being a retiree has let me commit
time to work on most of RCPC’s events,
participate in the work of RCPC’s Land
Use Committee, and help distribute the
Rockridge News. I also have worked on
Scenic Streets’ roadside planting projects
in the Claremont/Clifton/Hudson area.
Rockridge is a wonderful place to live
– without losing sight of its crime, traffic,
and other problems – because of many area
residents who volunteered their creativity,
hard work, and cooperation in past years.
My service with RCPC helps pay forward
my debt for these predecessors’ achieve-
ments, and is very rewarding; so I would
greatly appreciate the opportunity to serve
another term on the board.
Virginia Hamilton
62nd Street
Incumbent
I
have been privileged
to serve on the
RCPC board for the
last year, and to con-
tribute to some of our
key efforts. I have loved my work in helping
to create interactive and dynamic town hall
meetings, and facilitating strategic planning
for the board of directors. I am committed
➧➧Candidate Statements, page 12
Proposed Changes to
the RCPC Bylaws
Rockridge residents will vote at the
Town Hall meeting on April 17, 2014
(see box, top of page 1) on two proposed
amendments to RCPC bylaws.
The proposals would:
1. Amend Section 7.1 (former Sec. 8.3(a))
to provide that directors elected at the annual
meeting shall serve “until the election results
have been certified for the election held at the
annual meeting in the second calendar year
following” (at present, such terms expire at
the time of the annual meeting); and
2. Amend Section 8.6(b), relating to the
right of RCPC members to “elect a director
at any time to fill any vacancy not filled by
the directors.” The amendment would specify
the threshold of approval in any such vote,
including that the affirmative votes must
constitute a majority of the required quorum
(not only of members voting).
The full text of the current and proposed
language of Sections 7.1 and 8.6(b) will be
available, after April 6, 2014, on the RCPC
website, www.rockridge.org, and at the April
17 Town Hall meeting. Residents may also
request an email copy of the full text; email
requests to info@rockridge.org.
Gabe Kleinman
Ayala Avenue
I
grew up in Connecti-
cut, the son of four
public servants. All of
them passed along an
ethic of public service.
Professionally, I’ve
worked across a number of industries
including entertainment + sports market-
ing, business operations, and philanthropy.
The last two years I worked at IDEO, a
design consulting firm. In early February,
I joined a new publishing platform called
Medium as head of People Operations.
Ultimately, I aspire to look at the chal-
lenges we face in our community through a
human-centered lens: how might we better
understand and design action-oriented
solutions for the needs/desires of everyone
in the community?
My wife Molly Dickens and I moved to
Ayala Avenue in June 2012, and welcomed
our daughter Ripley Jane into the com-
munity in November 2013.
Samantha Weaver
Monroe Avenue
I
want to serve on
the RCPC Board
because community
e ng a ge me n t a nd
p a r t i c i p a t i o n  i s
important to me.
Few neighborhoods
have organizations
like the RCPC, and even fewer maintain the
RCPC’s innovative approach to community
involvement. I have been impressed with
the RCPC’s interactive town halls and
would like to volunteer my time to support
the RCPC’s great work to improve our
community.
As a renter in the Rockridge neigh-
borhood, one of my goals would be to
help increase the sense of community
ownership among other renters, and
to contribute to the RCPC’s mission to
provide leadership and representation of
neighborhood interests.


4.

April 5, 2014
4.

FROG News: Park Improvements & Earth Day Celebration

Goal
$50,000
that date activates the second $5,000 grant.
New equipment will include additional
swings (toddler and big kid), a climbing web
merry-go-round, pole spinners, and a seesaw.
The improvements – chosen after
months of local community consultation and
comment –  are planned to extend the appeal
of the park to a wider age-range of children.
FROG Park was built by over 1,300
Rockridge volunteers and community
donors in 2001, is maintained by volunteers,
and shows what can be done when we come
together as a community.
Make your tax-deductible donation
online at www.frogpark.org/swings
or mail your check to FROG, 4123
Broadway, PMB 311, Oakland, CA 94611.
(Tax ID: 94-3011284)
$10,000 Match
Grants for Final
Frog Playground
                   Buildout
Over the next six months, Friends of
the Rockridge-Temescal Greenbelt
(FROG) will be raising the final$50,000
needed to fund the last set of play structures
planned for Frog Park and playground.
As a show of enthusiastic support for
the drive, RCPC has committed a total of
$10,000 to the playground build in the form
of two matching grants. The deadline for the
first $5,000 match is July 15. A match by
April 26 Earth Day and
Frog Park Family Fest
Celebrate Earth Day at Frog Park and the
Greenbelt, a city of Oakland featured
volunteer site sponsored by FROG and the
DMV Neighbors Association. Come to a
family-friendly cleanup and stay for a special
FROG Family Fest with great kid activities.
Let’s get our park ready for summer fun,
9 a.m.-12 noon. Help replant the butterfly
$11,450
Raised
Update: ‘Safer
Rockridge’ Advances
by Safer Rockridge organizers
As previously announced, Safer
Rockridge, a California nonprofit
public benefit corporation created to
promote the public safety of the residents of
Rockridge, has retained Premiere Protective
Services (PPS) to provide unarmed safety
patrols to the Lower Rockridge area. Patrols
began in March using funds left over from
the four-month pilot.
The first two weeks of patrol by officer
Troy Matthews of PPS have been uneventful.
PPS will be meeting regularly with Captain
Toribio of OPD as part of Captain Toribio’s
efforts to coordinate and communicate with
private security patrols in Area 2.
Safer Rockridge has now raised a total
of $10,778 from 301 contributors, with 70
percent of this recurring monthly. That will
enable us to increase coverage in April to
two patrol officers at least 6 days a week,
NCPC to Host ‘Safer
Rockridge’ Founders
at April Meeting
by Karen Ivy, NCPC secretary
Crime in Rockridge was pretty bad last
fall; everyone was worried. A few
concerned citizens organized crowd-funding
projects to pay for security patrols in most
of Beat 12. The Greater Rockridge NCPC
(Neighborhood Crime Prevention Council)
watched with interest but didn’t participate.
The temporary contracts expired, yet
many who bought them still wanted security
coverage.
The NCPC has invited representatives
of Safer Rockridge, the nonprofit now
managing the private security contract, to
speak at our April 10 meeting. We’ve asked
them to explain:
Frog Park face painting.  /FROG
garden, sift sand, clean up, and prepare the
pond and creek bed for the creek turn-on.
Bring your own tools or use ours. Coffee and
refreshments provided. Stay for half an hour
or the entire morning, rain or shine.
Then, party at the FROG Family Fest.
Bring your family, kids, and your picnic lunch
and blanket to Big Frog Park between 12 noon
and 2 p.m. for loads of entertaining games,
bubble-making, face painting, and crafts.
Stop by and learn more about the
proposed new toddler swings, regular swings,
a merry-go-round climber, see-saw and pole
spinners.
When: Saturday, April 26, 9 a.m.-12
noon (Family Fest 12-2 p.m.)
Where: Big Frog (Hardy Circle near
Miles) or Greenbelt (Redondo
Avenue at Cavour)
Who: Community members and kids
of all ages.
Contact info@frogpark.org with questions
or to volunteer.
■
■The transition from the previous
household-focused model to the current
neighborhood-focused model with the new
➧➧Update: ‘Safer Rockridge’, page 13
➧➧NCPC Hosts ‘Safer Rockridge’, page 5
a
$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
cross-cultural congregation
striving to partner with
         the Rockridge community
   in lifestyle and service.
EXPERT
SHIRT
LAUNDERING!
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


April 5, 2014

5.

