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RockridgeNews

THE

www.rockridge.org

VOL 37   •   NO. 4   •   ISSUE  NO. 396   •   APRIL 2, 2022                       CIRCULATION: 5,800 Residences; 200 Businesses

Sponsored by the Rockridge Community Planning Council (RCPC)  •  4900 Shattuck Ave., PO Box 22504, Oakland  94609

RCPC Board Elections: APRIL 21 & 23

RCPC Annual Meeting and Board Election to be Held on Thursday, April 21st
at the Rockridge Library; Balloting Continues on Saturday, April 23rd.

by Stuart Flashman, RCPC Board
Member
https://rockridge.org). A California
driver’s license or California ID
card fulfills both functions. Proof of
identity can include a US passport
or student photo ID. Residency can
be shown by a tax or utility bill, or a
lease/rental agreement that shows the
residential address and is dated in
the last two to six months.
* If Covid rates surge in April, the
candidates’ forum will be via Zoom
only on Thursday, April 14, from
7-9pm. Check https://rockridge.org
on Monday, April 10th for updated
election information. Election dates
will not change, but indoor polling
tables may be eliminated.
indoor gatherings can observe the
proceedings and submit questions elec-
tronically via Zoom. However, voting
is only allowed in person. (There will
be polling tables both inside and out-
side the building.)
If a quorum of 25 members is physi-
cally present on the 21st, balloting will
continue on Saturday, April 23 from
1-4pm outside the library (signs will
point to voting location).
Meeting attendees on April 21 must
show proof of vaccination to enter
the library, and masks (available at
entry) must be worn in the library.
Voters must show proof of identity and
residence within the RCPC boundaries
to receive a ballot (a map of the bound-
aries is available on the RCPC website,
The Annual Membership Meeting
of the Rockridge Community
Planning Council (RCPC), with the
election for Board of Directors, will be
held on Thursday, April 21, between
7pm and 9pm in the second-floor
meeting room of the Rockridge
Branch Library, 5366 College Ave.
There are nine declared candidates
for six open Board seats. (See pages 3,
4 & 5 for candidate statements.)
A candidates’ forum will be held
at the meeting where candidates can
provide short statements and respond
to audience questions.* Those
concerned with the COVID risk of
CANDIDATE STATEMENTS
—  SEE PAGES 3, 4 & 5  —

CALLING ALL KITCHENS:
Preparations Now Under Way for 2022 Kitchen Tour

by Robin McDonnell, RCPC Kitchen Tour Co-Chair
P
Remodels range from modest updates
to large-scale renovations and feature
green construction, Accessory Dwell-
ing Units (ADUs), and innovative
designs. We want to see it all.
The Kitchen Tour is the primary
fundraiser for the Rockridge Com-
munity Planning Council (RCPC),
the nonprofit community organiza-
tion that sponsors the publication of
The Rockridge News, holds town hall
meetings on topics of importance
to the neighborhood, and supports
lanning for this year’s Rockridge
Kitchen Tour is now in full swing,
and the deadline to submit a kitchen
for consideration is May 15, 2022.
The tour will be held on Sunday,
October 2, from 12:30 to 5:30pm.
For those of you who may be new
to the neighborhood, this autumn
will mark the 14th tour since 1995
and will feature eight beautifully
renovated, restored, or remodeled
Rockridge residential kitchens.
Rockridge kitchens come in a
variety of styles, sizes, and budgets:
traditional, modern, Craftsman.
Kitchen Tour, see page 2


