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www.rockridge.org
 ckridgeNews

THE

VOL. 33       NO. 5      ISSUE NO. 354        May 5, 2018                        CIRCULATION: 5,800 RESIDENCES; 200 BUSINESSES

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

RCPC Election Brings Board Near to Full Strength
Newcomers Ashley Cruz, Sally Smyth
Elected; Members M C Haug, Leonora
Sea, Courtney Welch Gain Full Terms

Progress: Lane Diet Projects
City contractor Victoria Eisen, Eisen-Letunic
Urban Planning, discusses the allocation of
project funds and construction progress for
the Broadway Lane Diet, and improvements
to the Shafter/College/Keith and Miles inter-
sections; among others.           /D. Kinkead

Stuart Flashman’s Term as Chair Expires
Following the Election; Board Elects
Leonora Sea as Chair for 2018-19 Term
Rept: RCPC April Annual Meeting and Town Hall
by Stuart Flashman, RCPC
Boardmember
On Thursday, April 19, RCPC held
its annual meeting and April Town
Hall at the Rockridge Branch Library.
Twenty-nine Rockridge residents signed
in for the election. A quorum of members
was in attendance and balloting went
ahead for the 2018 board election.
Residents unable to attend the April 19
meeting had an opportunity to vote two
days later at the RCPC polling station in
front of the Rockridge Branch library.
At the meeting, each of the five
candidates for the Board of Directors —
Ashley Cruz, M.C. Haug, Leonora Sea,
Sally Smyth, and Courtney Welch — gave
a short presentation to the audience about
her background, why she was running,
and what she hoped to accomplish on
the board.
All five candidates were handily
elected, and seated a week later at a
special board meeting. At that meeting,
Leonora Sea was elected Chair, and
Ronnie Spitzer was elected Treasurer.
The other two offices, Vice-Chair and
Secretary, and the fifth, at-large member
of the Board’s executive committee will
be chosen at the Board’s regular May
meeting.
Once the election concluded, the
Town Hall audience heard a
presentation by the Oakland Department
of Transportation staff and consultant
Victoria Eisen about Rockridge/North
Oakland street improvements funded by
money from Oakland’s settlement with
Caltrans over the Caldecott Improvement
Project. The settlement projects are
intended to reduce auto traffic on
Highway 24 or otherwise mitigate impacts
from adding a fourth bore to the tunnel.
At this point, almost half of the
funded projects have been completed.
➧➧April Meeting and Town Hall, page 9

Vote YES on D: Keep Oakland Libraries Open and Thriving

by Sarah Washburn, Co-chair, Friends
of the Rockridge Library (FORL)
Let’s get right down to it: libraries in
Oakland are facing real troubles.
These are serious troubles, the kind that
close branches, the kind that can cut off
neighborhoods from the resources they rely
on, if people don’t vote for libraries on June 5.
Measure D, a parcel tax of $75, will fund
our libraries as they should be supported:
adding hours; maintaining programs;
supporting services; and continuing to offer
a safe space for youth and for anyone who
walks through the doors.
If Measure D does not pass, branches
will close. Fewer libraries means reduced
services, like access to books, to computers
and the internet, to DVDs, to story times, to
Science, Technology, Engineering and Math
(STEM) programs, to afternoon crafts, to
book clubs…
I could fill the pages of The Rockridge
News with the types of programs and
services that would be lost. If Measure D
does not pass, libraries could be closed as
early as July 1, 2018.
Even if you don’t use the library, this a
scenario we all should dread. Libraries are
the last bastion of democracy, a place where
enrichment, discovery, social services, and
open access to ideas and information are free
and available to everyone. A lost library is a
cumulative loss, felt for generations.
Still under discussion


May 5, 2018
2.

Rockridge Legend, Albert Keshishian:
October 23, 1927 – March 19, 2018
ROCKRIDGE BRANCH LIBRARY
                  5366 College Avenue
                   at Manila | 597-5017
Library program details/hours: Calendar, page 15
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	�����������������������Editor
Jo Ellis	�����������������������������������Asst. Editor
Judith Doner Berne	������������Eyes on Rockridge
Jo Ellis	�����������������������������������Advertising &
Community Calendar
Susan Montauk	�������������������Business Manager
Don Kinkead	�����������������������Graphics & Layout
RCPC Board of Directors, 2018-19
Leonora Sea	������������������������Chair
Vacant	����������������������������������Vice-Chair
Vacant	�����������������������������������Secretary
Ronnie Spitzer	��������������������Treasurer
Alden Conner,  Ashley Cruz,
Stuart Flashman, Eduardo Gutentag,
M C Haug, Don Kinkead, Andrew Masalin,
Sally Smyth, Courtney Welch
Contact the board: chair@rockridge.org
For information: info@rockridge.org
Newsletter Subscriptions

To my beloved mentor and my muse, Albert Keshishian
by Tigran Agadzhanyan, Marshal, Oakland Durant Rockridge Lodge #188
On October 23, 1927, Albert Keshishian was born in Oakland, making him the second
child of Hadji and Taguhi Keshishian, both survivors of the Armenian Genocide.
Growing up in Rockridge, Albert attended Rockridge Elementary, Claremont Junior
High, and graduated from Oakland Technical High in February 1945. As a child, he
balanced several jobs, including being a paperboy with two routes circling the Oakland
hills and helping his father at the very cherished Levant Rug Company. Although Albert
spent nearly 80 years in the rug business, he was a man of many talents, interests, and
passions and left us with a legacy that will be remembered for the next millennium.
Albert and his father were renowned as highly skilled rug restorers and cleaners.
Oftentimes, and with great joy, Albert would teach his friends and customers the history of
rugs and explain the symbolism behind intricate, geometric patterns. Rugs of the Keshishian
family have been featured in galleries in San Francisco, Oakland, New York, and the
Smithsonian Museum. With rows and rows of rug books in his office, Albert would pick
out a certain page and describe the pictured rug. Not surprisingly, rug experts were always
brought to shame with the extent of knowledge Albert had about rugs and the industry.
“This is clearly a sturgeon, I don’t know why he calls it a lanceolate leaf!” Truly, the world
has lost the expert of experts in the industry
Albert’s talents were not limited to the rug and carpet industry. As a young child, he
was deeply involved in the arts and had a cultivated musical side. At the age of 12, he was
selected as a soloist for The Golden Gate International Exposition of 1939. He was also a
member of a boys’ choir and had lessons with May Metz de St. Maurice. He was featured in
Don Giovanni as Lepperello in a production put on by a Bay Area performance company.
Unfortunately, the company disbanded after the death of its Maestro. Although his dreams of
becoming a professional opera singer ended there, Albert never spent a day without singing.
As he was completing paperwork in his office, he would often sing Leoncavallo’s “Vesti
La Giubba”, or hum the tune to Billy Holiday’s version of “Summertime” as he was pacing
in his shop. During the celebration of Albert’s 90th birthday, friends and family witnessed
his last public performance as he sang the Lord’s Prayer.
Poems, did you ask? Oh, yes! Albert had a poem for just about any occasion. If none existed,
he could write a personal poem within fifteen minutes.

