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VOL. 34  NO. 7  ISSUE NO. 366  July 6, 2019 CIRCULATION: 5,800 Residences; 200 Businesses
ckridgeNews

THE

www.rockridge.org

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

2019 Rockridge Kitchen Tour At-a-Glance
Whether you’re looking for ideas and inspiration for your own
kitchen, interested in seeing the latest trends in kitchen
design, thinking of adding a small cottage to your property, or just
curious about Rockridge kitchens, the 13th biennial Rockridge
Kitchen Tour has something for you. You won’t want to miss the
nine beautiful kitchens on the Tour, and the full-house tour of
a delightful secondary unit showcasing how small can be very,
very beautiful.
Several kitchens on
the Tour were designed
by the homeowners, the
rest by local architects
and designers who are
experts in sensitive
remodels of Craftsman
and other older-style
houses. One designer
planned the kitchen
using online tools for the design.
As on past Tours, renovation budgets encompassed a wide
range. One universal trend was to invest in durable surfaces,
appliances, and fixtures to create kitchens intended to last for
a long time. Many homeowners found ways to economize on
some parts of the kitchen so they could splurge elsewhere while
staying on budget. Some did much of the work themselves, helped
by family and friends. Others reused nearly-new appliances that
were still in good working order.
A new trend in Craftsman remodels is to rethink all of the
house’s interior space: moving walls, opening up dark central
corridors, and expanding the kitchen to be the heart of the home.
On the Tour, guests will

RCPC Kitchen Tour Count Down
When: Sunday, September 22 from 12:30 to 5:30 p.m.
Where: Registration at College Avenue Presbyterian Church,
5951 College Avenue.
Highlights: A compact yet extremely livable accessory
dwelling unit offers one of the shortest full-house tours in
Kitchen Tour history. Also: the latest trends in colors and
surfaces and creative uses of space.
Tickets: Advance tickets online at rockridgekitchentour.
org: $45 plus service charge. Day of tour tickets are
$50 plus service charge.
Report: June 2019 RCPC/NCPC
Joint Town Hall
by Stuart Flashman
On Thursday, June 20, the Rockridge Community Planning
Council (RCPC) and the Greater Rockridge Neighborhood
Crime Prevention Council (NCPC) held their annual joint town
hall meeting. It was an opportunity for the two organizations to
join together on a topic of mutual interest. This year, that topic was
disaster preparedness.
To begin the joint meeting, the NCPC had invited Lieutenant
Daniel Royal, our area supervisor, to discuss crime and criminality.
Following a short presentation by the area’s two community
resources officers discussng the most recent crime statistics, Lt.
Royal answered questions from the audience about the significance
of the figures and some tips on how to avoid crimes, as well as
what the police are doing to address “crime waves,” which often
are the product of a small group of repeat offenders. OPD recently
arrested a group that had been
committing offenses throughout
the Bay Area.
After that presentation,
David Gomez, Neighborhood
Law Corps representative for
the area, introduced himself
and explained the function of
the Neighborhood Law Corps
within the City Attorney’s
office. New to his position, he
said he’d be attending NCPC
meetings to help residents
address local legal problems,
such as illegal trash dumping.
➧➧Kitchen Tour Countdown, page 11

National Night Out is Tuesday, August 6, 2019, 7pm-9pm.
Organize a neighborhood block party, barbecue, ice cream social or

other outdoor event that brings neighbors together.
City of Oakland staff, Oakland Police Department,
Oakland Fire Department and elected officials will
visit as many registered parties as possible. Sponsored
by the National Association of Town Watch, NNO
is America's night out and a time for neighbors to
get together to build neighborhood spirit and unity.
Research shows that when neighbors know each other,
neighborhoods are safer. Register by July 26, 2019 to receive
give-aways for the kids, and a special gift for the host. We
have a new City of Oakland portal called OakApps that
requires everyone to login with an account before filling
out the form. Visit OakApps for details.

➧➧NCPC-RCPC, page 13

July 6, 2019
2.

Kitchen Tour Filling Docent Slots; a Few Still Open

ROCKRIDGE BRANCH LIBRARY
5366 College Avenue
at Manila | 597-5017

Planning for the 2019 Rockridge Kitchen Tour, scheduled for Sunday, September 22,
is in full swing. The Kitchen Tour committee has selected the nine kitchens to be
featured on this year’s Tour, and now turns to the vital task of recruiting another great
group of Tour docents. Whether you’ve been a docent in the past, or are new to the
Rockridge Kitchen Tour, volunteering as docent is a fun and rewarding experience. But
don’t take it from us – read on for comments by docents who volunteered for previous
Tours. For example, “I do know that I will be happy to encourage friends to sign up to
be a docent at the 2017 Kitchen Tour.”
A week or two before the Tour, all docents attend a 2 ½- to 3-hour pre-Tour training
session including visits to several of the houses. The behind-the-scenes look at the kitch-
ens ahead of the Tour and the opportunity to hear about the kitchens directly from the
owner/architect/contractor are among the best parts of being a docent. “I have been a
house tour docent about five times in the past … and I was never given the opportunity
to Tour any of the homes before th[ose] tours – as we were able to do this year [2015]
on the Rockridge Kitchen Tour.” Pre-Tour training this year is tentatively scheduled for
the second weekend of September and another date to be determined, subject to the
homeowners’ availability. Docents need only attend one session.
On your training day, you will visit three kitchens and hear from the homeowner,
architect, and perhaps the contractor about the unique features and adroit problem-solv-
ing in design and construction of each. The session will also familiarize you with the
house layout so you’ll be able to guide the walk-through traffic, educate our Tour guests
about the house you will be assigned to, and answer the visitors’ questions on the day
of Tour. “I just would like to say that my Tour as a Docent … could not have gone more
smoothly. I felt well-prepared to point out features of the home/kitchen, and the guests
were, without exception, courteous and respectful.”
On Sunday, September 22, the day of the Tour, you will be assigned to one shift and
will have the balance of the day to visit the other kitchens that you did not see in the
pre-Tour. “I was able to explore three other kitchens that day and came away with a
wealth of ideas and inspiration. Thank you for all your work; perhaps I can do this again
next year.”
If you are interested in being a docent on the 2019 Rockridge Kitchen Tour on
September 22, contact the Kitchen Tour Committee, at kitchentour@rockridge.org.
Let’s let one of the 2015 docents have the last word: “I thought the Tour was super
well organized in every way. It was a pleasure to be involved.”