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page 2
APRIL 2022

WANTED: Kitchens
Kitchen Tour, from front page
community building through
programs like the Kevin Faughnan
Memorial Community Grants
Program.
To submit or refer a kitchen for the
tour, the Kitchen Tour Committee
invites you to do so asap. For info,
contact Kitchen Tour Co-Chairs,
Robin McDonnell or Kirk Peterson at
kitchentour@rockridge.org. n
The Tour Committee is
accepting kitchen submissions
through May 15.
Works in progress are welcome,
although expected completion
should be no later than
August 1, 2022.
Email kitchentour@rockridge.
org for more details.
The Rockridge News was founded in March
1986 by Don Kinkead and is published
monthly (except August). It 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
Anna L. Marks ........................ Editor & Layout Artist
Jo Ellis........................Assistant Editor & Ad Manager
Susan Montauk................................Business Manager
Judith Doner Berne.......................Senior Staff Writer
Farewell Message from the Chair — Leonora Sea
In 2018, I wrote my first article as
the newly elected RCPC Board
Chair. It was only four years ago but
so much has changed since then, and
the position has turned out to involve
much more than I expected. Recently
I’ve been looking back at my six-plus
years on the board, including the
years as chair. It’s been challenging,
enlightening, educational, and often
great fun.
At times, I’ve been disappointed
to find out that many Rockridge
residents don’t know anything about
RCPC and its accomplishments, but
I also see this as an opportunity. The
neighborhood has stepped up when
asked, even when in-person organiz-
ing was limited by the pandemic.
I strongly recommend the new
board to keep on asking for help
from our neighbors. So many people
with such a broad range of skills live
here that together we can accomplish
great things for Rockridge and the
wider city. For example, Oakland is
beginning the process of updating
the General Plan. Right now, the
focus is on the housing element,
but safety, the CEQA process, racial
equity, and zoning are coming up
soon in Phase 1 — and the City
needs to hear from Rockridge com-
munity members.
In my initial article as Chair, I
encouraged Rockridge neighbors to
email or call me with ideas and con-
cerns. I repeat that encouragement
now: let the new chair and board
members know what’s on your mind,
and volunteer your help if you can.
And once again, you can express
your support for the people you’d
like to see on the RCPC board. This
time, as in the previous two cycles,
it’s a competitive election, so your
vote absolutely does count. I won’t be
running this time, but I will be help-
ing on the election days, and I hope
to see many of you then.
Finally, I want to thank my RCPC
colleagues — past and present board
members, officers, and advisors. In a
very busy world, they’ve given a lot of
their time and talent to RCPC and I
appreciate them for it. n
RCPC Board of Directors, 2021-22
Leonora Sea..........................................................Chair
Robin McDonnell..................................... Vice-Chair
Casey Farmer................................................ Secretary
Ashley Pandya.............................. Assistant Secretary
Ken Rich........................................................Treasurer
Mark Aaronson, Andrew Charman, Stuart
Flashman, Annette Floystrup, Kirk Peterson,
Ronnie Spitzer, Zac Unger
Contact the board: chair@rockridge.org
For information: info@rockridge.org
Contacting The Rockridge News
Are there community issues you’d like to see
covered in The Rockridge News? Have questions
about newsletter distribution? Want to volunteer to
be a Rockridge News block captain? Want to write a
letter to the Editor? We’d love to hear from you.
All letters must be limited to 350 words and are
published at the discretion of the Editor. Send
them to: editor@rockridge.org. Please be sure
to include your name, email address, and city and
street of residence. All submissions accepted
for publication are subject to editing for clarity
and brevity.
The Rockridge News reserves the right to refuse any
articles, letters, display ads, or classified ads.
Newsletter Subscriptions
To subscribe to The Rockridge News, send your
check for $20, payable to RCPC with “Rockridge
News” noted on the memo line.
Mail payment to: RCPC, 4900 Shattuck Avenue,
PO Box 22504, Oakland, CA, 94609
At Holy Names, students thrive. In our
supportive and academically-challenging
environment, Holy Names students develop
strong voices, deep compassion, and the
Display Advertising Deadline for MAY:
April 21, 2022
skills and confidence they need to have a powerful impact
on the world.  We are proud to be the most diverse all-girls
school in the Bay Area, and our diversity includes the full
socio-economic spectrum, race and a multitude of cultures
that reflect our local community.
Advertising rates are $28/column inch. Six-month
pre-pay rate available. For display ads, call Jo Ellis
at 510-653-3210 (after noon), or email joellis1@
hotmail.com. Email Susan Montauk at smontauk@
gmail.com for information regarding classified ads.
Holy Names High School
Views expressed in published articles do not
necessarily reflect those of The Rockridge
News, its editor, or the board of directors of the
Rockridge Community Planning Council.
4660 Harbord Drive, Oakland, CA 94618
hnhsoakland.org


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APRIL 2022

RCPC Election 2022
Casey Farmer
(Incumbent)
Carlton Street
Ben Friedman
Colby Street
Candidate Statements
Af ter almost 5
years as a resident
of Rockridge, I
excitedly announce
my candidacy for the
RCPC board. I work
in environmental
philanthropy and advocacy, and will
use my conservation and government
affairs experience to effectively share our
community’s needs with local, state, and
federal decision makers as well as government-
funded neighborhood grant programs.
I’m running for re-election
to continue advocating
for an inclusive and
thriving community.
My family has lived in
Rockridge as renters
and homeowners for nearly 12 years.
Ten years ago, I moved to Old Oakland,
but soon thereafter deeply missed our
vibrant neighborhood and moved back.
Dear Readers,
In this issue you will find candidate
statements for the nine candidates (four
incumbents plus five other candidates)
for six seats on the RCPC Board of
Directors. The Board provides the
leadership to RCPC in addressing issues
here in Rockridge.
This year, the Board suggested that,
in addition to introducing themselves,
candidates identify and discuss
two or three issues that they feel
are important for Rockridge. The
Board also adopted guidelines for
campaigning. Those can be found
in the March 2022 Rockridge News
where you’ll find details of the election
procedures (April 21st and 23rd) on
the front page.
During my service on the RCPC Board
for the last four years, I have led our
Redistricting Ad-Hoc Committee, managed
our fundraiser for the new residents at Clifton
Hall’s transitional housing, and enhanced
participation at our RCPC town halls.
As a contributor to The Rockridge News,
I’ve covered our community’s natural
values and current events, as well as my
own process of “Choosing Rockridge”
as a place to call home. The RCPC can
play a leadership role in addressing three
significant issues our community faces
today: our housing crisis, undeveloped
lots within our community, and poor air
quality, exacerbated by climate change.
I’ll continue to advocate for four specific
issues: 1) I want Rockridge to be inclusive
for everyone, regardless of income; 2) I
want Rockridge to be the most family-
friendly neighborhood in Oakland; 3) I want
College Avenue to thrive with fewer vacant
storefronts; 4) I want our neighborhood to feel
safe for everyone. Thank you for your vote. n

How can Rockridge be a model for
addressing these pressing issues in the
Bay Area and California? RCPC must
address these questions so that our
neighborhood can remain the spectacular
community that it is — and I want to help. n
Annette
Floystrup
(Incumbent)
Birch Court

Alysoun Bonde
Lawton Avenue
Greetings neighbors;
I’m running to support
our community to
be inclusive, family-
friendly, economically
vibrant, and safe during
these challenging
times.
I have served on
past RCPC boards
where I co-chaired
the Rockridge DVD
projec t, which
raised $13,000
to double the number of DVDs for the
library. I also write for The Rockridge News.
A thriving Rockridge has diverse neighbors,
successful small businesses, and activated
streets and parks that are walkable,
welcoming, and safe. I feel privileged to live
in our wonderful community and want to
make sure that others have that opportunity
regardless of income, race, or status.
After renting in Rockridge for 7 years, I
became a homeowner where I set up and
ran my own business. I have also worked
as a retail manager. I’m a past President
and Board Member of the Bay Area Small
Business Development Corporation where
we provided loan guarantees to women-
owned and minority-owned businesses.
As an East Bay native, I’ve spent my life
working to lift up small businesses, provide
housing opportunities, and advocate
for equitable economic development in
Oakland. I’m a graduate of U.C. Berkeley’s
Goldman School of Public Policy and a
member of Oakland’s Head Start Advisory
Board, and serve as a board member
for local and international nonprofits.
I’ve worked on RCPC Kitchen Tours and
other fundraising so that the nonprofit
can continue to contribute to Oakland
and our neighborhood in tangible
ways like the Library and FROG Park,
and environmental improvements
at Claremont and Chabot schools.
I believe that communities and families
carry the wisdom and solutions to our
challenges that policymakers need,
not the other way around. I’d be
honored to be your representative. n
As for my personal priorities, I
will continue to work on fundraising,
emergency preparedness for wildfire and
earthquake safety, and the economic
vibrancy of College Avenue businesses. n
CANDIDATE STATEMENTS
continued on pages 4 & 5