➧➧Albert Keshishian, page 13
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To subscribe to The Rockridge News, send
your check for $20, payable to: Rockridge News
RCPC with “Subscription” on the memo line.
Mail to the address below.
Contacting The Rockridge News
Are there community issues you’d like to see
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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;
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The Rockridge News,
4123 Broadway, PMB 311, Oakland, CA 94611
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 June issue is:
  June 1, 2018.
  Submission deadline: May 17.
Advertising rates are $26/column inch. Six-
month pre-pay rate available. For display ads,
call Jo Ellis at 653-3210 (after noon), or email
joellis1@hotmail.com. RCPC reserves the right
to refuse any display or classified ad that it deems
inappropriate. (Classified ad contact, page 14.)


3.
May 5, 2018

2019 legislative session, and expressed hope
the results from the Rockridge Housing
Study might help inform Senators Wiener
and Skinner on more nuanced approaches to
address the bill’s goals. Committee members
felt that the bill needed to address expanding
urban public transit as well as housing.
College Avenue Safeway
The Committee briefly discussed
problems over Safeway’s commitment
in its settlement agreement with local
community groups (including RCPC) to pay
for residential parking permits on streets
The May Land Use Committee meeting is planned to
meet 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, May 23 at at the Rockridge
Branch Library. Please check the rockridge.org
website the previous week for the agenda.
RCPC Land Use Committee
Update, May 2018
should serve as a baseline for evaluating the
potential for adding more housing with and
without zoning changes.
SB 827 (Wiener/Skinner)
As reported separately in this issue,
SB 827 was “killed” in its first committee
hearing before the Senate Transportation and
Housing Committee. Committee members
discussed a possible follow-up bill in the
The Land Use Committee met April 26
and discussed four items:
Student Intern
RCPC’s student intern has begun
collecting data on existing buildings and
housing units on College Avenue. The results
➧➧Land Use Committee, page 9
Crime in
Rockridge
Scenic Streets of Oakland
Wednesday Weeders Attack
the Mt. Tam Thistle
On a recent sunny day, Scenic Streets
volunteers Laurie Baker, left, Judy
Weiss, Robert Firehock and Carol Kas-
parek clean up planted areas of the Hudson
Street on-ramp to westbound Hwy 24.
Scenic Streets of Oakland still needs
volunteers.
Exercise! Com mu n it y spi r it!
Accomplishment glow! Contact Lee
Patterson at lee.scenicstreetsoakland@
gmail.com for more info. Also: mark your
calendar for Saturday, June 16, 9 a.m. to 11
a.m., when a Mulching Madness event is
planned. More next month.
by Karen Ivy,
Secretary,
Greater Rockridge
NCPC
Readers of Nextdoor see a fairly constant
discussion of crime in the Rockridge
area. But on a week-to-week basis, how much
crime is there really, compared to the rest of
North Oakland – or even the rest of Oakland?
For this article, I’ll discuss Oakland
Police Department (OPD) beats 12Y and
13X, the responsibility of the Greater
Rockridge Neighborhood Crime Prevention
Council (NCPC). Beat 13X is the area north
of Pleasant Valley, between Broadway and
Highway 13. That area sees much less crime
than 12Y, which is north of 51st Street
between Broadway and Telegraph Avenue.
(Find your police beat at this link: http://
spjika.github.io/FindYourBeat/)
Both Rockridge beats are part of
OPD Bureau of Field Operations Area 2
(North Oakland), which comprises the
commercial districts of Rockridge, KONO
(formerly Koreatown), Temescal, Montclair,
and Piedmont Avenue, plus surrounding
residential areas.
I get the statistics I publish monthly for
12Y and 13X from Oakland’s crime mapping
website, Crimewatch (http://gismaps.
oaklandnet.com/crimewatch/). Crimewatch
is a commercial mapping site which shows
crime graphically on a map. Users can
also download an Excel spreadsheet, with
all reported crimes for the entire city over
the previous 90 days. I extract the 12Y and
13X data from that, something anyone can
Experience * Knowledge * Performance

Oakland Real Estate news
Did you know that there is a proposed ordinance to charge $3000-$6000/year to owners of properties that are
vacant?   Could apply to rental units, single family homes, lots or commercial spaces.  Call your city council
member if you’d like to provide input of any kind to this item being considered by the council.

On the market now:
>2912Benvenue.com Adorable 4 BD  brown shingle home plus two 1BD cottages, tenant occupied:

Coming on next week:
>5589 Lawton Ave - gorgeous +/- 3,000 sqft of living space, home plus accessory building, 3 blocks to BART

Happy Mother’s Day Moms!
Perry Riani, Senior Associate
“2016 Realtor of the Year”
1900 Mountain Blvd Oakland, CA 94611
1625 Shattuck Ave Berkeley, CA 94709
 C: 510.813.3799  perry@pacunion.com
License # 01402540

➧➧Tracking Crime, page 10


May 5, 2018
4.

Letters to the Editor
The Rockridge News welcomes
posted letters and emails to the
editor. Your name, address, phone
number, email address and city/
neighborhood must be included in
either for verification. Only your
name will appear with your letter.
parked delivery trucks, buses and existing
traffic, navigating College Avenue is slow,
frustrating and difficult. It’s hard to imagine
how the addition of bicycle lanes and the
further reductions in parking and/or lanes for
cars will work. The impact can’t be beneficial
to residents and local businesses.
Bulb-outs are also proposed for College
Avenue. Because of the compromised
turning radius on busy two-lane business
streets, these create difficult situations for
cars turning onto a narrow street like College
and cause traffic build-up.
Increasing bicycle facilities has benefits
for cyclists, and supposedly everyone, but
basic needs of those who use cars are being
ignored.
— Chuck Byrne
Victoria Eisen Replies:
This resident raises many questions,
which for clarity, I paraphrase below with
a response to each. First, I’d like to remind
readers that the Broadway road diet between
Keith Avenue and Broadway Terrace is not
complete. The City is waiting for PG&E
Unsigned or anonymous letters will
not be published. 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.
Broadway Improvements Neglect
Driver Safety and Endanger
Pedestrians
Editor
30-plus years we’ve lived in Rockridge, it’s
never been easy or safe entering Broadway
due to difficult lines-of-sight and traffic
speed. By ignoring the minimal safety needs
of car owners in creating the “pinball,” the
access situation has become more dangerous
for everyone.
Using College and Lawton to leave
the area, with its five-way intersection, is
problematic at best for cars and pedestrians.
To add to the confusion at this intersection,
bicycle lanes are planned for College Avenue
to help cyclists on the tough uphill part. The
bike lanes will happen only with the “magic”
of eliminating parking spaces, putting
additional pressure on the neighborhood’s
limited spaces where residents purchase
expensive parking permits. With double-
The April Rockridge News contains
reports of more “improvements” to Broadway
below CA 24. I believe a more effective and
less costly solution to slowing traffic would
have been to install a red light at the Lawton
Avenue intersection. But, to satisfy cyclists,
Broadway has become less a roadway, more a
giant pinball machine with bumpers, paddles
and white striped slots with green checks
and flashing lights. The visual clutter of this
treatment confuses everyone, and may do
more harm than good. I have seen very few
cyclists using the dedicated bike lanes. In
fact, there never have been many cyclists on
Broadway. The climb up Broadway is tough
and College Avenue is the preferred route.
It seems no consideration has been given
to people who live on Lawton and Ocean
View between Broadway and College, most
of whom use cars to get around. In the
➧➧Problematic Improvements, page 5
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5.
May 5, 2018