5.

5th Annual Claremont Middle School Pancake Breakfast
Save the Date - April 26 – 5th Annual
Pancake Breakfast to Support
Claremont Middle School
Once again, the Rockridge Masonic
Lodge, Claremont Dads Club and
Rockridge District Association (RDA)
invite you to join us Saturday, April 26, at
the historic Rockridge Masonic Hall for the
5th Annual Pancake Breakfast.
A hearty breakfast, including pancakes,
eggs, sausage, bacon, fruit, coffee and
tea, is generously donated and prepared
by members of the Masonic Lodge. Four
seatings are offered: 8 a.m., 9 a.m., 10 a.m.
and 11 a.m.
Proceeds from the breakfast support
enrichment programs at Claremont Middle
School. Last year’s breakfast generated over
$4,500 for Claremont’s music, fine arts, and
computer programs.
Get your tickets now: Advance tickets
are $10 per person and slightly higher at the
door. Children under 5 years old eat for free
(and don’t require a ticket). Because this event

has sold out in the past, plan to purchase your
tickets early in one of the following ways:
1. Online at the Claremont Middle School
website – www.claremontms.org. Look for
the Pancake Breakfast link towards the upper
left side of the page. (A small convenience
fee is added to online purchases.)
2. By check to “Claremont Middle
School PTA.” Include a note for “Pancake
Breakfast,” number of guests, your name and
phone number, and preferred seating time
(8 a.m., 9 a.m., 10 a.m., or 11 a.m.). Checks
should be placed in an envelope addressed
to Claremont Middle School PTA, and
mailed or delivered to 5750 College Avenue,
Oakland, CA 94618. Your name will be on
the guest list at the event.
3. Contact Paul Kagiwada (Kag) by
phone at 510/658-8161 or email: paulgkag@
yahoo.com to purchase tickets directly.
Y
,
A
A
D
P
R
R
U
I
L
T
A
2
S
6
get tickets
and details at
www.claremontms.org
PANCAKE
BREAKFAST
PANCAKE
BREAKFAST
CHOOSE FROM FOUR SEATINGS
8:00, 9:00, 10:00 and 11:00
NCPC Hosts
‘Safer Rockridge’
$10
THE ROCKRIDGE MASONIC HALL
5449 COLLEGE AVENUE
*$10 in advance / $12 at the door
includes full breakfast!
kids under 5 eat free!
SPONSORED BY OAKLAND DURANT ROCKRIDGE LODGE #188, F&AM,
ROCKRIDGE DISTRICT ASSOC. AND CLAREMONT DADS CLUB
from page 4
nonprofit, Safer Rockridge
■
■How the system works for new people
who want to sign up, and what happens when
a subscriber decides to drop out
■
■How the patrols function
Ligure Scholars, Inc.  (501c3)
  Presents its 5th Annual Gala
  Wine Tasting
            LA DOLCE VITA V
April 26, 2014   5:30-9:30 pm
■
■How the patrols interact with OPD.
A representative from Premiere Protective
Services (PPS), has been invited to attend and
respond to questions.
Subscriber or not, this is your chance
to learn the background and future of the
patrols, and to ask questions.
We’ll see you Thursday, April 10,
7 to 8:30 p.m. at the Rockridge Library
Community Room, College at Manila.
Fratellanza Club , 1140 66th St.
Oakland
Join us for an evening of wine tasting, silent auction, raffle, good food, good company, all for a good
cause, the Ligure Scholars scholarship program, helping to send our kids to college.  You can win  a
week’s stay at the Casa del Sol y Luna, Manzanilla, Mexico, complete with cook and chauffeur!
visit www.ligureclub.com  for ticket information
Rockridge
Optometry
Your neighborhood 
family eyecare providers
since 1947
Dr. Donald Sarver
Dr. Larry Sarver
Dr. Scott Yokoi
Dr. Cindy Sakai
5321 College Avenue, Oakland
510-655-3797
www.rockridgeoptometry.com


6.

April 5, 2014
6.