Land Use Committee
Meeting Notice
The next meeting of the
RCPC Land Use Committee
will be held on
Wednesday, April 27, 2022,
at 7:30pm, via Zoom.
Email landuse@rockridge.org,
or call (510) 652-5373 to attend.
The meeting is open to the public.
Check Rockridge.org for details.


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page 4
APRIL 2022

NCPC Meeting
The Greater Rockridge
Neighborhood Crime
Prevention Council
will hold its next virtual
meeting on:
April 14, 2022, at 7pm,
(pending further notice).
For Zoom link, or to suggest
meeting topics, send an
email to: chair@rockridgencpc.com,
or visit https://rockridgencpc.com.

Candidate Statements,
from previous page
Diana Mitchell-
Chavez
Shafter Avenue
My purpose in
running for a seat
on the RCPC Board
is very simple…it’s
to give voice to all
Rockridge residents
and represent them
in decisions regarding housing, business, and
safety in the neighborhood. I wish to listen to
them and implement their desires and needs
by working with fellow Board members as
well as City representatives.
Robin McDonnell:
(Incumbent)
Auburn Avenue
My husband and I
moved to Rockridge
in 2018. We made
Rockridge our home
because of its unique
combination of urban
life and sense of
community. My background includes 25 years
in county government with responsibility
for community development, housing
programs and economic development. It
also includes volunteer work and nonprofit
board membership.
I’ve lived in Rockridge for 42 years. Rockridge
has experienced the Oakland Firestorm,
the Bay Bridge Earthquake, and the
Covid-19 lockdown, and throughout each
event, neighbor helped neighbor, and the
neighborhood has managed to continue
to grow. I will continue to work with my
neighbors to implement their goals for the
direction of Rockridge.
Soon after moving here, I volunteered to
help with the Kitchen Tour. I enjoyed seeing
the kitchens and meeting homeowners,
RCPC members and docents alike.
Since joining the RCPC Board, I have chaired
the Community Grants program, assisted
with communications, and filled the position
of Vice Chair along with helping with various
community events.
I want to make sure the people who live,
work and pay their taxes here don’t have
their needs ignored or bypassed.
Thank you for your consideration. n
RCPC has always worked to enhance the
quality of life of all the residents and business
owners in Rockridge. We have done this
by supporting public facilities such as the
library, advocating for Rockridge to the City
and County, and promoting community
events. I think it is important to continue
these efforts to keep Rockridge a place we
can all be proud to call home. n
Brett Moyer
Miles Avenue
My name is Brett
Moyer and I’m
excited to run for
the RCPC. My wife
and I moved to
the neighborhood
as renters near
Trader Joe’s five
years ago, moving to a house on 51st
Street 18 months ago. We love walking
around the neighborhood with our standard
poodle and one-year-old son, Miles,
named after the street we used to live on.
I’m excited to run for RCPC to help with a
few major issues facing the neighborhood
– how do we keep businesses in the
neighborhood and how can we ensure
the neighborhood continues to welcome
neighbors with housing and quality
of life improvements for everyone.
I work as a Financial Analyst for a bank,
and I’m excited to see how I can bring
my skill set to help the neighborhood. n
Candidate Statements, see next page
A candidates’ forum   will be
held at the meeting on April 21 at 7pm.


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page 5
APRIL 2022

Candidate Statements, cont.
Kirk Peterson:
(Incumbent)
College Avenue
Eric Neville
Thomas Avenue
I was born in
1951, on Pill Hill,
at which time  I
inherited Italian
citizenship; and
I studied at U.C.
Berkeley and
the Rhode Island
School of Design.
Who is government?
It seems “activism” is
a term used by folks
thinking political
impact is rightfully
outsourced, that
personal involvement
is a deviation. I call
it “participation,” and it’s the way nearly
everything good in government has been
achieved — from the Revolution to Abolition,
from protecting wildlife to stemming
pollution.
I’ve been practicing architecture on College
Avenue for a few decades.  I love the
Oakland cityscape and its neighborhoods,
its parks, its eclectic architecture, and of
course the interesting sorts of people who
call this area home.
Is Rockridge livable? Will it be for another
generation? If Oakland’s population has
grown 10 percent in 20 years, why has the
cost of housing risen 150 percent? What’s
going on when 18 percent of Oaklanders live
in poverty and we have the worst income
inequality in 100 years?
I hike our great regional parks, make
sculpture, and sing in a choir. I like to
participate in civic activities, and volunteer
for the Oakland Museum and the Landmarks
Preservation Advisory Board.
As a board member, I have written for,
and distributed The Rockridge News and
helped organize RCPC Halloween and
clean-up events. I am active on the Land
Use Committee and serve as co-chair for
our fall Kitchen Tour.
The money problem leads, and space follows.
How much livable square footage is sitting
vacant on spec, deducted as a business loss?
Where are the stats? Are they even collected?
If POTUS gets a Presidential Daily Briefing,
how’s the common citizen supposed to
make sense of things? Who sees? Who
troubleshoots? Who’s government? We all
are, and that ain’t easy. n
Rockridge elected me to the Board in 2020,
and I am asking the neighborhood to elect
me again for another term. n
Rockridge Café Hosts Artist Paulette Nichols
Rockridge artist Paulette Nichols is
currently exhibiting 25 of her
paintings on the walls of the Rock-
ridge Café. The majority of her plein
air paintings are of views and subjects
within a two-mile radius of the artist’s
home on Broadway.
“I drove up to Grizzly Peak and
painted the landscape, the view
looking down one of the lookouts
above Claremont Canyon. About six
months ago, I started adding cats to
some of the landscape paintings that
I had around my home. People love
cats. The other paintings in the show
are pretty much all unadulterated local
landscapes with no felines in them.”
The exhibit will remain on display
until May 11. The Rockridge Café is
located at 5492 College Avenue near
the corner of Lawton. n
Nichols’ painting (18" x 24"
oil on canvas panel) is from 4 years
ago, with a newly added cat.