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
Alden Conner ��������������������Vice-Chair
Casey Farmer ���������������������Co-Secretary
Andrew Masalin, �����������������Co-Secretary
Ronnie Spitzer ��������������������Treasurer
Stuart Flashman �����������������Asst. Treasurer
M L Ashleigh, David Garcia, M C Haug,
Don Kinkead, Courtney Welch
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 RCPC with
“Rockridge News Subscription” on the memo
line. Mail to the address below.
Contacting The Rockridge News
Are there community issues you’d like to see covered
in The Rockridge News? • Do you have questions
about newsletter distribution? • Want to volunteer to
be a Rockridge News block captain? • Would you
like to write a letter to the Editor?
Contact us at one of the following:
Editor: editor@rockridge.org;
www.rockridge.org;
The Rockridge News, 4123 Broadway,
PMB 311, Oakland, CA 94611

Caldecott Funding Era Comes to an End
Miles Avenue. Construction: Spring 2020.
• Berkeley border to the end of Caldecott
Lane in the North Oakland hills: con-
tinuous bike lanes plus pedestrian and
bicycle improvements to the Tunnel Road/
SR 13/Hiller Drive intersection. Construc-
tion expected in 2020-21. For a map and
details about all of the projects funded by
the Caldecott program, please visit www.
fourthbore.org. Victoria Eisen, Consultant

The City of Oakland has received bids
on the final two projects to be funded
through the Caldecott Settlement Agreement
with Caltrans over the fourth bore of the
Caldecott Tunnel:
• College Avenue, Broadway to Alcatraz
Avenue in Rockridge: Complete repaving of
the roadway surface, new bicycle lanes and
sharrows, pedestrian crossing improvements
at Keith Avenue and removal of slip lane at
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Articles and letters submitted for
publication may be emailed to the editor or sent
to the address 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 for clarity and brevity at the
editor’s discretion and without notice to the submitter.
Views expressed in articles and letters 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 September issue is:
 September 7, 2019.
 Submission deadline: August 15, 2019.
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 it deems
inappropriate. (Classified ad contact: page 14.)

3.
July 6, 2019

The July Land Use Committee meeting will be held Wednesday, July 24,
at 7:30 p.m. in the Rockridge Branch Library 2nd floor meeting room. The
agenda will include updates on the housing study. Please check on https://
rockridge.org the previous week to confirm meeting’s date, time, and place.
Three examples have been discussed:
1) development/redevelopment of a single
standard-sized Lower Rockridge residential
lot (4,000 sq.ft., zoning = RM 1); 2) devel-
opment on four aggregated single-family
lots (total size ~ 16,000 sq.ft.) into a single
multi-family building; 3) development of a
two-acre underutilized commercial property
[such as a single-story structure plus surface
parking] redeveloped to 5-story residential
project. For each example, variations such
as allowable density, required affordability,
etc will be tested to determine feasibility
of construction.
The committee generally approved the
current proposed approach, recognizing that
the full analysis will require far more data
and analysis than is currently available. The
committee also recommended consulting
RCPC Land Use Committee
Update – July 2019
The Land Use Committee met on June 26.
No quorum was present, and no decisions
were made.
Update: Rockridge Housing Study
The Rockridge Housing Study, begun last
spring, seeks to provide information
the community can use to guide decisions
about how Rockridge might best help address
the City’s housing needs. Five alternative
scenarios are being considered for analysis
to determine the capacity for new housing
that could potentially result from each sce-
nario. As noted in last month’s report, Darin
Smith, a Rockridge resident and a principal
of Economic & Planning Systems, Inc., has
volunteered some of his time and the use
of modeling software his firm developed to
help the Committee analyze each scenar-
io’s effects on housing – both amount and
affordability – and the impacts that might
accompany those changes. The Committee
chair and Mr. Smith met and discussed
first steps in the analysis. The results were
presented to the committee for discussion.
The initial phase of the analysis will
involve modeling “test case” development
examples to determine what might actu-
ally get built under different conditions.
➧➧Housing Study, page 14
Scenic Streets of Oakland Update: “Help Wanted”

Kinda Scenic!
Needs Your Help!
Thanks to dedicated neighborhood volun-
teers, our local ‘Scenic’ streets are getting
a bit more scenic but work is still necessary
and ongoing—as evidenced in the photos.
Please consider volunteering with Scenic
Streets of Oakland. In addition to main-
taining selected sidewalk plantings along
Claremont Avenue, Clifton Street, and
Vicente Way, we’re involved in improving
and maintaining the Claremont/Highway
24 on and off ramps. Currently we have a
group that meets Wednesday mornings, but

most of the work we do can be done anytime. If you’re interested, please contact Lee Patterson at lee.scenicstreetsoakland@gmail.
com. Also, Scenic Streets of Oakland thanks the Rockridge News for its support and presentation of our announcements over the years.

www.buttrickprojects.com

Member

July 6, 2019
4.

