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VOL. 30 NO. 11 ISSUE NO. 328 December 5, 2015 CIRCULATION: 5,800 Residences; 200 BusInesses
ckridgeNews
THE
www.rockridge.org
Sponsored by the Rockridge Community Planning Council • 4123 Broadway, PMB 311 • Oakland, CA 94611
Help Fill the Buckets
Special Town Hall: How
Secondary Unit and Off-
Street Parking Revisions
Could Impact Rockridge
Because you never know when you may need them, keeping your
resources ready is always a good policy. Take a moment to consider
your year-end donating and think of RCPC and Frog Park. Donations
to these groups are tax-deductible. Thank you.
R
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City Proposes Zoning That
Permits Secondary Units and
Cuts Parking Regs Near BART
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RC P C host s a s pe c ia l Town Ha ll
☛ Wednesday, December 9, 7 p. m.,
featuring Councilmember Dan Kalb; an Oakland
Planning Department staffer for secondary units;
Oakland Strategic Planning staffer Neil Gray; and a
representative from the Mayor’s office. Come join the
discussion at the Rockridge Branch Library with your Rockridge
neighbors to better understand the proposed changes and to provide
input directly to the City in a timely manner. Revisions to Oakland’s
Secondary Dwelling Unit Regulations will receive a first hearing by
the City Council on January 5, with final ordinance passage later. The
Off-Street Parking revisions will be discussed at the Zoning Update
Committee in January.
Note the special date & time, above. Pizza will be
served: please RSVP to info@rockridge.org
Note Special Date
Put Frog Park Enhancements
on Your Year-End Giving List
We are close to making the
vision of an enhanced
Frog Park – with more swings
– a reality. Your donation will
help meet the costs of these
improvements and get us over
the finish line. The park has
been a part of your family’s life.
Now make FROG a part of your
year-end giving. See page 10.
RCPC General Donations. Online:
rockridge.org/support. Mail/Payto: RCPC,
4123 Broadway, PMB #311, Oakland,
94611. Tax ID 94-3011284
Please Remember RCPC
in your year-end giving.
Donations to RCPC’s General
Fund support projects
that benefit the Rockridge
neighborhood, including Frog
Park; the new community
grants program; the Halloween
Parade; the Town Halls on
issues affecting Rockridge;
street trees, the Rockridge
Library; schools; and benches.
FROG Park: Online: frogpark.org. Mail/
Payto: FROG Park, 4123 Broadway, PMB
311, Oakland, 94611. Tax ID 94-3011284
Everyone has heard about
the Bay Area’s severe
housing shortage and escalating
construction costs. One strategy
being implemented by Bay Area
cities to increase housing stock
is easing regulations for adding
secondary housing units.
A secondary unit is a
structure that is accessory to the
primary dwelling on a property,
and that can be used as housing
for a relative, or as a rental. A
secondary unit, if not already
present on a residential lot, can
often be constructed relatively
cheaply.
Reforming Oakland’s
regulations has been a priority
for Mayor Libby Schaaf’s office.
Oakland’s proposed secondary
dwelling unit changes go to the
full City Council meeting on
January 5 starting at 5:30 p.m.
at City Hall.
The goal of the proposed
amendments is to encourage
construction of secondary
units throughout the city, by
reducing regulatory barriers
in the City’s current planning
code, particularly restrictions
pertaining to setbacks (required
distance of structures from
property lines) and available
parking.
No Secondary Unit
Parking Spaces
Proposed in Much of
Rockridge
The City decided the single
most important change to
encourage new secondary units
is relaxing parking restrictions.
Currently, one off-street parking
The Rockridge
D i s t r i c t
Association’s
( R DA ) S n o w
Day on College
Avenue brought
shivers, slides
and smiles to a
chilly November
D a y i n t h e
p a rk i n g lo t ,
while Santa and
his elves heard
entreaties for
gifts on the
BART Plaza.
/Don Kinkead
RDA Posts Holiday Safety
Ambassadors: page 5
Our goal is to have as much security on
College Avenue as possible, seven days
a week and into the evening hours during
the month of December.
➧➧Proposed Regs, page 3
2.
December 5, 2015
Ed. Note: The following editorial was published four years ago in the December, 2011
issue of The Rockridge News. It is reprinted in this issue since much has changed in
Rockridge, but much is still the same: The neighborhood we all care for – old-timers
and newcomers alike – was designed by and can only be maintained by those who live
in it. Change will continue, and your voice and support will help the neighborhood
thrive. Have an idea? Let’s hear it! Have a problem? Air it! Have some time? Share it!
It’s all easy: email your ideas and concerns to rockridge.org today.
ROCKRIDGE BRANCH LIBRARY
5366 College Avenue
at Manila | 597-5017
Library program details/hours: Calendar, page 15
RCPC Projects, Rockridge Today,
the Area’s Emerging Future
But What Have You
Done for Me Lately?
by Don Kinkead, editor
Rockridge today is a long way from its
near-undoing when construction of the
Grove-Shafter freeway – Highway 24 – in
the late 1960s wiped out more than 3,000
homes and many area commercial buildings,
crippling businesses and leaving significant
College Avenue storefronts boarded up.
Was the evolution due to community
involvement? Mere chance? Market action?
The answer: all three, in that order.
Community Involvement
North Oakland, including the area
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
Judith Doner Berne ������������Eyes on Rockridge
Jo Ellis �����������������������������������Advertising &
Community Calendar
Susan Montauk �������������������Business Manager
Don Kinkead �����������������������Graphics & Layout
RCPC Board of Directors, 2015-2016
Brendan Havenar-Daughton...Chair
Jennifer Daskal �������������������Co-Vice-Chair
Noah Rosen ������������������������Secretary
Ronnie Spitzer ��������������������Treasurer
Kevin Faughnan, Stuart Flashman,
Don Kinkead, Greg Pasquali,
Laura Schlichtmann, Leonora Sea
Contact the board: chair@rockridge.org
For information: info@rockridge.org
Newsletter Subscriptions
we now call Rockridge, has always had
community organizations with one purpose
or another, be it protection and assistance
for new immigrants, a banding together
of neighbors to respond to community
concerns, or general social clubs.
Examples from the past are the
Colombo Club, which served the then-
widespread Italian-American community,
and the Rockridge Community Club,
once headquartered in the building now
occupied by Ye Olde Hut, which organized
neighborhood gatherings and various forms
of support for neighbors.