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page 6
APRIL 2022

Skate Sessions are Back at Frog Park
by Carol Kasparek and Gary Fine

DJ KG blends tunes for roller skaters Thursday afternoons, from 4-8pm.
Be sure to bring your skates.
For those of you that are used to
hearing kids playing, basketballs
dribbling, and dogs barking, you can
now add the sound of roller skates
and great tunes to the mix. After a
4-month hiatus, Roller Skate Sessions
have returned to Frog Park.
DJ KG and his team will be pro-
viding music every Thursday, from
4-8pm, at the basketball courts
between Hardy Park and Frog Park.
Tunes are a blend of old and new,
with DJ KG creating a mix to play off
the energy of the skaters. The area is
covered so skaters can come out rain
or shine. BART tracks overhead add
to the vibrations.
KG began his DJ career at his
church with double cassette decks,
discovering how music brought
people together. He decided to
try other venues and upgrade his

DJ KG and his brother, Cary,
use music for recreation and health.
equipment to create that sense of
community elsewhere. “Music is heal-
ing …this is what I have to offer the
community,” he said.
We all looked for ways to stay
healthy during the challenges of the
past two years. KG came to Frog
Park to play basketball. He worked
in UCSF operating rooms during the
height of the pandemic and the park
became a favorite destination for him.
With the murals, huge columns and
open expanse, “the place looked like a
movie set.”
Asking himself, “When am I
going to start doing what I love?,” he
answered by setting up his equipment
last summer and making music. With
his brother, Cary, and friend, Marjo
Alexander, they showed up every week
to create an opportunity for people to
come together. They carefully moni-
tored sound levels to be respectful of
the neighbors, passed out flyers and
responded to what people wanted to
hear. KG said some folks put blankets
on the surrounding grass, transform-
ing the tunes into dinner music.
Hudson resident Sallie Olsen was
shooting hoops with her grandson
recently when she saw KG and his
brother testing their equipment. She
was delighted, commenting that the
sessions are “a yin and yang to all the
[expletive] that’s going on in the world
right now.” Agreed. Bring your skates.
For more info, call (510) 776-5161 or
email Djkgbooking92@gmail.com. n


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page 7
APRIL 2022

“I got so many amazing letters and
emails from people when Barry died,
about how they loved his column
‘Rockridge Cornucopia’ — they made
his recipes and looked forward to
reading it ­each month — they were so
personal and sweet.”
Kaufman loved to travel and
research culinary traditions and was
interested in the history of food in
the world around him. Gail picked
those recipes that revealed his loving
and caring nature when writing about
how the history of certain dishes was
impacted by culture and language.
While many of his recipes were
not original, they were some of his
favorites, including a third generation
knish recipe from Gail’s side of the
family and French chocolate ice cream
from Vincent Price, along with exotic
recipes from their travels to Southeast
Asia and Indonesia. “He never met a
spice he didn’t like,” said Gail.
“Many Rockridge residents
looked forward to Barry Kaufman’s
writings and recipes in ‘Rockridge
Cornucopia,’ so Barry’s friends and
family created a 20-page booklet with
a sampling of recipes from over
15 years of writing his column in
The Rockridge News. Thank you all for
being so supportive of Barry’s work
and all the kindness you showered on
his family.” — Gail Kaufman
Recipe Book Looks
Back at the Blossoming
Rockridge Food Scene
their graduate work, eventually
making their way to Rockridge in
the early 1980s when Barry served as
Dean at the School of Education at
Dominican College in San Rafael.
His obsession, however, was cook-
ing, and he entered a weekend and
evening program at the Culinary
Institute that led to long food-prep
shifts at a few local restaurants. In
the end, however, he realized that
he preferred to cook mostly for his
friends and family — sharing his
skills with his daughter who shares
his passion.
Barry passed away in April of 2016,
and Gail has recently put together a
book with some of his most treasured
recipes and photos to share with
friends and neighbors. It is now
available in print as a 20-page book-
let (only a limited number of copies
available) and as a pdf.
by Anna L. Marks
Back in 2001, when College Avenue
Avenue wasn’t such a culinary
destination (think: Edible Complex)
Rockridge resident Barry Kaufman
wanted to educate neighbors about the
burgeoning food scene, and thus began
writing his longstanding column in The
Rockridge News, “Rockridge Cornuco-
pia,” where he celebrated his findings
with recipes and personal anecdotes.
Barry was married to his wife, Gail,
for 50 years. They were both born
in Brooklyn and met each other at
summer camp when they were just 16.
Years later, the couple moved to
Amherst, Mass, where they both did
If you would like to receive the link
to the digitized version that you can
print out or save for reference, please
email Gail Kaufman at gkaufman@
berkeley.edu. She does have a few hard
copies and is happy to give them to a
few of Barry’s die-hard fans. n
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page 8
APRIL 2022