Teen Advisory Board Flourishes in the Rockridge Library

by Jorja Siemons
A
poster hangs by the front desk in the
Rockridge Library titled “What Does
This Library Mean to You?” Scattered with
public responses written on post-it notes,
the poster is the work of the Teen Advisory
Board (TAB), the onsite group that rep-
resents the teen demographic at the Rock-
ridge branch of the Oakland Public Library.
It is commonly thought that libraries are
only sanctuaries for little children who flock
to story times, and older adults who utilize
networking resources. However, the teen
presence at the Rockridge Library is not only
prominent, but also fierce and passionate.
TAB exemplifies this sentiment as,
amongst other lingering teens in the library’s
dedicated “Teenzone,” this group of middle
and high school students from the Rockridge
area meets monthly to talk, plan, and act.
In these pizza and idea loaded meetings,
members discuss not only possible events
for the group, like outings and summits with
other TABs from around Oakland, but also
possible events for the community.
Planning Creative Writing Clubs and
maintaining the resources for gaming that
the branch boasts, Rockridge TAB has
straddled the many passions and ideas of
its members. The “What Does This Library
Mean To You?” poster, hung up in April in
➧➧RR Library Teen Adivsory Board, page 11
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Practicing exclusively in the area of trusts and estates:
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• Dispute resolution
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Please contact me during regular business hours to
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Jorja Siemons, Chair of the
Rockridge Branch Library
Teen Advisory Board (TAB)
fee-only financial planning
investment planning
tax planning & prep
Cheryl Vesely, CFP®, EA
510.847.7432 • cheryl@balancefp.com
www.balancefp.com

5.
July 6, 2019

FROG Park Swings and More+ Project Construction Underway

Carol Behr, Chair, Frog Park:
“Many more committee members
& volunteers contributed time and
energy to this project but could
not arrange to be in this photo.”

FROG Park Committee members and supporters gather in front of a
construction fence on Day One of repairs and improvements recently
approved for Hardy and Frog Park playgrounds. Above, from left:
Fay Gordon and son Diego; Leonora Sea; Carol Behr and daughter
Sara; Adrienne Wong, Designer/Consultant and daughter Sarah;
Ronnie Spitzer, and Theresa Nelson. The project completion date is
November 2019. /D. Kinkead

July 6, 2019
6.

Letters to the Editor
The Rockridge News wel-
comes 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.
obstacle to AFFORDABLE housing is
construction cost. The Terner Center at
UC Berkeley states “… in 2000, it cost
approximately $265,000 per unit to build
a 100-unit affordable housing building
for families in the city … in 2016, a sim-
ilar sized family building cost closer to
$425,000 per unit, not taking into account
[changes in] other development costs … or
land values over this time period.” And this
number is now 3 years old!
Without subsidy, it is hard to imag-
ine how a simple upzone can generate a
supply of affordable housing in this cost
environment. No question, this is a com-
plex problem, but we must address it as a
society if we hope to make progress, and
any measures that focus exclusively on
‘supply’ are, in my view, incomplete. We
can and must do better.
— Kerry O’Banion
Note: Letters may be
edited for clarity and brev-
ity at the editor’s discre-
tion, and without notice to
the writer. Views expressed in
any letter are the writer’s own, and
may not necessarily be shared by
the editor or by RCPC.
Editor:
SB50: Density is Not a Solution in Itself
I’ve lived in Rockridge since 1970,
when my beautiful new bride and I moved
into a flat on Manila. In the 1970s, I was
proud to be one of a group of neighbors
who not only stopped a ham-fisted notion
by the city to upzone our community —
then recovering from the effects of BART
and Highway 24 construction — but who
created new zoning regulations to celebrate
and preserve its special character. It was
the right response for the time, and played
a big role in Rockridge’s evolution into the
wonderful place we have today.
Now, more than forty years later, the
world is a different place. In Rockridge
today, it’s hard to find a house for less than
$1million. The lack of affordable housing
has become a social tragedy. Even if we
are fortunate enough to have bought into
Rockridge long ago, we experience the
pain through the struggles of our children
and grandchildren.
For this reason, I have no objection in
principle to measures to encourage greater
density, as long as they are done with sen-
sitivity to scale and quality. For example,
many Oakland and Berkeley streets have
old two-story fourplexes nestled comfort-
ably among the single-family homes.
However: if we are serious about
addressing the housing problem, measures
focused only on supply, while they may
be useful, are not enough. In a desirable
place like Rockridge, any new housing
built may not be any more affordable than
the housing we already have. Consider, for
example, the complex built a few years ago
at the corner of Benvenue and Alcatraz.
The six units on a double lot are triple
the old single-family density, and I would
be delighted if something of this quality
were built on my street. And yet, Zillow
currently values each of the units at around
$1.8 million.
And it’s not as if Oakland isn’t building
new housing: A drive down Broadway or
Telegraph should dispel any such notion.
I suggest a larger, and more intractable
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7.
July 6, 2019