➧➧Rockridge Evolution, page 14
As Year Ends, Changes Come to Board
In the past few months, growing families,
employment responsibilities and term
limits have led several RCPC board
members to step down from the board.
Past Chair Zabrae Valentine resigned
her position in November to devote more
time to her family. A board member since
January 2013, and chair since June 2013,
Valentine exchanged that position in April
2015 for co-vice-chair (with boardmember
Jennifer Daskal). Boardmember Brendan
Havenar-Daughton was named chair,
succeeding Valentine.
Brand new to the board, Leonora Sea,
the long-time chair of the DMV Neighbors
Association, expressed her interest in a
To subscribe to The Rockridge News, send
your check for $20, payable to Rockridge News
Subscriptions, to: Rockridge News Subscriptions at
the address below.
board position, and was interviewed and
appointed to fill a vacancy in July 2015. She
immediately got to work contributing time
and effort to the RCPC Kitchen Tour event.
Former chair Stuart Flashman, who was
“termed out” of his elected seat on the board
in April 2014, was appointed to a vacant
seat on the board this past August. He will
continue to serve as co-chair of the Land
Use Committee.
Also, in July, long-time former
boardmember – and past chair – Ronnie
Spitzer was appointed to fill a board vacancy.
She was promptly elected treasurer, taking
the place of Jennifer Daskal.
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
Articles submitted for publication may
be e-mailed or mailed to the above addresses.
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. Views expressed in articles accepted for
publication do not necessarily reflect those of The
Rockridge News, its editor, or the board of directors of
the Rockridge Community Planning Council. To reprint
a Rockridge News article, please contact the editor.
➧➧RCPC Board, page 10
$5 FREE DRYCLEANING with garment orders over $28
or $3 OFF orders over $15
Dry Cleaning only Present with incoming order
Garden Cleaners
5808 College Avenue, Oakland
601-1188
Mon – Fri 7 – 7 • Sat 8 – 6
Across from Trader Joe’s and Zachary’s Pizza
Newsletter Advertising/Deadline
Publication date of the January issue is:
December 31, 2015
January deadline is December 16.
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.
December 5, 2015
The next Land Use Committee meeting
is scheduled for Wednesday, January
27, 2016 at 7:30 p.m. at the Rockridge
Branch Library.
There is No land use committee
meeting in December. Please check the
rockridge.org website for the January
meeting agenda.
to be at least roughly accurate, so that,
when the sign says “full,” it may actually
mean there are no spaces available. Also,
the signs indicating that you should call the
Alameda Police Department if your car was
towed from one of the handicapped spaces
have been taken down. It may be that they
will soon list the OPD phone number as the
right one to call.
We are also now at the stage where we
ought to be able to evaluate the changes
in traffic patterns that the new project has
caused. Please let us know (e-mail: landuse@
rockridge.org) if you have noticed changes
in the traffic patterns in the area. We know
that during the first few months after the
store opened, there were major back-ups on
eastbound Alcatraz Avenue below College
in the evening commute hours. If that has
led to more cut-through traffic on any of
the local residential side streets, we’d like
to know. It may be possible to get speed
bumps, stop signs, or traffic circles installed
to try to persuade drivers to stay on the main
streets, but first we need to know if there
are problems.
Land Use Update
by Stuart Flashman, RCPC Land Use
Committee co-chair
■
■College Ave. Safeway Project,
College & Claremont Avenues
Well, at long last, the electronic parking
space monitor for the Safeway rooftop
parking deck is working – sort-of. After an
initial period when it showed more spaces
available than the deck even held, followed
by a period when the display constantly said
“full,” it now appears the display is starting
Schematic map shows
much of Rockridge and
North Oakland is within 1/2
mile of a BART station or
other defined transit service
and therefore no off-street
parking would be required
for secondary dwelling units.
Piedmont
Proposed Regs
College Ave
Berkeley
Alcatraz Ave
Rockridge BART
51st St
Shattuck Ave
Telegraph Ave
Emeryville
November Sales Average 13% Over Asking Price!
from page 1
space must be provided for each secondary
unit. Under the proposed regulations, NO
additional off-street parking spaces would be
required for new detached secondary housing
units within one-half (1/2) mile of a BART
station, Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) station, (R)
bus line, or “Major Transit Stop.” A quick
perusal of the map at left shows almost all
of Rockridge lies within this distance.
This provision is intended to facilitate
the development of more housing options for
residents seeking to utilize public transit to
meet their daily needs.
In locations where an off-street space
would be required, tandem parking would
be allowed everywhere.
As of now, detached secondary units
within Rockridge with a separate address are
eligible for permits where residential permit
parking (RPP) is in effect. The proposed
regulations relaxing parking requirements
would still allow permits to be issued for
newly approved secondary units.
Smaller Secondary Units Closer
to Lot Edges Proposed, Fewer
Rules for Conversions
Under the proposed regulations:
Closing date BR BA
Address
Original price
List price
DOM
Selling price
11/03/2015 5 3.5
6051 Margarido Dr.
$1,975,000
$1,975,000 26
$2,000,000
11/05/2015 3 2.5
340 Forest St.
$1,159,000
$1,159,000 24
$1,250,000
11/10/2015 4 2.5
5844 Lawton Ave.
$1,550,000
$1,550,000 15
$1,825,000
■
■Property line setbacks for new
detached units would be reduced to four
feet, as long as they were within 35 feet
of the rear property line.
11/13/2015 3
2
427 Clifton St.
$1,095,000
$1,095,000 20
$1,300,000
11/13/2015 2
2
429 Clifton St.
$749,000
$749,000
20
$925,000
11/18/2015 2
2
5239 Boyd Ave.
$899,000
$899,000
13
$1,275,000
11/19/2015 2
1
5736 Ayala Ave.
$777,000
$777,000
19
$777,000
11/20/2015 3
2
436 60th St.
$1,299,000
$1,299,000 19
$1,375,000
■
■Walls could be no more than 10 feet
high, and the maximum roof height could
11/21/2015 3 2.5
6189 Margarido Dr.
$925,000
$1,075,000 70
$945,000
➧➧Proposed Regs, page 13
4.
December 5, 2015
Rockridge NCPC Notes Substantial Rise in Crime, 2014 to ’15
■
■In 2015, through October, 12Y has already had 79 crimes
against the person, with two occurrences of 11 or 12 per month.
2015 has a month left to go but it seems likely the trend will
continue.
Next of concern to the police and — certainly to residents — are
property crimes. The police divide property crimes into general
property crimes and auto-related property crimes. Both types of
crimes are definitely up in 2015 (through October) over 2014, and
will very likely continue to increase through the holidays.