them,” Wilson said.
“I read it in one day,” Leslie Correll told
her. “I was drawn right in because it began
in Millstone, New Jersey, which was near
where I grew up.”
That led to Wilson telling us that her
childhood home, designed by Frank Lloyd
Wright and situated
on the banks of the
Millstone River, has
been threatened by
floods. “It’s going
to be moved to a
museum grounds in
Bentonville, Arkan-
sas.” A few weeks
later, I saw that the
New Yorker maga-
zine had a piece on
the move. However, it
only interviewed the
current owners who
bought it in 1988.
The backstory,
which you can read
about in Wilson’s
book, is that while
her mother’s brother
was an apprentice at
Taliesin, Wright’s
famous school of
architecture, he was
killed by a drunk
driver. To assuage Wilson’s mother’s grief,
her parents successfully “petitioned Frank
Lloyd Wright to design them a house, asking
for one of his scaled-down models adapted
for the middle class.”
“I thought the article captured the poi-
gnancy of having to lose your beloved home
in order to save it,” she emailed me. “It is
quite an emotional bag for me as well.” But
living in a house by a famous architect was
little comfort at the time.
the KPFA radio program A World Wind,
interviewing poets, musicians, writers and
activists. It was that experience that made her
want to work with people on a deeper level.
“I’ve lived in Rockridge for
29 years,” she said. Her psycho-
therapy practice is nearby, on the
Oakland/Berkeley border. “You
might find me walking around
Lake Temescal, drinking tea (not
coffee) at Peet’s and eating up
and down College Avenue – for
instance, having tacos at Cactus
or sushi at Takara.”
The memoir “took 12 years
to write,” she told us, including
some serious writing classes
and secluded stints in California
nature – where she often went
over the years to help heal wounds
and gather strength.
“I’m slow and I rewrote and
rewrote and rewrote,” Wilson
said. “Without the classes, it
wouldn’t have been as good a
book. I had a writing buddy and
we would go to Sea Ranch and
just hole up. We would put in a
lot of hours.”
“Did you write chronologi-
cally?” Shirley asked. “I really didn’t,” she
answered. Instead “I went with whatever had
the juice.” And writing is just the first stage,
she cautioned. Then there’s the publishing
process – what stays in, what goes out,
picking a title (the publisher picked hers),
designing the cover – and then the public
appearances.
“Any surprises, once it was published?”
Stephanie asked. “I didn’t know there would
be such satisfaction; the feeling that I’ve
given something to people that touched
Local Memoir Writer
Adds Dimension to
Book Club Discussion
by Judith Doner Berne
As a relatively new resident of Rockridge,
I am definitely a Judy-come-lately to the
14-year-old book club on my street.
Every book club has a story behind its
founding, but this one began and held its first
meeting in a car. Four neighbors – Norma
Bedford, Kathy Herman, Stephanie Lee and
Christine Osborne – for a time carpooled
each day to San Francisco.
“Because we spent those 45-60 minutes
each day together, I suggested we read a book
and then discuss it in the car,” Stephanie
recalled. “We did this once. Then Christine’s
job changed mid-book, so she invited us to
her place to discuss the book at dinner.”
The foursome decided to switch from
the car to the dinner table so that Christine
could stay involved, Stephanie said. “When
Norma had it at her house, she invited sev-
eral neighbors. We had such a great time
together that we continued. That’s how it
became a neighborhood group.”
And luckily for me, I joined in time to
have the author of the book we read for our
most recent session come to its discussion.
That would be Rockridge resident Chana
Wilson, whose award-winning book, “Riding
Fury Home: A Memoir,” was published
in 2012. The book chronicles 40 years of
the complex relationship between Wilson
and her mother – the trauma of their early
years together, the transformation and joy
they found when they both came out in the
1970s and the deep bond they formed that
included choosing the same profession,
psychotherapy.
In 1958, when Wilson was seven, her
mother attempted suicide and was taken to
a mental hospital. When she returned, her
dad left and Wilson became her caretaker.
Years later, and after discovering that she
was a lesbian, she learned that her mother’s
agony stemmed from an affair with a woman
and the subsequent psychiatric treatment
aimed at curing her lesbianism.
Wilson, upbeat and charming, fit right
in as we sat around Shirley Rae’s
dining room table. Married to Dana Bergen,
a software engineer, Wilson formerly hosted
Author Chana Wilson at
Diesel Books holding her
memoir next to a display of
the 100 Diesel best-sellers.
/Courtesy of Chana Wilson
➧➧Rockridge Author, page 7










 
­
24


 
	


7.
April 5, 2014

7.

Telegraph Avenue
Makeover Underway
The city of Oakland and other agencies
are working to improve transportation
safety and comfort on Telegraph Avenue
between 20th Street and 57th Street for all
modes of travel.
The Telegraph Avenue project website
(www.oaklandnet.com/TelegraphAvenue)
has results of an online survey of people who
travel frequently on Telegraph. The summary
report is at: http://www2.oaklandnet.com/n/
OAK046218. Appendices are included
under the “Project Materials” section of the
website. Over 1,100 respondents provided a
richer understanding of community concerns
and desires for the area.
Now, the city will host three public
open houses along the project corridor so
community members can learn more about
the design concepts and provide feedback:
Town Hall
around awhile, you’re welcome to
come and provide your thoughts on
what’s happened while you’ve been
here.
from page 1
If you’re new to Rockridge, come
learn about how this area got to
be what it is (including RCPC’s role
in that evolution). If you’ve been
Note: Please call Stu Flashman at
510/652-5373 or e-mail stuflash@aol.
com if you’d like to be part of the
panel for this program.
I’m pretty sure that, even without Wilson’s
presence, “Riding Fury Home” would have
taken center stage.
In an extensive New York Times column
published Sunday, March 23 and titled
“Really? You’re Not in a Book Club?,” James
Atlas writes that despite online options, “the
most prevalent way of conducting a book
club is still in someone’s living room, over
food and a glass of wine….”
“In the end,” he says, “book clubs are
about community.”
I’ll raise a glass to that.
Rockridge
Author
from page 6
“How many ways can you be differ-
ent?” she said. “Have your parents build
a modern house among colonials, be the
only Jewish family, have your mother be a
crazy person.”
“When you publish something so per-
sonal, were you worried about people you
know seeing it?” Stephanie asked. “Yes, I
was,” Wilson said. “But I am inspired by
the response. It was very healing to write.
And hopefully, people have kind hearts.”
In the end, she not only reconciled
with her mother, who left the East Coast
to live down the street from her, but also
her father who “believed in my writing and
was willing to excavate the past, as he’d
never been before.”
“That’s the wonderful thing about how
the culture has changed,” she said. “And my
father changed too. He just loved Dana.”
Over the years, I am told, book club dis-
cussion may or may not have focused on the
book at hand, depending on its impact. But
■
■Thursday, April 24, 6 p.m. - 8 p.m.,
Beebe Memorial Cathedral, 3900
Telegraph
Awards for “Riding Fury Home.”
Gold medal winner: Independent
Publisher Book Awards
■
■Saturday, April 26, 10 a.m. - 12 p.m.,
Faith Presbyterian Church, 430 49th
Street
Winner: National Indie Excellence
Book Awards
Winner: Association for Women in
Psychology Jewish Women’s Caucus;
2013 Award for Scholarship
■
■Thursday, May 1, 6 p.m. - 8 p.m.,
Humanist Hall, 390-27th Street (acces-
sible entrance at 411-28th Street).
Content and materials for each of the
three open houses will be the same. Confirm
dates and times at: www.oaklandnet.com/
TelegraphAvenue.
Finalist, Debut Author and Short
Story/Collections: Golden Crown
Literary Society
2013
Over the Rainbow List of the
American Library Association
Your comments and suggestions for other columns
about Rockridge people and happenings are most
welcome. Please email judyberne@att.net.
Report compiled with information from project web
sites and Jamie Parks, AICP, Oakland Complete
Streets Program Manager.
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April 5, 2014
8.