College Ave Sidewalk Widening
Would Benefit Businesses, Cut
City Parking Revenues
Editor:
Problematic
Improvements
the other projects, which are for public,
not private, benefit. I also ask Rockridge
residents to contact Victoria Eisen, who
is coordinating public input on Caldecott
projects, and let her know your opinion.
— Jon Gabel
The topic for the RCPC Town Hall
meeting of April 19 was an update on
the status of Caldecott Tunnel Settlement
projects. A common complaint voiced by
attendees was the escalating costs of some
projects already approved. There may not
be sufficient funds to complete all of these,
much less address worthy projects further
down the ranked list.
Therefore, it is disturbing to me that the
widening of the sidewalk running the full
length of Market Hall on College Avenue
is still on track as one of the Pedestrian
Improvements projects. I asked if Market
Hall could apply for a permit for additional
outside seating once this construction was
finished. Wlad Wlassowsky, Transportation
Services Manager for Oakland’s Department
of Transportation (OakDOT), stated they
could. He also said that even with additional
seating, pedestrian congestion would be no
worse than it is now.
If there will not be an improvement in
sidewalk congestion, then the only purpose
of widening that sidewalk is for taxpayers
to subsidize Market Hall — twice: First,
by paying for a larger outside area for their
tables; and by having to make up the loss
to Oakland in parking revenues — forever
— for the parking spaces removed to make
room for the larger sidewalk.
I urge the City to bulb out only the corner
of College Avenue and Shafter Avenue but
not to expand the College Avenue sidewalk.
The cost savings would be better spent on
from page 4
to electrify the new pedestrian-activated
“HAWK” (High-Intensity Activated
crossWalK beacon) signal at Lawton and for
the contractor to complete striping, including
a new left turn lane at Lawton.
Q1: Why is the City installing a
pedestrian-activated (“HAWK”) signal at
Broadway/Lawton, rather than a traditional
traffic signal?
A: The primary purpose of this project
is to make it safer to cross Broadway on
foot. Installing a traditional traffic signal
would have accomplished this but the
signal would have allowed motorists to
use Lawton/Rockridge Blvd to cut through
the neighborhood, something residents
consistently asked us during the project
planning process not to facilitate. The
Lawton crossing has been a long-time
complaint of area residents, and previous
low-cost improvements have had limited
success. The HAWK signal (solely for
pedestrian crossing safety) was one of the
highest priority projects on the Caldecott
Settlement project list. Further, this signal
will only go on when requested by a
pedestrian pushing a button; otherwise, the
signal will be “dark”, or inactive, and will
not disrupt through traffic on Broadway.
Q2: The project is meant to satisfy
bicyclists, but very few use the new bike
lanes.
Victoria Eisen Replies
The corner bulb-out on the southwest
corner of College/Shafter was designed to
reduce crowding when folks are waiting to
cross the road and to shorten the crosswalks.
The curb extension south of the corner is
meant to leave more room on the sidewalk
for pedestrians, and was part of the original
project design. If Market Hall wishes to put
seating on the new curb extension, they will
have to apply to the City for an encroachment
permit, as is the case whenever a business
owner wants to use a portion of the public
right-of-way.
Can Tr ansportaton Pl anners
Assure That All Listed Projects
Will be Completed?
Editor:
I am concerned that projects at the
bottom of the list will not be done because
funds being spent on other listed projects
will push costs over estimated amounts.
I am particularly concerned about
the Hudson/Claremont intersection
improvements, vital to the safety of the
hundreds of children who use Frog Park
daily, and cross this extremely busy
intersection. Frog Park is the only large
open space in this area and attracts families,
school groups, parents and grandparents and
babysitters with small children.
➧➧Caldecott Project Funding, page 13
➧➧Problematic Improvements”, page 14
Competition Drives Price in April
 Closing date BR BA
Address
Original price
List price
DOM
Selling price
4/5/2018
2
1
5499 Kales Ave
$995,000
$995,000
0
$1,000,000
4/10/2018   3
1
6326 Roanoke Rd
$1,195,000
$1,195,000
13
$1,400,000
4/12/2018    4     2       5701 Keith Ave
$1,495,000
$1,495,000
13
$1,850,000
4/20/2018   3     2       5830 Mendocino
$1,050,000
$1,050,000
14
$1,625,000
4/23/2018   4     3       6095 Rockridge Blvd
$1,495,000
$1,495,000
15
$1,550,000
Homes sold in April closed 19% over the asking price on average.


May 5, 2018
6.