NCPC Takes a Look at 2014 and 2015 Stats
by Karen Ivy, secretary, Rockridge NCPC,
secretary@rockridgencpc.com
How’s crime in the Rockridge beats? The board of the NCPC
realizes that all crime is upsetting, and it is upsetting to the
NCPC boardmembers, too, who also live in the neighborhood. But
compared to almost anywhere else in Oakland, Rockridge has very
low crime.
As board secretary, I collect
monthly data from the Oakland
Police statistics site. All the data for
2015 is not in yet, but there is enough
to make some comparisons between
2014 and 2015 (through October).
This is summary data; I publish
monthly lists of reported crimes at
http://tinyurl.com/pnkx4qk.
The NCPC is associated with
two community policing beats, 12Y
and 13X. These beats cover an area
generally south of the Berkeley border, north of 51st Street/ Pleasant
Valley, east of Telegraph Avenue, and west of Highway 13. Beat
12Y is west of Broadway, Beat 13X is east of Broadway. Beat 13X
has lower crime levels than beat 12Y although it has incidents of
burglary, auto burglary, and auto theft. The following summarized
numbers are mainly for 12Y.
As representatives of the Police Department have told us at many
community meetings, the department’s first concern is mainly with
crimes against the person – homicides, assaults, and robberies –
because of their potential for physical harm to victims.
■
■In 2014, general property crimes committed in 12Y totaled
246 incidents, ranging from 13 per month to 32 a month.
■
■In 2015 through October, 12Y has already had 263 general
property crimes.
■
■In 2014, auto-related property crimes committed in 12Y
totaled 238 incidents, with monthly totals ranging from 10 to 35.
■
■In 2015 through October, 12Y has already had 296 auto-re-
lated property crimes, with monthly numbers ranging from 19
to 45 (in April).
There are no new recommendations NCPC or the police have to
offer to help prevent your becoming a crime victim: they have
already been said many times. Here, again, are a few:
■
■Protect yourself when walking alone by staying alert,
watching your surroundings, and making eye contact with other
walkers.
■
■If you walk down the street with earbuds in your ears,
staring down at your phone, you are a target for a thief. Don’t do it.
■
■Lock your doors and windows when you leave the house.
Police have told us time and again that a majority of home
burglaries begin with access through unlocked doors and windows.
■
■Don’t leave any belongings visible in your parked car – not
even an empty gym bag.
Stay alert and aware, and have a happy holiday season.
■
■In 2014, Beat 12Y had 78 crimes against the person and
no month had more than 11 incidents.
NCPC Moves to Alternate Month Meeting Schedule in ’16
by Karen Ivy, secretary,
Greater Rockridge NCPC (GRNCPC)
The board of the Greater Rockridge
Neighborhood Crime Prevention Council
has decided, after discussion with our
Neighborhood Services Coordinator Patricia
Rose, to meet every other month, beginning in
2016. Other NCPCs have largely already done
this. We will meet in even-numbered months:
February, April, June, August, October, and
December. Our December 10, 2015, meeting
will take place as usual, but the meeting
after that will be February 11, 2016. We
decided on even-numbered months because
the beat 12X council (Temescal) has moved
to odd-numbered months. In “off” months,
we can still take reports by email, and we
encourage citizens to email Community
Resource Officer (CRO) Anthony Hutzol
directly at communitypolicingbeat12@
oaklandnet.com.
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5.
December 5, 2015
Support Your
Library
Oakland’s budget. From books to reading
chairs, newspapers, programs for new
parents, laptops, snacks, air conditioning,
summer reading supplies, community art
displays, and keeping the grounds clean and
tidy, this all-volunteer, 501(c)(3) nonprofit
organization, is dedicated to enhancing the
library for our community.
Your generous donations will improve
the library, expand the collections, and
provide programs and services for our
community. Visit www.RockridgeFriends.
org and donate what you can. Thank you
for your support.
RDA Sets College Avenue Holiday Security
The Rockridge District Association
(RDA) is pleased to bring security
ambassadors to College Avenue for the
holiday season. RDA has contracted with
Intervention Group Incorporated, Security
Services, an Oakland company, to provide
personnel as security ambassadors during the
holidays, helping to make this an enjoyable
time on the avenue this season. They will
not only work to keep us safe but will be
able to provide assistance with directions
and information.
RDA is also pleased to have OPD’s
Captain Darren Allison and Community
Resource Officer (CRO) Anthony Hutzol as
well as all of Area Two staffing on board, as
they are working hard on Rockridge safety
issues.
We all will be working together –
Intervention Group Inc; Market Hall security
personnel; Oakland Police Department;
Premiere Protective Service (PPS); the RDA
and others – to help make this a safe holiday
season. Our goal is to have as much coverage
on College Avenue as possible, seven days a
week and into the evening hours during the
month of December.
— Chris Jackson,
RDA Operations Manager
by Sarah Washburn,
FORL boardmember
Today someone in our neighborhood
is checking out a book, applying for
a job, learning to read, finding healthcare
benefits, or getting help from a trained
librarian.
The Friends of the Rockridge Library
(FORL) works closely with library staff to
pay for services not covered by the city of
law office of
dave karlinsky
725 washington st., suite 313 oakland, ca 94607
(510) 788-5700 www.davekarlinskylaw.com
Practicing exclusively in the area of trusts and estates:
• Estate planning
• Probate / trust administration
• Dispute resolution
• Special needs trusts
Please contact me during regular business hours to
schedule an appointment.
College Avenue Safety Ambassadors,
2015. Front: R. L. Logan, Intervention
Group; C. Carlan, Market Hall. Back, left:
D. Caldwell, Premiere Protective Service
(PPS); A. Pollard, Market Hall. /D. Kinkead
6.
December 5, 2015
Eyes on Rockridge
to sprinkle in a little cooking,” Diana says.
“I love to cook.” In addition to offering her
dishes on the Josephine website, she alerts
her neighbors and past clients through
emails such as this: “Hi folks who live
nearby who work from home. I’m doing
my first Josephine LUNCH [she’s been
doing dinners] next week on Thursday. If
you’d like a crunch kale salad with olive
chicken, stop by. Just click on the link and
purchase your portion.”
Diana also has her own food business
– Bee & Biscuit (beeandbiscuit.com) –
creating organic, homemade meals targeted
to families with new babies.