“The Painter Guy” in Rockridge
by Theresa Nelson
When a woman saw a man with a
small easel outside her neighbor’s
house, she was curious, and walked up
behind him to see what he was painting.
Her neighbor came out and said, “He’s
nice, he’s the painter guy.”
Indeed, he is. A few years ago, John
Hauser, a Rockridge neighbor for more
than 20 years, and his husband, Jeff
Small, sold their business Cityleaf, and
embarked on new ventures, John into
painting, Jeff into teaching math in public
schools. John always wanted to paint, was
turning 60, and felt this was the time.
He follows the colorist approach of the
Cape Cod School of Art, and has worked
with Camille Przewodek on landscapes,
and now Cedric Egeli on portraits. His
work is representational, and the colorist
approach brings vivid color contrasts,
when overpainting creates a vibration of
John’s website address is www.johnwil-
liamhauser.com, and you can follow him
on Instagram @johnwilliamhauser
A NEIGHBORHOOD
for
EVERY LIFESTYLE

color. John’s particular take on this is to
paint the urban landscape with its jux-
taposition of hard and soft, the light and
shadows of the neighborhood. Many of
his paintings are of houses and businesses
in Rockridge, and some are of Lake Mer-
ritt. Your house or garden might be in the
show.
One day I was walking our dog and
came upon John with his easel set up
across the street from our home. He was
working to capture the shadows of a tele-
phone pole and the large porch columns as
the light of the setting sun created a rosy
glow on our home. When he showed me
the finished painting, it was indeed vibrant
and beautiful.
John’s show, “Local Colors,” opens July 5 at
the Rockridge Cafe, running through August 7.
Enjoy these views of Rockridge and beyond.
John also accepts commissions for landscapes.

July 6, 2019
8.

Photos provided by Lesley Evers
Eyes on Rockridge
College Avenue Designer Relocates... Down the Street

by Judith Doner Berne
Lesley Evers is all about local. The
wife and mother of two, who designs
her signature women’s clothes from her
Rockridge living room, moved her retail
store late last month – from the corner of
College Avenue and Forest to 5711 College,
in the former Rockridge Rags storefront.
talk about her background, design process
and goals, illustrated with photographs of
her, her family, people she works with, and
of friends wearing her clothing.
“I was born in Oakland,” she writes.
“Both my parents grew up in Berkeley so
I have deep roots in California even though
we moved to Charlotte, NC, when I was in
second grade. I spent 10 years in Charlotte…
but moved along to Philadelphia to go to the
University of Pennsylvania where I studied
Architecture and Art History, even though
I really wanted to go to fashion school. My
mom thought UPenn was a better plan.”
But her East Bay roots and passion for
fashion won out. In town for her Berkeley
grandmother’s 90th birthday, she met Curtis
Evers at the party. It turned out that “His
grandmother and my grandmother had
played bridge for 50 years.” Their romance
didn’t please her grandmother, Lesley told
me with a smile. “She was worried that (if
it didn’t work out) it would cause a rift at
the bridge club.”
Those fears were for naught. They have
been married for 22 years and have two sons:
Chase, a sophomore at San Francisco State
and Will, an Oakland Technical High School
senior. “He helps me with the business and
he can make and fix anything,” Lesley
said of her husband. “We have his stone
sculptures all over the house. I love them.”
But the pièce de résistance is the 1971
Volkswagen bus Chase restored for her
“outside and inside.” She proudly drives
it to pick up her designs from the factory
and carts them to the warehouse awaiting
online orders or to her Rockridge store.
“I’m literally moving all the clothing. It’s
really physical. My hands have probably
touched each and every dress that goes
out the door.”
It took a little longer for her to go into
fashion full-time. It was 2007. “I was 40 and
I thought ‘if I don’t do it now…,’” Lesley
Yes, right next to Fit, a long-standing
women’s clothing store, whose owner, Evers
said, has been completely welcoming. “I
wanted a pocket of retail,” said Joyce Gar-
dener, who, with her husband, also owns the
building. The new Lesley Evers shop is
300 square feet larger, with more wall
space and more dressing rooms. But,
she admits, it was hard to leave what
had been her first brick and mortar
store with its ample display windows
and prominent corner location.
Evers emphasizes that her clothing
line is not only designed, but manufac-
tured and warehoused in Oakland, just
10 minutes from her house. “Often a
dress starts with a textile idea. I design
the print on a digital drawing board and
then email the file to my fabric printer
in Los Angeles. I look for inspiration in
nature and flowers and patterns.” And
she relies on a few basic shapes.
I found Evers as easygoing and warm
as her website, which begins: “I started
sewing when I was 11 and I love making
dresses. Always have.” She goes on to
➧➧Designer, page 9
Lesley Evers counts Oakland Mayor
Libby Schaaf, left, as one of her
customers.
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9.
July 6, 2019