Eyes on Rockridge
New Restaurants Serve Up Potpourri of Dining Options

by Judith Doner Berne
It’s not as many as opened in 2013 when
ten — count them, ten — new eateries
burst into Rockridge along College Avenue.
But in the first few months of this year, six
new or re-hashed (excuse the pun) restaurants
have opened along College Avenue and two
debuted in the Ridge shopping center, corner
of 51st and Broadway.
Interestingly, all but one are either
smallish Bay Area-based chains or affiliated
by ownership and/or name with another
restaurant.
And yes, I have tried them all.
Bangkok Garden
the menu has changed, although the
chef and at least part of the ownership
remain the same. One new item is a
pork bowl, and more vegetarian dishes
are available. Although they still serve
wine and beer, they have whittled the
selection down considerably.
Judoku Sushi Rockridge
Down t he st re et, where
Christopher’s Burger stood for many
years and Wingman for just months,
Kanni Ko and Sean Kim have opened
Judoku Sushi Rockridge, 5295 College.
It’s the sister Japanese restaurant to the
original Judoku at 3314 Piedmont
Avenue. Kim, who attended
culinary school in Korea
and was a former sous-chef
at Alexander’s in Cupertino,
shares preparing dishes on
the extensive menu with a
second chef. Ko works the front
of the house.
“They connect with their guests
in a very powerful way,” loyal
patron Lisa Tomlinson told me, as
she lunched on chicken teriyaki,
which she often ordered at their
other location. Even if you decide
on just a spider roll, as I did, it comes
beautifully presented, plus miso soup and
salad. Bento boxes offer a choice of two
entrees, rice and a marinated mushroom
mini-salad. Your bill comes tucked into
a small metal pail with a delicate Korean
cookie(s) alongside it.
Holy Basil Pho
Moving along the street to what was
formerly Chu, a Northern Chinese restaurant,
co-owner Dana Chow presides over its new
iteration, Holy Basil Pho. It’s in the same
two-story, high-ceilinged, contemporary
setting at 5362 College. The food now is
Vietnamese, highlighting a variety of Pho
noodle soups — hence the name — but with
Closest to our home is Bangkok Garden,
5231 College, formerly the original Sabuy
Sabuy which has a second restaurant in
Berkeley. The dining room and garden have
been updated, and approximately a third of
➧➧College Avenue Dining, page 7


7.
May 5, 2018

College Avenue
Dining Potpourri
and café with multiple sites in
San Francisco. It took over the
extensive patio and restaurant that
Pasta Pomodoro abruptly vacated
at 5500 College, when that chain
declared bankruptcy.
“This café is just what the
neighborhood needed,” wrote
Rockridge resident Adam Glazier,
in an on-line review. “The best
fresh pastries, sandwiches, quiches
along with excellent coffee and a
variety of juices. There’s a nice
patio and decent amount of indoor
seating. No need to bus your own
dishes and there are leash hooks
for dogs outside.”
The Hideaway
John Edmonds is a regular at The
Hideaway, 5634 College, in the former
Bourbon & Beef location. (Photo, page 12.)
He is working his way down the extensive
burger list, which includes the Figgy Blue
Piggy (yes, blue cheese, bacon and fig jam)
from page 6
a nod to some of their previous dishes.
Chu was, years back, a Michelin Bib
Award winner, defined as the best of eateries
where two courses and a glass of wine or
dessert cost $40 or less before tax and tip.
(Rockridge’s Wood Tavern and Millennium
won 2018 Bib awards.) “We have rebranded,”
said Chow, a Rockridge resident. She
and co-owner Philip Chu also run Kirin
Restaurant in North Berkeley, which serves
some of the former Chu’s dishes.
La Boulangerie
La Boulangerie opened this spring at
5500 College, the only East Bay location
for this French-American-based bakery
and the Hangover burger (topped with an
organic fried egg) as well as lamb, ground
turkey, grilled ahi, blackened whitefish and
veggie burgers.
“We’re really proud that we only source
from farmers and ranchers who participate
in the Never Ever (no added
hormones, antibiotics,
vegetarian-fed) program,”
said Katherine Schiele, a
partner and bartender at
the restaurant owned by
Nick Masarweh of Nico’s
Hideaway in Berkeley.
The Beer Baron
The Beer Baron put
an end to everyone’s
speculations as to what
would replace the former
Toast restaurant with its
NEW LISTING!
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∙ 3 bedrooms + family room
∙ 2.5 bathrooms
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➧➧College Avenue Dining,
page 12
COMING SOON!
1114 KEELER AVENUE
BERKELEY
Spacious and gracious Midcentury
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DRE# 01300164
For more details on this listing, or if you’re
thinking of selling or buying, contact Ruth.


May 5, 2018
8.

Great Turnout for Frog Park — Earth Day 2018
More than 100 volunteers participated in the Frog Park and
Greenbelt Earth Day cleanup. Local businesses represented
included Fremont Bank-Claremont Branch and staff from
other branches; Better Homes and Gardens-Oakland, Grand
Lake Office team. Neighbors and friends joining the fun
included students and teachers from Claremont Middle and
Peralta Elementary Schools; Oakland Durant Rockridge
#188 Masonic Lodge members; a birthday-girl’s-volunteer-
party volunteered with friends and family to celebrate her
birthday; Cub Scout Pack 274; and many other local and
visiting community members joined in the cleanup effort.
Volunteers of all ages were weeding, sweeping, turning
the playground fibar, picking up trash, raking leaves,

trimming the ivy, and pruning. There was a wonderful community
feeling throughout the morning.
A special big thank you to Fremont Bank for their
generous $2,500 donation to our park along with donated
coffee, pastries and fruit and staff volunteers who
participated in the cleanup.
Thank you again to Bakesale Betty for donating
wonderful scones and nut-free banana bread over the
years. A lot of work was accomplishments and Frog Park
looks so much better.
Thank you to all volunteers!
Carol Behr, Chair, FROG (Friends of the Rockridge-
Temescal Greenbelt)
May Meeting
and Town Hall
from page 8


9.
May 5, 2018

Land Use
Committee
Pleasant Valley location. TRC had promised
a revised plan by early summer, but there
has been no word. The committee discussed
the problems and prospects for retail stores
at that center and along College Avenue,
agreeing that some rethinking of strategy
might be needed in view of the competition
from on-line retailers.
Rockridge Housing Study Update
Work is continuing on the evaluation of
the five alternative housing scenarios. The
committee hopes to discuss the feasibility
of some of the proposed affordable housing
incentives with some nonprofit and for-
profit developers. The Committee discussed
modifying the “high-density” scenario to
more closely match that proposed in SB 827.
SB 827 Fails in Committee
Despite attempts by Senators Scott Wiener
(D-S.F.) and Nancy Skinner (D-Oakland/
Berkeley) to amend their bill mandating
upzoning near transit stations and along
transit corridors, it was voted down by a
large margin before the the Senate Trans-
portation and Housing Committee. Although
the authors attempted two sets of molifying
amendments, they could not overcome the
opposition of many Bay Area and Southern
California cities. While the bill has now died,
Senator Wiener has said he will continue
to push for its aims, and has promised to
introduce another bill aimed at promoting
higher housing densities near transit in next
year’s session.
See a full report on RCPC’s website at
RCPC.org.
from page 3
near the store. It appeared Safeway had
not fulfilled its commitment in Berkeley,
and the Committee felt it important to
determine if it was complying in Oakland.
Communication with Safeway at it current
Boise Idaho headquarters may be successful
in remedying at least this noncompliance
problem, although others remain.
Shops at the Ridge Phase II
The Committee revisited the issue of
TRC, Inc.’s failure to follow through on the
planned phase II of “Shops at the Ridge,”
planned retail expansion at the Broadway/
April Meeting
and Town Hall
pedestrian safety. Still to come are a number
of improvements along College Avenue,
including bicycle lanes and intersection
improvements at both Shafter/Keith and
Miles Avenue intersections. There are also
further improvements in the works for Tunnel
Road/Highway 13 interchange to make it
safer for bicyclists. Because of cost overruns
due to needed design changes, Eisen said
some projects may not be fully funded with
the settlement funds, but other funding
sources are being explored. The full slide
presentation is being put up on the Rockridge.
org website, and videos of the presentation
have been posted on YouTube, with links
available from Rockridge.org.
from page 1
Interior • Exterior
Lead-Certified Painters
These include bicycle lanes on Broadway
between the North Oakland Sports Center
and Broadway Terrace, improvements to
the Broadway/Highway 24 exit ramps and
associated intersections, pedestrian-scale
lighting on 52nd Street between Dover
Street and Telegraph Avenue, and bulb-outs
and other pedestrian safety improvements
along Broadway. Almost finished is the
Broadway “lane diet” between Keith Avenue
and Broadway Terrace, which, it is hoped,
will reduce traffic speeds and improve
For a free estimate
call Cydney
510•652•4034
Grand Opening
of our new
Downtown Oakland office
100 Grand Avenue, Suite 112
Mid-November 2017
Celebrating our 50th year and
opening a new location!
grubbco.com