8.

d

A Garage Is a Garage Is a Garage. Or Is it?

original little garages have survived to take
on iconic stature in our time and to add to
the charm of our historic neighborhoods.
What’s in Your Garage?
That ol’ garage is likely to be the most
creatively active spot in your entire house.
Please don’t tear it down. Once gone,
replacing it with another structure could be
expensive and problematic as building and
zoning codes have changed dramatically.
Check with your contractor or architect first.
Emptied out, your lonely old garage can be
converted to become a receptive space where
mindful presence and limitless creative
growth is possible.
The most famous garage event of our
time is certainly that of Steve Jobs and Steve
Wozniak who changed the world with their
work, not in a fancy lab, but in a suburban
garage.
In Rockridge, many once-neglected
garages now serve as mini-tech incubators,
studios for artists and artisans, offices,
recording studios, gyms, writers’ lairs,
guest rooms, independent businesses,
neighborhood meeting places and earthquake
emergency centers: Joe Scodella, retired
engineer, fiddles with machinery and makes
gorgeous fly fishing hooks for his friends:
artist Peter Heelan and wife Sabra Daly
invite their Irish fiddling friends and artists
and neighbors to make poetry and music;
Laurie Leiber teaches Pilates; Claire Langley
Hawthorne wrote her first mystery novels in
her writer’s studio on Auburn.
The list goes on. It’s great.
by Ortrun Niesar
One of the most undervalued features
of our beloved Rockridge bungalow
homes is that outmoded, humble little
adjunct out back we call a “garage.” Why we
still call it a garage is a mystery to me. Most
of these structures haven’t seen a car in them
since the Model T went out of style.
Decorative features grace many
Rockridge garages.  /Don Kinkead
Demoted to storage sheds of sorts, they
are often crammed full of old paint buckets,
bicycles with flat tires, rusted tools and
excess everything that could not fit into
the house. In extreme cases, doors sporting
peeling paint and broken glass may hang
halfway off their hinges. Locks and chains
fastened to the front hold it all together until,
one day, the junkman arrives to cart it all
away – including the shed – to eternal rest
in the dump.
Actually, those little sheds deserve
a second look. They may have become
obsolete, but they have an honorable history
and possibilities for the future.
A Long and Venerable History
While many of us consider a garage a
natural part of a residence today, garages
were not fully vetted in the early 1900s when
many of our bungalows were built. At that
time, cars were a novelty and a luxury. Few
people could afford them. If they did own one,
it was likely treated with respect, protected as
a horse and buggy might have been in a kind
of cute little shed near the home.
I suspect this became a popular addition
even if no car was owned right then. After all,
it was entirely possible that you would own
one, someday. In the meantime, you could
use the “garage” to store vegetables, smoke
some prosciutto, and make a little vino.
The idea of a serious attached garage
or the addition of a “carport” was actually
the brainchild of Frank Lloyd Wright in the
1930s. This he did partly for aesthetic reasons
and partly to allow for the utilitarian purpose
of adding more rooms later on, not exactly
for car storage. But cars caught on in a big
way and bigger and better garages for bigger
and better and more cars came with them. In
Rockridge, it was too late to redraw our small
plots to hold that gaping two-car garage.
Some people moved through the Tunnel
to Lafayette to build ever bigger garages.
Consider this a stroke of luck: Rockridge
escaped suburbanization. That is not to say
that we didn’t try to modernize, be “with
it.” Many of those little garages were in fact
simply torn down to make room for that shiny
barbecue or a corrugated aluminum garden
shed ordered from Sears. Still, some of the
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9.
April 5, 2014

9.

Theatre Arts at Oakland Tech:
A Collaborative Program

of playwright Richard Montoya of Culture
Clash. One student put it: “Reading the script,
sometimes I didn’t get why this person and
that one were in the scene.  But after you
get into it, you realize why they’re there.
He [the playwright] … ‘gets’ everyone,
every stereotype and every belief.” Another
commented: “Also, it’s hysterical!”
“American Night” will be performed
Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, May 1
through 3, three evening performances at
7 p.m. and one Saturday matinee at 2 p.m.
in the Oakland Tech Auditorium, 310-42nd
Street. Tickets are $10 at the door.
For more information, contact Jessa
Moreno, jessabrie@gmail.com.
by Carol Delton, OakTechRep (OTR) parent,
with input from OTR students and teachers
Acollaborates with CalShakes, American
Conservatory Theatre, the Marin Theatre
Company, and Berkeley Rep. Professional
artists from these companies come in to
Tech to teach and explore with students,
and students go out to experience how
productions are built by these local
companies. OakTechRep has performed at
Stanford, CalShakes, and the Fringe Festival
in Edinburgh, Scotland. Selected students
recently performed and sat as panelists
at the Alameda County Arts Advocacy
Conference.
In May, OakTechRep performs
“American Night: The Ballad of Juan Jose,”
featuring over 75 characters who represent
the dark not-quite-what-they-teach-in-school
side of U.S. history, as they appear in Juan
Jose’s dreams the night before he takes his
U.S. citizenship test. This is the work’s first
student production, by special permission
s Oakland Technical High School
has become known for its academies
and academic excellence, it has also
developed an outstanding theater program
that provides opportunities in every aspect
of dramatic production. Students can take
drama and dance classes during the school
day, audition for OakTechRep productions,
and learn additional skills through the
afterschool acrobatics and Tech Techies
programs. Students of other art forms such
as instrumental music, graphics and fashion
design may play important roles to introduce
a show, design posters, or create costumes.
And, all of this creativity finds a home in
Tech’s own auditorium, restored through
the support, generosity and persistence of
the Tech community.
Founded eight years ago, OakTechRep
“99 Years: a verbatim history of Oakland Tech”
is to be presented in excerpt form as part of
2015’s Oakland Tech Centennial celebration.
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10.

April 5, 2014
10.

Rock  ridge
Cornucopia
Cornucopia
Barry A. Kaufman

this case you need a wine with a lot of acidity
to cut through the sweet of the pomegranate
molasses and honey. I would suggest a wine
from Southern Italy. Perhaps a Grillo from
Sicily. It’s a wonderful white wine that would
bring out the flavors of the dish. A Pinot
Bianco or a Pigato would also go well. Both
are full-bodied with great acidity. A good
selection of Italian wines is available at Paul
Marcus Wines in Market Hall.
BK: That sounds wonderful. Thanks for
the recommendation.
Grilled Dukkah-Crusted
Lamb Chops with
Pomegranate Molasses
Ingredients
½-cup prepared Dukkah (available at
Trader Joe’s and Pasta Shop)
1 tablespoon pomegranate molasses
(available at Pasta Shop or most Middle
Eastern markets)
1 tablespoon honey
8 small thick lamb rib chops
Salt & pepper
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
Preparation
•	Season chops with salt & pepper.
•	Spread dukkah onto a large plate.
•	Whisk pomegranate molasses and
honey in a small bowl. • Heat oil in heavy
large cast-iron skillet over medium-high
heat. • Add lamb chops to pan and cook
to desired doneness, about 3 minutes per
side for medium rare. • Transfer chops to
platter. • Hold each chop by the bone-
end, dip both sides of chop into dukkah
to coat, then transfer to another plate.
•	Drizzle pomegranate molasses and
honey over chops and serve.
Drink with one of the wines suggested
by Alan.