Sam Davis: “It’s Been A Roller Coaster Ride…”
by Judith Doner Berne

Two Volunteer Block
Captains Needed Now
by Susan Montauk, Rockridge News
Distribution Manager
T
S
Taking office during the Covid-19
pandemic, Davis and his fellow board
members, along with school trustees
across the country, have struggled
with the problems inherent in virtual
learning, including when to re-open
schools; parental, staff and student
concerns over Covid safety measures;
staffing shortages; and the beat goes
on. And, through it all, the district’s
financial problems have worsened.
What currently looks like a budget
surplus, he said, doesn’t consider the
tentative agreements with various
unions to which the district has
already committed.
“It’s been a roller coaster ride,”
Davis said. “I have days that I want
to quit and days that I want to help
the district do a better job instead of
going from crisis to crisis. The issue
is how do we get the district to be
sustainable.”
The current crisis is over school clos-
ings and consolidations, which have
provoked upheaval including parent
protests, staff and student walkouts,
and a demonstration in front of Davis’s
house. “The people picketing my home
was upsetting,” he said, “but it’s noth-
ing compared to the two teachers who
went on a hunger strike (now over) to
protest the closings. I met with them.”
Disturbed that the process was
rushed and that affected families
weren’t being supported, he worked
to persuade the board to trim the
initial list of school closures and to
slow down others. But given flagging
enrollments, the need to raise salaries
to retain enough staff (made even
more urgent by rising inflation), and
the threat of a takeover by the county,
he voted in favor of the following:
At the end of this school year, Parker
and Community Day School will
close, La Escuelita will go from a K-8
school to an elementary school and
Rise Community Elementary and New
Highland Academy, which currently
share an East Oakland campus, will
am Davis views the Oakland Uni-
fied School District from several
angles: as a former teacher, school
volunteer, parent, and vice president
of its school board.
Elected to the OUSD board in
November 2020 from District 1,
which includes Rockridge, fellow
board members immediately chose
him as vice president and re-elected
him this year. Davis is the only
trustee with a child attending an
Oakland Unified school (Oakland
Tech). He left a full-time job to
devote more time to the district.
Board members are paid just under
$10,000 a year.
“School board members have to
put in so much time,” he told me, as
we sat on the patio of Alem’s Coffee
shop on Claremont Avenue. Beyond
the hours spent prepping for board
meetings “which are extremely long,”
and the two committees on which
he serves, Davis’s days include meet-
ings with district administrative,
academic and facilities staff; dealing
with “the many different controver-
sies that come up all the time”; and
responding to community members
and interest groups with concerns
on a variety of issues. He also keeps
constituents informed through an
emailed newsletter.
he Rockridge
News has two
openings for Block
Captains beginning
in May. Zach Larson
has to give up his
Hillegass route since
his work schedule
has changed, and
Trish Campbell is
moving and needs to find a volunteer
to cover her Ivanhoe route. Our
thanks to both of these community
volunteers — they both hope their
routes will be claimed soon. Please let
us know if you will be able to take on
either of these routes:
Block Captain
Sam Martin
• Route 05D: 5800 and 5700 Ivanhoe
between Miles and Chabot.
• Route 24B: Woolsey, South side,
from Benvenue to Hillegass, both sides
of 6400 Hillegass, up North side of
Alcatraz to Benvenue.
Block Captains deliver newsletters
door-to-door. Their bundles are
delivered to their front porches the
first weekend of each month (except
August). Call (510) 547-3855 or email
Susan at smontauk@gmail.com to
volunteer. n
Eyes on Rockridge, see next page


THE

page 9
APRIL 2022

According to Davis, “Sankofa is
thriving now.” Although 17 percent
of Kaiser students left the district,
Sankofa’s enrollment went from 150
to 210 students, with an increase in
the number of students on the list for
next year. “It takes a few years for the
strategy to work,” he said.
In a recent San Jose Mercury News
op-ed (2/7/22), former OUSD board
president and long-time District 1
representative Jody London and her
former colleague James Harris wrote
of the necessity to change a failing
system. “Good governance means
looking at the entire system and
making the right choice for children
even when the decision is unpopular
with some.
from previous page
merge. At the end of the 2022-23
school year, Korematsu Discovery
Academy, Carl B. Munck, Grass
Valley, and Horace Mann elementary
schools will close, and Hillcrest K-8
will lose middle school grades.
“OUSD would be in danger of losing
local control to the County if it was
not able to meet its financial obliga-
tions,” Davis said. “Once the Covid
relief funds are used up, that could
be a real danger if the district does
not continue to reduce its expenses to
Sam Davis
Oakland School Board Director
of Educators for Democratic Schools,
she initially supported Davis’s elec-
tion to the board. Speaking only for
herself, she said the board reached its
conclusions too quickly “without com-
munity input, without evidence that
closing these schools would achieve its
financial and educational goals, and
without considering the question of
equity. The process was pushed into
two weeks. They didn’t take the time
to sell it to the community.”
At the same time, Weintraub
sympathizes with Davis and his
fellow school board members. “It’s
a horrible job because there’s never
enough money. They’re asked to make
decisions between bad and worse.
California [30th in the nation in
school funding] does a horrible job of
funding schools.”