May 5, 2018
10.

Tracking Crime
Burglaries: citywide there were 36
burglaries, 18 of which were auto burglaries.
Two were commercial burglaries.
Motor Vehicle Theft: citywide, 81 autos
were stolen, 7 in Area 2. One of those was
in beat 13X.
Larceny: Citywide there were 47
larcenies, seven in Area 2. One of those was
in beat 12Y.
Arson: citywide there was one arson. It
was not in Area 2.
To summarize, out of the 231 reported
crimes in the city of Oakland from April 9 -
15, 26 happened in Area 2 (North Oakland),
and three – that’s right, three – happened in
the Rockridge beats. Two of them were in
12Y. As I said, 12Y has more crime than 13X.
Briefly comparing this week with the
first partial week in March, it was a quiet
week in North Oakland. The first four
days of March (Thursday through Sunday)
logged three crimes against the person (two
batteries and a threat); one burglary; five
auto-related crimes (three burglaries and
two thefts); and three quality of life crimes
(two vandalisms and 1 disturbing the peace).
There may be a quieter part of Oakland
than Rockridge, but I don’t know what it is.
from page 3
Visit NCPC’s website for meeting schedules,
crime updates, and police reports: http://www.
rockridgencpc.com
do who has the interest and is comfortable
with Excel.
OPD now publishes weekly summaries
of crime by area, and for the city overall. I’ll
study the week of April 9-15, 2018, using the
numbers for the city at large for Area 2, and
for beats 12Y and 13X.
So, what happened that week?
Homicides: The good news is that there
were no homicides that week in Area 2,
although the city at large had three.
Aggravated assaults: Citywide there
were six assaults involving firearms and
22 which did not. Area 2 during the week
had one non-firearm assault, which was in
beat 12Y.
Rapes: Two rapes were reported citywide,
none in Area 2.
Robberies: citywide there were 28
robberies, 17 using some kind of weapon.
Two were carjackings. Area 2 had four
robberies, two using firearms.
BUYING?
SELLING?
LET ME HELP YOU
ANNE D. BRANDON, REALTOR
BRE# 01877719 | 510.682.6644
ANNE@THEHIGHLANDPARTNERS.COM
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3rd Floor
Market Hall
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Ste. 312
rockdent.com
510.653.6677
Bruce D. Fong, D.D.S.
Filippo Cangini, D.D.S, M.S.
Advanced Preventive,  Restorative,  Periodontal  Gum Care,  and Dental Implants.
Member
www.buttrickprojects.com


11.
May 5, 2018

COMPLETE TREE CARE
Proudly serving Rockridge since 1965!
(510) 562-4000
www.treesculpture.com
Fully Insured | Cer5fied Arborists | Lic #655977
Susan Bernosky
510-450-9050
INSURANCE SERVICES,  INC
CA License 0D34069
www.strahaninsurance.com

Did You Miss the Pillars of Light?
by Don Kinkead
The brief display of moving lights
and changing colors designed and
installed by Rockridge artist Mauri-
cio Bustos on the vacant lot at College
and Claremont was just that: brief.
During the day, Rockridge residents
and strolling passers-by noted the array of
a number of poles spread out on the lot’s
central area. At night, it all came to life as
a variety of changing colors seemed to race
up and down the poles in a controlled frenzy.
Did you see it? You can catch it again
– or for the first time – in the video made
by Mauricio’s 14-year-old son Elan and
posted at https://www.youtube.com/
watch?v=ES75lRKXKEQ. Supporting
further coverage for the story, 12-year-old
son Rafael interviewed Mauricio for a school
project.                                       /D. Kinkead
Congratulations to our Buyers who
prevailed in a multiple bidding contest
to acquire this remarkable opportunity!
384 61ST STREET
~


May 5, 2018
12.

College Avenue
Dining Potpourri
locally owned and the only
non-chain restaurant in the
Safeway-centered shopping
center.
In “soft opening” mode
since it debuted several
weeks back, the restaurant
will have a Grand Opening
later this month. “We are
excited to be in Rockridge,”
said co-owner and co-man-
ager Alvin Shen, who is
expanding from his current
location, 1400 Powell Street
in Emeryville.
The restaurant features
an array of ingredients from which you can
build one of their “California Mexican”
signature dishes or your own. “I married
into a family that has been in the restaurant
business for 30 years,” said Shen, who was
formerly in advertising. “We make every-
thing in-house,” including their California
Burrito, which contains fresh hand-cut
French fries.
I will most likely return to most of these
newbies, if only to see how they develop.
But I have already had two more meals at
Judoku Sushi, which is now atop my list of
go-to restaurants.
from page 7
extensive corner patio at 5900 College
Avenue, seemingly popular until it closed
rather suddenly in fall, 2016. For owners
and brothers Raj and Harpreet Judge,
Rockridge is their third location — others
include Livermore and Pleasanton — with
a fourth scheduled to open in Santa Rosa
later this year.
Bartenders need a ladder to reach many
of the reported 300 whiskeys set on striking,
back-lit shelves that climb to the high ceiling.
An extensive range of craft beers can help
wash down the menu of bar snacks, small
plates and main platters.
If you aren’t fond of spice, make sure
that what you order is on the milder side
since even the smoky house ketchup, one
of the sauces that came with our very good
Interior,The Hideaway
what happened to Duchess, which closed after
a year, and whose owners had completely
redone and beautified the former Pizza
Rustica space at 5422 College.
In a letter to patrons, co-owners Chris
Strieter and Caroline Conner promised a
renovated space (why?) and different concept
“later this year.” Reports are that pastry chef
Conner may no longer be in the picture,
having relocated to Europe.
Enoteca Molinari
“We’re pretty close to
being done,” says Enoteca
Molinari owner Joe Madison,
referring to the extension
to his Italian bistro, 5474
College, in the works for a
couple of years. He cites a
neighbor’s opposition to a
premise-to-premise transfer
of his liquor license and
difficulty in getting the
health department to respond
to problems. And, “We just
had a baby.” Lucas is only a
few weeks old.
Just a note about two openings (Best
Coast Burritos and Panda Express) and
a closing (Pieology) in the Ridge Shopping
Center. Part of a California-based pizza chain
in which Kevin Durant has a stake, the Ridge
Pieology folded up shop several months back.
Panda Express, as you may already
know, is a nationwide chain of Chinese
restaurants, but Best Coast Burritos is
To comment on this column or to suggest future
stories on you, your Rockridge neighbors or
neighborhoods, please email judyberne@att.net.
hamburger, had a bite to it. I have yet to try
them, but the Belgian-style duck fat fries
appear to be a popular item. I also plan to
order Mary’s butter chicken with grilled naan
on my next foray.
I’ve already mentioned the short lifespan
of Wingman. It’s also hard to know exactly
Erratum: In the April “Eyes on Rock-
ridge” column, Wisteria Ways home
concert giver Anne Emerick was quoted
as saying that hosting house concerts is
“very expensive.” The quote should have
read: “very inexpensive.”