Designer

that makes me so happy.”
Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf
is a high-profile local patron. And,
Cheryl Strayed, the author of “Wild,”
and Public Broadcasting news anchor
Alison Stewart are among her online
customers. “We sell more online than
we do in the store,” Lesley said.
“I love her clothes and I love to
support her,” Ashley O’Neill told me,
as she browsed Lesley’s shop one
weekday afternoon, ducking into a
dressing room to try on a black and
white print dress and a shirt with a
pattern of Monet-like flowers.
Salesperson Diana Horner explained
that she was a customer before she
began working at the Rockridge store.
“It’s fun to be part of her team,” Horner,
who lives in San Francisco, said. “She
promotes women and she promotes
Oakland. It’s such a wonderful store,
town and community.”
When I returned on a Saturday
morning, there was a line-up for the
dressing rooms, as several women – and
two husbands – filled the small shop.
“I like the fact that her clothes are all
designed and made locally,” said Karen
Sipprell, who, with her husband, had driven
in from Portola Valley. “I love the retro
look, her use of color. I like to support
female entrepreneurs.”
“I’m a fan,” said Christine Crowley, a
former Piedmont resident, visiting from
Florida, who has been a customer from
the get-go. “I had to make this stop,” she
said, as she roamed the store. Crowley
sees both evolution and a return to earlier
styling in the current collection. “She’s
changed and I see that she’s coming back.”
“I go into the store every day, but I’m
not a great planner. It’s all very fluid,”
Lesley said. For recreation, she loves to
hike in the Hills, often accompanied by
from page 8
said. “I started it all just with my credit
cards, selling to the wholesale market” –
which grew to 100 boutiques across the
country and a department store. “My first
sale was a cotton wrap dress.”
When she decided it would be more
satisfying to sell directly to customers, she
opened the corner Rockridge store in 2013
and her online website. “I never looked
back. I love interacting directly with my
customers…I love the feedback and letters
that I get.”
I found it interesting, on my visits to
her shop, that I have seen both young and
older women buying her designs. “We have
customers from 14 to 94 – and sizes 0 to
20,” Lesley confirmed. “I don’t design with
a certain age in mind. I just work hard to
make really pretty clothing. In the end it
seems to appeal to lots of different ages and
Lesley and Curtis Evers in the back of the
1971 Volkswagon bus he redid for her, “out-
side and inside.”
one or more of her three rescue dogs. Her
favorite College Avenue stop is Market
Hall where she enjoys the morning buns
and High Wire coffee. But, “I do like to
eat at home mostly.”
To those who call up her website, she
writes, in part: “I hope you don’t have to
put too much thought into your clothing.
There are so many better things to do than
worry about what you are wearing or what
you are going to wear…”
Kind of a refreshing take from someone
in the fashion industry.
Your comments on this column and suggestions
for future columns are welcome by emailing
judyberne@att.net.

July 6, 2019
10.

CCA Neighbors Form Development Advocacy Group
Meet The UPPER BROADWAY ADVOCATES (UBA)
We are neighbors organizing to
respond to the proposed develop-
ment at 5212 Broadway, the California
College of the Arts campus. If you live
or work nearby, please join us.
Our mission is to:

ist’s studios out of 589 units. If we are
vigilant and insistent, we can minimize
negative impacts on the neighborhood.
If you share these beliefs come to a
community meeting at the Rockridge
Library at 6:30 pm on July 17. The
meeting will be repeated on July
31. If you cannot come to one of the
meetings, please send an email to
ubaoakland@gmail.com. We will put
you on our mailing list and inform you
of our next meeting. If you would like to
become active now, please so indicate.
UBA Steering Committee:
Kirk Peterson, Chair; Janis Brewer; Helen
Brainerd; Nicole Chapman; Leslie Correll;
Nicole Lazzaro; Jennifer McElrath; Nancy
Morton; Abby Pollak; and Myrna Walton.
by Michael Allaire
We have recently passed
through the time of
year when so many urban
wildlife have had their off-
spring. You may have noticed
more little squirrels, skunks,
raccoons and OPOSSUMS!

Although opossums are pretty
odd, even a little scary look-
ing, it turns out that they are
really great animals to have
foraging in our yards and
around our neighborhoods.
They contribute in so many
ways: they eat snails, slugs
and other pests, (including
ticks and fleas – good to know

•
•
Pursue a substantial increase in
affordable housing
•
•
Focus initially on redevelopment of
the CCA Campus and surroundings
•
•
Continue the artistic heritage of
the site.
•
•
Promote neighborhood evolution
that is a model of beauty, sustain-
ability, affordability and density
•
•
Aspire to reflect the diversity of Oak-
land and the character of Rockridge
Oakland needs more housing, espe-
cially affordable housing including
mid- to high-rise structures. However,
we do not want a 19-story sore thumb
that provides only 35 “affordable” art-
Sharing
Rockridge
➧➧ Sharing Rockridge, page 14
Gold Country Wildlife Rescue | GoldCountryWildlifeRescue.org

SOLD!!
OFF MARKET
5366 BRYANT AVENUE
REPRESENTED THE SELLERS
5333 JAMES AVENUE
REPRESENTED THE BUYERS
MAXI LILLEY
The Rockridge Realtor®
with A Designer’s Eye
510.919.8997
maxi@redoakrealty.com
DRE#01919653