“OUSD would be in danger of losing local control to the
County if it was not able to meet its financial obligations.”

align with revenues.” Also at stake, he
said, “is $10 million in State funding
contingent on OUSD closing schools
by the end of this school year.”
One of the main issues,” Davis
said, “is that Oakland Unified has
lost 2,500 students over the past
four years, partly due to competition
with charter schools but also due
to the impacts of gentrification and
the pandemic. Districts with similar
numbers of students to Oakland, such
as Fremont and San Jose, have half
the number of schools, and in many
areas of Oakland, there are far fewer
families with school-age children than
just a few years ago.”
In addition, he noted that nearby
school systems, such as Piedmont and
San Leandro, which are also losing
students, are recruiting in Oakland.
“It’s a competitive environment.”
Although no schools in District
1 are scheduled to close, last year
two schools in Davis’s region were
affected. Students at Kaiser Elemen-
tary in Hiller Highlands — which was
at capacity but where few students
came from the immediate neigh-
borhood — were transferred to an
under-enrolled Sankofa Academy in
the Bushrod neighborhood.
“With the proposed mergers and
closures, every student will have a seat
in a classroom, and teachers will still
teach, albeit at a different school,” they
wrote. “The difference: The remaining
schools will be better able to afford
librarians, extra-curricular activities
and additional academic and social
support services. Are we so afraid of
change that we are willing to hold on
to a system that fails our children?”
Rockridge resident Shelly Wein-
traub takes an opposing view. As a
former OUSD teacher and member
To comment on this column or
suggest future topics, please email
judyberne@att.net. n


THE
page 10
APRIL 2022

Ride for a Reason
and Support Our
Public Schools
by Cliff Rechtschaffen
Since 2009, parents, students, teach-
ers and community members have
ridden from Oakland Technical High
School to the State Capitol in Sacra-
mento to support public education.
After a brief hiatus followed by a
virtual event in 2021, the Ride 4A
Reason bike ride/school fundraiser
is back this year and scheduled for
April 23, 2022.
The ride began as a protest against
the deep budget cuts to Oakland
Unified School District and all
California public schools during the
Great Recession. Since then, Ride
4A Reason has grown to include
hundreds of riders and raised over a
million dollars for 12 public schools
in Oakland and Alameda.
All participating schools serve
students from economically disadvan-
taged backgrounds, and many have
very limited fundraising capabilities.
Locally, funds raised will directly
benefit Emerson Elementary, Clare-
mont Middle, and Oakland Tech and
Oakland International High Schools.
Schools use these funds for library
books, sports equipment, after-school
The crew from Westlake Middle School gets ready to ride
from Oakland Tech, 2019.
Photo credit: Moses Omolade
take a bus to the starting point).
This year, a run/walk event with
the Lake Merritt Joggers and Striders
on April 24 has been added. All are
welcome to join, or volunteer.
If you have questions, or would like
to participate, please email Jessica de
Jesus at R4RSchools1@gmail.com, or
visit R4Rschools.com. n
programs, science equipment, and
staff salaries for counselors, librarians,
and reading specialists.
The event is staffed by close to 75
volunteers, and 100 percent of the
proceeds go directly to the schools.
Riders can choose fully supported
rides of distances of 45, 68 or 109
miles (for the shorter rides, cyclists


THE

page 11
APRIL 2022

Frog Park Earth Day Cleanup

Bay Area Women
Artists Exhibit at
Rockridge Library
by Alison Drury, FROG Park Co-Chair
In celebration of Earth Day 2022, a
cleanup of Big Frog Park, Little Frog
Park, and the Temecal Greenbelt
(between Big Frog and Little Frog) is
being planned for April 23, from 9am
to noon. This year’s Earth Day theme
is “The Great Global Cleanup” — a
campaign to remove billions of pieces
of trash from neighborhoods, beaches,
rivers, lakes, trails, and parks, as a
way to reduce waste and plastic pol-
lution, improve habitats, and prevent
harm to wildlife and humans.
Tasks include weeding, pruning,
trash pickup, raking, sweeping, and
applying a non-toxic sealant to the
Little Frog play structure. Families
and groups are welcome. Students
Big Frog Park: Meet at the big oak
tree by the Big Frog play structure to
sign the waiver to participate.
by Maryly Snow
Twenty-two of the 40 members of
the long-lived Bay Area Women
Artists Breakfast Group will present
“A Pandemic Sketchbook 2020” at the
Rockridge Public Library’s upstairs
display space this April and May. The
exhibit will feature 12" x 16" prints
of original drawings created in a cir-
culating notebook while confronting
Covid restrictions.
How did this all come about? Early
in the pandemic, Berkeley artist
Pamela Blotner asked, via email and
Zoom, who in the group would like to
contribute to a sketchbook. No theme.
Whatever you wanted. Amazingly, 22
artists soon signed up. There was one
requirement, however: bring the note-
book to the next person on the list (a
pandemic challenge).
Once the sketchbook was
completed, Pamela Blotner (pamel-
ablotner.com/) and Lanny DeVuono
(lannydevuono.com) had the entire
book photographed — a difficult task
given the assorted materials peeking
out beyond the edges of many pages,
and with nearly every artist choosing
to work with a double spread of pages
on either side of the notebook’s spiral
spine. Nancy Selvin (selvinstudios.
com), Berkeley artist and originator
of the Breakfast Group decades ago,
then had the images printed on paper.
Sas Colby, a Berkeley artist known for
her mail art creations and who is cur-
rently exhibiting at the San Francisco
Center for the Book ended up with
the final notebook and images.
Rockridge resident Maryly Snow
then contacted Rockridge Branch
librarians Liz Soskin and Erica Sis-
kind to request an exhibition… and
once Delta and Omicron waned, the
date was set — March 29 through the
end of May.
Come on down, borrow a book and
see what a group of senior citizen
artists have to say. n
Little Frog Park: Meet at Little Frog
Sign to help apply non-toxic sealant to
Little Frog play structure.
needing service hours for school can
receive a signed letter verifying their
participation.
Please bring your gardening gloves,
tools, and refillable water bottles.
Some gardening gloves and tools will
be on hand, if you’d like to borrow
them. Coffee and snacks will be pro-
vided to volunteers. n