13.
May 5, 2018

Caldecott Project
Funding
he list. What is the specific plan to do this?
— Theresa Nelson
Victoria Eisen Replies:
Once the City has accepted final
construction bids on projects #1-4 (Tunnel/
Caldecott) and #10/11/20 (College Avenue),
we will redo the project list to reveal the
new $8 million funding line. Projects
below the new line can be considered in
the City’s upcoming Capital Improvement
Program (CIP) process, which allocates
local sources (e.g., KK bond) and looks at
other outside grant opportunities (e.g., State
Active Transportation Program). There will
be opportunities in spring 2019 for the public
to weigh in during City Council hearings
for the CIP.
Please note: The criteria of other options
are not identical to the Caldecott Settlement
Agreement language, which prioritized
areas near the tunnel and the community’s
statement of the issues. Measure KK and
ATP prioritize measures of social equity,
including the demographics of the area.
Finally, there may be other opportunities
to implement safety projects, particularly
those that can be constructed quickly and
inexpensively, as part of Oakland Department
of Transportation’s regular budget.
Albert Keshishian
from page 5
The intersection is also the on-ramp
to Highway 24 west where drivers often
speed through the intersection to make the
light. This happens at exactly the spot where
children — frequently very young — are
crossing the street. The drivers often seem
oblivious to pedestrians, including children
accompanied by adults. When drivers reach
40+ mph, slowing down to avoid a young
child walking across the street is difficult,
leading to screeching stops, honking horns,
and scary near-misses. Adult pedestrians
also use the intersection, but it is the use
by so many young children that makes
this intersection so gravely in need of
improvements.
I ask the transportation team how,
specifically, it will ensure that ALL
the community-identified priorities are
addressed, not just the ones at the top of
from page 2
At a young age, Albert recited poems in
Armenian and in English for his friends
and family. During grammar school, two of
his poems were published in the yearbook.
Some of his other work includes a complete
documentation of his travels including trips he
made to the Taj Mahal, the Pyramids of Giza,
the Great Wall of China, to the languid canals
of Venice, and, of course, to the Levant. Today,
the pen is still and the yellow lined paper blank,
leaving us wondering of the masterpieces that
had yet to come.
Graduating shortly before World War
Two ended, Albert was drafted into the Army
on February 12, 1946. Shipped off to the
Aberdeen Proving Ground in Maryland, he
became ill with scarlet fever. Later, he was
transferred to the Atlanta Ordnance Depot
and on to Fort Lawton, Washington. In Japan,
he was stationed in both Yokohama and
Osaka as a member of the 725th Ordnance
Maintenance Company. On February 9, 1947,
he was honorably discharged at Camp Beale,
California. His services to his country and
his community did not end there. Albert was
immensely charitable to local and international
organizations. He was both a proponent and
strong supporter of the Salvation Army, The
Nature Conservancy, the Armenian General
Benevolent Union, and other local charities.
As a lifelong member of the Rockridge
community, Albert also contributed through
fraternal love and charity. He was raised as a
Master Mason on June 30, 1954, in Château-
Thierry Lodge #569. A lifetime member of
both Crow Canyon Lodge #551 and Oakland
Durant Rockridge Lodge #188, Albert never
refused to help his brethren and members of
our community. For his sincere and generous
contribution to the craft, Albert received the
Hiram Award, the highest honor a Mason can
receive.
On March 19, 2018, Albert Keshishian
departed our planet and found his eternal home
in the heavens. He leaves behind a legacy of
love for his friends, family, and his beloved
city of Oakland. Albert will be dearly missed
and his stories will live on through those he
had touched. Happy to meet, sorry to depart,
happy to meet again. Until then, have a safe
and restful journey.
Special thanks to Kathleen White
and David Forsyth


May 5, 2018
14.

