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Extracted text · highlighting “Planning Commission”

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ISSUE NO. 349 mw December 2, 2017 oe] 5,800 RESIDENCES; 200 BUSINESSES

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

RCPC Board Memberships Available: Join the Roster Now
R EPCs bylaws call for the organization to be governed Why | Joined: the RC PC Board

by a 14-member board of directors. There is a
constant ebb and flow of directors, but the board now anything we wanted, from gro-
finds itself with nine members, and looking for more. ceries to parks, from banks to
What is it that draws someone to join other restaurants or a laundromat,
community members to help maintain the charm, the required Criving somewhere.
strengths, and the fut f Rockridge? Ask th Our house was quite small, and
: | ture of Roc ridge? Ask the current Mc Emeryville was still mostly
nine and get nine different answers, each anchored by “>. known for its cardrooms and
the desire to contribute to the community. “2” crime. Living just off San Pablo
The Rockridge News has invited current board Avenue, where muggings were not
members to discuss how they came to seek board uncommon, it didn’t feel like a safe
positions. Long-time member and current board chair place to bring up a family.
Stuart Flashman opens the discussion at right. } Why I Joined the RCPC Board, page 2

:
5
4,

(

O (Ws

VOL. 32 m= NO. 4

by Stuart Flashman,
RCPC Board Chair

y family and |
moved to Rock-
ridge from Emeryville — «
in 1992. Our older %@
daughter was only two ©
years old when we moved, 4
and our younger daugh-
ter was no more than a possibility.
While we had liked the little street
we lived on in Emeryville, almost

An Qakland Firefighter in Santa Rosa: Mutual hid at Work

y Zac Unger, Oakland firefighter and Rockridge resident
he recent North Bay fires—combined with
an October that was spookily reminiscent of
1991—have raised questions about how a giant
fire like that would be handled here at home.
Are we ready? Would we get the help we need?
Should we all give up and move to Antarctica
today? I'll try to answer a few of those questions.

I’m an Oakland firefighter, Vice President of
our Union, and I was deployed to Santa Rosa last
month. I’m not speaking on behalf of the Oakland

Fire Department, just as a fellow Rockridgian who, like you,
doesn’t entirely under-

stand his homeowner’s
policy and would rather
never have to find out
what it really means.

> mutual Aid, page 12

Fire damage in Santa
Rosa left a landscape
similar to that of
Oakland’s in 1991.

- — 3

os NS About RDA: http:// Preview Notice: Mark Your Calendar
moxe c kr dge rockridgedistrict.com/ New Year Town Hall | January 18, 2018

About_Us
Ct association |. BART - Rockridge Station Tree Replacement
The Rockridge District Association BART reports a Rockridge Station Hazard Tree Assessment was com-

‘ pleted by an International Society of Arboriculture Certified Arborist in 2017. The
(RDA) Presents Free Holiday Events

results require BART to replace hazardous trees adjacent to the parking lots inside |
at the Rockridge BART Plaza the station. The identified tree hazards include one dead coast redwood at the |
— Saturday, December 9 —

corner of Forest Street and Shafter Avenue, and 16 red ironbark eucalyptus along |
= 12:30 to 1 pM., come enjoy Holiday Tunes Keith and Shafter Avenues. Community members will be invited to participate in |
th he Clift 7 Street Regulars. a selection process for replacement trees in Spring 2018. For additional informa-
. ; ‘s ra Dancing Christmas Trees: tion, please contact Richard Fuentes, Principal Representative of Government and
e | to 1:15 pM, Lap ,
1:15 to 2 pm: Clifton Street Regulars (return);

Community Relations, at rfuente@bart.gov.
2. Sarah Fine, City Transportation Planner, will discuss plans for
*a 2 to 4 pM: Photos with Santa,
= 4 to 6 pM. Strolling Carolers.

* Read about the Clifton Street Regulars in Judy
Berne’s “Eyes on Rockridge” column, page 6.

Traffic Circles as presented in the November issue of The Rock-
ridge News.

3. Update on the Claremont Hotel Condominium Project from
“Save Our Claremont.” (See OpEd, page 9.)

eS rE ee PD +5,"

Why I Joined the
RCPC Board

from page |

Rockridge, by contrast, had almost
everything we wanted within walking

distance. There was a Lucky Supermarket
(now Trader Joe’s), the Such a Business
toy store, a variety of restaurants, a small
library in a portable classroom (soon to be
replaced by the current Rockridge branch,
its development spearheaded by Rockridge
neighbors), and an excellent elementary
school. Our family settled in and we enjoyed
Our new neighborhood—and reading
monthly issues of The Rockridge News.
As time went on, we became aware of the

ertes fact that Rockridge

As time hadn’t just hap-

went on, pened. There was
we became

a mysterious group,
the Rockridge
aware of the

Community Plan-

fact that ing Council, aka
S RCPC, that seemed
Rockridge to have played a

fundamental role in

hadn’t just
creating this neigh-

happened. borhood. Stories in

The Rockridge News described ongoing
discussions of the neighborhood’s part in
building a local park and a new branch
library building, and fighting to maintain
College Avenue’s mixed-use retail/residen-
tial environment—with enabling zoning
established by RCPC in the 1970s—against
encroachment by ever-larger commercial
buildings.

i i eee

Rdckridge News

After 15 years as a Rockridge resident

and feeling increasingly guilty about
reaping the fruits of other people’s work, |
offered RCPC my expertise as a land use
attorney and was appointed to a vacant
board seat. I soon joined the Planning and
Project Review Committee (now the Land
Use Committee). The following year, |
agreed to become the board’s chairperson,
with the promise of mentoring and guidance
from more experienced board members.