11.
July 6, 2019

RR Library Teen
Advisory Board

Kitchen Tour
Countdown
OPD System Upgrade
Affects Some Data
by Karen Ivy, Secretay, NCPC
I
notified the group on May 10 that no
complete crime report for April 2019
was available due to the unexpected con-
sequences of a system upgrade at the city
of Oakland. The data feed we lost has been
partially restored, with many fewer incidents
than were formerly reported and less data on
each incident (a date but no time stamp, for
example). I don’t know whether the increase
in incidents in the May report is due to more
crime or simply better data recovery.
I decided to report based on what I have,
with the warning that if you reported an
incident, it may or may not be in the list.
Please do continue to report incidents. The
city is still working on the data retrievel
problem. Here are links to the available
crime statistics for beats 12Y and 13X for
the months of April and May 2019. The files
are now available on http://rockridgencpc.
com, under Resources > Crime Stats and
Maps > Rockridge Crime Trends 2019-2020.
Here’s a direct link to the page:
http://tinyurl.com/y5mc2suu
Here are direct links to the individual
files:
Crime Stats April 2019 http://tinyurl.com/
y6gnsa33
Crime Stats May 2019 http://tinyurl.com/
y3yfmjxt
For those concered about auto burlaries,
be assured that OPD knows about the prob-
lem and has made it a priority. You may not
see them at work, but they are working on it.
from page 4
from page 1
learn strategies for creating seamless flow
between the rest of the house, the kitchen,
and the outdoors, and how to make the
most of a small space without sacrificing
amenities.
There will be a lot to see on the 2019
Kitchen Tour, and many architects, contrac-
tors, and designers will be on hand at each
kitchen to answer your questions. Docents
with extensive knowledge of the remodels
will also be at each house to answer questions
about each owner’s goals and challenges.
Kitchen Tour guests will receive a
copy of the comprehensive tour Brochure,
describing each kitchen and listing resources
for those contemplating a remodel of their
own kitchens. The tour brochure is a trea-
sure trove for both design enthusiasts and
future renovators.
After viewing the marvelous kitchens on
the tour, you’re likely to be pretty hungry.
Why not make a full day of it in Rockridge,
and also enjoy the vibrant commercial district
on College Avenue, with its casual and fine
dining and signature shopping.
Advance tickets go on sale on July 1,
online at kitchens@rockridge.org or at
Nathan + Co., 5636 College Avenue: $45
plus service charge. Day of Kitchen Tour
tickets are $50 plus service charge, on sale
at the registration booth at College Avenue
Presbyterian Church, 5951 College.
celebration of National Library Week, was
a culmination of a discussion regarding the
many aspects of the library that benefit the
public.
As a group, we discussed that the library
to us means not just access to books, but also
a meeting place to socialize and acquire
valuable resources. The public responses
we received on our poster justify this belief,
as people used the words “5power,” “sus-
tenance,” and “community” when sharing
what this space means to them. The library
can have something for anyone and everyone.
In the future, the Rockridge Teen Advisory
Board hopes to create more spaces for
teens to engage with each other and explore
personal passions, furthering young people’s
collective ability to become advocates for
themselves and their community. After all,
TAB relies on the idea that the library is not
only provided for the people, but built by
those same individuals as well.
Competition Drives Price in June
Closing date BR BA
Address
Original price
List price
DOM
Selling price
6/5/2019
2
1
5274 Manila Ave
$1,095,000
$1,095,000
14
$1,580,000
6/6/2019
2
2
5351 Belgrave Pl
$899,000
$899,000
12
$1,250,000
6/7/2019
5 3 5333 James Avenue
$2,525,250
$2,525,250
0
$2,525,250
6/10/2019
3 3 5705 Ayala Ave
$1,150,000
$1,150,000
11
$1,500,000
6/12/2019
3 1 375 62nd St
$1,249,000
$1,249,000
15
$1,815,000
6/13/2019
3
2
5715 Oak Grove Ave
$1,495,000
$1,495,000
12
$1,740,000
6/14/2019
3 2 5316 Miles Ave
$895,000
$895,000
9
$1,300,000
6/18/2019
3
2
477 59th St
$949,000
$949,000
14
$1,100,000
Homes sold in June closed 25% over the asking price on average.

July 6, 2019
12.

!
Get the Lead Out Part 2
Healthy Homes
Department is co-recip-
ient of a national award for
asthma intervention work.
The PFS Initiative includes providing fam-
ilies with asthmatic children a psychosocial
assessment, environmental assessments for
known asthma triggers, in-home asthma
education, and home remediation to improve
indoor air quality. Working with researchers
from UC Berkeley and with an actuarial, the
program has demonstrated great success in
reducing ED visits and hospitalizations by
51.6 percent and 80 percent, respectively.
Participants’ asthma is under much greater
control. The program evaluation team is
finalizing estimates of the substantial cost
savings to the hospital systems and health
care plans and planning for scale-up and
replication.
Are you a Rockridge resident in an older
home? If you are planning on painting
and other repairs, Healthy Homes can
help you work safely on a potentially
dangerous project.
The Community Development Agen-
cy’s Alameda County Healthy Homes
Department (ACHHD) is proud to receive
the National Association of Counties 2019
Achievement Award for its work with
the Health Care Services
Agency’s Public Health
Department in reducing
asthma emergency room
visits and hospitaliza-
tions.
Through in-home
environmental assess-
ments, education and
home remediation, the
Healthy Homes Depart-
ment and Public Health
Department’s Asthma
Start Program are effec-
tively addressing uncon-
trolled pediatric asthma in Alameda County.
In addition, Healthy Homes and Public
Health are working with partners from the
University of California Berkeley, Impact
4 Health, and Turner Consulting to further
research and evaluate the effectiveness of
their work in addressing acute pediatric
asthma.
This collaboration began in 2015 under
the name of “Pay for Success Initiative”. Pay
for Success (PFS) is performance-based con-
tracting within the social sector, where the
government pays only if results are achieved.
The model shifts funding for social services
toward prevention and early interventions,
ACHHD Pay for Success team members
in photo at left, left to right:
Soni Johnson – Healthy Homes Specialist
Julie Kurko – Health Program Manager
Larry Brooks – Director of ACHHD
Mable Smith – Healthy Homes Specialist
Gabriel Alvarez – Admin. Support
April Williamson – Finance Manager
which saves money and improves outcomes
for community members. It saves taxpayers
money because the government only pays for
results. It also brings new private funding to
scale preventative social services that have
proven results while aligning stakeholders’
interests and incentives around shared goals.
Ultimately, targeted intervention services
result in improved public health with signif-
icant projected health savings.
BUYING?
SELLING?
LET ME HELP YOU
ANNE D. BRANDON, REALTOR
35+ YEAR ROCKRIDGE RESIDENT AND HOMEOWNER
DRE# 01877719 | 510.682.6644
ANNE@THEHIGHLANDPARTNERS.COM
E
V
L
U
I
T
X
I
U
S
O
R
Y
P
T
B
S
R
U
A
R
N
T
D
S
O
T