“It’s common to know about pre-natal
nutrition,” Diana told me. But her focus
at cooking school was on post-partum
nourishment because “I wanted to know
about healthy cooking for new moms. It’s
a special time as to what they are putting
in their bodies.”
Some of her Bee & Biscuit clientele
order for themselves, some for baby gifts.
The dishes can be prepared individually
or in multiples. The latter she calls “Stock
the Freezer” and usually consist of six to
eight quarts of such items as chicken soup
and healthy casseroles such as wild rice
and mushroom. “It’s the simple things that
people want,” she says.
Berkeley Bowl is her go-to market.
“My prices are a little higher because I
prefer to purchase all organic products
and make sustainably sourced meals,”
Diana says. But she and Greg also enjoy
restaurant meals. After over three-and-a-
half years living in Rockridge, their favorite
way to work. No, it wasn’t out of her way,
she said, “because I shop in Rockridge all
the time.” This was her first time in Diana’s
kitchen, but “I love Josephine.”
“A lot of people cooking for Josephine
have professional cooking backgrounds,”
Diana told me. “I’ve tried some of their
meals and everybody’s really good.” Part
of why she enjoys being part of it is because
“I set the number of portions. I decide the
meal. I decide when I want to offer it. The
most I’ve done is 30.”
Diana herself is a recent graduate of
Bauman College’s five-month natural
chef program in Berkeley. Friends told her
about Josephine and she applied. “Three
members of their staff came out and I
served them lunch in my backyard,” she
says. After checking out her kitchen for
cleanliness, her personality for warmth
and her credentials that must include a
California Food Handler’s License, they
helped her with portion sizes and provide
compostable packaging and promotional
materials.
The Wesleyan University graduate’s
“day job” is as a consultant for nonprofit
organizations such as Greenpeace and
Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in
America. I also learn she is married to
Rockridge Community Planning Council
(RCPC) board member Greg Pasquali.
They are the parents of Eleanor, age one-
and-a-half, and are expecting her baby
brother in early February.
But within her already full life, “I like
Gig,or Sharing, Economy Expands
as Neighbors Cook for Neighbors
by Judith Doner Berne
I
recently ordered lunch online for an
upcoming Thursday, although my
husband and I actually saved it for dinner
– sliced Chicken Marbella over kale salad
and brownies for dessert.
To retrieve it, I walked several blocks
to the kitchen of my Rockridge neighbor,
Diana Pasquali, arriving between the hours
of 12:30-2 p.m. as instructed and drawn in
by the delicious smells wafting from behind
her front door.
Diana P., as she is known, is the closest
home chef to me listed on josephine.com, a
recent start-up in the growing garden that
is the sharing or “gig” economy.
Billed as “Home-cooked food from
your neighbors,” Josephine has its roots in
Oakland, is spreading from the East Bay
to San Francisco and claims renowned
cooking guru Mark Bittman as a member
of its advisory board.
On this day, of the six people coming
to pick up their pre-ordered and pre-paid
meals, I was the only one from Rockridge.
Josh, who preferred his last name not be
used, entered Diana’s kitchen, carrying a
one-year-old. “I’m on my way to pick up
my daughter at pre-school,” the Piedmont
resident told us. “This is one of our favorite
dishes.”
Ann Moorhead, who lives in the
Glenview neighborhood, stopped by on her
➧➧Neighbor Cooks for Neighbors, page 7
7.
December 5, 2015
The fresh ingredients and the dishes are
how people eat in their homes.” They also
purchase meals from a Josephine cook in
Elmwood. Kerith sees the “cooking for
your neighbors” concept as both feeding
the community and engaging people.
“It really isn’t a competition,” Diana
adds. “The more chefs in the neighborhood,
the more I can go and buy a meal in my
neighborhood. I feel really good about going
into someone’s kitchen and receiving my
food right off their stove. I would love it if
there were more Josephine cooks nearby.”
They would come in particularly handy
for the first few weeks after their new baby
is born. “I will pause,” Diana says, “and
after a few months I’ll start cooking again.”
Diana Pasquali, part
of a new home-cooking
s t a rt - u p, we l c o m e s
customers into her home
to pick up the meal they
have ordered online.
/Judith Doner Berne
yard and room for a family.
“We love it. We love that we
can walk to everything.”
As to whether the home-
cooked meals movement
will be challenged in court
by restaurateurs just as
Uber and Airbnb have been
by their more established
competition, Diana believes
“the laws will be updated” to
adapt to the sharing economy.
“It’s really different from
taking out from a restaurant.
It’s going into someone’s
kitchen.”
Of the neighbors who
have purchased her meals,
“Some are friends. Some I’ve
never met before who might
live within a block or two. Sometimes
they’ll stay and have their meal in the
backyard. My next door neighbors have
purchased all of my dinners.”
That would be Kerith Lucco and Rob
White, doctors with two small children.
“Everything Diana makes is flavorful
and nutritious,” Kerith says. “I like it.
Your comments on this column and suggestions
for stories about your Rockridge neighbors and
neighborhood are welcome: email judyberne@att.net.
Neighbor Cooks
for Neighbors
from page 6
restaurants are Pizzaiolo and À Côté. They
also “love the roast chicken at Market Hall”
and the take out from High Peaks Kitchen
on College Avenue.
Like many young Rockridge families,
they moved from San Francisco to have a
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A Prevention Oriented Practice
8.
December 5, 2015
Letters to the Editor
live near the proposed projects.
In submitting its recommendations,
neither the Land Use Committee nor the
RCPC board had either the intention or
the expectation of killing the Nautilus
project. To some extent – building heights,
etc. – the project falls within current
zoning parameters, and RCPC did not
contest such features. On the other hand,
the specific proposal includes features that
may impair safety and/or clog traffic on
neighboring streets. Accordingly, RCPC
offered constructive criticisms aimed at
reducing avoidable damaging impacts on
nearby residents and at improving safety
both on and outside the project site.
While the developer will profit from the
city’s waiver of half its off-street parking
requirement, that may not justify requiring
the applicant to permanently pay for nearby
residents’ parking permits (as was done for
both the Kaiser Permanente and College
Avenue Safeway projects). However, allowing
Residential Permit Parking (RPP) to be put
in effect on surrounding streets would be
The Rockridge News welcomes
posted letters and e-mails to the
editor. Your name, address, phone
number, e-mail address and city/neigh-
borhood must be included in either
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.
Nautilus Project: Land Use Committee Should Work with Developer
Editor:
within good reason, that our community
needs. I encourage you to continue working
with the developer and city planning
department to help make this project as good
as it can be, and not to focus on trying to kill
it or saddle it with unrealistic conditions such
as the parking permit solution you propose
in the article.