Now, I’m in my ninth year on the board
(with a one-year gap required by term
limits). During that time, RCPC has seen
many issues come and go, while others
continue to demand RCPC’s attention.

The board has had the benefit of many
members with varying backgrounds,
expertise, and opinions, all of whom have
helped shape RCPC policies and provided
guidance to the City as Rockridge continues
to evolve.

RCPC has worked closely with other
Rockridge groups, including the merchants
of the Rockridge District Association
(RDA), the Neighborhood Crime Prevention
Council (NCPC, now an entity separate
from RCPC), public schools and their PTAs,
as well as several other community groups
RCPC has helped create and then spun off
as separate entities.

If helping to guide Rockridge’s future
is something that appeals to you, there are
many ways to do so through RCPC. The
most pressing at this point, however, is that
RCPC is looking for candidates to run for its
Board of Directors in April. If this sounds
of interest, email me at chair@rockridge.

org, or give me a call at 510/652-5373 and
we can talk about it.

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RéckridgeNews

The Rockridge News, founded March 1986 by Don
Kinkead, is published monthly (except in August)
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.........cccscsesee. Editor

JO BYE wii cisnssscisconarensonttscccects Asst. Editor

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

BO EIS srcccdcoccessvsissZnetaising sion Advertising &

Community Calendar

Susan Montauk........ssse0- Business Manager

Don Kinkead..........cseseseseee Graphics & Layout
RCPC Board of Directors, 2017-18

Stuart Flashman. .........000. Chair

LEONOLA SOA.....cesessreeserssssees Vice-Chair

Jesse Ortega ......secscessssersees Secretary

Ronnie Spitzer... Treasurer

Alden Conner, M C Haug, Don Kinkead,
Andrew Masalin, Laura Schlichtmann

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 January issue is:

@ january 6, 2018.

™@ Submission deadline: December 21, 2017.
Advertising rates are $26/column inch. sm
month pre-pay rate available. For display ads;
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 14.)

~~ |Professional preparation. Many local

December 2, 2017

Réckridge News 3.

—_-——__
ee

RCPC: Town Halls: FROG Park Hardy Dog Park | pocscpscl with
supports community Online: www. improvements these commu-
& newsletter. RCPC frogpark.org/ continue with the | nity groups work
Donations: www. donate/ Mail/ help of wonderful | year-round for
rockridge.org. Payto: FROG volunteers. Rockridge. Your
Check: Mail/ Park, 4123 See story below. | tax-deductable
i Payto: RCPC, 4123 Broadway, PM sit http://har- donation will
Sm Broadway, PMB #311, 311, Oakland, S@uydogpark.org/ =| help support

Oakland, 94611.

donate-volunteer. _ their efforts.

he next Land Use Committee meeting may change! Please check the rockridge.

may be Wednesday, December 20, 7:30 org website the week before to confirm
p.m., at the Rockridge Branch Library upstairs that a meeting will occur. Meetings are
meeting room. Meeting details or plans _ generally open to the public.

RCPC Land Use Committee Update -
December 2017

@ Redfield Cider Bar and Bottle Shop, 5815/5817
College Avenue

; At a special Board meeting November 11, the RCPC Board of
Directors voted not to oppose this proposal.

@ Proposal for 4 Story Mixed-use Building: File
PLN1I7269; 5353 College Avenue, currently Better
Homes Realty
At its November 11 meeting, the Board voted to oppose granting

a variance to place the existing one-story bungalow as a fourth
story on the new project. Otherwise, the Board thinks that the
project conformed to the zoning and would fit well with the existing
surrounding buildings on College Avenue. The Board believes that,

arring exceptional circumstances, a fourth floor should be limited

to projects including guaranteed affordable housing, which this
project did not.

M@ Shops at the Ridge, Phase II, Corner of
Broadway and Pleasant Valley Avenue

The chair of the land use committee and representatives of the
Piedmont Avenue Neighborhood Improvement League (PANIL), met
with representatives of TRC, Inc., project developers. TRC intends
to restart razing the old Chase Bank building once demolition plans
are approved by the Bay Area Air Quality Management District
(BAAQMD). Demolition should be complete by the end of the year.

TRC is still rethinking Phase II. It plans to landscape the site
for aesthetics, but does not expect to start construction until later in
2018. PANIL and RCPC urged TRC to consider asking the property
owner to permit residential uses in the project, and to consider
allowing interim use of the site as, for example, a public art exhibit
in collaboration with the California College of Art, rather than
letting the site stay dormant and vacant. The TRC representatives
agreed to take the suggestion back to their management in Southern

California.

NCPC December Meeting: — Secriaz.", ~~ Hardy Dog Park: History & Volunteers
oeueowe Burglary Prevention, and Maar by arly _ =

OAKLAND

NCPC

Greater Rockrid9®

Community Patrols

(): Thursday, December 14, the Greater
Rockridge Neighborhood Crime Prevention
Council (NCPC) meeting will include presentations
on burglary prevention and community patrols.
Representatives from the Upper Rockridge Neighborhood
Association and SaferRockridge, both of whom sponsor patrols
in our district, will be present along with representatives
from Bay Alarm and PPS, the contracted patrol companies.
A question and answer session will follow the presentations.