Wine Pairing: ‘It’s About the Spicing and the Sauces’

There are so many College Avenue
restaurants with extensive wine lists, I’ve
invited respected Bay Area wine journalist
Alan Goldfarb to join me in this month’s
column to weigh in on how to approach wine
pairings. Alan writes a wine pairing blog for
Tablehopper and is a marketing and public
relations consultant for several California
wineries. I hope our Rockridge News readers
will find Alan’s comments helpful when
selecting a wine to have with dinner.
Barry Kaufman: Let’s start with some
personal background. How long have you
been a wine journalist? And what brought
you to making wine journalism your career
choice?
Alan Goldfarb: I’ve been writing about
wine for 25 years. I’ve been a journalist since
high school and started out as a sports writer
in New York. When I came to California, I
saw the number one “sport” in the Bay Area
was food and wine. I started writing about
food and then focused on wine.
BK: What are some of the challenges of
your work?
AG: My biggest challenge has always
been trying to educate the consumer. I try
not to be academic or a turnoff to people
as many wine journalists don’t write for the
general consumer. I find most people don’t
have the interest or time to get down into the
complexity of understanding wine. I wish
people would really want to go deeply into
the subject.
BK: Do you have a personal preference
for either California wines or imported wines
from France or Italy?
AG: Yes. To make a bold statement,
on balance Italian wines are my favorites.
This goes back to my youth growing up in
Brooklyn. My Aunt Esther who married an
Italian man always had wine on the table. She
became a great Italian cook. Italian wines
are the most food-friendly wines. They’re
balanced wines – not over the top – not sexy.
California wines tend to overpower food.
They’re not balanced and generally don’t go
well with food.
BK: What’s your take on the oft-heard
adage “white wine with fish and red wine
with meat”?
AG: It is an adage – very general
statement. Let’s take fish. You would think
oh, white wine. But my Aunt Esther would
often put marinara sauce on the fish. The
marinara sauce is so strong and spicy it
would go better with red wine. A simple rule
is that it’s not necessarily about the protein
(fish, beef, poultry), it’s about the spicing and
the sauces when making wine pairings. The
protein may be the backbone of the dish, but
it’s the spices and sauces that create the flavor.
BK: What advice can you offer people
who are casual wine drinkers with limited
knowledge about wine when they dine at
a fine restaurant and are presented with an
extensive wine list?
AG: Well, if one truly is lost – and today’s
restaurants offer the diner many obscure
wines – it’s easiest to speak to someone on the
floor. Unfortunately, many servers don’t have
the knowledge or expertise to assist a diner
to make a selection. I usually go for wines of
Southern Spain, France, and Italy. These are
the best wines and the best value. It’s hard to
go wrong. For $35, you can get a very good
wine from Europe while a California wine of
similar quality would cost about $50.
BK: OK, let’s go to the wine pairing for
this month’s recipe: Dukkah-Crusted Lamb
Chops with Pomegranate Molasses. Dukkah
is an Egyptian side dish, a mix of herbs, nuts
(often hazelnuts), and spices, such as sesame,
coriander and cumin. Pomegranate molasses
is a sweet Middle Eastern condiment. Double-
thick loin lamb chops are cooked to medium
rare. The chops are dipped into the dukkah
mixture and drizzled with the pomegranate
molasses and some honey. The dish is clearly
sweet and savory. Your thoughts?
AG: This is challenging to pair well. The
lamb chops are the backbone of the dish. At
first blush you would think red wine. But
the dish is dominated by the spiciness of the
dukkah and the sweetness of the pomegranate
molasses. A red wine will kill the flavor. In
Barry Kaufman is a graduate of the California
Culinary Academy. He is available for cooking
classes and tours of East Bay ethnic markets. His
email is: kaufman42@comcast.net. Alan Goldfarb’s
email is wineflak@gmail.com.
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11.
April 5, 2014

11.

Not Enough
Signatures

Soundwall Study Supporters Appeal City Decision

by Stuart Flashman and Theresa Nelson
The Rockridge Ad-hoc Sound Wall
Committee, which collected and submitted
more than 300 signatures favoring sound wall
studies, has appealed the rejection of the
petitions by the city’s Transportation Services
Division. Among other concerns, the appeal
points out that the petition process was not
like those for permit parking or speed humps.
Both of those require signatures of residents,
not property owners. (More than 70 percent of
resident owners signed the petition supporting
the studies; getting signatures from absentee
landlords was much harder!) The committee
awaits the decision of Brooke Levin, Interim
Public Works Director, on the appeal.
Many Rockridge residents complained
that they never received the letter from the
city, certain addresses were excluded from
the petition for no apparent reason, and the
petition even included addresses that don’t
exist. They believe city staff took responsibility
for the petition process, setting the rules and
requirements, but then was unresponsive to
complaints about the process.
Ed. Note: Visit rockridge.org for developments.
from page 1
was developed to ensure that studying two
soundwall segments along State Route 24
between Broadway and Telegraph Avenue
has strong and widespread community
support in the affected area. At multiple
RCPC Town Hall meetings and in Rockridge
News articles and email communications
beginning in fall 2012, the petition process
was presented to the community, including
the following key points:
to collect signatures.
March 12, 2014, the city received petitions
containing 300 signatures or 62 percent, 21
short of the 321 needed to indicate 2/3 support.
Because an insufficient number of signatures
was submitted, no verification was performed.
After the petition process concluded
and shortly before press time for The
Rockridge News, some signature-gatherers
raised questions about the process. The city
is evaluating these comments. Once this
evaluation is complete, the city will update the
community email and postings on the FBC
website (www.fourthbore.org).
For more information, contact Oakland
Caldecott project coordinator, Victoria
Eisen, at victoria@eisenletunic.com or phone
510/525-0220.
■
■The process is modeled on other city
processes, such as those used by neighbor-
hoods requesting speed bumps and parking
regulation changes.
■
■If 2/3 of eligible property owners
signed the petition, then the studies would
move forward; if not, the funding allocated
to the studies would be used for other priority
projects on the Caldecott project list.
The city mailed a courtesy letter to all
481 identified eligible property owners on
March 12, 2013, advising them of the petition
process. The petition was subsequently posted
on the Fourth Bore Coalition (FBC)website.
In the intervening year, soundwall studies
advocates wrote their own letters to property
owners eligible to sign the petition, emailed
and phoned them, and used old fashioned
door-to-door neighborhood visits to collect
the needed signatures. One year later, on
■
■The city developed the petitions,
including names and addresses of eligible
property owners.
■
■Soundwall study proponents would
collect signatures.
■
■Signature gatherers had one full year
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12.

April 5, 2014
12.