— Gary Barg
I write to object to the attitude of
NIMBYism that I feel the committee is
expressing in the Land Use article about
the Nautilus project. (The Rockridge News,
October 2015.) The projects near Telegraph
and 51st are infill in what I think is exactly
the right spot: near public transit and near
a busy transit corridor. While these projects
may not be perfect, they are clearly in the
right camp.
Continually objecting to projects like
these only contributes to the lack of housing
in Oakland and the Bay Area in general. We
need to stop objecting to anything that is not
perfect and focus on creating the housing,
Land Use Committee Co-Chair
Replies: RCPC Advocates for
Rockridge Residents
RCPC’s mission is to represent and
advocate for the interests of Rockridge
residents. That encompasses residents who
➧➧NIMBYism or Advocacy?, page 9
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you are missed.
st. augustine catholic church
join us for mass on saturdays at 5 pm, or
sundays at 8 am, 1030 am, or 6 pm.
400 alcatraz (between college and telegraph) oakland 94609
fmsprojects@icloud.com
http://staugustineoakland.com
questions? call the parish 510.653.8631
9.
December 5, 2015
In the past, the city has given advance
notice through The Rockridge News when
an increase in RPP fees was on the City
Council agenda. If this had been done prior
to the most recent increase, information
such as that brought forward here could have
been presented to the Council. It appears to
me that a fast one was pulled on those of us
who need RPP just to be able to drive to and
from our homes.
— Jon Gabel, former RCPC Board
Member
NIMBYism or
Advocacy?
Editor’s Note: Prior to the publication
of his letter in The Rockridge News, Mr.
Barg reported to the editor that he and
Stuart Flashman had chatted via email and
that Mr. Barg found Flashman’s explanation
of the committee’s point of view “very
helpful.” Mr. Barg asked that the result of
this exchange be included with the letter
and published response.
from page 8
an appropriate way to mitigate some of the
project’s impact on the neighborhood if the
parking waiver is granted.
It also seemed fair that residents in
the new project not be eligible for parking
permits if a new RPP zone is created.
Asking for very low cost bicycle-friendly
mitigations also seemed like a fair request
for a project that touts itself as being bicycle-
friendly.
Finally, while the project is on a major
bus corridor, it is more than a half-mile
from either the MacArthur or Rockridge
BART stations, and adjacent to three
highly impacted intersections. Under these
circumstances, in my experience as a land
use attorney for 25 years, asking for a CEQA
(California Environmental Quality Act)
exemption for a project of this size seems a
big stretch. The city’s pending traffic study
should clarify that issue.
RCPC recognizes that the area is
changing, and blind resistance to change
is not an acceptable approach. However,
neither should the rights of long-time
residents be trampled in the city’s rush to
build more housing to accommodate an
influx of new residents.
— Stuart Flashman, Land Use
Committee Co-Chair
Note: RCPC’s comment letter on the Nautilus
project has been posted at Rockridge.org,
RCPC’s website
Permit Parking Program Short-
C h a n g e s N e i g h b o r s: P o o r
Enforcement and Lack of Notice
Editor:
Ed. Note:
This letter was forwarded to Councilman
Dan Kalb for a reply to be included in this
issue. Kalb reports that he has put in a request
for additional information concerning
administrative and enforcement costs and
revenues from the Revenue Department and
awaits an answer.
Councilmember Dan Kalb’s article
“Parking Permits in the Neighborhood”
(November 7, 2015, issue of The Rockridge
News) cites an administrative cost to the
city of Oakland of $82 per parking permit.
Readers might want to look at an article
that I authored titled “Oakland’s Residential
Permit Parking Program (RPP) is Profitable
for the City.” (The Rockridge News,
November 5, 2011).
Bottom line: For the Parking Division’s
2010-2011 fiscal year, permit sales revenue
was $235,436; gross enforcement revenue
was $858,230; cost of enforcement was
$501,204. So even with the old and lower
renewal fees, the city made a profit of
$642,462. The city could have given away
permits for free and still made a profit.
Of course, enforcement revenue may be
down since 2011. On my block, which has
RPP, a truck without a valid permit was
recently parked for a month without being
ticketed until I phoned Traffic Enforcement.
BART commuters routinely park here all day.
Safeway Trucks and Claremont
Trash Cans Still Problems
Editor:
I haven’t seen a response by Safeway
to the concerns voiced by neighbors in
previous issues of the newsletter. Here are
my pet peeves:
1. I recall that the entry of trucks into the
loading docks on Claremont Avenue was to
be allowed only after 7 a.m. I often see the
dock open and trucks positioning themselves
to unload at much earlier times, generating
considerable noise.
2. The numerous large garbage cans
placed on Claremont Avenue every night
present a physical obstacle to pedestrians
and further degrade the appearance of the
complex from that side. Is it possible to
reduce trash/recycling volume, and find
another location for these cans?
Is there a venue for communicating these
concerns to Safeway and getting a response
and hopefully action? Or are we left with
futilely posting concerns as letters to the
Editor of our local newspaper?
— Judy Weiss
Land Use Committee Co-Chair
Replies:
CollegePrep
A private high school for grades 9-12
Let me reply to each issue in turn:
1) On the time for deliveries, there
is nothing, unfortunately, in the City’s
conditions of approval on delivery times.
Having deliveries happen later might
decrease noise impacts on nearby residents,
Our approach to learning requires collaboration, patience,
and creativity—all within a kind and joyful community.
Be inspired. Refine your thinking. Express yourself.
The College Preparatory School 6100 Broadway Oakland CA 94618 510.652.4364 college-prep.org
➧➧Letters, page 11
10.
December 5, 2015
FROG Mixes Annual Events, New Plans;
Your Help Can Support Park Vitality
Happy
Volunteers at
Frog Park.
by Carol Behr, chair, FROG Park
committee; chair@frogpark.org
This past year, FROG has conducted
annual park maintenance events to
support the park, and made significant
efforts to settle park enhancement planning
and design. Following are some of FROG’s
activities and issues over the past year:
raised will fill gaps for re-working evolving
plans to address neighbors’ concerns, city
requirements, contingency costs, permits
and equipment as park enhancement plans
advance.
Frog Park is testimony to the power of a
community-driven vision. Thank you to all
who have volunteered, worked on-site, or
who have helped Frog Park in other ways.