THE
page 12
APRIL 2022

Local Kids Join
Together to Stop
Global Warming
by Rachel Hollowgrass
minds. Eight-year-old Aya Osler-
Cahn shared the themes of the day.
“One night I was getting in bed and
I told my mom I wanted to start a
club to stop global warming. I put a
flier in the mailboxes of kids’ houses
in the neighborhood. Everybody
joined. If we don’t change our actions,
in 20 years, it will be too late.”
I spoke with some other club mem-
bers, like 8-year-old Meera Ayotte
who said, “The polar bears’ ice is
melting. The global warming club is
fun because it feels good to help the
earth. I used to feel I couldn’t help
the earth at all.”
Dottie Cutler said, “Instead of a car
that runs on gas, use an electric car, or
maybe not use a car at all. Plant more
plants, and keep them healthy so we
can have more oxygen in the air.”
Aya addressed some people’s fear to
respond: “To people who think global
warming is sad, do something big
with those thoughts.”
On a beautiful and unseasonably
warm Saturday in February,
about three dozen people gathered in
Colby Park. Though half were adults,
it was clear that the children were in
charge. Spread out on folding tables
were dozens of plates piled with baked
goods representing perhaps 100 hours
of focused effort.
I had never seen earthly blue and
green heart-shaped cookies before, or
polar bear cookies. Younger children
were sharing advice about their favor-
ite treats. Older ones were tallying up
sums and making change. While a lot
of practical education was occurring,
something larger was on their young
Colby Park residents gather to
raise funds for the environment.
In the ’90s, most people did not
need to join a club to stop the hole
in the ozone. The Montreal Protocol
phased out ozone-depleting chloro-
fluorocarbons (CFCs). That interna-
tional treaty was ratified by every UN
member nation. Our protective ozone
layer is on track for recovery.
These children are right: Changing
how people and freight get around
could address a third of the green-
house gases in California. We can
also eat less meat, plant trees, turn
down the heat, and use less plastic.
In the future, we may use solid-state
batteries, micro-grids, and carbon
sequestration. However, we don’t have
years to stand by, waiting for these
technologies to arrive.
Bay Area researchers say that every
time a gas-powered device wears out
— such as a furnace, a water heater, a
stove or a car — we should replace it
with one that uses a different power
source such as electricity. Project
Drawdown suggests that a key way to
address climate change globally is to
educate young girls. Adults can vote
for climate-friendly candidates. Every-
one can write letters of support for
legislation that protects our climate,
just as the Montreal Protocol did for
the ozone layer.
For the children in Colby Park,
their mission is clear: Stop global
warming. They raised $745 in one
day. Post-event contributions brought
the total to $2,235.
To get more involved, donate to
the club or learn more, see the club’s
website: stopglobalwarming.club/. n


THE

page 13
APRIL 2022

Foxtail Grasses —
Let’s Get Rid of Them
by Anna L. Marks
The Oakland Tech Bulldogs Win Second
Consecutive State Championship
Spring marks the beginning of fox-
tail season. You know, those little
sticky weeds that pop up everywhere.
This can be a big problem, especially
for cats and dogs. Once the barbed
grasses get into their little feet or ears,
they can burrow deep and cause a lot
of pain and distress. They can even be
inhaled and enter through the nose.
Foxtails shed thousands of seeds
that can quickly spread around the
neighborhood, so it’s important to
completely remove them to prevent
them from returning. The grasses
can cause serious problems including
infection and organ damage, and can
result in hearing loss or even death.
Children should use caution too as
they are susceptible to getting them
in their noses, on clothing, or in their
shoes or socks, causing discomfort.
When you see foxtails (see photo
above) in your yard, or while walking
around the neighborhood, please pull
them out. The best way to remove fox-
tails is to dig out the root with a simple
garden tool. Cutting or breaking off
the seed stems is less effective as that
may need to be repeated over several
years. Mowing them and leaving the
clippings on the ground or sidewalk is
the worst way to remove them as this
also allows the seeds to spread around.
The earlier in the season they are
removed, the less damage they can do.
Do not put them in the green recycling
bin where they can continue to thrive,
but rather put them in a plastic baggie
and into your regular garbage. If you
notice your pet showing any unusual
symptoms including incessant licking,
or problems with chewing or swallow-
ing, see your vet immediately. n
Photo credit: John Sasaki/OUSD
On March 11, 2022, the Oakland
Tech Bulldogs women’s basket-
ball team earned their second state
championship in an exciting face-off
against the Sacramento Lancers.
Despite trailing behind for much of
the game, the Bulldog’s offense scored
five points in the final seconds when
Mari Somvichian scored a 3-pointer
with only 20 seconds remaining in the
game for the win.
The championship games in 2020
and 2021 championships were canceled
due to the pandemic, so it is especially
sweet that the team was able to retain
the Division IV tile they won in 2019
despite an abbreviated season.
“We all just felt like we had some-
thing unfinished, and we finally
finished it. It feels like we’ve been
working for this for like the last two
years, our entire high school career,
and we finally have made it,” said
junior center Sophia Askew-Gon-
calves, who had 8 points and 12
rebounds.
Spectator Zsanna Secrease was
also thrilled with the way the girls
played. “Oakland Tech is the hidden
gem of Oakland, but the Lady Bull-
dogs basketball team has proven that
they are worth their weight in gold
on and off the court. They are true
student-athletes that are supportive of
their classmates and other teams. As a
second-generation alum, and parent of
two alumni and a current student, the
Lady Bulldogs are another reason that
we are proud to be part of the Bulldog
family. GO BULLDOGS!”
Plans are underway to celebrate with
a parade and rally this spring. n
ZϬϭϮϲϱϴϳϯͮϬϭϳϵϴϲϱϴ

Competition Drives Price in February
Closing date
BR
BA

Address                                Original price         List price
DOM
Selling price
2/15/2022
2
1