Problematic
Improvements
saving pedestrian and cyclist lives can affect
automobile traffic. Broadway leads to a
freeway but is also a residential street lined
with homes in a residential neighborhood.
This project is aimed at allowing Broadway
to better serve neighborhood residents rather
than solely serving motorists heading to the
freeway, as its former configuration did.
Q6: Why are bike lanes being added to
the uphill portions of College Avenue?
A: Bicycle lanes on College Avenue
are planned because people bike on this
corridor. Without bike lanes, cyclists often
bike on the sidewalk, which leads to conflicts
with pedestrians. The aim of these bike
lanes is to encourage cyclists to bike in the
roadway. The northbound Bryant-Broadway
and southbound Manila-Taft segments are
somewhat narrower than the rest of College,
which will have bike lanes in both directions.
The narrower sections have room for a bike
lane in just one direction, so the City chose
to put it in the uphill direction, assuming that
downhill cyclists travel closer to the speed
of motorized traffic. To be clear, unlike
Broadway, the number of travel lanes will
not be reduced on College Avenue.
Q7: How much parking will be lost as a
result of this project?
A: Zero parking spaces will be lost as
a result of the bike lanes. Three parking
spaces will be eliminated on southbound
College just south of Shafter to make way
for a wider sidewalk. The adjacent property
owner, Market Hall, is fully supportive of
this change. At this point, no more parking
loss is planned. The City is working with
AC Transit to plan how bus service will be
affected by some of the corner bulb-outs.
Plans may need to be revised as a result.
Q8: Why are bulb-outs being installed
since they make it more difficult for motor
vehicles to turn?
A: The purpose of bulb-outs – extensions
of the curb at corners — is to shorten the
distance people need to cross to reach the
other side of the street and to keep them
at sidewalk level, but closer to vehicular
traffic, when they’re waiting to cross so they
are more visible and, therefore, motorists
and bicyclists more likely to yield to them.
Bulb-outs also slow down turning traffic. In
a busy commercial area like College Avenue,
this calming effect is something merchants,
shoppers and neighbors alike routinely
request from the City.
— Victoria Eisen, Caldecott
Project coordinator for
the City of Oakland
from page 5
Your Message Could Be Here
Your 36-word message is $22. (Phone number
counts as one word.) Make check payable
to RCPC and write Rockridge News
Classified Ad on the memo line. Mail
to: RN Classifieds, 4123 Broadway, PMB
311, Oakland, CA 94611.
The newsletter’s June issue deadline
is May 17. The June issue will be out on
June 2. For information: Email Susan Montauk
via smontauk@gmail.com
A: The primary intent of the Broadway
Road Diet is to help people walk safely across
Broadway. The project contains features
to achieve this, such as corner bulb-outs,
high-visibility crosswalks, pedestrian refuge
islands, a pedestrian-activated beacon and
pedestrian-activated traffic signal, and
reducing the number of travel lanes from
four to three. The lane reconfiguration, in
particular, freed roadway space, which the
City chose to use for bike lanes since they
are identified in the City’s 2007 bicycle
master plan at this location, and complete
a significant portion of the overall planned
Broadway bikeway corridor. These bike
lanes are part of a planned citywide network.
The City has found that the number of people
who use bike lanes tends to increase as the
continuous bikeway network grows. The
City has plans to eventually extend the bike
lanes on Broadway all the way to downtown.
As each segment is built, more people are
expected to bike on all connected segments.
Q3: The new configuration on Broadway
is confusing.
A: The City’s experience is that there is a
period of adjustment following changes such
as those on Broadway, while people get used
to the new situation and the facilities operate
as designed. In the fall, once the project is
complete and people are accustomed to the
changes, the City will perform an “after”
study of how the corridor is working.
Q4: The project ignores the safety needs
of car owners.
A. The primary purpose of the project is
to make walking safer. This means slowing
down some motor vehicle traffic. The
Department of Transportation is willing
to make this tradeoff to protect the lives of
Oakland residents.
Q5: There was no consideration of
Lawton and Ocean View residents when
planning this project.
A. The intent of the project is to help
senior citizens, parents with children, and
other residents walk safely between the east
and west sides of Broadway. The improved
crossing at Lawton resulted from years of
complaints from residents wanting to cross
there. The investment of a pedestrian crossing
signal (HAWK) was prioritized by residents
during planning. Improvements aimed at
Happy Mother’s Day!
Relax and rejuvenate with a custom facial, tai-
lored for your unique skincare requirements.
Visit Penelope’s Aesthetics! $65. Gift cer-
tificates available. 510/594-1552 – www.
penelopecalef.com
Your Rockridge Specialists-
JUDITH GLASS & SHEILA
SABINE- The Grubb Company
Now may be the right time for a move.
Your home says a lot about you and we are
here to listen. Call 510/326-5055 or email
SSabine@Grubbco.com
Gardening Cleanups and
Maintenance
Experienced team of 2, dedicated to the
care and maintenance of plants and trees.
Garden design and restoration, pruning and
vegetable garden installation, affordable
rates. Yelp: Chris Rausch Gardening. Chris
@ 510/655-0157.
Handyman Services,
Interior & Exterior
House repairs, kitchen & bath remodel,
tile, decks, dry rot, drainage, walls, termite
damage, doors, windows. Professional work
for affordable prices. Juan 510/692-6399.
“Create Your Best Life”
Vision Board Workshop!
Get clarity on what you want in your life, map
out your vision, attract your ideal outcomes,
and connect with like-minded women on
June 2, 2018. Register at Eventbrite.com.
Office Share, 3 Days Per
Week
5315 College Avenue. Ideal for legal or
business professional. $690/mo. Parking
included. Contact Harvey: 510/655-7141;
hkletz@aol.com


15.
May 5, 2018

East Bay Booksellers Book/Poetry
Readings
FREE and open to the public.