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he Hardy Dog Park was created in 1995, when a piece of land

under Highway 24 became available to the community. The
Caltrans-owned land was vacant after completion of Loma Prieta
repairs. The City of Oakland signed a long-term lease for the land
from Caltrans and volunteers mobilized to create the park. Funds were
raised, a community process worked through, and the City Council
approved the creation of Oakland’s first-ever dog park. Dog parks
were a fairly new concept at that time, with the first one opening in
New York City in 1990, and Hardy Dog Park became the inspiration

for other dog parks in Oakland and } Dog Park News, page I5

Time F lies! 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 deliv-
ery of top-notch service, highest market prices, and as

a bonus: the lowest commissions!

cai Brett Weinstein, Broker
brett@realtyadvocates.com 510-428-0757

rte

by Judith Donor Berne

S ometimes more people crowded around
the adjacent pet adoption booth than
were waiting to chat with Mayor Libby
Schaaf, who brought her Mobile Mayor
program to the Rockridge BART Plazaon the
sunny, brisk Saturday before Thanksgiving.

Schaaf has been traveling to various
Oakland neighborhoods to reach out to
residents and boost their awareness of and
access to city services.

In spite of the pet adoption distractions, a
steady stream of people took the opportunity
to spend five to 10 minutes with Schaaf,
who had an assistant writing down their
concerns. We asked them what they had
come for as they waited their turn.

The largest contingent—three—were
there because the new Ford GoBike
bike share racks are not limited to major
thoroughfares. “Why are they in residential
neighborhoods?” Rockridge resident Chuck
Afflerbach wanted to know, and “What does
the city get out of this?”

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Tim Smith is annoyed by the rack of
bikes directly in front of his Rockridge
house on a residential street. ““We’ve offered
two alternatives including the nearby
DMY,” he said, but to no avail. “Our biggest
thing is being part of the process.”

“They’re not involving the citizens
and the merchants,” seconded Anna
Dair, who lives two doors down from

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Answers to Rockridge

as Rockridge residen
Tim Smith explains his
neighborhood’s concerns
about commercial bike rack

placements in residentia}
neighborhoods.

Mayor Libby Schaff iden

Smith. “But we’re not against
the program.” They seemed
somewhat encouraged that
Schaaf gave them the name of
someone to contact who might
have more authority than their
previous contacts.

Rockridge resident Marge,
who didn’t want to give her last name.
was there to request “immediate help
for the homeless; people who need help

p Mobile Mayor, page 13

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December 2, 2017

Réckridge News

Bike Rental Stations in Rockrid

o” Chuc k Afflerbach, RN Contributor
ft you travel the streets of Rockridge,

, you ve seen those Ford GoBike stations
in what were once parking places on public
streets. At any rack you can rent a bike for an
hour, a day, or a year membership. Each

———

issue, their efforts, and a lively debate from
both sides. The dispute has spilled into online
posts on the Nextdoor Rockridge website as
well. The questions are wide-ranging: Cars or
bikes? Private enterprise or public property?

station Covers a fifty-five-foot stretch

ge Raise Questions

——

is one of the many ways the City of Oakland
can help increase mobility for Oaklanders, as
well as meet our sustainability goals, without
increasing traffic and congestion. Bike share
stations serve more people than parking.”

Shafter resident Anna Dair argues it

with dull gray racks, bright blue bikes, [Sige

a payment kiosk, and a billboard with
maps and advertisements standing seven
feet tall and forty inches wide. There are
already three stations in the first mile of
College Avenue’s commercial strip. But
when this commercial venture popped
up on a residential street last month,
red flags and questions were raised.

The controversial site on Shafter
Avenue at the corner of Cavour Street has
met with strong opposition from unhappy
residents. First they called the bike company,
then city hall; next they launched a website
and a petition (which has gathered more than
200 signatures). Their website (5200Shafter.

com) provides detailed information about the

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Individual rights or the greater good?

The GoBike stations are managed by
a company called Motivate. The company
frames it as a question of who benefits. In
one email a spokeswoman states, “Bike share

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isn’t just a matter of not-in-my-back-yard
(or front yard, or side yard, depending
on where the bikes are stationed). “Each
particular resident may have different
issues with why the station doesn’t work
for them in this location,” she says,
“but the point is, we all align on the
fact that this program did not provide a
community input process to voice our
individual concerns.”

That question of who decides, and
how, is what prompted me to go see
Mayor Libby Schaaf at her Mobile Mayor
event held at the Rockridge BART station
two weeks ago.

In line ahead of me were Anna Dair
and her neighbor Tim Smith. The bikes are
) GoBikes, page 13

Martin Coyle 510-655-8717 Mike Tracy
5221 James Ave. Oakland Ca. 94618

www.coylehomeremodel.com

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———

Aes

RickridgeNews

Dece

mber 2, 2017

OneRocieniase

Clifton Street Regulars Exemplify

It’s Never Too Late to Make Music

by Judith Doner Berne

ow that I know where they are on
Wednesday evenings, I may regularly
find an excuse to walk the couple of
blocks to linger outside the Rockridge
house where the Clifton Street Regulars
(CSR) hold their weekly practices.

The jazz quintet, which you can hear
from 12:30-2 p.m. Saturday, December 9,
at the Rockridge District Association’s
Holiday Events in Rockridge at BART
Plaza, rehearses in the low-ceilinged, dimly
lit, partially paneled basement of drummer
Patrick Kitchin, located—you guessed it—on
Clifton Street.

The low ceiling forces 6'l" bassist John
Anderson to play in his stocking feet and drop
the endpin on his instrument to its lowest
level. “I play without my shoes in order to
lower my body position to better match the
lowered bass placement,” he said. “Oh, the
things we do for love.”

“These are five people who are so
passionate about jazz,’ confirmed Kitchin,
a San Francisco employment law attorney.
“We're a pretty well-established band,
playing jazz standards at two to three gigs a
month.” At the same time, “No one is going
to give up their day jobs to try and make it
in New York. We have such a really vibrant
jazz scene here in the Bay Area.”