401 Cavour                            $1,295,000
        $1,295,000
39
$1,415,000
2/16/2022
2
1

5724 Broadway                     $1,198,000
        $1,198,000
14
 $1,650,000
2/16/2022
3
2.5
         6410 Regent St                      $1,795,000
        $1,795,000
16
$3,508,888
2/22/2022
4
2.5

5420 Boyd Ave                      $1,275,000
        $1,275,000
16
$2,575,000
Homes sold in February closed 65% over the asking price on average.
^ƉĞĐŝĂůŝnjŝŶŐŝŶZŽĐŬƌŝĚŐĞͮϱϭϬ͘ϰϱϵ͘ϰϯϯϴͮDŽƚůĞLJdĞĂŵ͘ĐŽŵ
tĂŶƚƚŚĞŚŝŐŚĞƐƚƉŽƐƐŝďůĞƉƌŝĐĞ͍ĂůůƵƐĂŶĚǁĞǁŝůůƐŚŽǁLJŽƵŚŽǁǁĞǁŝůůŐĞƚŝƚ͊
ŽŵƉĂƐƐŝƐĂƌĞĂůĞƐƚĂƚĞďƌŽŬĞƌůŝĐĞŶƐĞĚďLJƚŚĞ^ƚĂƚĞŽĨĂůŝĨŽƌŶŝĂĂŶĚĂďŝĚĞƐďLJƋƵĂů,ŽƵƐŝŶŐKƉƉŽƌƚƵŶŝƚLJůĂǁƐ͘>ŝĐĞŶƐĞEƵŵďĞƌϬϭϴϲϲϳϳϭ͘ůůŵĂƚĞƌŝĂůƉƌĞƐĞŶƚĞĚŚĞƌĞŝŶŝƐŝŶƚĞŶĚĞĚĨŽƌŝŶĨŽƌŵĂƚŝŽŶĂů
ƉƵƌƉŽƐĞƐŽŶůLJĂŶĚŝƐĐŽŵƉŝůĞĚĨƌŽŵƐŽƵƌĐĞƐĚĞĞŵĞĚƌĞůŝĂďůĞďƵƚŚĂƐŶŽƚďĞĞŶǀĞƌŝĨŝĞĚ͘ŚĂŶŐĞƐŝŶƉƌŝĐĞ͕ĐŽŶĚŝƚŝŽŶ͕ƐĂůĞŽƌǁŝƚŚĚƌĂǁĂůŵĂLJďĞŵĂĚĞǁŝƚŚŽƵƚŶŽƚŝĐĞ͘EŽƐƚĂƚĞŵĞŶƚŝƐŵĂĚĞĂƐƚŽĂĐĐƵƌĂĐLJŽĨ
ĂŶLJĚĞƐĐƌŝƉƚŝŽŶ͘ůůŵĞĂƐƵƌĞŵĞŶƚƐĂŶĚƐƋƵĂƌĞĨŽŽƚĂŐĞĂƌĞĂƉƉƌŽdžŝŵĂƚĞ͘


THE
page 14
APRIL 2022

LOOK AROUND:
California Bay Laurel
by Kirk Peterson

Congratulations to OUSD on their first cheer competition in late
March, and to Oakland Tech who won first place in the Cheer
Battle and first place in dance and medals in jumps too.

law office of
dave karlinsky
725 washington st., suite 313  oakland, ca 94607
(510) 788-5700    www.davekarlinskylaw.com
Practicing exclusively in the area of trusts and estates:
• Estate planning

• Probate / trust administration

• Dispute resolution

• Special needs trusts
Please contact me during regular business hours to
      schedule an appointment.

The California Bay Laurel (Umbel-
lularia californica) grows in
coastal mountains from northern
California down into Baja, and
throughout the Sierra foothills. There
are fewer Bay trees in the flatter parts
of Oakland where Live Oaks are
common, but they are abundant in
parks like Redwood and Tilden, and
on the shady side of Lake Temescal.
Umbellularia C. can live for centu-
ries; they are typically 70 or 80 feet
high and sometimes taller. They tend
to have multiple trunks, growing
narrow in woodlands and broad in
the open. Clusters of small yellow
flowers appear in winter and pur-
ple-black seeds the size of olives are
mature in fall.
The peppery leaves of the California
bay can be used in cooking, like the
“bay leaf” of their cousin the Grecian
laurel, and also for making a crown of
laurel for a graduate. A “laureate” is
one crowned with laurel. n
YOUR LOCAL
REFILL SHOP
[ B U L K ]  [ Z E R O - W A S T E ]
ReUpRefills.org
6025 COLLEGE AVE. OAKLAND


THE

page 15
APRIL 2022

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Make check payable to RCPC, and write “Rockridge News Classified Ad” in the
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The deadline for the May 2022 issue is April 21, 2022 (available May 7).
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Plan for 2022 Now! Free
Home Evaluation w/Licensed
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Market Value, Tax-Related Issues, Estate
Planning, Selling/Buying. Eve Levine 347-
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Handyman Service
House Repairs & Remodeling
Dry rot, kitchen and bath tile refurbishing
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Electrical Remodels and Repairs
Power issues in your home office? I can
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Need help with behavior modification?
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Install, sand/refinish, repair, re-coat
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THE
COME VISIT US AT
THE CORNER OF
LIFE & CHANGE

COMING SOON
TEMESCAL
Craftsman Bungalow
on Manila Ave
Stunning 2 Bed/ 1 Bath
Original Charm w/ updates
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Detached Casita -
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Possible ADU
FOR SALE
PIEDMONT AVE
4523 Howe St.
Amazing 4 Bed/ 3 Bath
Built New in  2016
Stunning Great room out to patio
3,226 Square feet!! + Garage
MORE COMING
Stay Safe and Well.
Ron Kriss, Broker
Lawton Associates
(c) 510-612-2547
RonKriss@JPS.net
“#1 in Rockridge
Real Estate”
160+ Successful Sales
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DRE# 01417458
www.LawtonAssoc.com