Candidate
Statements
When Peter Pan
Came to Town
Safeway on
College
from page 3
from page 2
from page 1
in the San Francisco car crash with Martin
and who died two years later.
Martin’s manager Ben Washer was
killed in the crash and Martin suffered a
fractured pelvis, broken rib and bruised
kidney. She recovered rapidly, forcing
herself to walk each day despite the pain.
Without the Trauma Unit at S.F. General,
she said, “I don’t think any of us would be
alive.”
For two months Martin studied almost
daily with Davis, gradually rebuilding her
vocal chops. “I’m mad about this wonderful
lady!” she told me. “She’s a therapist, really.
I wish I’d found her 11 years ago.”
Time moved on. Martin died in 1990
– her 100th birthday was last December
– and Davis died in 2001, two weeks after
coaching her last student.
I missed Mary Martin’s historic concert
at Davies Symphony Hall in October 1984
– I had tickets to see Bruce Springsteen the
same night – and I still regret it.
But each time I pass the old Judy Davis
studio and see “Mary Martin” written in
the sidewalk, I’m reminded of what a great
entertainer she was. And I remember how
lovely she was, many years ago, to a young
reporter.
the parking deck on top of the store. Once
the ramp is done, the crew will start pouring
the walls on the Claremont side of the site,
then move on to constructing and pouring
the footings that will support the store’s
height. The weather has been cooperating
nicely so far, allowing the concrete to set.
Saturday Workdays
Workers may be present on some
Saturdays. Safeway received permission
from the city to work on several Saturdays,
allowing the crews to stay on schedule for
a mid-fall opening.
both to preserving the unique character
of Rockridge, and being open to new ideas
and community input. I will continue to
focus on engaging residents of Rockridge
to participate in RCPC, connect with each
other, and co-create a safe, beautiful and
caring community.
At our Town Hall meeting on February
22, I co-facilitated a session about making
Rockridge a safer place through innovative
community design and engagement. The
energy and commitment of Rockridge
residents inspires me, and I plan to work
on implementing many of the creative ideas
we generated.
As always, please contact us with questions or
concerns about the project: Elisabeth Jewel.
Office: 510/849-4811; Cell, 510/914-5211. Ed.
note: Elisabeth Jewel is a partner AJE Partners
(Aroner, Jewel and Ellis), government and public
affairs consultants.
Zabrae Valentine
Benvenue Avenue
Incumbent
I
have had the honor
of serving on the
RCPC board for the
last year and as the
board chair beginning
in May 2013.
Since then, we have
initiated several terrific projects that I’d
like to see through to completion, to
include: presenting a series of programs
on public safety (complementing the great
work of our NCPC); supporting FROG
Park’s fundraising drive to make major
improvements to the park; analyzing and
improving communication tools available to
Rockridge residents that support decision-
making and coordinated action (in addition
to information-sharing); and engaging the
neighborhood to describe the key char-
acteristics defining Rockridge so we can
proactively foster these qualities through
strategic support for future retail and
commercial development, management
of public space, and community activities.
My professional background is in public
policy, nonprofit management, and civic
engagement. I live on Benvenue with my
husband and two boys. Thanks for your
consideration.
Edward Guthmann has lived in Rockridge since
1977. He was a staff film critic and arts reporter
at the San Francisco Chronicle from 1984 to 2009.
His email address is edward5430@comcast.net
Broadway Pet Hospital
Open 7 days a week!
4920 Broadway, Oakland
510 653 0212
www.broadwaypethospital.com
Having Fun? Do it in Oakland!


13.
April 5, 2014

13.

(just click on the “recurring” box), one-time
and recurring contributions of any amount
are welcome. You can cancel your recurring
payment at any time.
Patrol services are available to all
persons in the patrol area, and anyone
may contribute. The more funds we raise,
the more patrol hours we can secure.
Please spread the word by talking with
your neighbors about the patrols and the
fundraising effort.
More information about Safer Rockridge
and the patrols, including flyers for
outreach, can be found on our website at
SaferRockridge.org. To get email updates,
join our mailing list at SaferRockridge.
org/mailing.
Questions or concerns? Email the
organizers at saferrockridge@gmail.com.
Update: ‘Safer
Rockridge’
from page 4
6 hours a day. This is a great start, but to get
to our goal of 12 hours a day, 7 days a week,
we will need $19,000 in recurring monthly
contributions.
Please help meet the goal by contributing
today at SaferRockridge.org. While $30 per
month is the suggested contribution level
within the next few weeks. Active members
of the Friends and Neighbors of College
Avenue (FANS), the local residents involved
with the Safeway project (who live within
the proposed RPP area) are coordinating this
effort with help and support from RCPC.
process includes each block gathering
signatures and submitting petitions to the
city.
Safeway still hopes to open by the end
of 2014. Once Safeway and the new retail
are fully operating, parking in the area can
only get worse. It could take from one to two
years from the time petitions are submitted
before the RPP will be effective, so we need
to get started.
Permit Parking
from page 1
Colby; 62nd from College to Colby; 61st
from Hillegass to Colby; Hillegass from
Alcatraz to Claremont; and Colby from
Alcatraz to 61st.
Each block wanting to participate must
“opt-in” by August 1, 2018. The opt-in
process follows the standard city of Oakland
process for establishing an RPP area. That
Detailed information on the RPP for
our area will be available from canvassing
volunteers and via flyers. If you would like to
help gather signatures on your block, please
contact Dennis Swanson at dennisv1441@
gmail.com.
Details are not finalized, but we expect
volunteers to commence gathering signatures
LAW OFFICES OF
KYLE M. JOHNSTON
5315 COLLEGE AVE.
OAKLAND, CALIF.
510.527.1880
CALL FOR YOUR FREE
INITIAL CONSULTATION
FAMILY   ╬   BUSINESS   ╬   ESTATE
WWW.KYLEMJOHNSTON.COM
Inventory Shrinks as Rockridge Prices Soar

Closing date BR BA Address
Original price List price   DOM
Selling price
           3/11/14
2
1
5332 Boyd Avenue
$749,000
$749,000 11
$901,000
3/19/14
2
1
5370 Bryant Avenue
$725,000
$725,000 15
$775,000
3/19/14
4
1
5600 Oak Grove Avenue $895,000
$875,000  68
$875,000
3/19/14
2
2
5330 Manila Avenue
$849,000
$849,000 30
$925,000
3/21/14
3
1
452 Hudson Street
$898,000
$898,000 13
$1,150,000
3/21/14
2
1
5340 Broadway Terrace
$509,000
$509,000 13
$560,000
Average sold price per square foot up 32% from last year •
Median Sold price is $888,000 • Currently a 6 day supply of inventory


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.
May issue deadline is April 17.
For information: smontauk@gmail.com G

14.

April 5, 2014
14.