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“We've booked the Clifton Street Regulars
fora number of our festivals and they’ve been
a huge hit,” said Samee Roberts, president
of Oakland’s Heart of the Town Events,
producers of Rockridge Out & About—which
featured the band the last two years—and
several other East Bay festivals.

“We were initially intrigued to learn that
there was a jazz band out of Rockridge,
Roberts said. “After hearing them perform,
it was clear that they were not amateurs but
a professional-level quintet with a distinct
sound all their own. They are also wonderful,
community-minded people who support local
causes and events,” recently playing for free
at the Autumn Lights Festival to benefit the
nonprofit Friends of the Gardens at Lake
Merritt. |

The band formed in 2013 when its
five original members met at the Berkeley
Jazzschool now housed within the California
Jazz Conservatory, an accredited, independent
music conservatory dedicated to the study and
performance of jazz.

“We met in classes together,’ Kitchin
said. The group located in his Rockridge
basement because a drum set is awkward
to move around and a piano stands in the
corner. “For our first gig, I don’t think we
even had a name.” Since then, Kitchin, Jeff
Weiss on saxophone and Paul Mathes at the

a
MOTLEY TEAM

piano/keyboard have welcomed dese
two newest members, bassist Anis and’s
Jason Whiting on guitar rson and

“We all fooled around with ;
. th inst a
as kids, but began to take jt seriously later
r

in life,” Kitchin said. «jy
e

grandparents— or have adult children.
still has high school kids Udren; Jason

rarely miss a practice and a]
material, said Kitchin, wh

“You'll see the dedication”

Kitchin, who with his wife
Rockridge from Alameda six
played drums in his high

moved to
years ago,
School marching

he is known for pursuing new challenges: He
had finished all but his doctoral] dissertation
in medical anthropology when he decided
to become a lawyer. “No regrets.” he said.

Weiss was in his late 50s when he took up
basic saxophgne at the Jazzschool. “] began
playing in ensembles there and for the last five
years with my CSR buddies,” the Oakland
resident said.

A tax attorney with two adult daughters,
Weiss hadn’t played a musical instrument
since the age of 14, and then it had been
classical piano and guitar. “Rehearsals are
a weekly shot of adrenaline and give me
the opportunity to play, perform and hone
my improvisational skills with the group,”
Weiss said.

Mathes, the piano/keyboardist, played
violin as a kid influenced, perhaps, by his
violinist grandfather. “Then as a teenager, I
discovered jazz,” he said. “I fooled around

> Clifton Musicians, page 7

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Clifton Musicians

from page 6

with piano but married, started teaching, had
our son, and was too busy for music.” i

When the former Spanish teacher, now
retired from administration at UC Berkeley’s
School of Public Health, had what he termed
“my mid-life crisis in my 40s, I decided to try
to pursue what I loved — jazz.” He rented a
tenor Sax and started taking lessons. “I took
jazz courses at Laney College, hun g out at the
jam sessions. Eventually I started applying the
theory I was learning to my piano playing,
realizing I could express myself better on
the piano.”

Anderson, who lives in Alameda and
works for a small manufacturing company
in Oakland, started studying jazz and double
bass about four years ago. “We’ve always
had music in our home.” he said, “always
a plano or guitar nearby. As the children
(four) have launched, I have found more time
to dedicate to more formal musical study.”
His eldest daughter teaches music and has
performed at Carnegie Hall, as her great-
great-grandmother did before her.

“Tt was great to be asked to join the Clifton
Street Regulars,” Anderson said. “It’s a great

group of gentlemen and it’s fun to be able to
contribute to the music-making.”

Whiting, an Oakland IT manager, began
playing with CSR about a year ago, sitting in
when their regular guitarist couldn’t make a
gig. He became a full-time member in May.
Whiting took up guitar in high school, played
in rock-and-roll bands through college, but
‘then turned to jazz. “I took a break while

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raising my two kids and have just picked it
up over the last few years.”

A Dublin resident, “I lived on Lawton
Avenue in Rockridge some 20 years ago,”
Whiting said. “I find it funny how I used to
live only a couple of blocks away from where
we rehearse every week.”

Brooke Levin, Kitchin’s across-the-street
neighbor, has heard the band play both at
his home and at events. She can make out
faint strains when they practice, only if she
happens to be walking by. “It’s a nice sound.
You kind of want it in your living room.”

“We're very respectful of our neighbors,”
Kitchin said. “We rehearse from 6-8 p.m. Our
former next-door neighbors’ child called it

Morning wake-up calls

Social network modeling
Curling up with a good book
Gardening together

Making lots of biscuits

Local caregivers who want

to help make great memories.

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The Clifton Street Regulars (left to
right): Jeff Weiss, Jason Whiting, Paul
Mathes, John Anderson and drummer
Patrick Kitchin pause for a photo at

their weekly practice.
/JUDITH DONER BERNE

‘Jazzy Wednesday.”

“Whether rehearsing or playing a gig,”
Mathes said, “we’re always trying for those
magic moments when we're all in sync, the
rhythm is pulsing along and we're able to take
a solo and express those musical ideas which
are in our head.”

To comment on this column or to suggest a story
about you, your neighbor or your Rockridge
neighborhood, email judyberne @att.net.

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Rickridge News

“1 AM TOTALLY FED UP WITH MY

CAR WINDOW GETTING SMASHED IN
OAKLAND”

Dear Dan Kates:

This is the first email I have ever written
to an Oakland representative. That tells you
how mad | am. I have lived in Rockridge for
[5 years. This year vandals have smashed
my side rear window four times while I was
parked on the street in Oakland; twice in
Rockridge (including a recent night when
I was at the Ramen Shop), once downtown
and once by Piedmont Avenue. Three times
nothing was stolen since I know not to leave
things exposed in my car. The other time a
laptop was stolen from the back of the car
(it was not visible). Three of the four times,
[ was only away from my car for two hours,
out to eat at a restaurant. Each time I pay
$200 — $300 to get my window replaced.
This does not count lost time from work
dealing with it—or the stress. I have filed
a police report online after each break-in.