13.
July 6, 2019

Mr. Holms next led the group in an
exercise in “thinking outside the box.” He
pointed out that while normally we use
“convergent thinking” (knowledge of known
details; e.g., what are the pointy parts of a
fork? (tines; how many on a normal fork? 4.)
In a disaster, it’s more useful to use
“divergent thinking” – finding new ways
to solve a problem when the normal
answers won’t work. He also called it
“MacGyvering,” after the TV series hero
who often had to find unusual ways to solve
a problem. The exercise was thinking of
how you might use a ziplock plastic bag.
Answers ranged from storing water to
plugging a leak to keeping something dry to
rescuing your pet goldfish during a disaster.
He pointed out that in a disaster, optimism
is better than pessimism. Pessimism leads to
despair, while optimism can lead to looking
for a solution.
In preparing for a disaster, start with
“Why?” Obviously, the why is to protect
yourself, your family, and your community.
Next is “How,” the nuts and bolts of
preparedness – putting together an accessible
set of supplies that might be needed; getting
training, such as Oakland’s CORE program
(normally run by Oakland Fire Department,
but temporarily suspended due to a shortage
of training personnel); or courses run by
Eden I & R. The “What” is being prepared
for expected – or unexpected – disasters,
such as a major earthquake, a wildfire, loss
of power or water service, etc.
How to prepare depends on individual
situations. These include: infants, children,
elderly, the disabled, pets, employees, and
tenants. Each situation may require special
elements for preparedness. Think about
possible scenarios, what might be needed,
and how you’d get what you need. Collect
useful items in a preparedness kit. Also,
have a “Go Kit” – what you’d want available
if you needed to leave suddenly.
Mr Holms ended by emphasizing that
preparedness requires a good attitude as
well as preparing and practicing. Eden I
& R is available to conduct more specific
training. Call their office at 510/727-9516
or leholm@edenir.org.
NCPC — RCPC
from page 1
The remainder of the meeting was
devoted to a presentation by Lars Eric Holm
of Eden Information and Referral Services,
which provides emergency preparedness
training, as well as serving as a general
information and referrals resource for
Alameda County (dial 211 on your phone
to reach them). Mr. Holm pointed out that
while 911 is where you’d report a crime
or other emergency situation. For fire or
medical emergency, call Oakland Fire Dept.
at 444-1616. If you want to know where to go
if you have to evacuate your home, call 211.
211 can be a good source of information in
a disaster – or during normal times.
A video of most of the Town Hall has
been posted on the Rockridge Community
Planning Council’s YouTube Channel, and
a copy of Mr. Holm’s presentation slides
will be posted (along with this report) on
rockridge.org.
Experience * Knowledge * Performance

Sold: 50Elrod.com, Upper Rockridge, 5BD 3.5BA, ~3,000 SF, Views, Cul de Sac, $2,200,000
New: 6080 OceanView 1930s Spanish Med, 3 Blks to College/BART 3BD 1.5BA $1,375,000
Fall: Gorgeous 2,000+sqft updated Craftsman 3 BD 2.5BA, Heart of Rockridge, call for price

July is month for World Friendship, Reggae, Parks/Picnics, Clean Beaches, Kissing!
Happy Independence!
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.Riani@Compass.com
License # 01402540

July 6, 2019
14.

Housing Study
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 installa-
tion, affordable prices, free estimate.
Chris Rausch Gardening
@ (510) 655 0157.
from page 3
with the City (both planning department and
office of the mayor) about how the proposed
study fits with City objectives and whether
funds might be available to help complete a
larger analysis that would be informed by
our community-led approach.
If readers have thoughts on additional
items for inclusion in the scenarios or their
analysis, please send to landuse@rockridge.
org or the RCPC mailbox: 4123 Broadway
PMB 311, Oakland CA 94611.
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 classified ad
September issue deadline is August
15. The September issue will be out
September 7. For information: Email Susan
Montauk via smontauk@gmail.com
HARDWOOD FLOORS
Install, sand/refinish, repair, re-coat
existing. Large jobs or small. Twen-
ty-plus years in Piedmont Ave/
Rockridge. Bruce Williams Woodfloors.
Please call or text Bruce at 510/652-
8121. www.blwfloors.com
Spring Forward with New
Cedar Shingles!
Replace your old siding with high-
quality cedar shingles. Licensed and
experienced work by your neighbors at:
Ergowiz@yahoo.com CSLB #822390
510/654-4688.
College Avenue
Safeway
Community
Enhancement
Funds
As reported in last month’s Rockridge
News, the settlement reached by com-
munity groups — including RCPC — with
Safeway resulted in $400,000 to be made
available for “community enhancements”
within five years of the store’s opening.
The five year deadline is approaching in
January, so the choice is, “use it, or lose it.”
Community members have suggested
several projects of generally four categories:
1) Measures to discourage cut-through
traffic on residential streets near the
Safeway. Possible streets include Colby St.
north & south of Alcatraz Avenue, Hillegass
Avenue north & south of Alcatraz, and the
easternmost block of Alcatraz. Measures
could include speed bumps, signage, or
roundabouts with yield signs. 2) Improve-
ments to existing traffic signals. The
two signals mentioned are at Claremont/
College and Claremont/Mystic/Auburn
(Safeway loading dock). 3) Pedestrian
crossing enhancements (e.g., flashing light
for pedestrians) along Alcatraz Avenue at
either Colby or Hillegass. 4) Purchase
of the “point” of the currently-vacant
parcel at College/Claremont for a public
“mini-park.
To suggest additional options, email
now to landuse@rockridge.org, or write
to to RCPC Land Use Committee, 4123
Broadway PMB 311, Oakland CA 94611.