Mature Couple Seeks Apt
or House...in Rockridge/
Elmwood/Temescal Area.
Need at least 2 bedrooms and 900 sq. ft., little
or no carpeting, pleasant, quiet building (no hi-
rises). Can go up to $2,000/mo. 510/759-5013.
Solar Installations
Lower your monthly expenses and take a
step for the environment! Your own solar
power costs less than what you pay PG&E
for electricity. Call Andrew at The Solar
Company. 209/781-6830 or 510/827-5164.
Write for Your Life!
Two Amherst Writers & Artists writing
workshops in Rockridge: Saturday, 4/19,
11 a.m. - 4 p.m. Six Tuesdays: 5/6 – 6/10,
10 a.m. - 1 p.m. For more information:
joanne@joannebrown.com / 510/381-1205.
Spring Special!
Freshen up spring with 25% off waxing
services! For first time customers! penelope-
calef.com By appointment, call 510/594-1552.
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.
Aesthetic Pruning
I specialize in pruning trees & shrubs under
20 feet tall. I work with trees to enhance
their natural beauty. Maple specialist, but I
prune all garden trees. Certified Aesthetic
Pruner. Bruce Thompson 510/428-4964.
House Repairs & Rehabs,
Interior & Exterior
Kitchen & bath remodel, tile, decks, dry rot,
drainage, walls, termite damage, doors, win-
dows. Professional work for affordable prices.
Local References Available. Lic#458473. Don
510/812-0310.
Holy Week & EASTER @St
Peter’s, Brdway & Lawton
MON-THUR, 4/14-17 noon & 7p.m.Masses;
Good Friday noon; Choral Vigil SAT 4/19, 9 p.m.;
Resurrection SUNDAY 10a.m. Come & See!
Tutor Accepting Students
Middle school, high school, college prep
students for essay and creative writing,
grammar & syntax, world literature com-
prehension, SAT/ College Boards. Thirty
years experience as teacher/tutor. Further
information/resume: George Davis 510/306-
0082), georgewdavisii@gmail.com.
iCan Help-Arik Rosenthal
Mac Tutoring
iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac, Peripherals. Check
e-mail, surf the web, video chat, download
apps and ebooks. An abundance of patience
at a reasonable rate. Schedule a session
today! 510/206-2914. arikoved@gmail.com.
Personal Assistant/
Life Made Simpler
offers Household and Project Management
services. Highly experienced, organized, cre-
ative, and a natural talent for multi-tasking.
Allow me to make your life simpler! Cynthia.
510/326-9985. Cd.warren@comcast.net.
Norman H. Burg, DDS
General Dentistry
(510) 652-1517
5700 Broadway, Oakland
A Prevention Oriented Practice
NAMASTE
Perinatal
CLASSES,
WORKSHOPS*,
+ MASSAGE
*USE PROMO CODE
10OFFPREP4B
TO RECEIVE 10% OFF
PRENATAL WORKSHOPS
BERKELEY | GRAND LAKE | ROCKRIDGE
W W W. I L O V E N A M A S T E . C O M

GRUBBCO.COM
510.652.2133
3070 Claremont Avenue • Berkeley
510.339.0400
1960 Mountain Boulevard • Oakland
There’s a
new broker
in town.
Susan Bernosky
Strahan
Insurance
Services, Inc.
510-450-9051

Shopping? Find it in Rockridge!
Shopping? Find it in Oakland!


15.
April 5, 2014

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

dieselbookstore.com.
Friends of the Oakland Public
Library (FOPL) Big Spring Book Sale
April 10 - 13 (Thurs – Sunday). 10:30am - 5:30pm. Most
books $3 to $6 with discounts up to 50%. The Bookmark
Bookstore sales support reading and literacy programs,
branch projects, collection development and more. 721
Washington Street, 444-0473. Details at www.fopl.org
and www.thebookmarkbookstore.org.
26th Annual Heart of the Home Tour
Benefit for Children’s Support League of the East Bay
(CSL). Tour five beautiful homes in Oakland and Pied-
mont (including 2 in the Rockridge area on Harbord and
Claremont Pines). Fri. and Sat, 4/25 and 26, 10am to 4pm.
Includes pop-up boutique, raffle and gourmet lunch. All
proceeds benefit at-risk children in Alameda and
Contra Costa counties. Ticket sales and more info at
www.ChildrensSupportLeague.org.
13th Annual Community Yard Sale