To see the latest park plans we
are finalizing and to find other park
information, visit www.frogpark.org/.
Do you want to get involved? Would
you like to share your opinion? We look
forward to hearing from you: chair@
frogpark.org.
■
■Installed dedication plaques and
sent thank you’s to our donors.
■
■Creek water safety and signage.
■
■Homeless sleeping in the park.
■
■Garbage pick-up.
Please consider a year-end gift to
FROG. For more information about how
to do that, go to: www.frogpark.org. Funds
RCPC board service.
Information is available at rockridge.org,
RCPC’s web site. Click on “About” in the top
header line for details about the organization
and board membership. Questions or
comments: chair@rockridge.org.
RCPC Board
from page 2
With these changes, the RCPC board
now stands at 10 members, four short of
its authorized 14.
Serve Your Neighborhood
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11.
December 5, 2015
Letters
from page 9
but it would increase traffic impacts on
Claremont Avenue if deliveries were being
made during peak traffic hours. Once the
trucks enter the loading docks, the doors are
supposed to be shut to reduce noise.
2) It’s unfortunate that the building
design the City accepted put all of the trash/
recycling storage for the retail building on the
Claremont Avenue side. Could more be done
to reduce the amount of trash and recycling
generated? Perhaps, but since each tenant is
responsible for its own trash/recycling, each
tenant would need to be contacted about that
individually.
3) As for communicating with Safeway,
there is a sign in the plaza area with a
contact address and phone number. RCPC’s
experience in trying to get Safeway to pay
attention to store problems has not been good
so far. It would be interesting to see what
response you might get from the company.
Other residents share your concern. If enough
came forward in numbers, Safeway might
want to pay more attention.
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Chabot Road Pavement Hazard
Persists Despite Some Response
Editor:
Since there is no walkway on the north
side of Chabot Road between Roanoke Road
and Golden Gate Avenue, pedestrians must
use the asphalt sidewalk on the south. East of
Reata Place, cars have often parked on that
sidewalk; but because it was a few inches
higher than the road, this curb marked it off
and discouraged most drivers from using its
full width. Last winter’s otherwise welcome
repaving of Chabot Road raised the street
level to be flush with the sidewalk. Since
then, cars more often take up the entire
walk, forcing pedestrians to use the traffic
lanes, as the photos on page 14 illustrate.
Earlier this year, after hearing from
neighbors who also found the situation
hazardous to children at Chabot Elementary
and others, I wrote to the Public Works
department. This is their reply:
“We have been looking at your complaint
and may have some options to consider in
the near future. ... If there is a need to limit
parking in this area we will propose that it
be put to a public review due to the likely
➧➧Letters, page 14
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12.
December 5, 2015
Tech Mosaic Club Brightens Campus Buildings
by Nancy Murr, Oakland Tech PTSA VP of
communications
A
tree is growing at Oakland Technical High
School, and so are butterflies and a Goddess
with billowing hair and arms stretched wide.
They’re part of a four-wall tile-and-mirror mosaic
mural coming to life on a formerly nondescript
building alongside the field bleachers. Fifty feet
from where football teams scrimmage and tackle,
the student-led Oakland Tech Mosaic Club team
adheres and grouts, hoping to catch as many sunny
afternoons as possible to finish the project in
December. The mosaic is one of several projects
the group plans to create in the coming months.
The club was started by students Grace
Nuwakadu and Dionisia Ruiz, and enjoys the
support of teacher sponsor Joseph Senn; Tech
parent and artist, Pamela Consear; artists from
ArtEsteem; and a growing number of parents,
students, siblings, teachers and community
members inspired to help create beauty where
there had been none.
Tax Deductible Giving Helps
Donors to Oakland Tech
by Nancy Murr, Oakland
Tech PTSA VP of
communications
More than 500 copies of
“I Know Why the Caged
Bird Sings” for the entire
freshman class. Dissection
kits and science lab materials.
Field trips. PE equipment.
LCD projectors. Teaching
tools for students with special
needs. These are just a handful
of the dozens of programs
and projects financed by the
Oakland Technical High School
PTSA this year alone.
A roll-up-the-sleeves group
of parents, teachers, students,
administrators and community
members, the PTSA raises and
spends approximately $250,000
annually to enhance the school
experience for more than 2,000
Tech Bulldogs. Yet, impactful
as those funds are, they’re still
not enough to finance all of the
worthy requests that come in on
a regular basis.
Donations of any amount
are greatly appreciated and
tax-deductible (ID #94-
6174624).
You may donate via
PayPal at oaklandtech/staff/
giving.com or by simply
writing a check made out to
Oakland Tech High School
PTSA and mailed to Oakland
Technical High School
PTSA, 4351 Broadway,
Oakland, CA 94611. Thank
you for your support.
Courtesy Oakland Tech
Photos Courtesy Oakland Tech
When the BART track pillars
first shed their coverings, this
creature – and others like it – emerged
mysteriously. Silent witnesses to
passersby, they were privy to our daily
comings and goings.
Hidden now by the repairs, they are
likely thankful for the restored solitude
that was theirs before the Great Peeling
of the pillars. Still, they were there.
Give them a thought as you pass by.
13.
December 5, 2015
and greenhouse gas emissions.
A Possible Scenario for Future
Development
As an example of future developments,
parking requirements for a new 20-unit
development on College Avenue could be
reduced from the required 20 spaces to 10
spaces if the developers offered:
kept pace. Global warming, transit-oriented
development, and housing inequities were
not considered when the regulations were
last formulated.
As part of the Citywide Zoning Update
effort, the City is updating its off-street
parking requirements for private and public
property. Among the goals are supporting
the vitality of commercial districts, achieving
consistency with sustainability goals and
encouraging efficient use of land.
The proposed changes could affect new
and existing businesses and residences in
Rockridge. On major commercial corridors
such as College or Telegraph Avenues, and
in high density residential areas, specific
parking strategies would reduce the parking
requirements for new residential housing
construction to 50 percent of the normally
required amount.
Incorporating Parking Demand
Management Strategies
Right now, each new residential unit
requires one off-street parking space. Current
regulations allow the amount of parking
required to be reduced up to 50 percent with
a conditional use permit, but the guidelines
for achieving that number are vague. The
Nautilus Project on 51st Street and Telegraph
Avenue is seeking a 50 percent parking
reduction under this procedure.
Based on research and other city
standards, the City proposes to remove
the Permit requirement and establish
specific parking reduction standards to
encourage incorporation of parking demand
management strategies in new projects.