From now on, I am NOT going to eat out
in Oakland (particularly Rockridge). This
vandalism is out of hand and I am tired of
it. I do not have this problem in any other
town. I beg you to meet with OPD to solve
this terrible problem. Street cameras? More
local security guards? Surely OPD can catch
these people by hiding on some rooftops at
dinner time along College Avenue.

I have had all I can take of this. For the
sake of the local economy, I beg you to fix
this problem.

— Jenn Hyman

Wj ORTRUN NIESAR
"S| 510.326.2161

a ee Realtor® | CalBRE #01161032

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, —
may not necessarily be shared by the

editor or by RCPC.

9
RepLY FROM DAN KALB’S OFFICE

DEAR JENN:
[ am so sorry to hear about your troubles

with auto break-ins. It’s true that Oakland
has a huge problem with car theft and break-
ins. Dan is very aware of this and has made
Public Safety one of his biggest platforms
during his time in City Council. We will
report this to the Area 2 Captain and may
hopefully hear of some leads.

— Monica Harris, Community
Liaison, Councilmember Dan Kalb

AFFECTED BusiINesses RECEIVED No
BicycLe Kiosk PLACEMENT NOTICE

EpiTor:

Chris Jackson of the Rockridge District
Association (RDA) recently sent an email
out notifying RDA members that three to
five parking spaces would be lost at College
and Bryant to the Ford GoBike program. We
own a property in the 5300 block of College
Avenue and we let our office and retail tenants
know about the loss in parking spaces. They
were understandably unhappy on behalf of
their patients/clients/patrons. I learned from
the Ford GoBike website that their intent
for bicycle density is to have stations/kiosks
within a 5 minute walk of each other. Why?
[f you are biking or enjoying a pedestrian-
friendly shopping area, why do the bike
kiosks need to be within a 5 minute walk of
each other?

My biggest concern is the lack of input
from impacted businesses. Small businesses,

which lease space and pay business taxes to

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the City, were not sufficiently notified and
[ am not aware that we were allow
regarding the placement—aka |
parking spaces along College Aven
are already so few parking spaces op
which houses the Rockridge Branc
that a loss of another three parking
College Avenue seems a business.
move. Iwo of the tenants in our by;
autistic children and their families: a third. a
chiropractic business, serves folks who need

to drive due to ongoing health issues Getting
folks out of their cars sounds like g great idea

but what if the businesses that are thriving
have clients that need to arrive in cars?

I’ve sent one set of emails to Danielle Due.
Michael Ford, Ryan Russo, City Bikeshare,
Mayor Schaaf and two emails to Dan Kalb’s
office. I’ve looked at the RCPC website to see
whether I’ve missed meetings about the Bike
Share program and I found one meeting on
April 9, 2016. Did I miss other meetings? |
know from Chris Jackson that the RDA did
not notify any of the businesses.

ed input

the block
h Library

spaces on
unfriendly

Iding serve

> No Kiosk Notice, page 9

EAST BAY RENTAL SPECIALIST

ROCKRIDGE I PIEDMONT ‘MONTCLAIR)

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

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pa -

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MReheccallvans’Amato, AIA 510.420.0210

> vAmatoArchitecture.com

ue. There |

December 2, 2017

——_ Le CesT Oe Cae” ee ane awe ° aa

ee oe ROCeridgeNews

No Kiosk Notice

eo" page 8

| I hope the density and locations of the
bicycles can be Opened again for discussion.

College and Bryant have so few parkin
spaces with all the restaurants and the Lear
some COMpromise could be considered. 3
As aconcerned business Owner, operating
on College Avenue since 1993, and a mixed
use building owner on College and Bryant
since 2000, I would like to have input into
these discussions and I'd like to know how
to participate,
Also, where are the bike helmets?
— A business and Property

owner on College Avenue. Name
withheld by request,

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Has OaxDort ConsipDERED Pustic

INVOLVEMENT AND RouNDABoUT SIDE
Errects?

Epitor: Following is a copy of a letter
[ sent to Council Member Dan Kalb and
Senior Transportation Planner Sarah Fine
expressing my concerns about the Round-
about planning process:

This is in response to the article about
“Mini-Roundabouts Coming Soon to
Shafter” that staff of the Oakland Department
of Transportation (OakDOT) published in
the November 2017 issue of The Rockridge
News.

First, a disclosure/disclaimer: I am a
member of the board of RCPC, the Rockridge
Community Planning Council. However, I
am writing only as a citizen of Oakland and
resident of Rockridge. The board has taken
no position on the matters discussed in the
OakDOT article.

Individuals whose opinions I respect
have expressed support for the proposed
roundabouts. | am concerned how well they
would work at the intersections in question,
but am open to being persuaded.

However, merits aside, this has not been
a model of effective public involvement, nor
is there satisfactory evidence that OakDOT
has taken appropriate account of side effects,
such as diversion of traffic to streets parallel
to Shafter. Since OakDOT is a new city
agency, I hope its managers will take this
as an Opportunity to improve its processes
for interacting with neighborhoods on local
transportation issues.

In the article, OakDOT declares that
it “wants to be sure we’re talking with

» Roundabouts, page 14

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Please contact me during regular business hours to

schedule an appointment.

ORO g

Challenge for
Claremont Hotel

by David Kessler, steering committee
member of the “Save Our Claremont”
organization.

ignature Development Group and
S investor Richard Blum, at the behest of
one of the largest international hotel chains
in the world, propose building a 43-unit
condominium complex right next to the
historic Claremont Hotel, and adding 250
memberships to the hotel’s Club & Spa.

The “Historic Resource Evaluation,”
prepared by Signature and presented to the
Oakland Landmarks Preservation Advisory
Board in May and June, suggested stripping
the area where they wish to build the
condominium complex of its status as a state
historic resource. This is a blatant attempt
to circumvent the public review and CEQA
protections that listing on the California
Register of Historic Resources affords the
landmark hotel and its grounds.

The Oakland Planning Commission will
consider the Historic Resource Evaluation
findings and is expected to release and
review a Draft Environmental Impact Report

> Claremont Hotel, page I!

Darin J]. Worm
BROKER
510.504.4960

djworm@centurioninsurance.net

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Commercial + Personal + Life + Health

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|
|

—_"
=

Rédckridge News

FI.
_

rockridge - temescal

friends of the greenbelt

Changes Are

OG has much to be thankful for: you, the community, for all your

support; volunteerism;
and parks commissions approvals, grants, and per
await our third and final permit approval for the
project. The bid and build phases are in sight for mid-2018. , ee

FROG on the Move: FROG will soon move its nonprofit affiliation
to the Oakland Parks and Recreation Foundation (OPRF), a non-profit.
After considering several options, including becoming a SOL(c)3 ourselves,
we decided to seek fiscal sponsorship through OPRF as our top choice

Coming to FROG

and everyone’s patience as We obtained city
mits in 2017. Now we

99
“Swings and More+

Rockridge Halloween Parade Founder

Pleased by Parade’s Growth, Evolution

by Theresa Nelson
atching the 25th annual Halloween
Parade in Rockridge brought back
wonderful memories of when I founded it,
as the mother of a two-year-old daughter.
A group of parents had been trying to get
the unsafe play structure
at Colby Park replaced
so there would be
someplace for us to
take our young ones
in the neighborhood,
instead of going to
Berkeley, Montclair,
or Piedmont. We ran
into some opposition, and folks were
discouraged, so I thought we should
do something fun and positive. And
what do toddlers and preschoolers
like better than dressing up? Thus was
born the Rockridge Halloween Parade.
The first year we had about 40

we added volunteer crossing guards at

major intersections, and then soon it was
hundreds. We learned that the youngest
kids really did not understand trick-or-treat
or the candy; they were mostly interested

Py rs
£
f

4 ~

hild h b 75 d Halloween Parade Trick-or-Treaters on
children, the next year about 75, an College Avenue, 2017.

7
| ™N
i

BEASONAL & ORGANIG VEGAN CUISINE

in walking around in their costumes. Older
ones.of course, were wise to the opportunity
for early Halloween treats.

Over the years, the parade has evolved,
sometimes with music, sometimes
storytelling, and with different merchants
participating, but one thing is constant: the
adorableness and sweetness of these young

r
a = f »
7a Sy : wr 2. | a |

/RONNIE SPITZER

children dressed up and parading around.
It makes me glad to see that this tradition
has survived 25 years, and I hope it will be
going strong 25 years from now.

Happy hour with seasonal
cocktails & small plates

Sunday brunch with live music

Wine dinners & special events

Visit MillenniumRestaurant.com for menu, reservations & gift certificates

5912 College Ave

510-735-9459

December 2, 2017

of a like-minded organization, focused on

improving parks across the City. During
the Big Build, OPRF (known at that timea

Friends of Oakland Parks and Recreation a
was our first and original fisca] Sponsor.

We made a formal request to join
OPRF and presented to the OPRR board
in November. I’m pleased to say our
application has been accepted and we are
finalizing the contact agreements. Our
official move is expected in early 2018.
Please stay tuned!

To volunteer, email chair@frogpark.
org. To make a tax-deductible donation

to FROG, click here: WWw.frogpark.org/
donate/

— Carol Behr, FROG Chair (Friends
of the Rockridge-Temesca] Greenbelt)

College Avenue
Presbyterian Church
5951 College Avenue | 94618

(510) 658-3665 | www.capcoakland.org
flv. Safe | open | real LVR

of our new
Downtown Oakland office

Avenue, Suite | 12
Mid-November 201 7

_. Celebrating our 50th year and

opening anew location!

100 Grand

grubbco.com

—— =

ee i i

pecember 2, 2017

_——= —— a 7° ee @er~ weer wa se [ = I a eee eo” «- =

RockridgeNews

Christmas Revels

Presents “A Scottish
Celebration

swirling of kilts, the Christmas
Revels celebrates the turning of the year in
Scottish style.

Robbie Burns as we pass the shortest day
‘n song, dance, and spirited folk tales. Be
there for haggis and Hogmanay, first-foot-
ing, wool-waulking, mouth Music, and even
guising. Of course the Lord of the Dance
will welcome you, and the Abbots Bromley
Antler Dance will cast its mysterious spell.

There will be plaids a-plenty, as Scots

b Revels, page 1

In Rockridge since 1997

Can you stay in your home
when you need long term care?

Yes we do offer:

Long Term
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INSURANCE SERVICES, INC
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—

11.

Claremont Hotel

from page 9

in the coming months.

Should this project be built, it would have
a significant impact on Rockridge. It would
increase congestion (and consequently air,
noise and light pollution) in the Tunnel Road
corridor between Contra Costa County and
coastal East Bay locations, as well as along
Claremont Avenue and local streets.

In addition, since the hotel is served
by only a single bus route but is near
freeways, it would invite new residents to
use automobiles. The added vehicular traffic
would imperil evacuation routes in the event
of a disaster like the 1991 fire; add to parking
congestion; delay commutes; and endanger
pedestrians and cyclists.

In addition, the visual impact upon
the majestic landmarked hotel would be
irreversible and unsightly. It is another

reason why this project deserves the closest
scrutiny.

While we can all agree that more housing
is needed, luxury units far from a transit hub
do not meet the need. There are, moreover,
no data to support the notion that trickle
down operates with respect to housing
development.

Community opposition in past decades
has defeated projects very similar to this. We
hope you will consider adding your voice to
those who question the wisdom of building
these condominiums and vastly enlarging
club membership.

Please follow the progress of the project
via our website: saveourclaremont.org.

Ed. Note: Signature Development Group will
be invited to respond to this Op-Ed piece in the
February issue of The Rockridge News.

Below: Aerial perspective (from the
west) of the proposed condominium

as it would appear beside the Hotel.
(Image courtesy Save Our Claremont.)

Condoplex at the Claremont?

BRE #01452156

510.867.4094

-_— > ee a ay

te ee Oe

es ee eee O™™ tae ow Fe" PES” LF aT ew”

Sere or" 488" OO + Om ou

Rodckridge News

December 2, 2017

iS ride News

Mutual Aid

from page |

All fires start out under the control of the
local agency, but as they grow, County and
State take over. Cities have Mutual Aid agree-
ments that quickly bring in resources from
neighboring cities, and Cal Fire coordinates
all air responses. I worked the fire at Leona
Quarry a few weeks back and found myself
alongside firefighters from as far away as the
Santa Cruz mountains. It’s almost impossi-
ble to get a box of pencils delivered to the
firehouse, but when it counted we ordered
up six air tankers and two Skycrane heli-
copters to Oakland within minutes. During
the summer months, Cal Fire has crews up
and down the state and they take charge at
all major incidents.

On our way to Santa Rosa, Cal Fire told
us to meet four other engines from around
the Bay Area to become a “strike team.” We
were given unique identifying rig numbers
that we wrote on our windows with grease
paint, and we were assigned radio channels
to communicate with each other and with
Command. Radio communications are hit
and miss at the best of times, and in Santa
Rosa we were occasionally unable to com-
municate with base. Cell phones help, and are
also a useful reminder to feel guilty that you
haven’t called home in 36 hours.

Allemergency responders use the Incident
Command System, which gives us common
terminology and tactics so a firefighter from
Oakland can communicate immediately with
a cop from Alabama. (That only goes so far;
when we talk politics there are still a lot of

ed ee “Me ;
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blank stares on both sides.) :
If you were here during the Firestorm

in 1991, you probably remember stories of
mutual aid units arriving and being unable
to hook up to our hydrants. We've fixed that.
All cities in California have common ly-sized
fittings or at least carry adapters so that they
can easily adjust to local equipment.

When we send rigs out of county, We
usually send engines (the short ones with the
water) rather than trucks (the long ones with
the ladders and the firefighter driving the
back wheels and acting all cool). There's not
much work for ladder trucks on a wildland or

urban inter-

grass. But that won't necessarily be enough;
remember that the 1991 Firestorm Jumped an
eight-lane freeway, so just keeping your g
mowed won't cut it. Take the time to educat
yourself about fire policy and then keep the
pressure on your elected officials. Don’t let
them reduce staffing or let equipment fall
into disrepair. Tell the City and the School
District and Caltrans that they need to keep
their properties well-maintained just like you
keep yours. Encourage the City to update the
emergency alert system so we can all receive

warning texts and calls telling us when it’s
time to bug out.

All told,

face fire,
whereas
the engines
can lay hose
and protect
structures.
But most of
the work is
done with
hand tools: the laborious work of scratching
protective lines down to bare mineral soil in
order to deprive the fire of fuel. You fight a
fire like that with a million hours of digging,
a thousand air drops, and the occasional lucky
break in the weather.

The mutual aid system isn’t perfect, but
it’s enormously better than it was. With wild-
fires on the increase, municipalities have to
balance their generosity with the need to hold
rigs back to protect home turf.

Everyone’s job gets easier if residents do
their part: maintain your defensible space;
park off-street so we can get by; and don’t
juggle your flaming batons in the high

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Oakland sent
about 25 people
northwards last
month. Not just
cannon fodder
firefighters like
me, but also spe-
Cialists such as

bulldozer oper-
ators, Communications specialists, and

helicopter operations managers. Fires are
a fact of life in California, and we have to
work together as a state to protect ourselves.
To keep ourselves safe at home we need
start thinking of our fire department as pa
of a much larger patchwork of resources.
Even then there are no guarantees. Enjoy
the rainy winter!

(1)
ND
NAMASTE

YOGA + WELLNESS

OU:

VISIT OUR BOUTIQUES FOR
UNIQUE AND CONSCIOUS GIFTS
FROM THE HEART.

Gift cards available for yoga,
massage, and boutique items!

BERKELEY | GRAND LAKE | ROCKRIDGE
WWW.ILOVENAMASTE.COM

pecember 2, 2017

GoBikes

rom page 5S

alongside Tim's house, twelve feet from his
kitchen window, and he Wants them moved
two blocks away to the DMV Parking lot. He
says he found an anonymous note on his door
saying. “If you don’t like the bikes, why don’t
you move?” He’s lived there thirty years: that
question, he told me, “made my wife cry.”

After their chat with the Mayor, I had my
five minutes to ask questions, on the record
for The Rockridge News. I started with:
what was the city’s share of the venture?
Her reply: “There is no city money in this
endeavor at all.” So why do it? | asked. For
the environment, she explained. “It’s seen
as an amenity, and a way to get people out
of their cars.”

Unexpected information about the city
money, but technically true, } later looked
up and read (most of) the city’s Franchise
Agreement. here among the “Whereas’es js
mention of $660,616.00 in funding from the
Bay Area Air Quality Management District
for an Oakland bikeshare program. There’s
no mention of where that money went, but the
ocument does get Oakland into the GoBike
rogram, administered by the multi-county
Metropolitan Transportation Commission
(MTC). GoBike gets 20 per cent of the
proceeds; 80 per cent goes to the MTC to
be divvied up among participating cities
according to each city’s share of bike rentals.
Oakland will then tuck its take back into its
own “Bay Area Air Quality Management
District Fund (2166).” So it sounds like it’s
not actually the city’s money until it comes

‘}J 4" we ie
P ate . ’ -_- ? » ote w.
“ { ~*\ - ed .

-414 NORTH STREET, ROCKRIDGE:
Sold with 6 offers! Closed in 10 days

with all cash, no contingencies, for
well over the asking price.

Ruth Goldstone
510.418.7191

eastbayprop@gmail.com
CalBRE# 01300164

For more details on this sale, or if you re

thinking of selling or buying, contact Kutn.

Rockridge News
Mobile Mayor

from page 4

right now.” She also is against building
the new Oakland A’s stadium on Laney
College property. It will uproot, she said,
the Chinese community “for the benefit of
people from the suburbs.”

Rick Davis from Redwood Heights said
he stopped to say “hi” to the mayor “for my
mother on her birthday” and to tell Schaaf
to keep up the fight against coal in Oakland.

George Krevsky, also from Rockridge,
had a string of quick questions: where did
Schaaf think the current East Bay Jewish
Community Center should relocate; express
his concerns about potholes and Oakland

13.

—— eT

schools: and ask: “How can I help with her
re-election campaign?”

Caroline Stern, a Rockridge artist, had
mistakenly come to meet the mayor at 10
a.m., but back she came at 1:30, “trying
to advocate for art. We're the richest
neighborhood,” she told me, “but we have
no murals.”

Ron Cohen, who came over from
Temescal and works at Children’s Hospital,
wanted to “just chat. [t adds to my day,”
he said.

And then there was Greg Pasquali, a
former RCPC board member and local
builder, who brought his small! daughter,
Eleanor, to meet Schaaf. “I want to show
her that it’s completely normal to have a

woman in charge,” he said.

out the other end of the endeavor.

In all fairness to Mayor Schaaf, I
must point out that she didn’t vote for the
agreement—she didn’t have to. It was passed
unanimously by the City Council in 2016.
But then it became her job to make it work,
so I asked about all the questions that have
come up. She acknowledged there have been
complaints, “but this is the first organized
protest.”

Indeed, there have been complaints.
Merchants along College Avenue are trying
to get bike racks moved into red zones
and onto sidewalk extensions. “It’s all
about parking, that’s the issue,” says Chris
Jackson, manager of the Rockridge District
Association of local businesses.

And, on the flip side, there is even a
petition to bring back a bike rack. It was
removed for construction on 14th Street
near Chinatown, and those two dozen
local residents want it returned to the
neighborhood.

“Contacting your elected officials is
always a valid first step,” the Mayor told

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me. So what about getting a bike rack
moved? “I was assured it is very easy to
move these stations,” she said. Physically,
yes. But politically is a different question.
Mayor Schaaf suggested that Motivate might
respond to public pressure. “The experience
that Oaklanders have is important to them,”
she said, referring to Motivate.

If that doesn’t work, there is still Section
23 of the Franchise Agreement: It grants the
city the right to make Motivate relocate up
to one tenth of its stations at the company’s
own expense. So perhaps Motivate will be
motivated to take a mulligan and try again.

Meanwhile, there are more GoBikes yet
to come, including at Rockridge BART and
the corner of College and Alcatraz. The
Franchise Agreement calls for a total of at
least 70 stations in Oakland, each within half
a mile of another. (The full map 1s available
on the Ford GoBike website: https://member.
fordgobike.com/map/ )

But for now, it appears the company is
digging in its heels about the Shafter rack.
In its official response, Motivate says, “We
will monitor this location on a regular basis
to ensure it’s well taken care of and serves
the community—and in a year, recommend
changes if needed.”

And there was one line in that statement
that caused me to raise an eyebrow, and
another question. “The city’s curb spaces
are hidden assets in plain sight.”

Whose assets are we talking about?

ee ee aR at ee ee eee ea ta ae Oe

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Rdckridge News

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Roundabouts

from page 9

neighbors whenever we do projects” and
“[w]e are happy to hear suggestions from
neighbors concerning the need for safety
treatments.” Yet the agency’s plans for
Shafter and roundabouts are already firming
up, as Shafter’s repaving looms just a few
months off. There was no previous outreach
to either RCPC or The Rockridge News,
which would have been appropriate to advise
the neighborhood of staff’s preliminary
thinking and gain feedback before OakDOT
formulated the present proposal.

As justification for its proposal, the
article briefly describes and quotes from a
survey distributed along Shafter and vaguely
referred-to “intersecting blocks.” I live on
an intersecting street a few blocks from
Shafter, but to my knowledge no one near me
received the survey (before The Rockridge
News article appeared). The article contains
repeated assertions that “many” and “most”
provided various responses, but includes no
details to support these characterizations.
Basic questions include: When and how were
the surveys distributed? How many were
distributed? How many were returned? How
many supported the proposed roundabouts?