Community Calendar

Neighborhood Crime Prevention
Council (NCPC)
Discuss crime and public safety with representatives
of OPD. 2nd Thurs. each month, 7 to 8:30pm. Meet
founders of Safer Rockridge. See story page 4.
Rockridge Library, upstairs meeting room, 5366 College
Ave. Confirm mtg.at www.rockridgencpc.com or chair@
rockridgencpc.com.
Rockridge Branch Library
5366 College Avenue, 597-5017
FOR CHILDREN
FOR ADULTS
y
y Writers Support/Critique Group: All writers welcome.
Bring 15 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.
y
y Lawyers in the Library: Free legal advice and
referrals. 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:
Apr: Drawings & Photos by the students of Oakland
Tech High School Fashion, Art & Design Academy.
May: Aparna Ewing and Patricia Smith: Exhibition
of Quilts featuring abstract collages and hand-dyed
fabrics and paper.
Lobby Display Case:
Apr: David Peniston; mixed media and small sculpture.
May: Patty Garret; blown glass.
y
y Family Story Time: Stories/songs/rhymes (to age
5); Saturdays, 10:30am.
Lower Rockridge Parents Group (LRPG) benefit for
Peralta Elementary and Claremont Middle Schools.
Saturday, May 3, 9am to 1pm. Peralta school playground,
460 63rd St. (on Alcatraz, 1/2 block east of Teleg.).
Donations accepted until day before sale. For donation
guidelines or to arrange a donation time & place, email
Chris Moraes: clm318@gmail.com.
Calif. College of the Arts (Cca)
Spring Fair
Free and open to the public. CCA’s Oakland campus
becomes an arts bazaar for a day. Shop for one-of-a-kind,
handmade, affordable gifts made by students, alumni and
staff: ceramics, blown glass, jewelry, clothing/ textiles,
paintings/photos and more. Live jazz and tasty treats.
Saturday, 4/26, 11am to 3pm. CCA campus, 5212 B’way
(at College Ave), main walkway. Info: glee@cca.edu.
Square Dance In North Oakland
Music by The Squirrelly String Band. Calling by Jordan
Ruyle or Evie Ladin (with occasional guest perform-
ers). 1st and 3rd Fridays each month, 8 – 10pm. All
levels welcome; all dances taught on the spot. $5-10
sliding scale donation. The Niebyl-Proctor Library, 6501
Telegraph Ave. Info: http://squirrellystringband.com/.
North Oakland Senior Center
Programs include: Arts/crafts; health counseling;
dancing and exercise; trips, tours and theater outings;
support groups, classes/more.
y
y Pre-School Story Time: (ages 2 to 5); Thursdays,
10:30am.
y
y Toddler Story Time: (up to age 2); Thursdays,
10:30am, upstairs.
All story times followed by Play Time; parents and
caregivers invited.
Special Events:
y
y Spring Break Creative Writing Workshop for Kids
& Teens (Ages 8-15): All styles: poetry, fiction, non-
fiction. Led by Chapter 510 teaching artists. Edit, and
publish your work (produce a collection in a book
or zine). April 15-18 (Tues - Fri), 2 - 4pm. Advance
registration encouraged.
LIBRARY HOURS
Tues, 12:30 to 8pm.
Wed, Thurs & Sat: 10am to 5:30pm.
Fri, 12 to 5:30pm.
Closed: Sundays and Mondays.
Diesel Book/Readings/Events
y
y Play Around with Shakespeare: workshop with Jane
Courant. Celebrate Shakespeare’s 450th birthday.
Play theater games. Experiment with his dramatic
language: insults, compliments, spells, and charms.
All ages 9 and up. Sat., 4/26, 2- 3:30pm.
All FREE and open to the public.
y
y Sun., 4/6, 3pm. Poetry Flash with Miriam Bird
Greenberg and Dennis Schmitz.
y
y Learn to Give Your Mom a Massage for Mothers’
Day. Sat., 5/3, 2pm. Child must bring an adult (…
someone other than your mom so she’ll be surprised).
FOR TEENS
y
y Mon., 4/7, 7pm. David Kroodsma: The Bicycle Diaries:
My 21,000-Mile Ride for the Climate.
y
y Thurs., 4/10, 7pm. local author Robert K. Lewis:
Critical Damage.
y
y World Book Night: Get a free book to take home
as part of the celebration happening at book stores
and libraries across the country; after 1:30 pm on
Wed., 4/23.
y
y Sun., 4/13, 3pm. Spooky Actions Books Publication
Party for Steven Seidenberg: Null Set. Joined by
poet and visual artist Cassandra Smith.
y
y Thurs., 4/24, 7pm. Publication Party for anthology by
the Write On Mamas!: Mamas Write.
y
y 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.
y
y Fri., 5/2, 6pm. Launch Party with managing editor
Jennifer Williams and contributors of 580 Split
literary magazine, (published by grad students of
Mills College Eng. Dept.): Issue No.16: Mischief. Live
music and refreshments.
y
y UC CalFresh: 6 free nutrition classes to help
seniors stay healthy and active, live well and reduce
the symptoms of chronic conditions. Free giveaways,
recipes and samples. First Tuesdays: through June
3. 10:30am-12 noon. Pre-register at 597-5085.
y
y Rockridge Ninjas: watch Anime, 5-6:30 pm; 2nd
Tues. each month.
y
y Teen ‘Scape: Join other teens each Wed. after school,
1:30-3:30pm. Play video & board games, make crafts,
enjoy light snacks.
y
y Wed., 5/7, 7pm. Elizabeth Fishel: Getting to 30: A
Parent’s Guide to the 20-Something Years.
DIESEL, A Bookstore, 5433 College Ave. More info (other
events and discussion groups): 653-9965 or events@
y
y Free Alzheimer’s Forum: Sat., 4/12, 8:30 am - 2pm reg-
ister at http://forum.kintera.org/2014AfricanAmerican
or 1-800/272-3900
y
y Free Comic Book Day: Get free comic books on
Sat.,May 3
y
y BART Tickets on sale for $9 (a $24 value) for
seniors 65 and over.
Annual $12 membership entitles seniors 55 + to discounts
on activities and trips. Mon. – Fri., 9am to 4:30pm. 5714
Martin Luther King, Jr. Way. Info: 597- 5085.
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; live music. Bring your own
reusable bags. 5300 Claremont Ave. (off Telegraph) at
DMV parking lot. More about Certified Farmers’ Markets
at urbanvillageonline.com.


16.

April 5, 2014
16.

Is there a move in your future?
aboutface&body
dayspa      oaklandberkeley
As a team we bring twice the knowledge, attention & effort.
We’re THERE for you!
 Benefit from our combined 35 years experience selling
Rockridge homes. For a Complimentary Market Analysis
visit; RockridgeHomeValue.com
serving you since 1981
AVEDA PRODUCTS
Now offering men’s waxing
Terry Kulka & Julie Bartlett
510.339.4789
RockridgeRealEstate@Gmail.com
Over 400 homes sold - Experience Counts
3190 college avenue
at alcatraz
berkeley, ca 94705
CALBRE# 00875454
CALBRE# 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

Real Estate Brokerage

To Rockridge Clients
 For Over 26 Years.
Living? Love it in Oakland!
THINKING OF SELLING
OR RENTING?
There is a severe shortage of homes to sell or lease in
Rockridge (any size or condition).  I estimate we are
short by at least 16 homes = Read “Sellers Market.”
There are only 8 homes actively for sale right now at
the beginning of the Spring market.  Same for rentals
- call or email me for more information! 510-612-2547
or RonKriss@JPS.net
32
SPECIALIZING IN

OResidential Sales

OIncome Property

OCommercial

OProperty Management
COMING SOON - APRIL
Belgrave Place     *not priced yet
4+BD/2+BA
Almost untouched since build. Part of a very
upscale development of 7 mini mansions.
Grand rooms, amazing detailing, maids stairway -
you get the picture. Cool old bathrooms - intact.
Award Winning Chabot Elementary School
Better Homes
Realty
5353 College Avenue
Oakland
FOR SALE IN ROCKRIDGE
SOLD
       3 OFFERS
5625 Broadway
       $1,285,000 List
3+ Beds/ 2+ Baths
Amazing New Home
Finest modern design, materials & workmanship
Award Winning Chabot Elementary School
www.5625Broadway.com.
Playing? Start in Oakland!
FOR LEASE IN ROCKRIDGE
LEASED
5521 Lawton Avenue              $3,850/mo
$3,850
2BD/1BA Newer kitchen. So. facing yard.
 Award winning Chabot Elementary.
*NOTE!  If you want to rent let me know ASAP.
I had over 25 groups tour this property and
leased it in a week.
*NOTE:  Because of Rockridge Newsletter lead time, all
prices are not available at print deadline.
Ron Kriss, Broker
L A W T O N
Lawton Associates
510-547-5970 Ext. 55
Home, the Ultimate Luxury Address.
ronkriss@JPS.net
“#1 in Rockridge Real Estate”
Over $110M in Sales in Rockridge
www.LawtonAssoc.com
A S S O C I A T E S
EAST BAY OFFICE   |   510.883.7000   |   MCGUIRE.COM
R E A L   E S T A T E
B R O K E R A G E
“I know Rockridge”
sm