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

Compiled by Jo Ellis
COMMUNITY CALENDAR

•
• Sun, 5/6, 3pm. Poetry Flash with Lynne
Knight and Beth Spencer.
•
• Tues, 5/8, 7pm. Jamel Brinkley: A Lucky
Man: Stories. In conversation with D.
Wystan Owen (author of the forthcoming
novel Other People’s Love Affairs.)
•
• Thurs, 5/10, 7pm. Jeff Bercovici: Play On:
The New Science of Elite Performance at
Any Age.
•
• Thurs, 5/17, 7pm. Todd Robert Petersen:
It Needs to Look Like We Tried.
Fri, 5/18, 7pm. Friday Night Poetry: with
Carmen Giménez Smith and MK Chavez
•
• Sun, 5/20, 3pm. Christopher DeLorenzo:
part-memoir, part-cookbook, Kitchen
Inheritance: Memories and Recipes from
My Family of Cooks.
Tues, 5/22, 7pm. Daegan Miller: This Radical
Land: A Natural History of American Dissent.
In conversation with Brad Johnson.
Thurs, 5/24, 7pm. Kim Malcolm: A Country
Within: A Journey of Love and Hope During
the Refugee Crisis in Greece.
Wed, 6/6, 7pm. Charlie LeDuff: Sh*tshow!:
The Country’s Collapsing…and the Ratings
Are Great.
East Bay Booksellers, 5433 College Ave.
More info abt. the authors, books and other
events: 653-9965 or info@ebbooksellers.com.
Jazz at the Chimes
Featuring Brazilian vocalist, pianist and com-
poser Claudia Villela with bassist Dan
Robbins and drummer/percussionist Celso
Alberti. Original compositions and music by
Brazilian masters, including Antonio Carlos
Jobim. More info at https://www.claudiavillela.
com/ Sunday, May 20, 2pm. Tickets $15: in
advance at https://www.brownpapertickets.
com/event/3325268 or at the door (cash
only) beginning 12:30pm (doors open 1:30).
Refreshments and reception follows.
Honoring the unique artistry of Bay Area jazz
musicians in a landmarked Julia Morgan venue:
Chapel of the Chimes, 4499 Piedmont Ave.
Wheelchair accessible. Free parking. More
info: www.jazzatthechimes.com, chimesjazz@
gmail.com or 654-0123.
North Oakland Senior Center
5714 Martin Luther King, Jr. Way
Mon. – Fri., 9am to 4:30pm. Programs
include: Arts/crafts; health counseling;
dancing and exercise; trips, tours and theater
outings; Alzheimer’s support groups, computer
classes/more.
Cane-Do Self Defense Class. Learn
how to use your cane for more than stability!
Thursday’s 9:30 – 10:30am. $5 (first class free).
Pre-register now in the office or call 597-5085.
Lawyer in the Center: 3rd Wednesdays
9 to 11:40am. By appointment only. Sign
up at reception desk.
Oakland Community Orchestra: Free
concert; Fri, May18, 10:30am.
District 1 Councilman Dan Kalb
Drop-in Community Office Hours: Temescal
Farmers’ Market, 5300 Claremont Ave. (off
Teleg.) at DMV parking lot. 3rd Sunday each
month,10:30am-12:30pm. Times/locations
of other office hrs. or more info: mmharris@
oakland.net or www.dankalb.net/contactdan.
Rockridge Branch Library
5366 College Avenue, 597-5017
FOR CHILDREN
advise the library how to better serve teens;
get community service credit for school.
2nd Sat. each month, 1 to 2pm.
•
• Teen ‘Scape Program: Play video & board
games; make crafts. Every Tues, Thurs, and
Fri 3:30 to 5pm; Wed 1:30 to 5pm (during
school days).
•
• Shrinky Dinks: Heat your colorful artworks
in an oven and shrink them into decorative
hard plates. 5/23, 2pm.
FOR ADULTS
•
• Family Story Time: Stories/songs/rhymes
(for all ages); Saturdays, 10:30am.
•
• Toddler Story Time: Songs, active rhymes
and stories (for 9 months to 2 years),
Thursdays, 10:30am, upstairs.
•
• Pre-School Story Time: Read-alouds,
songs, and rhymes (ages 2 to 5); Thursdays,
10:30am.
All story times followed by Play Time; parents
and caregivers invited.
SPECIAL EVENTS:
***Stop by to get a brochure listing events
during the Summer Reading Program which
begins June 9***
•
• Ready, Set, Connect! One on One
computer help. Tuesdays 4-6 pm and
Saturdays 11am to 1pm. Call 597-5017
for appt.
•
• eBook Help: Work one-on-one with a
librarian to download eBooks. Fridays, 2
-3:30pm. Make appt. online or call 597-5017.
•
• Henna Workshop for Adults: Learn about
the ancient art of henna (or mehndi). Tattoos
will last 8-10 days. Tues, 05/08, 6:30pm
Space is limited. Visit or call to register:
597-5017.
•
• Container Gardening Vegetables:
Everything you need to know about
container grown veggies. Sat, 5/12, 1pm.
Presented by Ala. Co. Master Gardeners.
•
• Stress at Work; Maybe It’s Not You: Learn
to identify stress-producing workplace
practices and protect yourself against
them. Presented by Rob Gross, MFT. Tue,
5/15, 6:30pm.
•
• Local author Margaret Elson, piano
teacher and psychotherapist, discusses her
book,The Piano and The Couch: Music and
Psyche. Explores the relationship between
music and psychology. Tue, 5/22, 6:30pm.
•
• Writers Support/Critique Group: All
Welcome. Bring 15 copies of up to 5 pgs.
(double-spaced, MS margins) of any prose
for on-site reading/discussion (OK to come
empty-handed). 3rd Sat. each month,1 to
5pm; wheelchair-accessible. Info: 420-8775
or Writefox@aol.com. Call to confirm.
•
• Lawyer in the Library: Free legal info and
referral. 1st Tues each month; 6pm-8pm.
Sign-up for lottery starting 5pm; lottery at
5:45 pm. Call day of program to confirm.
•
• Knitting Meet-Up: Third Saturday each
month, 3pm. Bring your project to inspire
or get advice. Beginners can learn to knit
and crochet. All levels welcome.
Gallery:
May: Gordon Brown; photographs from
around Oakland.
June: Wendy Soneson; watercolors.
•
• Bike to School Day Craft: Wednesday,
5/9, 3-5pm. DIY Handlebar Streamers:
Bring your bike to the library after school
and make handlebar streamers.
•
• Taiko Drumming: Saturday 5/12 10:30am.
Live musicians fill up the library with the
sound of Japanese big drums. Sat., 5/12
10:30am. All ages welcome.
•
• Saturday Crafternoon: Embroidery
Keychain + origami box for Mother’s Day.
5/12, drop in 3:30-4:30pm. Ages 6 to 10.
•
• Paws to Read with BARK: Children
ages 5 to 9 read aloud to Natasha, a
certified therapy dog who loves listening
to stories. Increase reading confidence,
skill, and enjoyment. 2nd Wednesday each
month (5/9), 2-3pm. Sign up at Children’s
Reference Desk.
•
• Kamishibai Stories: Celebrate Asian &
Pacific Islander Heritage Month & Bicycle
Month: Saturdays, 5/5, 5/19, 5/26 at
10:30am, and Tuesdays, 5/8 & 5/22 at
6:30pm. Enjoy Kamishibai stories on a
Japanese-style paper-theater on the back
of a bicycle and nibble on Japanese treats.
All ages welcome.
FOR TEENS
•
• Learn SCRATCH at Ready, Set, Connect!
Tuesdays 4 -6pm. Drop in and create a
program with help from our intern. One-
on-one or in small groups.
•
• Study Room Hours: Do homework at the
library. A high school tutor is available for
homework questions. Tues & Thurs, 4 - 5pm;
Wed: 3 - 4:30 pm (during school days).
•
• Free Comic Book Day: Sat, May 5, all
day. Stop by and pick out a special one-
day-only comic.
•
• Teen Advisory Board (ages 14-18): Help
LIBRARY HOURS
Tues, 12:30 to 8pm.
Wed, Thurs & Sat: 10am to 5:30pm.
Fri, 12 to 5:30pm.
Closed: Sun and Mon; also, Tues, 5/29.
➧➧Calendar, page 17


May 5, 2018
16.

COMING SOON
ROCKRIDGE
Manila Ave.
Craftsman Bungalow
2+Bed/ 1+Bath
Hard Wood Floors
Sunny Family Rm,
Legal detached office

61st St. Craftsman
Facing Colby Park
2 Beds/ 1 Bath
Sunny South Facing Backyard
Perfect Bungalow
Peralta School Catch Basin
FOR SALE
TEMESCAL
4824 A Clarke St.     $674,000
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Lawton Associates
direct 510-612-2547
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L A W T O N
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A S S O C I A T E S
R E A L   E S T A T E
B R O K E R A G E
www.LawtonAssoc.com

1988
2018
30
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in Business!
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FMS
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