Research shows that the proposed strategies
would achieve the goal of reducing demand
Proposed Regs
from page 3
be no more than 14 feet.
■
■Maximum size would be 750 sq.ft.,
or 75 percent of the size of the main house,
whichever was less. (For example, for an
800 sq.ft. house, the limit on the secondary
unit would be 600 sq.ft.)
Conversion of an existing auxiliary
structure, such as a garage or studio,
would be allowed regardless of any
existing nonconformity of side or rear
setbacks, or height – as long as any existing
nonconformity is not increased. The floor
area could not exceed the maximum allowed
and the minimum parking, which in much
of Rockridge is no spaces, is met on the site.
A public hearing will be held by
the City Council on January 5, with a
final hearing expected later in January.
Please consider voicing your opinion on
the proposed changes to Councilmember
Dan Kalb – dkalb@oaklandnet.com – and
by showing up at the meetings. Check the
rockridge.org website for updates and more
information.
Zoning Update #2 Underway:
Off-Street Parking Regulations
Could Change Rockridge
Oakland has changed a lot since 1965,
but its parking regulations have not
■
■Carsharing (10 percent)
■
■Unbundled parking (15 percent)
■
■Located on College Avenue (20
percent).
The College Avenue developer could
choose to build affordable housing for the
50 percent reduction rather than adding car-
sharing or unbundled parking.
An example of a car-sharing company
is Zipcar. “Unbundled parking” is parking
that is sold or rented separately from a unit.
On College Avenue, if the nearest cross
street has already opted for residential permit
parking, each apartment currently qualifies
for one permit parking sticker. October’s
draft regulations leave those rules in place.
Consequently, residents of new units could
opt out of purchasing/renting off-street
parking for their vehicles and instead
purchase a residential permit sticker at a
much lower cost.
Going to Planning Commission
Committee in January
The City held two public meetings in
October to gather public comments on
the draft proposals (more information
at: bit. ly/OffStreet). A revised proposal
could be considered by the Zoning Update
Committee during January.
Other proposals include:
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December 5, 2015
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from page 2
By the 1950s and ’60s, neighborhood
groups such as the Ayala Block Club, the
Telegraph Avenue Neighborhood Group
(TANG), the Colby Park Group, and others
working in support of their area residents,
were proliferating.
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counts as one word.) Mail to: RN Classifieds,
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January issue deadline is December 16.
For information: smontauk@gmail.com
■
■Chance
In the early 1970s, zoning changes
proposed for College Avenue and for
Rockridge’s residential areas would have
permitted high-rise apartment buildings,
fast-food restaurants and parking structures,
similar to the transit centers now being built
around some BART stations.
Area residents, determined to have a
say in their community’s future, formed a
coalition of concerned neighborhood groups
to challenge the city’s plans with a vision of a
more appealing environment. That coalition,
the Rockridge Community Planning
Council (RCPC), drew upon the expertise
of the many residents who, by chance, were
professional planners and architects. The
group designed an alternative area zoning
plan that the city eventually adopted. The
zoning’s core philosophy was “to enhance
the pedestrian-friendly experience” of a
shopping area with limited building heights,
storefront windows, and ground-floor retail
located in an area of single-family homes.
The plan, and Rockridge, persist to this day.
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not to park on the sidewalk require city
council approval, or adding a painted
stripe marking the edge of the traffic lane:
This is not the stuff of legislation. And it’s
worth mentioning that the free parking
lot between Golden Gate Avenue and the
municipal tennis courts is often nearly
empty even when the sidewalk is filled with
parked cars. Simply redirecting motorists
to park off-street there could benefit both
them and pedestrians
I offer these photos [below] to illustrate
the potential hazards to pedestrians.
— Ron Sipherd
Letters
from page 11
impacts to those who use these facilities.
Council Action is also likely necessary to
limit parking at this location.
Michael Neary, P.E.
Assistant Director, Bureau of
Engineering and Construction”
I have heard no more since then and I
have seen no progress toward a resolution
of this hazard.
It’s not clear why signs telling drivers
■
■Market Action
Business on College Avenue began
its recovery as merchants and developers
realized the attraction of small-scale
commerce. College Avenue today is a healthy
combination of commercial development
with some housing above retail store fronts,
and a popular mix of businesses and service
providers. It has not all been smooth, of
course. RCPC has worked throughout the
years to maintain the ideals of the zoning
developed so long ago, without inhibiting
commercial interests.
RCPC further endeavors to enhance
the neighborhood in general by supporting
projects that improve urban life. Frog
Park, the Rockridge Branch Library, the
Rockridge DVD Project, and BART Plaza
are examples of RCPC’s successful works.
15.
December 5, 2015
LIBRARY HOURS
Tues, 12:30 to 8pm.
Wed, Thurs & Sat: 10am to 5:30pm.; Fri, 12 to 5:30pm.
Closed: Sun and Mon;
also Thurs & Fri 12/24 and 12/25, and Fri, 1/1.
Diesel Book: Poetry Readings, Events
FREE and open to the public.
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
Community Calendar
Greater Rockridge Neighborhood
Crime Prevention Council (NCPC)
Discuss crime and public safety with reps of OPD. 2nd
Thurs. each month (Dec.10) 7:30pm. Speaker Robert
Prinz of Bike East Bay will discuss bicycle safety
and upcoming bicycle and pedestrian improvements
on College Ave. Rockridge Library, 5366 College (at
Manila). Note: In 2016, NCPC will meet only in even
numbered months (no Jan’16 mtg.) More info: www.
rockridgencpc.com or chair@rockridgencpc.com.
District 1 Councilman Dan Kalb
Drop-in Community Office Hours at the Temescal
Farmers Market, 5300 Claremont Ave. (off Telegraph) at
DMV parking lot on the 3rd Sunday each month,10:30am-
12:30pm. For times and locations of other Office Hours
and more information from Dan Kalb: www.dankalb.
net/contactdan.
Rockridge Branch Library
5366 College Avenue, 597-5017
Computer Tutors: Get help with basic computer skills,
email, and e-book & audio book downloads. You can
bring your own electronic devices. Drop-ins welcome.
Every Saturday, 2 - 4pm.
FOR CHILDREN
kennedy.com/90-second-newbery/. The films will be
screened and celebrated here on Sat., Feb.13 at noon.
Free for all ages.
CALLING ALL ‘TWEENS: Starting Jan., 12, 2016,
6:30 - 7:45pm, Rockridge Library will host a monthly
tween-directed writing, reading, crafts, and com-
munity volunteer group. Each month we will plan the
next 3 months of tween-choice activities. Art supplies,
snacks, and camaraderie provided free to all participants
ages 9 to 12 years. More info: Children’s Librarian Erica
Siskind, 597-5017.
FOR TEENS
y
y Sun, 12/6, 12:30 to 2:30pm. Winter Cookbook
Extravaganza: Presenting their new cookbooks
(and of course bringing some excellent food) will be
chef/owners of Camino restaurant in Oakland, Russ
Moore & Allison Hopelain: This is Camino; Anita
Chu: Lollipop Love: Sweet Indulgence with Chocolate,
Caramel, and Sugar; Dana Velden: Finding Yourself in
the Kitchen: Kitchen Meditations and Inspired Recipes
from a Mindful Cook; and Emma Christensen: Brew
Better Beer: Learn (and Break) the Rules for Making
IPAs, Sours, Pilsners, Stouts, and More.
DIESEL, A Bookstore, 5433 College Ave. More info (other
events and discussion groups): 653-9965 or events@
dieselbookstore.com.
Calif. College of the Arts (CCA)
Interface Show #36: Art Using Technology Using
Art. Exhibition featuring interactive, kinetic, robotic,
generative, and computer-based art and design. Free
and open to the public. Friday, 12/11, 7-10pm. Oliver
Art Center (Tecoah Bruce Gallery), 5212 B’way. Info:
Em Meine, emeine@cca.edu.
Square Dance In North Oakland
Music by The Squirrelly String Band. Calling by Jordan
Ruyle. 1st Fridays each month, 8 – 10pm. All levels
welcome; all dances taught on the spot. $5-10 sliding
scale donation. The Niebyl-Proctor Marxist Library, 6501
Telegraph Ave. Info: squirrellystringband.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. Live music. Bring
reusable bags. 5300 Claremont Ave. (off Telegraph)
at DMV parking lot.
y
y Teen Advisory Board (ages 14-18): Meet with other
teens, plan and organize library activities, and get
community service credit for school. 1st Sat. each
month, 1 to 2pm.
y
y Teen ‘Scape: Play video & board games; make crafts;
do homework. Light snacks provided. Tuesdays to
Fridays 3:30 -5 pm and Wednesdays 1:30 - 5 pm.
y
y Holiday Jewelry Workshop: Make a special gift for
family or friends. 12/9, 3:45pm.
FOR ADULTS
y
y Writers Support/Critique Group: All writers wel-
come. 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 Sat.
each month (11/21), 1 to 5pm; wheelchair-accessible.
Sponsored by the Calif. Writers Club, Berkeley branch.
Info: 420-8775 or Writefox@aol.com.
y
y Family Story Time: Stories/songs/rhymes (to age
5); Saturdays, 10:30am.
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 care-
givers invited. Note: No Story Time 12/24 – 26 and 12/31.
SPECIAL EVENTS:
y
y Lawyers in the Library: Free legal advice and
referrals. 1st Tues each month, 5 to 7pm. (Advance
sign-up starts 4 pm at adult reference desk). Note:
Volunteer lawyer leaves before 7pm if no more people
present. Call day of program to confirm: 597-5017.
y
y Make a Gift for Your Neighborhood Wild Birds:
biodegradable bird feeders. Natural ingredients,
including peanut butter. All ages welcome. Sat.,
12/5, 2pm.
y
y eBook Help: downloading eBooks to your Kindle, Nook,
smartphone, or laptop. Tuesdays (by appointment),
6 - 7:30pm. Make appt. at the library or call 597-5017
for more info.
Proposed Regs
y
y Play-Well TEK Lego Fun: Beginning engineering or
just messing around? We won’t judge, we’ll provide
the materials and the how-to Play-Well instructors.
All ages welcome; best for ages 5 and up. Tues,
12/8, 6pm.
y
y “Ancient Wines” with the Barrel Room: Short
lecture at the library on wines from Greece, Turkey
and Georgia. Then, we’ll walk a few doors down to
the Barrel Room for tasting and discussion. First 60
people at the library will get a ticket for a free flight of
wine. Must be 21 or over (bring ID). Sat, 12/12, 2-3pm.
GALLERY EXHIBIT (upstairs)
Dec: Patricia Lewis: “Cute as a Button”; pictures and
scenes using common household items like fabric, buttons
and yarn. She will host a “Hands-On” Pop-up Workshop
on Dec 5 from 2:30pm to 4pm, followed by a reception.
from page 13
■
■Reducing the number of required
off-street spaces for new residential units in
Rockridge’s residential zones close to Col-
lege Avenue, from 1.5 spaces per unit to 1;
y
y Play Winter Bingo: Toddlers through 5th graders do
five fun activities in a row to get a prize book. Between
Dec. 19 and Jan. 16, 2016 at the library, get the bingo
card and pick up your prize.
ATTN. FILM MAKERS: Remember, Sun., Jan 10 is the
deadline to submit your short film to the 90-Second
Newbery Film Festival. See details at: http://james-
■
■Reducing required parking to .25
spaces/unit for senior housing
■
■Halving the number of parking spaces
required for large restaurants.
Each office is independently owned and operated.
EXPERIENCE THE UNIQUE
■
■Making it easier for new residences
and commercial businesses to use remote
off-site parking to satisfy their off-street
parking requirement.
There are additional proposals not listed.
Learn more at the Wednesday,
December 9 RCPC Special Meeting.
Be sure to make your voice heard: email
Councilmember Dan Kalb (dkalb@
oaklandnet.com) and City planner Neil
Gray (ngray@oaklandnet.com).
ORTRUN NIESAR
510.326.2161
Realtor® | CalBRE #01161032
ortrun.niesar@sothebysrealty.com
baysir.com
Local with Global Reach.
Specializing in the East Bay.
Discreet and Professional.
16.
December 5, 2015
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34
Happy
Holidays
from
Lawton
Associates
Better Homes
Realty
5353 College Avenue
Oakland
Wishing you and yours a happy
and healthy holiday season.
All the Best - Ron
Living? Love it in Oakland!
425 Clifton 2BD/2BA
List price: $910,000
Pending
The Holiday Season is Here and
the Spring Market is Around the Corner!
Spring can be the optimal time to sell your home.
If you are considering a change, call me for a personalized consultation.
Ron Kriss, Broker
Lawton Associates
510.547.5970 ex. 55
ronkriss@JPS.net
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Realtor
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510.350.6419 | cmills@mcguire.com
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