The three groups will be meeting in
the next month or two to reach a decision
on the use of the funds.
Penelope’s Aesthetics:
Sunscreen on sale at
Penelope’s Aesthetics
for the discerning client. Summer is here
and the time is right for…. a facial and
sunscreen! Visit Penelope, hydrate and
protect the first impression, your face.
510/594-1552 penelopecalef.com
Handy Man for Hire
Multifaceted and well experienced.
Hauling and towing available. No job
too small. Reasonably priced. Lee Self.
707/223-1298-call and text.
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
This is important to know because it is
common for people to want to control or kill
them, partly because they look so scary or
seem dirty. I am hoping that this article will
inform people about the benefits of having
opossums around, and that as a neighbor-
hood, we can support and encourage – or
at least tolerate – opossums.
One big thing we can all do is to stop
using any kind of pest poisons. The kind of
poisons often put out for rats kill all manner
of other animals, wild and domesticated,
such as our dogs and cats.
The various fauna that live with us in
our neighborhood have a valued and critical
place in our urban ecosystem.
Sharing
Rockridge
from page 10
since we are in the peak of flea/tick season),
without the need for chemical/deadly poi-
sons in our yards. I haven’t had to remove
snails from my yard as long as there is an
oposum around. They actually help keep
the rat population under control as they
will forage through rat nests and consume
the baby rats before they mature and spread
out. They have an almost zero incidence of
rabies (they actually seem resistant to it), and
they are the least likely of wild animals to
be aggressive or to attack or bite. In short,
they are a very complimentary and beneficial
animal to have around.
Encouraging and Supporting Our Fauna
Neighbors for a
Diverse and Healthy Neighborhood.

15.
July 6, 2019

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.

East Bay Booksellers Book/Poetry
Readings. FREE and open to the public.
•
Wed, 7/10, 7pm. Ruchika Tomar: A Prayer
for Travelers. In conversaton with Chia-Chia Lin.
•
Sun, 7/14, 3pm. Poetry Flash. With Robin
Behn and Julie Bruck.
•
Mon, 7/15, 7pm. Local author Jasmine
Guillory: The Wedding Party.
East Bay Booksellers, 5433 College Ave. More
info abt. the authors, books and other events:
653-9965 or info@ebbooksellers.com.
Compiled by Jo Ellis
COMMUNITY CALENDAR
Rockridge Branch Library
5366 College Avenue, 597-5017
**End-of-Summer Reading Party at the Oakland
Museum: Sunday, Aug. 4, 11-3. Free for all ages.
Stories, games, books; Kamishibai Stories at 11:30
a.m.; Circus of Smiles at 12:30 p.m.; Drag Queen
and Drag King. Bookstravaganza at 2:p.m.
FOR CHILDREN
•
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 SUMMER EVENTS: all ages welcome.
**Summer Reading Program on now: pick up
free A’s Tickets, Reading Log and calendar of
events; or sign up online at oaklandLibrary.org/
summer. Finish by August 3rd to get prizes for
reading and enter the raffle.
•
Chess Club: learn the basics; Instruction
and chess sets provided. Best for ages 8 to 14.
Wednesdays, 3:30-4:30pm in July (will resume in
September; call for dates).
•
Paws to Read: Sandy’s dog Scout loves to
listen when kids practice reading aloud. You pick
the book. All ages welcome. Every Thurs, 3:30-
4:30pm in July and August.
•
Build, Make, Play, Crafts & Projects: Every
Thursday, 3:30-4:30pm. July to August 1. (Crafts
list posted in the library, includes activities for
ages 5 to 12.)
•
David Grashton: Sing along music for ages
0 to 6. Thurs, July 11, 10:30am.
TUESDAY EVENINGS at 6:30pm:
•
Bubble Lady: July 9. Experience every
imaginable bubble.
•
Magic Nathaniel: July 16. Learn a little magic
& a few card tricks during the show.
•
Traveling Lantern: July 23. Experience live
theater & get in on the act.
•
Kamishibai: July 30. Paper-theater stories
on a bike.
FOR TEENS
***Sign up for 2019 Summer Reading (for ages
12-19): Get a free TeenZone notebook. Collect
stamps to get a free TeenZone backpack, raffle
tickets, and more. Or register online at oaklandli-
brary.org/services/cards-and-visiting/summer-opl/
teen-summer-passport.
***Teen Volunteers wanted ages 11-16: to help
with the Summer Reading Program and other
routine library tasks. Email Erica at esiskind@
oaklandlibrary.org, or stop by the Children’s
Reference Desk to sign up for an orientation.
•
Rock Painting: July 17, 3:30pm: Paint rocks
and turn them into magnets.
•
Henna: July 19th, 3:30pm: Learn about the
ancient art of henna. Henna tattoos are temporary.
•
Welcome Week August 12-16: Special activi-
ties and prizes; photo booth; raffle and more.
North Oakland Senior Center
5714 Martin Luther King, Jr. Way
Mon. – Fri., 9am to 4:30pm. Programs include:
Arts/crafts; health counseling; dancing and exer-
cise; trips, tours and theater outings; Alzheimer’s
support groups, computer classes/more.

•
New Free Exercise & Balance Class: