Extracted text · highlighting “Jody London”

www.rockridge.org

e News

IRCULATION: 5,800 RESIDENCES; 200 BUSINESSES

VOL. 31m NO.9 m= ISSUE NO. 337 @ October 8, 2016

5

Sponsored by the Rockridge Community Planning Council * 4123 Broadway, PMB 311 * Oakland, CA 94611

vee are invited: 26 years ago, Rockridge residents formed a Mello-Roos district to ensure the
_® neighborhood would have a beautiful, vibrant library. On October 22, we celebrate 20 years in the
library at 5366 College Avenue that Rockridge’s highly engaged residents helped fund and design. We'll enjoy
games, memories, cake and delicious refreshments (provided by Market Hall). The celebration begins at 11

a.m. and wraps up at 3 p.m. | From an announcement by Paul Schiesser, Rockridge Branch Library Manager.

Rockridge Builds a Library, 20 Years Ago

First of two installments
by Annette R Floystrup

6 Rockridge is the only community

in the nation to finance and drive
to completion the building of a local
library.” — State Librarian, Kevin Starr
(September 1996)

he above statement is as true today as it was
20 years ago after Rockridge residents raised
3.5 million to build a 15,000 square foot library
ith two large community meeting rooms and
Shelving for approximately 75,000 books, CDs,
DVDs, audio books, video games, magazines and

Celebrating Jack
London: Readings;

Tours; Talks

by Annalee Allen

his year marks the 100th anniversary of the

death of Jack London, Oakland’s most famous
author. A coalition of literary groups, volunteers
and historical societies is
sponsoring tours, lectures and
performances in celebration of
his legacy.

The Oakland Public Library
is hosting a series of readings,
film screenings and discussions
commemorating the centennial.
Book discussions of one of

and mystery in your
future as you join friends and
neighbors Sunday, October 30
for a Halloween fest of trick-or-
treating, singing and stories
on College Avenue.
More details, top of

newspapers for patrons of all ages. Just how did
Rockridge manage to do that?

First and foremost, Oakland is a library town.
Its public library system began in 1878, and as
far as it is possible to tell, no library measure has
failed to pass since.

The Rockridge branch library opened in 1919,
and moved into a store front at 5701 College Avenue,
across from Claremont Junior High, in 1924. That
space, now Bica Coffeehouse, ran the length of the
building from its College Avenue frontage down
Miles. This small library served the community
for 63 years. In 1987, the property changed hands
and the new owner raised the rent from $500 to
$5,000, rendering the space unaffordable. The
library closed in September 1987.

The Rockridge Community Planning Council
(RCPC) quickly formed a Library Committee. The
immediate need was a temporary site where the
second busiest library in Oakland could continue
to function. With cooperation from the Oakland
Unified School District, the Director of Library
Services, the city manager’s office, the Department
of Public Works and then-Councilperson Marge

} Rockridge Builds a Library, page 13

RCPC October Town Hall

October 20, 7-9 p.m.; Rockridge Branch Library

League of Women Voters of «2 the October Town Hall when League
Oakland Presents a representatives will provide information

‘ and answer questions on state and local
Ballot Measures Review

ballot measures. The Oakland measures
ovember 8, election day, is little

. include the s ;
Jack London. e soda tax; expansion of just

THE BANCROFT LIBRARY

London’s best-known works

“White Fang” — are taking place this month at
CR cs branches.

m The Rockridge Branch hosts its White Fang

discussion Saturday, October 22, 11:30 a.m.

= A film screening of White Fang starring

Ethan Hawke will be held at the Elmhurst
} Celebrating Jack London, page 14

more than a month away. Oakland
voters will be called upon to vote up
or down on five City ballot measures;
Alameda County, BART, AC Transit, and
Oakland school district measures; and
|7 new State of California propositions.
To learn more about these issues
before voting, join RCPC and the League
of Women Voters of Oakland (LWVO)

cause eviction and rent adjustment
protections; an infrastructure bond;
creation of a new Police Commission;
and extension of the duration of the
City Council’s authority to lease City-
owned land.

The California propositions include
schools bonds, a tobacco tax measure,

> October Town Hall, page 12

2.

Réckridge News

October 8, 201¢

Rockridge Halloween Parade: Ghoulish Tradition

spin Halloween yarns in front

(RCPC)
Association (RDA) invite all the ghosts and go
of all ages to celebrate Halloween on College
Avenue. From noon to 2 p.m. Sunday, October 30, participating merchants
will host trick-or-treating along both sides of College Avenue from
Broadway. Join the costumed procession: Meet at Halloween Central in front of
the College Avenue Presbyterian Church, 5951 College Avenue,
precisely noon, we'll kick off trick-or-treating, leading the first
avenue. At 12:45 p.m., return to Halloween Central for spooky storyte
scary sing-alongs. A storyteller from the Storytelling Association of Californi

he Rockridge Community Planning Council

and the Rockridge District
blins

of the church and a singer will
serenade the costumed crowds.

‘Happy (Halloween

Claremont Hotel Development Plans

by Wendy Markel, community
preservationist
n this 25th anniversary of the Oakland
Hills firestorm we are full of stories of
loss and survival: The loss of lives, of homes
and of neighborhoods.

One thing we all remember is the survival
of the Claremont Hotel as flames and
smoke raged above it. It became part of our
community’s psyche,

Worry Neighbors, Businesses

four-story, 43-unit condominium complex
atop an underground two-story garage, as
well as two large single-family homes. The
structures would rise above Tunnel Road
and form a wall right next to the historic
Short Cut footpath.

To the northwest, there would be enlarged
recreational facilities designed to serve up to
1,000 new Club members including: a new

and even home to
some, as we began
to recover. Today, we
fear that the hotel was
saved only to face a
new threat.

Current owners
AccorHotels, an
international hotel
chain, recently
acquired the Fairmont Hotel consortium
connected with financier Richard Blum.
Signature Development has been hired to
prepare expansion plans. Gradually, word
has spread in nearby neighborhoods, and
concerned citizens have realized the project
is massive and unsafe for the setting and the
community.

The project would create new residential
parcels on a portion of the hotel acerage
(an area protected by its nomination for the
National Register of Historic Resources and
listed as a State of California Historical
Resource), to enable construction of a

vr

=) Saved from the Firestorm in
1991, the Claremont Hotel
is today under new siege
by a development proposal
seen by many concerned
§ citizens as unsuitable for the
f wee treasured landmark and its
pA neighborhood.

nn a

pool and deck of 15,000 sq. ft; event lawn;
regulation tennis courts with bleachers to
seat 400; an additional parking structure
with raised tennis courts on top (adjacent
to the famous Berkeley Tennis Club); and
a half basketball court across Claremont
Avenue from St. Clement’s parish church
and residences.

Primary health and safety issues include.
but are not limited to, the proximity of the
Hayward Fault and underground water
tables running through the Claremont
property which make it a dangerous

ROCKRIDGE BRANCH LIBRARY.

+ Library program details/hours: Calendar, page 1s |

Alcatraz to

at 11:45 a.m. At
group along the
ling and silly,
a will

» Claremont Hotel Concerns, page 10

RockridgeNews

The Rockridge News, founded March 1986 by Don

Kinkead, is published monthly (except in August)

and is sponsored by the Rockridge Commun;

Planning Council (RCPC), a nonprofit pubji,
benefit organization founded to: preserve ang
enhance the unique character of the Rockridge
neighborhood; promote the health, safety ang
quality of life of its residents; furnish a forum fo,
community involvement; and provide leadership and
representation of neighborhood interests.

Rockridge News Production

Donn Kinkead....-v-s-r-enseeresnee Editor

JO EMIS ..--e-ssecsrecennerssseeeeresssooes Asst. Editor

Judith Doner Berne ..........-. Eyes on Rockridge

JO Ellis ....-cossesecerrnseceesannssresen Advertising &

Community Calendar

Susan Montauk........-c-ser-e+ Business Manager
Don Kinkead.....----ccrseneee Graphics & Layout
RCPC Board of Directors, 2016-17

Stuart Flashman .....--.---+ Chair

Kevin Faughnan ..........------ Vice Chair

Rekha Rao ..-.---cvseccnecneesrones Secretary

Ronnie Spitzer...» Treasurer

M C Haug, Dave Karlinsky,
Don Kinkead, Mike Lin, Christina Wong Masalin,
Jesse Ortega, Laura Schlichtmann, Leonora Sea

Contact the board: chair@rockridge.org
For information: info@rockridge org
NEWSLETTER SUBSCRIPTIONS
To subscribe to The Rockridge News, send
your check for $20, payable to Rockridge News
Subscriptions, to: Rockridge News Subscriptions at
the address below.

Contacting The Rockridge News
Are there community issues you'd like to see
covered in The Rockridge News? « 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 9461 |

Articles submitted for publication may be
emailed to the editor or mailed to the addresses
above. Submissions are limited to 600 words, must
include the author's name, phone number, email
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, contact
the editor.

Newsletter Advertising/Deadline
Publication date of the November issue is:

™@ November 8, 2016 Gj

™ November deadline is October 20.
Advertising rates are $26/column Inch. Six-
month pre-pay rate available. For display 245
call Jo Ellis at 653-3210 (after noon), or email
joellisi@hotmail.com. RCPC reserves the right
to refuse any display or classified ad that it deems
inappropriate. (Classified ad contact, page !4,)

October 8, 2016

Rdéckridge News

3.

Committee: 3

| 3

Land Use Committee Update
by Stuart Flashman, RCPC Land Use

Committee Chair
@ Nautilus Mixed-Use Project;

Telegraph Avenue Between

Sist Street & Claremont

RCPC and the Nautilus Group have
finalized their agreement to allow the project
to move forward towards construction
while protecting neighborhood residents
from potential problems that might result,
especially in terms of traffic and parking.
We believe the agreement demonstrates how
RCPC and developers can work together to
produce a “win-win” solution. Once fully
executed and recorded, the agreement will
be posted to the rockridge.org website

| The next Land Use Committee meeting is scheduled for.
, ACPC Land Use Wednesday, October 26, 7:30 p.m., at the Rockridge

Branch Library, 2nd floor meeting room. Check the RCPC

website, www.rockridge.org the week before for the agenda.

@ Oakland Off-Street Parking
Requirements for New
Projects

RCPC submitted comments to the City
Council explaining why, RCPC supports
the City’s concept of “just right” off-street
parking requirements, but feels those
requirements need to take into account the
current status of on-street parking in the
area, and particularly the extent to which
establishment of residential permit parking
zones should be a red flag that the area
is in danger of becoming “overparked.”
This would be bad for residents and local
businesses.

Unfortunately, the Council disregarded
RCPC’s concerns, and the ordinance was

approved with little change. The one bright
spot was that the Council agreed to review
the effects of the new ordinance 1n two years.
Hopefully, at that point it will still not be too
late to revise the ordinance if the parking

situation continues to worsen.

HB Revision to CN-!| Use Permit
Requirements; CN-I Zones
Throughout the City

For the past two years, RCPC has been
working with residential and business groups
from the various CN-I areas of the City on
revising use permit regulations for these
neighborhood commercial areas. The aim
has been to help preserve the areas as local
retail centers and prevent them from losing
valuable ground floor retail space to other
uses such as office space. The result was
a proposal that would allow a use permit
for a non-retail use to be “extinguished”

if it had been abandoned for more than a
> Land Use Update, page II

CHABOT ELEMENTARY FALL CARNIVAL

Chabot Elementary’s Fall Carnival has been a Rockridge
tradition for many years. This year’s event
ill be Sunday, October 16, 11 a.m.-3 p.m., on the
Chabot campus, 6686 Chabot Road. The event is
a fundraiser for Chabot Elementary School, and
all residents and neighbors are welcome to join in
the fun and festivities. Admission is free. Enjoy a
family lunch from one of the food stations, such as
El Tonayense Taco Truck, Pizza, or our famous Dad’s Club Pulled
Pork Sandwiches. Then satisfy that sweet tooth by grabbing a treat
from our Benefit Bakesale or ice cream sandwiches. To burn off some
of those calories, the Carnival offers a variety of games for kids of
all ages — plan on winning some prizes, testing your bravery on the

The Claremont Middle School Auction
Marks Its 10th Year f

ust in time for Halloween!

The Claremont Middle School
Auction returns for its tenth year on
Saturday, October 29, starting 6 p.m.
at St. Peter’s Parish at Lawton and
Broadway in Rockridge. The “Curse
of the Black & Orange Ball” will
feature dinner, drinks, music, silent
and live auctions, and raffle prizes.
Following tradition, party goers are
encouraged to wearacostumeorwear BAWUDD AAU) t eg
the school colors of orange and black. imitate

BLACK &
ORANGE
BALL

> Chabot Carnival, page 10

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Rdckridge News

October 8, 201¢

_-—-—

2001: Building a Park, Building

by Theresa Nelson

ifteen years ago this month, Frog Park

was born, thanks largely to the tireless
commitment of volunteers who envisioned a
children’s park that could bring acommunity
together.

The Search for Space

After a few years’ search, the community
embraced the idea of converting some
mostly-vacant land owned by the Alameda
County Flood Control District into a park.
For another year, designs were developed,
money was raised, permits were obtained,
volunteers were recruited, and community
meetings were held.

The land where the Big Frog play
structure now sits near Hardy Court was
crowded with shoulder-high weeds behind
an 8-foot chain link fence. Redondo, now
Little Frog, was a creek access with trees
and a picnic table.

Volunteer-Led and Built

Transforming that space into acommunity
park took place mostly over 10 days in October
2001, a time called “The Big Build.’ More
than 1,300 volunteers worked 12-hour days
to build the one-of-a-kind play structures
now at Hardy and Redondo.

The volunteers were led by volunteer
captains — men and women from the
community with building experience,
professionals and people good at home
repair — who worked the entire 10 days.
Tasks changed daily, from installing the
primary columns to linking the towers;
from preparing thousands of board-feet of
lumber; to hand-crafting playful touches
such as raccoons and butterflies. Overall, the
building was supervised by Mark Leathers,
son of designer Robert Leathers whose firm
specializes in customized, community-built
play structures.

Many people played essential roles in
the park’s first phase, including the Big
Build, forming the core of the volunteer
project management. Steve Costa served
as co-founder and FROG’s (Friends of
the Rockridge-Temescal Greenbelt) first
president; I am proud to have served as the
co-founder of the park project; Eileen Fitz-
Faulkner was overall coordinator for the
Big Build; Lisa Kissinger Kaplan headed
volunteer recruitment, ably assisted by Carol
McClellan; Ken Cluff headed Tools; Sally
Fitzhugh headed Marketing; Anne Braghetta
and Terry Hayes were in charge of the free

childcare for parent volunteers, Jimmy
Pederson managed materials; Kate Runyan
and Gail Durkin secured food donations,
my daughter, Nanette Love, managed the

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children’s committee, in which my other
daughter, Madeleine Nelson, participated,
celebrating her 11th birthday on the first day
of the Big Build.

Committee chairs worked closely with
David Stein at the Friends of Oakland
Parks and Recreation, our fiscal agent, and
with BBI Builders and MIG Design, who
designed the rest of the park, including paths
and basketball courts, bench installations,
and creek renewal. Our Big Build Captains
were: Ben Bromham; Chad Thompson; Eric
Neville; Glenn Tripp; John White; Sue Levy;
Tony Kay; Wally McClellan; Alex Rood;
Piet Visser; and my husband, Barney Smits.
A Community Comes Together

One of the most inspiring aspects of the
Big Build was how people jumped in to help,
even when they had not been involved earlier:

a Community a

Commuters waiting at the casual carpoo| »;
Hudson and Claremont decided to take a day
off and join the fun; people came one day ang
then returned the next with friends or family.

Early steps others brought
fashioning work STOUPS or
a park from clubs with them.
neglected Restaurants and

bare land. cafés on College
Later, more
than 1,300 taken and
volunteers ph Avenue,
worked Such as The
12-hour days Pasta Shop ang
to build play Rockridge Café
structures donated food, an 4
/COURTESY OF nearby neighbor
GY FROG PARK Sasa cee:
water. The Rockridge Methodist Church
donated its church hall for childcare; the
Port of Oakland donated shipping containers
for tool storage; Cresco Equipment Rental
loaned a giant crane to lift the tower roofs into
place; and Home Depot and Ace Hardware
donated thousands of dollars of supplies.
College Prep High School Steps u®
A unique aspect of the Build wa
that College Preparatory High School’s
entire freshman class came with their
senior advisors to help. This became an
annual tradition; this fall marked the 15th
anniversary of their commitment. Many
students who worked on the park in recent
years say they grew up going to the park as
children, and enjoyed the opportunity now
to give back to their community.

) Frog Park: Community Built, page 5

A private high school for grades 9-12

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

October 8, 2016

Réckridge News

J

y Patrick Hoge, Frog Park Volunteer
ifteen years ago, my wife Michelle was
F five months pregnant with our first child,
Natalie, when we learned that just blocks from
our new Rockridge home a host of volunteers
was in the midst of building a playground

Thrilled at the thought of my daughter
having a place to cavort, I walked over to see
if I could help.

What I found stunned and humbled me:
Scores of citizens spread across a construction
site much larger than I had imagined were
purposefully engaged in a wide variety of
tasks. Some were hunched over blueprints;
some were going in and out of a giant metal
shipping container that housed the hundreds
of tools their neighbors had loaned for the
effort; others were wielding electric saws and

Frog Park:
Community Built

from page 4

@...:e: 2 and 3: More Amenities
Ree Park then had a Phase Two in 2006:
renovating the basketball courts;
creating the Lily Pond Plaza picnic tables;
making the path from Clifton to Cavour
(where the Farmers’ Market began a few
years later), and adding disabled-accessible
play equipment. In 2011, a bathroom was
added. FROG had paid for the park’s Porta-
Potty from 2001-2011. In 2014, a community
survey identified a need for more “big
kid” swings and toddler swings. FROG

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drills and the like
I was assigned to sand the sharp edges
off the emerging play structure, a mission
[ quietly pursued with zeal for hours while
| imagined the countless little fingers that
would follow
As l encountered other volunteers, smiles
seemed to come easily. I felt lucky.
n the following years, I have spent many
happy hours with my daughter and son at
Frog Park as they toddled and ran and hid
and climbed like monkeys. Consistently, I
have been amazed at the spectacular number
of people who, like me, seek refuge and
connection with family and friends in a little
patch of green next to a freeway over-crossing.
Always, [ have felt fortunate that I got to play
a small part in making the vision a reality.

began raising funds and working with the
designers on the plan. We expect to finalize
the design soon and begin construction
in early 2017. Contact FROG chair Carol
Behr, chair@frogpark.org for more about
this project

The park’s total cost is almost $3 million.
About $500,000 of that was donated by the
community. The rest came from city and
State Parks bonds, which we competed for,

_and creek restoration funds.

ROCKRIDGE FAMILY DENTISTRY

sherin m. yuan

D.D.S.

p: 510 653 4306
5277 college ave #103
oakland, ca 94618

www.rockridgedentist.com |

Was a Frog Park Volunteer Builder; | Feel Fortunate

Now my daughter is in the 9th grade at
nearby College Preparatory School, which
for the last 15 years has sent students to
work for a day at Frog Park as part of its
community service program. This month,
Natalie and her classmates got their turn
to do some upkeep on the equipment and
grounds that daily absorb so much joyful use.

It’s hard to believe, but my beautiful baby
girl, whose tiny footprints remain preserved
on a commemorative tile at the park’s edge,
is today thinking about how she can help the

kids coming after her.

And in no small part because of the
generosity of those who labored to create
Frog Park, a place of happy memories, I
know she feels lucky for that opportunity.

Frog Park Today
Now, 15 years later, Frog Park is an

integral part of the community, the site of
daily play sessions, birthday parties, picnics
on the grass, and strolls to the Farmers’
Market. Newer residents in the area can't
remember a time when the park was not
there. Others remember when Rockridge
had no children’s park, and a community
came together to build this essential part
of what makes Rockridge and Temescal so

_ welcoming.
lL)
iS
I

Join us for a day of maintenance, or help-
ing to update the website, or recruuung
volunteers for special cleanup days, or
just volunteering: www frogpark.org, or
contact Carol Behr: chair@frogpark.org.

Park play structures begin to
take shape during the Big Build
when 1,300 volunteers worked
12-hour days assembling the
pieces of what would become
Frog Park. /Courtesy FROG Park

Questions About
Wills, Trusts,
and Probate?

Ci

yle M. Johnston
Estate Attorney

5315 College Ave.
Oakland, CA 94618
510.527.1880

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October 8, 2016

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Rdckridge News

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by Judith Doner Berne

Wt we moved to Rockridge five
years ago from our manicured Detroit

suburb, I was dismayed at the condition and

contents of the Safeway store at Broadway

and Sist — within walking distance of our

new home.

To be fair, the store did improve —
becoming cleaner and stocking better quality
meats and produce — although my husband
insists I merely got used to it. But as the
anchor of the Rockridge Shopping Center
that, too, had seen better days, its essential
shabbiness could not be erased by even the
store’s friendly staff.

Happily, at least in my mind, both that
shopping center and that Safeway are no
more. After a number of fits and starts, it
took more than two years to knock down
and re-build the first phase of a new center,
christened The Ridge.

The Safeway that opened September 11
(replacing what was, in the ’70s, Payless,
then Rite-Aid, then Longs, and lastly CVS)
is eye-popping in its bright lights, wide aisles,
carefully curated fruits and veggies, bins of
colorful bulk candy, nuts and trail mixes plus
sO many prepared foods — including sushi,
Mexican and Asian — that you conceivably
would never have to cook again.

At 72,000 square feet (the College Avenue
Safeway has 45,000), it’s so spacious that
some of the take-out food offerings seem a bit
redundant. For instance, prepared, wrapped
sandwiches in a bin vie with prepared but
unwrapped sandwiches at the deli counter;
or you can have one made to order at the
adjacent artisan sandwich counter.

“So many customers told me they
couldn’t believe how beautiful the store and

College Avenue
Presbyterian Church
5951 College Avenue | 94618
(510) 658-3665 | www.capcoakland.org

Eo & safe | open | real BOS

Ginormous Safeway Launches
‘The Ridge’ Shopping Center

the shopping center are,” said a beaming
store manager, Karl Moore.

That includes Ione Harris, who lives on
the bluff directly above the new center. I
like it a lot.” she said. “The lighting 1s good
for me. I really like how much organic food
they have. It’s been fun watching it go up.

“Oh, it’s nice,” said Harvey Sohner,
who drove over from the Trestle Glen
neighborhood for the store’s first day. The
“fresh, new, spiffy displays” reminded him
of “driving a new car — the feeling lasts for
a couple of months.”

“I’m very impressed,” Berkeley resident
Jose Linares told me. “It’s awesome. It has
class and cachet
and feels like a
Whole Foods.”

“It’s kind of
what I expected,
although larger,”
said Joe Liss, who
lives in Upper
Rockridge.
But Liss, who
moved here
five years ago
from Southern
California, posed
this question:
“Why did they
make it look like
Palm Springs
driving in? That’s the developer’s mistake.”

“We like rocky formations,” his wife,
Julia, added. Of the store itself, brimming

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Specializing in the East Bay.
Discreet and Professional.

Lisa Buccino and daughter Grace Monroe, a
second grader at Chabot Elementary, shop for
pumpkins on Safeway’s opening day.

with employees and boasting meticulously

stocked shelves: “TE be curious to see
they can keep it up. | |
In the parking lot, I intercepted Pete,
Hewitt, a dapper, 80-something gentleman,
who recently moved to Oakland after Nearly
30 years in Berkeley. “I love it, “he said of th.
new Safeway. More specifically, he liked the
larger Wells Fargo Bank that is stil] Within
Safeway and the low price of Peet’s Coffe.
Speaking of coffee, two — count them _
two — full Starbucks are nestled within the
new center. One is part of the new Safeway
featuring counter, table and outdoor Seating
And the other, a fixture of the old Shopping
center, is at the center’s south entrance off
Pleasant Valley Avenue, next to Jamba Juice
The College Avenue Safeway was haunteq
by controversy Over its size, architecture and
the traffic it generates. But the Safeway a
The Ridge was already part of a shopping
center so “fitting in” was not the issye
However, once the rest of the center Opens,
some neighboring residents fear cut-through
traffic as drivers
seek shorter, less
crowded routes.
Oakland ci)
Council man
Dan Kalb, who
lives nearby,
apparently isn’t
one of them. “This
is exactly the
place in Oakland
you would want
to see a Safeway
superstore,” he
said at the low-
key ceremony
launching the new
market.
Kalb highlighted that “most all of your

/JuptrH DoNER BERNE

workers (close to 300, many of whom are

> Launched: ‘The Ridge,’ page 7

EXPERIENCE THE UNIQUE

Bay | Sotheby's

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oe

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October 8, 2016

Rockridge News

7.

aunched:
‘The Ridge’

from page 6

new) are union workers. | appreciate that.”
He noted that the expanded shopping center
should provide an uptick to Oakland’s tax base
as Well as more local shopping choices. “We’re
Oakland people who live in Oakland and
should be able to shop in Oakland,” he said.

The new center certainly will provide a
more pleasant backdrop with its landscaped
setting and quarry pond views as construction
continues. In fact, the parking deck atop
Safeway is surrounded by nature and offers
a scenic vista including San Francisco's
skyline.

But as far as shopping choices, the only
new tenants are several restaurants and two
still vacant spaces which are reportedly

lease” signs in their window. They are “at or
near lease execution,” according to sources
close to the project.)

Sull, both Pieology and Habit Burger,
well-reviewed upscale pizza and burger
chains respectively, are making their first
appearances in Oakland. By peering in the

ROCKRIDGE
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slated for personal services — perhaps a spa
and/or nail salon. Oakland already has more
than its share of both. (Two restaurant spaces
and both personal services slots still have “for

windows, you can see that when
Pieology opens, it will offer both
indoor and outdoor seating. Habit
Burger Grill officially opened
Wednesday, October 5, according
to general manager Elida Rojas.
Pet Food Express, already open
a couple of weeks, flanks Safeway
as it did in the previous shopping
center. With 2,500 more square
feet than their old store, it has

A historically-themed plaque
in the store pays tribute to
Rockridge history. /Juvy Berne

expanded its offerings, assistant manager
Marek Majeski told me. These include: A
state-of-the-art pet wash that will be free of
charge through October 9; a VIP wellness

Previous Tenants of Rockridge Shopping Center
Welcomed Back as The Ridge Opens for Business

6 }love the Mom and Pop ney

owners,” Greg Dalal, Ry
director of tenants for The )vf
Ridge shopping center, says
of Ming Tang, owner of
Rockridge Cleaners, which
as in business at the

for 25 years. “I’m glad she’s
back.”

/JupiIrTH DONER BERNE

t its official opening,

Safeway presented
$2,500 each to two Oakland
charities: Oakland Promise
and the Prescott Joseph
Center. City Councilmember
Dan Kalb, left, Oakland
Promise representative
Kyra Mungia, Store Manager
Karl Moore and Safeway
District Manager Lloyd

Asatou took part.
/JupitH DoONER BERNE

center open Monday-Friday; a full-time cat
and kitten adoption center; a puppy play
center; and Sunday dog training.

I caught Ming Tang, the owner of
Rockridge Cleaners, readying her new space.
Tang, who is so far the only “mom and pop”
enterprise, is both excited and nervous after
being closed for more than two years. “I
moved in two days ago and have already run
into some of my old customers,” she said.
‘But it takes time to build up the business.”

Rockridge Cleaners, Boston Market and
Great Clips, all carrying over from the former
center, are expected to be ready for business
in early October. But Chase Bank, which was
once expected to occupy the first completed
building, won’t move to its new location until
December, according to a Chase spokesman.

So the current Chase, occupying the
old center’s most prominent corner, will
apparently be the last business to move, since
building demolition to make way for Phase
2 of The Ridge is expected to begin this fall.

Rumors are flying as to what will be its
focal point. Sources close to the project say
that “‘an ultra-luxury theater” with food and
drink service is likely. Stay tuned.

To comment on this column or to suggest topics

for future stories on your Rockndge neighbors or
neighborhood, email judyberne @ att.net.

EAST BAY RENTAL SPECIALIST

ROCKRIDGE | PIEDMONT EMONTCLAIR
Caldecott

Property Owners, for a consultation on leasing
your home contact a local expert:

Julie Keys, Director of Leasing
BRE#01945588
§10.225.9244

Julie@caldecott.com

CALDECOTT.COM

=-— ss sc “«

Rdckridge News

October 8, 201¢

CouNCILMEMBER DaN KALB
RESPONDS TO A LETTER TO THE
EDITOR FROM JON GABEL, APPEARING IN
THE RockripGce News, SepTemBer 2016.

“UNDERSTANDING THE FINANCING
OF OAKLAND’s RESIDENTIAL PERMIT
PARKING PRoGRAM”
Epiror:
hile I appreciate Mr. Gabel’s focus on
questioning the Residential Parking
Permit (RPP) program’s financing in last
month’s Rockridge News, there is some
confusion I want to clear up.

First, Mr. Gabel offers an estimate of the
total revenue of the RPP program by totaling
RPP permit revenue and RPP enforcement
revenue and subtracting a fraction of total
parking enforcement costs (an estimation of
the amount of parking enforcement resources
used for RPP enforcement). But there is not
just one RPP program. The RPP permit
issuance program is a program, and parking
enforcement, which handles all types of
parking infractions of which RPP violations
are just a subset, is another program. Staff for
these programs are in different departments.

More importantly, Mr. Gabel inadvertently
leaves out of his chart and calculations the
City costs for administering the permit
issuance program itself. That inflates his
estimation of excess revenue.

JASON KALDIS
ARCHITECT

INCORPORATED

910.549.3584

WWW.JKALDISARCHITECT.COM

he Rockridge News welcomes
posted letters and emails to the
editor. Your name, address, phone
number, email address and city/neigh-
borhood must be included in either
for verification. Only your name will

Letters to the Editor

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.

As I noted in my letter in the July
Rockridge News, RPP fines “are separate
from any RPP administrative program
equation. Fees and fines are not commingled
when determining the costs of a given
program.” The staff proposal to increase
the RPP permit renewal fee to $82 1s based
on an analysis of the average staff time and
City resources needed to issue each renewal
permit. Despite his statement that the $82/
permit cost is not consistent with the data he
received, none of the data offered by Gabel
addresses the staff analysis (and, as noted
above, he does not provide any data regarding
the cost of actually administering the RPP
permit program).

Such staff analyses are done for all
administrative fee increases for the City (as
published in the Master Fee Schedule) and
legally required by state Proposition 26,
passed in 2010, which prevents the amount
of a new or increased fee from exceeding
the cost of the government regulation or
service. Thus, my success in reducing the
renewal RPP fee increase to $59 means the

Your Rockridge Neighbor
and Home Specialist

ccrawford@grubbco.com
510.339.0400/287
Direct: 510.289.7218

Cat BRE Lic. #0195113]

administration of the RPP permit program

q

operates at a loss for the benefit of residen
renewing RPP permits.

Mr. Gabel also states the excess RPp
revenue figure (inaccurate and inflated, as |
noted above) could reduce or eliminate Rpp
permit fees. He proposes that fines collecteg
by parking enforcement pay for the staff
needed to process and issue RPP permits
This would set a bad precedent.

Fven assuming hypothetically that Mr
Gabel’s estimated excess revenue for the

RPP program was accurate, it IS NOt Wise
in government to te the administration of
services, such as issuing RPP permits, to the
enforcement of law, such as parking fines
The public policy goal of enforcement iS to
achieve as much compliance with the law as
possible, with greater compliance resulting
in less revenue. To tie the ability to offer
services to the generation of enforcement
revenue creates a system where the City’s
ability to offer a service is dependent
upon fining people, thereby encouraging
enforcement behavior at odds with the goa]
of improving compliance. That is not a good
way to finance a regular City service. This js

why permit programs are typically a @)
through permit fees, and not from fines o

penalties.

In Michael Reardon’s subsequent letter
reacting to Mr. Gabel’s OpEd, he asks related
follow-up questions. First, he asks why total

b Letters, page 9

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October 8, 2016

Réckridge News

Ne

Letters
&

from page 8

parking enforcement costs went up W hile total
parking citations have dropped. Looking at
the total parking enforcement cost number
provided in Mr. Gabel’s chart, the only
precipitous increase in costs was between
Fiscal 2011-12 ($1,425,472) and 12-13
($3,882,027). The jump in the cost stems from
the restoration of staffing following the budget
cuts and layoffs during the big recession. As
for the modest decline in parking citations, the
City’s adopted 2015-17 budget document (see
page E-85: www2.oaklandnet.com/oakca1/

groups/cityadministrator/documents/policy/
0ak055628.pdf) explains that current
“decreased parking citation issuance [arises]
from the implementation of several parking
friendly policies, including the five-minute
grace period and the park mobile program.”
To the extent we are getting better compliance,
the overall drop in parking citations is a good
thing.

Mr. Reardon also asks why RPP permit
revenues have increased while RPP citations
have dropped. RPP permit revenues do not
have any direct correlation to RPP citations,
as the amount of permit revenue, or even the
amount of permits, does not have any bearing
on the number of persons without permits

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who violate the RPP parking area rules.
Nevertheless. | share the concerns offered

by Mr. Gabel and Mr. Reardon, as well as
other residents | have communicated with
directly, that there is a lack of adequate RPP
enforcement. As I noted in my July letter, I
believe this is due to the recent significant
increase in the number of RPP street zones,
for which parking enforcement staffing has

not kept pace.
Also, I have heard from residents about

the bottleneck in processing requests for new
RPP parking zones. The Administration 1s
still conducting analyses I requested months
ago about these issues. Once I obtain the
requested information, I intend to publish an
update in my newsletter, as well as plan any
necessary budget adjustments as appropriate
to achieve the level of enforcement and

service the public rightfully expects.

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Rédckridge News

October 8, 2016

Claremont Hotel
Concerns

from page 2

location for the underground parking
garage and condominiums. Considering
the pedestrian, vehicular and possible
emergency traffic, the project would
create persistent gridlock and massive
parking problems in an area already
Stretched to capacity. Neighborhood
shops and restaurants near the Domingo/
Russell corner would land in the eye of a
vehicular storm.

Oakland’s General Plan calls for
housing near public transportation, access
for emergency vehicles, and retail access.
These conditions are not met, nor does
this project provide affordable housing.

In 1991, we lost our home above the

Claremont Hotel in the firestorm, escaping
only with our lives. The Hiller Highlands
and Caldecott Tunnel condominium
complexes were destroyed. The high
density of these structures made them
impossible to save. To propose another
condominium structure wedged within the
Landmark Hotel grounds, abutting private
residences and near the emergency access
of Tunnel Road, seems truly foolhardy.
After the fire, I joined a local Oakland/
Berkeley group that worked with the
city and the preservation community to
designate the Claremont Hotel an Oakland
Landmark and to have it (and 12 acres
around it) listed as a California Historical
Resource. The significant defining features
for these designations were found in the
hotel’s building history, architecture, and
community resources, and in its setting
within the surrounding homes and natural
hillside, making it visible from local

streets and downtown freeways. This

setting would be irrevocably damaged by
proposed project s combined effects.
This time around, a group of concerned
citizens formed Save Our Claremont (www.
SaveOurClaremont.org), to evaluate the
impact of the proposed development.

1 am writing for myself but have

the

joined Save Our Claremont to inform
nity and elected officials of

the commu , als ¢
Oakland and Berkeley that this project is

inappropriate for our East Bay landmark,
It will cause significant negative impacts
on the surrounding residences, schools,
streets and commercial environment.
More at: www.SaveOurClaremont.org.

A past president of the Berkeley Architectural

Heritage Association (BAHA), Wendy is a member of

the Oakland Hentage Alliance (OHA), the Alameda

Architectural Preservation Society, the Vicente
Canyon Foundation and is an Oakland Museum
of California Natural Science Docent.

a

2

Chabot Elementary and Claremont Middle School Host Holiday-Themed Fundraisers

Carnival

> Chabot community.

Jumpy Slide, and decorating pumpkins and sugar skulls.

The Chabot Carnival also offers lots of fun entertainment such as Jeremy
the Dancer; great music; and a silent costume contest. For those that like
to shop, stop by the Craft Faire featuring designers and crafters from the

Join us in celebrating all the fun that Fall has to offer— games; food; prizes;

— Both articles continued from page 3 —
The auction — encompassing an Online
Auction from October 17 through 26, and the
© gala event — Is Claremont’s biggest fundraiser.

+ Proceeds provide critical support for programs
= including outdoor education, Math & Science

Night, and Family Literacy Night. The event has

——

music; and crafts — there is something for everyone. All proceeds from this
family-friendly event benefit the Chabot Elementary PTA and fund enrichment
programs such as the library; music; art; science; Spanish; the garden;
coordination of numerous after-school programs; and help in the classrooms.
Special thanks to our sponsors for supporting the Chabot community: MPR
Financial; Piedmont Dental by Design; Yovino-Young, Inc.; and Ist United

Chabot Elementa

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redit Union. Visit www.chabotelementary.org for more information.

@E already received generous donations from many
Rockridge merchants — including merchandise and
sponsorships —as well as Claremont families, staff,

@ and other Bay Area busingsses.

Tickets: $25 advance/$30 door.
Tickets/more info at
www.claremontms.org/auction.

-~

. >

Address
6037 CHABOLYN TER

Closing date BR BA
8/5/2016 3 1.5

8/8/2016 3 2 5340 LOCKSLEY AVE
8/15/2016 2 2 5577 TAFT AVE
8/22/2016 3 2 5525 Taft Avenue
8/24/2016 2 2 5290 BROADWAY TER
8/24/2016 2 1.5 5119 DESMOND ST
8/26/2016 2 2 _ 5589 LAWTON AVE

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Homes sold in August closed 20% over the as king price on average.

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October 8, 2016

Rdckridge News

Nitec community-building is
alive and thriving 1n the age of Social
Media: Just ask the folks on the 6400 block
of Benvenue Avenue — between Alcatraz
Avenue and Berkeley’s Woolsey Street —
who recently held their first-ever block
party. With a little bit of old fashioned
door-to-door rallying mixed in witha blend
of phone calls, texting and emailing, their
block party came to fruition.

More than 90 neighbors and friends
gathered to enjoy wonderful food, drink
and the company of one another on a very
warm and sunny Labor Day. Each household

i A Face-to-Face Connection in the A

contributed In various ways through food,
music, Bouncy House rental, tables, chairs.
decorations, and setup and cleanup
Taking the time to make this event
happen became even more worth the effort
when a neighbor who has lived on the block
for 45 years told the block party organizer
how much she enjoyed meeting another
neighbor who has lived on the block for
35 years. This was their first time mecting
and they live a half-block from each other
The City was wonderfully responsive to
the organizers’ request for permits to close
the street. The toughest part in organizing
the event was gathering signatures from

The College Avenue Presbyterian Church Invites You to Plan and to Dance
s Community Inclusive Planning Meeting for our annual Communi
Thanksgiving Day Meal. Wednesday, October |2, 7 p.m. Come help us make this
annual community event another great success with your skills, time and connections
s Family Friendly Square Dance: Saturday, October 22, 6:30-8 p.m in
our Gym: $2 entry, $5/family. Come meet neighbors while we dance and celebrate
making space for your family and children to participate.

College Avenue Presbyterian Church, 5951 College Avenue; www.capcoakland.org

3rd Floor
Market Hall

Reckridge Dental.

510.653.6677

rockdent.com

Ste. 312

Bruce D. Fong, D.D.S.
Filippo Cangini, D.D.S, M.S.

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Specializing in Rockridge Real Estate

The market remains strong in Rockridge. While condo sales in SF and other
markets showed signs of slowing due to more inventory of condos, prices remain
solid for desirably located and maintained homes in Rockridge. Interest rates
remain at near all time lows. We've had our September increase in inventory in
general in the greater No. Oakland area but new listings are trailing off as is a
typical pattern. October can be a great month to list your home due to proper

balance of inventory, weather and buyer demand.

Enjoy our October “Summer”!

Perry Riani, Senior Associate
Pacific Union and Christie’s International Real Estate

1900 Mountain Blvd Oakland, CA 94611
1625 Shattuck Ave Berkeley, CA 94709
C: 510.813.3799 perry@pacunion.com

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11.

ge of Social Media

neighbors to block off the street. This request
was met with tremendous enthusiasm by
99.9 percent of the neighbors.

Thank you, OPD Officer Andrew
McNeil, Special Events section, for your
support. The block thinks “YOU ROCK.”

It took 10 years of thinking about hosting
a block party before the first step was taken.
Given the success, the organizers will not
wait another 10 to host the second one. Who
says Social Media has negatively impacted
our human connection?

Thanks to both the social (neighbors)
and the media (text and email), we will
continue to make human connections
that are so valuable on the little block of

Benvenue Avenue.

Land Use Update

from page 3

year. Thanks to Councilmember Campbell
Washington, who took the lead in supporting
the proposal, it is now moving forward
to formal consideration by the Planning
Commission. RCPC will be working with
City staff and groups from other CN-I areas
to finalize the proposal and bring it back to
the City Council for approval

@ Proposed Oakland School of
Music; 5391 College Avenue
(Former Site of Loot)

When the antique store Loot moved to
5357 College Avenue [former site of Lost and
Found], its old space became vacant. Kim and
Micah McClain, music teachers who use the
Orff Schulwerk method, propose to establish
a music school at the site. It would have small,
soundproofed practice rooms; a larger room for
ensemble practice and performance, and would
cater to children and adult students. Although
music performance has a risk of becoming a
nuisance, the school’s small scale, acoustic, non-
amplified music instruments, soundproofing,
and lack of immediate residential neighbors
(their closest neighbors are other commercial
spaces, the Rockridge library, and the Berkeley
United Methodist Church) would reduce that
risk. The Land Use Committee felt the use might
stimulate the area by bringing more families to
College Avenue. There was also discussion of
limiting the business's use permit to the duration
of the school, so that the space would not be
permanently lost to retail use. The proposal
will be considered by the RCPC board at its
October meeting.

ee PF a FT he hie Th ah oe ctu? 2d hte? £m eM e 1 P ha Pe Oe. tO oe, le FD. pn ace oe SEP Oe of Rines te ee Ale, lt a, et eee) a Pe ye

12.

Rockridge News October 8, 2016

October Town Hall

from page |

legalization of recreational marijuana use,
two plastic bag measures, one proposition
to abolish the death penalty in California
and another to speed up executions, and
plenty more.

This Town Hall is to be held in the
upstairs meeting room of the Rockridge
branch library. You may want to confirm by
looking for RCPC’s e-News bulletin, or by
checking the RCPC website rockridge.org.

Two hours will not be enough for
detailed analysis of each of the two dozen
Propositions. However, within that time
limit, LWVO volunteers can provide a useful
Summary of each measure, its pro and con
arguments, and the major organizations
that support and oppose it. In addition, they
can answer substantive questions (without
engaging in partisan debate) and can offer
pointers on sources for further information.
lf you are particularly interested in one
or more specific measures, send a brief
message to the Editor of the Rockridge
News at editor@rockridge.org.

Norman H. Burg, DDS

General Dentistry

(510) 652-1517
5700 Broadway, Oakland

A Prevention Oriented Practice

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Thank you, LWVO, for the September 15 candidates’ forum for the rent | and at large
City Council seats at the September Town Hall. Voters: Videos of the forum are a u . e
to view on the LWVO website. Go to lwvoakland.org; al the opening page 50 -" . . second
red heading (““LWVO Co-sponsors Election Candidate Forums”) and os On " . red link,
“here!” at the bottom of that section. Each of the two portions of the program was recorded

in a separate video. The videos are also available to view on YC

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RéckridgeNews

13.

Rockridge Builds
a Library

from page |

Gibson Haskell, a double-wide portable
schoolroom was placed on the grounds of
Claremont Middle School at the corner of
College Avenue and Birch Court. In this
temporary space, the already small library
(1,731 square feet) became even smaller at

just 1,400 square feet, with only 1,000 square

feet accessible to the public.

Then the Library Committee’s real work
began —the task of finding a suitable location
for a permanent branch library.

RCPC’s planning effort included many
members of the residential and merchant
community. The Library Committee, headed
up by Nancy Dutcher, an RCPC board

ROCKRIDGE
LITTLE SCHOOL

oe helped establish an all-new group,
a a sy a Rockridge Library. In

semi-emergency, a plan
evolved to make a permanent home for the
library on College Avenue.

At the corner of Manila and College, the
Windmuller house and adjacent storefront
came on the market, and was purchased
by the city. The neighboring vacant lot,
Once occupied by the Longo Art Stone and
Pottery Works, a manufacturer of ornamental
concrete fixtures such as bird baths, statues
and fountains, also came on the market. In
Its effort to buy the property, the city was at
first outbid by a developer, but ultimately
succeeded In acquiring the property through
eminent domain. (Many houses in the
neighborhood still have concrete ornaments
in their backyards from Longo Art Stone.)

With the site in hand, funding was needed
for construction of the new branch library,
together with furnishings, expansion of the
book collection, and other enhancements.
To make this dream come true, the whole
community had to become part of the process.
Rockridge residents were intensively polled
and surveyed through the Rockridge News
to determine priorities for the new facility.

Although RCPC had incorporated as a
nonprofit organization in 1985, the lobbying
and fundraising needs of the library project
called for a separate institutional structure.
The Neighbors for a Rockridge Library
became the official fundraising and advocacy
group, with RCPC serving as fiscal agent. In
cooperation with CAMA (College Avenue
Merchants Association), the Neighbors
proposed formation of a Mello-Roos special
assessment district, which would levy an
annual assessment on each residential parcel
within designated boundaries in Rockridge
to raise funds for the branch library.

None of the many volunteers had ever
run a political campaign before. Volunteers
hand-addressed 6,000 letters to residents of
the greater Rockridge area, asking if they

Time Flies! It’s been 30 years now since

Realty Advocates opened its office in Rockridge. With
several hundred sales in the area to our credit, one
thing has not changed over time: our consistent deliy-

=" REALTY
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ery of top-notch service, highest market prices, and as
a bonus: the lowest commissions!

Brett Weinstein, Broker

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HIGHEST SALES PRICES + LOWEST COMMISSIONS

Claremont Avenue Block
Captain Routes Available

Dy Ge can help The Rockridge News
with delivery. Do you live on or near
Claremont Avenue? Can you spare about 20
minutes a month to deliver the newsletter
to the houses along these routes?:
= Block Captain/Route 21G:
Odd numbers along the 6000 block
of Claremont Avenue;
= Block Captain/Route 16D:
Both sides of 5200 Claremont and
5400 block of Claremont Avenue,
west side only, Clifton to Cavour.

The newsletter is distributed the first
weekend of each month except August. Call
510/547-3855 or email Susan at smontauk@
gmail.com to volunteer.

would consider an increase in their property
taxes to fund the local library. Within a
month, $10,000 in donations came in, $8,000
of which was used for the election campaign.
Signs were printed and thousands of phone
calls made to educate the public on the
benefits of the library. Measure L appeared on
the ballot in November 1990; 81.6 percent of
voters within the assessment district approved
a special parcel tax of $25 per year for 30
years. The legal threshold to pass the measure
two-thirds “yes” votes. Thanks to the tireless
efforts of committed citizens, the threshold
was far surpassed. End, first installment.

Oaklond Public Library

BOOK STORE

FALL BOOK SALE FUNDRAISER

October 13-16: See Details in Calendar
Proceeds benefit Oakland Public Library.

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Rdckridge News

October 8, 2016

RMesassitieds

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 946I1.
November issue deadline is October 20.

For information: smontauk@gmail.com

Penelope’s Aesthetics Fall
Special!

Enjoy an express anti-aging facial and expe-
rience the results! Only $49! Call today
for an appointment! 510/594-1552, www.
penelopecalef.com

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.

Your RockripGE SPECIALISTS—
JUDITH GLASS & SHEILA SABINE— THE

Gruss Company — Now may be the
right time for a move. Call 510/326-5055 or

email SSabine@Grubbco.com.

Gardener

Over |5 years of service to the Rockridge
area. Maintenance and gardening restoration.
Reasonable rates and excellent references.
Please call Chris. 655-0157.

Software Interview
Help & Tutoring

Our instructors have decades of experience
working for the world’s most prestigious
hi-tech firms. We can help you with interviews,
career coaching and tutoring. Please visit

www.SharpDojo.com or call 800/378-2711.

Your Personal Driver
in My Jaguar

Shopping, doctor appointments, airport,
errands. {ll take you where you need to go
in my Jaguar. Courteous, reliable service.
Extra care for the elderly. 510/841-2891.
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—s

Celebrating Jack
London

from page |

Branch, 1427 88th Avenue, on October
18, 5-6:45 p.m.

mw A Teen Read-aloud of White Fang
takes place at the Main Library,
125-14th Street Saturday, November
5, 11 a.m.-4 p.m.

London, born January 12, 1876, packed
a full existence into his short life; he died at
age 40,on November 22, 1916. According to
his biographers, London had worked as an
oyster pirate, served time in prison, ridden
the rails as a tramp, joined a seal-hunting
schooner bound for Japan, and searched
for gold in the Klondike rush in the Yukon
Territory of Canada by the age of 22. His
magazine stories and books chronicled his
many adventures. His prolific output earned
him a million dollars before he was 30. Ina
way, he did strike it rich after all.

Born in San Francisco, London was
raised in Oakland, primarily by his beloved
foster mother, Jennie Prentiss, who had
been born into slavery. He remained close
to her throughout his life. As a boy, he
frequented the Oakland Public Library and

was encouraged in his quest for knowledge by
Oakland’s librarian (and later California poet
laureate) Ina Coolbrith. He also frequented
the docks along the waterfront, learning the
basics of seafaring while rubbing shoulders
with adventurers and hard-living mates. By
age 16, he was working 12- to 18-hour days in
noisy, dangerous conditions at the Hickmott
Cannery near First and Filbert Streets, no
doubt shaping his radical views on workers’
rights. To escape the drudgery, he borrowed
$300 from his foster mother to buy the sloop
Razzle-Dazzle, and never looked back.

Learn more about the life and legacy
of Jack London at lecture hosted by the
Oakland Heritage Alliance on October 20
at the Chapel of the Chimes, 4499 Piedmont
Avenue; details are at www.oaklandheritage.
org. The speaker is Lou Leal, a docent for
the Jack London State Park. The Oakland
Tours Program is sponsoring a free tour,
Jack London’s Waterfront, on Saturday,
October 29 (details at www.oaklandnet.
com/walkingtours.)

Find more information and links about
London at www.oaklandwiki.org. The web
site for various programs and activities is
http://jacklondon.ouroakland.net. There is
also a Facebook page: Jack London’s Legacy.

Email inquiries: jacklondonlegacy@
gmail.com, or voice mail via 510/497-1876.

2017 Tour Season Tickets _

Now Available

family visiting:
an ch do y ithout going far? Let the Rock-

Food Tour help you show off your
neehborhood. www.rockridgefoodtour,

com or Call 510/604-6546.

Indian Classical Dance for
kids & adults in Rockridge

Ancient South Indian Bharatanatyam dance
is now taught by veteran teachers Aggie
Brenneman & Deepa Natarajan at Danspace
in Rockridge. For registration and info call
510/459-8365 or email aggiebrenneman@

sbcglobal.net.

Compassionate Caregiver,
CFA Certified

Over I5 years experience with dementia,
Parkinson’s and hospice clientele. Can
chauffeur to appointments, cook and do
light housekeeping. Excellent references.
Available Sun-Thurs days and some nights.
Call or text Sharon, 925/705-3249.

In Rockridge since 1997

How will bills be paid
if something happened to you?

Yes we do Offer:
Life
Insurance

Susan Bernosky
510-450-9050

INSURANCE SERVICES, INC
CA License 0D34069

www.strahaninsurance.com

October 8, 2016

emall Rockridge News Community Caiendar items to: joellis}
@: to; Rockridge News Community Calendar, 4123 Drosikiar PMB 311 Onn

a last Tuesday of the month.

COMMUNITY CAL

District 1 Councliman Dan Kalb

Drop-In Community Office Hours at Temescal Farmers
Market, 5300 Claremont Ave, DMV parking lot, ard Sunday
each month,10:30am-12:30pm. More offica hours into
mmharris@oakland.net or www.dankalb.neticontactdan,

Rockridge Branch Library

5366 College Avenue, 597-5017

+ All Invited to 20 Year Anniversary Extravaganza:
Sat, Oct, 22. (see story p.1}

e Ready, Set, Connect! One-on-one computer
tutoring for all ages. Help with basic computer skills,
set up: e-book/audio book downloads. Sign up, or
drop-in; Saturdays, 10:30 am-12:30 pm

FOR CHILDREN

« Family Story Time: Storles/songs/rhymes (for all
ages}; Saturdays, 10:30am,

» Toddler Story Time: Songs, active rhymes and
stories (ages 9 months to 2 years), Thursdays,
10:30am, upstalrs.

¢ Pre-School Story Time: Read-alouds, songs, and
rhymes (to age 5}; Thursdays, 10:30am.

All story times followed by Play Time; parents and

caregivers invited.

SPECIAL EVENTS

« NorCal Bats - Real information About this Hal-
toween Jeon: “Northern California Bats” rescues,
rehabilitatas, and releases bats. Hear bat stories,
laarn how bats help the environment, meet live bats.
Best for ages 6 to adult. Tuas, 10/11, 7pm.

e¢ Shadow Theater, Ghastly Stories, & Skull Cookles:
Story time, then decorate and eatcookles. Best forages
§ to 10 years (allages welcome). Tuas, 10/25, 7-8pm.

« Not-So-Spooky Halloween Pumpkin Stories &
Craft: Come Incostume, best to age 5; stay afterwards
to decorate a trick-or-treat bag. Sat, 10/29, 10:30am,

» 20-Year Anniversary Celebration: Sat, 10/22, Events
scheduled from 11am to 3pm. Halp build a miniature
fantasy library in the children’s area, library treasure
hunt, live performance and music, have birthday cake.

« Young Writers NaNoWriMo: Write a novel In 30
days. National event for ail writers age 9 to 13.
Register under tha Rockridge Library Young Writers
atthe ywp.nanowrimo.org website. Meat every Tues
evening in Nov (starting 11/1) from 6:30-7:45pm. We
help you write your novel,

e ‘Tween Scene: Monthly, 'tween-directed group for
ages 9 to 13. Bring ideas of what you & your friends
would most like to do each month. Snacks served.
Every 2nd & 4th Tues evening, 6:30-7:45pm, in the
Children’s Area.

Mora into on children’s programs: Erica Siskind, 597-5017.

FOR TEENS

¢ Tean Advisory Board (ages 14-18): Meet with
other feens, plan and organize library activities, get
community service credit for school. 1st Sat. each
month, 1 to 2pm.

+ Teen Scape: Play video & board games; make crafts;
do homework. Enjoy meals. Tues, Thurs, and Fridays:

@ 3:30 -4:30pm and Wednesdays: 1:30 - 4:30 pm.

* Shrinky Dinks Book Covers: shrink your favorite book
covers into charms; make keychains and jewelery.
Sat.10/15, 2pm.

FOR ADULTS

2 Help with downleading eBooks: Tuesdays by
appointment, 6-7:30pm. By appaintment online at
www.caklandlibrary.org or in person at any library

RickridgeNews

com, phone 653-3210 {after noon}, or
land, CA 94611. Deadlina is the next to

Compiled by Jo Ellis

location.

° Writers Support/Critlque Group: All writers wel-
come. Bring 15 coplesof up lo Spgs. (double-spaced,
MS margins) of any prose for on-site raading/discussion
(or, come omply-handed). Third Sat. (10/15), 1 to
Lue Calif. Writars Club of

¥. Info: 420-
eM ae or Writetox@aol.com, Call

« Designing Your Bay Friendly Garden: Water-wise
gardening workshops. Co-sponsored by East Bay
MUD. Light Refreshments. Sat, 10/15, 11am.

* Oakland Knows Jack: Discusslonof the Book White
Fang to commemorate the {00th anniversary of Jack
London's death. Sat, 10/22. 11:30am. {See story p.1)

« Art+Words: Remembering the Oakland Hills Fire
Multimedia lecture, share memories with artists
Raphael Shevelev, Ruth Block, and Darrell Hunger
and memoiris! Risa Nye. Sat, 10/29, 11am.

+ Lawyers In the Library: Free legal Information.
Ist Tues, 6-8pm; Lottery drawing to see lawyer appt.
Sign-up opens at Spm; must be present for lottery
at 5:45. Call day of program to confirm: 597-5017,

ART EXHIBITS

Gallery: Oct. The Fire Art Project Revisited commem-
otating the 25th anniversary of the Oaktand Hills Fire.
Lobby Display: Rockridge library mamorles; stop by
to add your own.
LIBRARY HOURS
Tues, 12:30 to 8pm. | Wed, Thurs & Sat: 10am to 5:30pm.
Fri, 12 to 5:30pm. Closed: Sun and Mon.

Diesel Book/Postry and Events

FREE and opan to the public.

+ Sun, 10/9, 3pm. Poetry Flash with Martha Collina:
Admit One: An American Scrapbook, and Rosa
Lane: fiffer North.

© Waed,10/12, 7pm. Nell Zink: Nicotine. Joined in con-
versation by DIESEL’S co-manager Brad Johnson.

© Fri, 10/14, 7pm. Pulitzer Prize winner Rae Armantrout:
Partly; New and Selected Poems, 2001-2015. With
local poat Stephanie Young.

e Sat,10/15,10:30am. Klds' Morning with Lisa Brown:
The Airport Book and at 11:30am, Annie Barrows:
ivy and Bean.

+ Sun, 10/16, 3pm. Huta Hsu: A Floating Chinaman;
Fantasy and Failure Across the Pacific; with hip-hop
journalist Jett Chang.

e Tues, 10/18, 7pm. Yoss: Super Extra Grande.

« Thurs, 10/20, 7pm. Lidija Dimkovske: A Spare Life.

« Fri, 10/21, 7pm. FRESH AND BEST poetry reading
series with Atl Banlas: Anybody’ Poems, and
Margaret Ross: A Timeshare.

* Sun, 10/23, 3pm. Norman Ollestad: French Girl

with Mother.
e Wed, 10/26, 7pm. Patrick Hoffman: Every Man 4

Menace.

« Fri, 10/28, 6pm. Pajama Story Time for Xids. Come
In Pus, bring teddy bear, have milk and cookies.
Bedtime story by author/ittustrator Eda Kaban: Even
Superheroes Have Bad Days.

« Tues, 11/1, 7pm. Constance Hale: The Natives Are
Restiess: A San Francisco Dance Master Takes Hula
into the Twenty-First Century; with hula master, Kumu
Patrick Makuakane. Dancers from Na Lei Hulu i ka
Wekiu will perform in full costume.

© Wed, 11/2, 6:30pm. Freud's Bar (monthly talks given
by local Bay Area psychoanalysts, aimed al students

I5.

ages 16-25, while enjoying drinks and snacks): Teptc.
On Narcissism, presented by Michae! Donner, PhD.
» Fri, 11/4, 7pm. Clvlt Coping Mechanisms’ new series
SRECURRENT Featured witers. Harold Abramowitz,
Jordan Okumura, and Boug Rice.
DIESEL, A Bookstore, 5433 Collage Ave, More info (other
evants and discussion groups), 653-9965 or events@
diaselbookstare.com.

Friends of the Oakland Public
Library (FOPL) Fall Book Sale

Oct 13 - 16 (Thurs-Sun} 10:30am - 5:30pm. Discounts up
to 50%. Proceads support reading and literacy programs,
branch projects, collection development and more. 721
Washington Street, 444-0473. Details at www-tfopl.org
and www. thebookmarkbooksiore.org.

Mark Bittman at Market Hall

Book signing of his new book, How fo Bake Everything.
Taste samplas, Sunday, 10/16, 2 to 3pm. Rockridge
Markel Hall, 5655 College Ave. Mora info: 250-6005 or

www.rockridgemarkathall.com.

Meet Dist One School Board
Candidates

Candidates’ Forum hosted by Oaktand Tech High
School's PTSA. Meet the two District 1 candidates:
Jody London and Don Macleay. Also learn about
state and loca! ballot initiatives. Wed., Oct 19, 7-30-9pm.
Oakland Tech library, 4351 Broadway (parking along
42nd and 45th streats).

Volunteer Opportunities at Chabot

Space & Science Center

RSVP and Register now for Orientation: Sat, 10/29,
10am - 2pm. Volunteers offer visitors interactive and
hands-on experiences. You don't have to be a scientist
or a physicist; we'll feach you. Learn to opérate our
historic telescopes; educale# and inspire over 50,000
school children that visit each year; assist with special
avents, Shifis available Tues-Sun daytime and Friand Sat
evenings. Volunteers agree to 8 hours per month for at
teast one year. More info, and to RSVP for orientation:
hitp:/iwww.chabotspace.org/adult-volunteers.him or
volunteers@chabotspace.org or 336-7304.

North Oakiand Senior Center.

Annual $12 membership entitles seniors 55 + to discounts

on activities and trips. JOIN NOW.

« BART Sr. Clipper Card Field Trip. October 27, Free
for age 65+ if you don't already have a Sr. Clipper
card, Learn to use the card with 92.5% saving. Free
box Lunch and a free trip on the Oakland Alrport
Connector. Pre-ragister with !D at Reception Desk
now. Getalls abt all trips at the desk or 597-5065.

Mon.-Fri., 9am to 4.30pm. 5714 Martin Luther King, Jr.

Way. Subscribe to "The North Oakland Senior Fimes”

for full schedule of classes/events, lunch menus, and

volunteer opportunities. Info: 597-5085.

Whore is North Oakland Village?

When Rockridge Center conversions began, North
Oakland Village (NOV) moved fo new space at the
rear of the First Congregational Church, 27th Street
and Harrison. There is a handy parking lot around
back, Our office provides a gathering place fot
meetings, working groups, and presentations,
and offer an ever-evolving menu of activities,
seminars, classes and events tailored to the
many interests of our members.

Visit us at the office for “Time to Talk” offered the
third Friday of tha month trom 10:30 to 11:30. Also,
se6 our popular monthly newsletters posted on
the website: northoaklandvillaga.org. Our phone:
§10/547-8500.

ee Re lee ae ea ne eT Bae Ee ES eri Ts eee Ea els eee Bs Ee i,

16. Réckridge News October 8, 2016

—_— —— ——_

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