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THE

www.rockridge.org

VOL 39   •   NO. 2   •   ISSUE  NO. 416   •   FEBRUARY 2024                CIRCULATION: 6,400 RESIDENCES; 200 BUSINESSES

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

CANDIDATE FORUM
TOWN HALL:
Alameda County Board
of Supervisors – District 5
Co-hosted by:
Oakland Technical High School’s
Varsity Debate Team
Tuesday, February 13
6pm to 7:30pm
Oakland Tech Student Ctr.
Access is through the main doors of
the campus from Broadway
To attend in person,
or via Zoom, register at:
Bit.ly/D5CandidateForum
Rockridge News
Goes COLOR
Notice something different? As of
this month, we are printing the
Rockridge News in color.
When recently faced with the
need to change printers, we were
presented with the opportunity
to print in color at a great price
— and our supporting advertis-
ers stepped up to help make it
happen. We can't thank them
enough, and we encourage our
readers to support them in return.
With their help, and the support
of the many volunteers who bundle
and distribute this newsletter every
month, and you, our readers, this is
truly a community effort.
Thank you all.
— Anna L. Marks, editor

A Moment of Art, in a Trash Can
by Carol Kasparek
Last summer, the Rockridge Com-
munity Planning Council (RCPC)
considered how best to advance their
goal to enhance the neighborhood.
Noticing that Temescal and other
adjacent areas had begun encasing
trash cans with mosaics, they chose
to transform three cans; two located
on busy corners of College Avenue,
and one at Frog Park. Funds from the
Rockridge Kitchen Tour were used to
hire a mosaicist and pay for materials.
Eileen Fitz-Faulkner, an artist with
deep roots in the community, was
recommended by RCPC Chair Casey
Farmer, and the RCPC board agreed
to move the project forward.
Fitz-Faulkner is very familiar with
the streets and folks of Rockridge. A
resident for many years, she was the
main project leader for the “Big Build”
that created the Frog Park greenway.
Artist Eileen Fitz-Faulkner works
on the trash can at College and Miles
(outside Ain't Normal Cafe).
While coordinating over a dozen
volunteer committees, she discovered
what the community wanted and
found artistic ways to complement the
environment.
“She was a wonderful leader with
a good visual sense and attention
to detail,” observed Friends of the
Rockridge Greenbelt (FROG) board
member Theresa Nelson. “She made
the parks artistic and cool.” With
mosaicist Monique Zandi, and
cement contractor Jimmy Peterson,
Fitz-Faulkner helped create and
design the beloved Turtle and Bench
in the park playground. She later
repaired a “compass rose” in the park
which needed to be changed from
glass tile to more durable ceramics.
Before installation of the artwork,
tiles are cut and laid on netting over
ink drawings.
Trash Cans, see next page


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FEBRUARY 2024

standing of how to use materials for
outdoor structures. With the comple-
tion of the park in 2001, Fitz-Faulkner
took courses at the Mosaic Institute
(no longer active) and at the Cru-
cible. Now, she exhibits in galleries
throughout Northern California. She
credits Nikki de Saint Phalle’s sculp-
tures as a major inspiration for her
outdoor pieces. Some observers — at
least this author and her partner —
feel that Gaudi’s Park Guell may also
have provided some creative spark.
Fitz-Faulkner was impressed with
the park’s focus on local flora and
fauna as expressed by children and
adults in its initial planning, and
decided to represent that vision in
her trash can designs. “I wanted to
bring people a little sweet moment of
nature,” she explained.
Trash Cans, from front page
Fitz-Faulkner's work on the Big
Build, which drew on her training at
the California College of the Arts and
professional experience in Industrial
Design, gave her a clearer under-
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.
VOTE 2024
Rockridge News Production
Anna L. Marks .........................Editor & Layout Artist
Jo Ellis........................ Assistant Editor & Ad Manager
Susan Montauk......Business & Distribution Manager
Judith Doner Berne......... Senior Contributing Writer
RCPC Board of Directors, 2023-24
Casey Farmer.......................................................Chair
Robin McDonnell..................................... Vice-Chair
Ben Friedman................................................ Secretary
Louisa Bukiet.................................................Treasurer
Trash Cans, see next page
Mark Aaronson, Aly Bonde, Andrew Charman,
Annette Floystrup, Star Lightner, Tom Lollini,
Kirk Peterson, Ken Rich, Zac Unger
Land Use Committee
Meeting
Contact the board: chair@rockridge.org
For information: info@rockridge.org
The Rockridge community
is encouraged to participate in LUC
meetings where elements of the
General Plan Update will be a primary
topic of conversation.
Meetings are held at 7:30pm
on the 3rd Wednesday of each month.
Contacting the Rockidge 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? We’d love to
hear from you.
Want to write a letter to the Editor? Lletters
are limited to 450 words and are published at
the editors discretion. Send letters to: editor@
rockridge.org. Please be sure to include your
name, email address, city and street of residence.
All submissions accepted for publication are
subject to editing for clarity and brevity.
The next meeting will be held on
February 21, on Zoom
The Rockridge News reserves the right to refuse any
articles, letters, or advertisements.
To participate, or to request links to
this or any previous meeting,
email landuse@rockridge.org.
Newsletter Subscriptions
To subscribe to The Rockridge News, send your
check for $20, payable to RCPC with “Rockridge
News” noted on the memo line.
CORRECTION:
Mail payment to: RCPC, 4900 Shattuck Avenue,
PO Box 22504, Oakland, CA, 94609
Apologies to Ed Murasaki
of Murasaki’s Fine Futon Shop
at 6050 College Avenue for
misspelling his name in our
January 2024 issue.
Be sure to visit him, and
his puppy assistant, Mochi,
the next time you need hand-
crafted bedding in Japanese
and modern styles.
Display Ad Deadline for MARCH 2024:
February 15th, 2024
Advertising rates are $28/column inch ($32 for
color). Six-month pre-pay rates available.
For display ads, call Jo Ellis at 510-653-3210
(after noon), or email joellis1@hotmail.com.
Classifieds: Email Susan at smontauk@gmail.com.
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.
Photo:  Anna L. Marks


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FEBRUARY 2024

California Horse Chestnut and Tidy Tip flowers adorn the trash can at the
corner of Hudson and College — in front of the Hudson Bay Cafe.
(Below is the trashcan at Hardy Park)
Photos:  Anna L. Marks
Trash Cans, from previous page
the drying of the grout, and con-
tending with speeding traffic around
the corners where she was working.
Fortunately, Rockridge District
Association manager, Chris Jackson,
assisted with traffic
control by providing
orange cones to pro-
tect the work areas.
At one point, Fitz-
Faulkner had to drape
the panels and can
with plastic to wait out
a downpour, and the
all-too-helpful Waste
Management unknow-
ingly took her tarp.
RCPC and Fitz-
Faulkner would like
to expand the public
artwork projects in Rockridge. The
BART station and the pathway
between the Big Frog Creek Park
and Little Frog Creek Park are good
candidates for future installations. “I
didn’t think about the effect of soft-
ening a trash can until this project,”
reflected Fitz-Faulkner. “Wonderful
to be able to use an eyesore to create
a moment of art.” n
The California red-legged frog,
a redwood and Clarkia (annual
blooming plants) adorn the can at the
Hardy Park/Frog Creek cul-de-sac.
A Monarch butterfly,
California Horse
Chestnut, and Tidy Tip
flowers now grace the
corner of Hudson and
College. At the corner
of Miles and College,
facing the Rockridge
BART station is a
quail, California Live
Oak, and California
Poppy.
The mosaics were
first designed in
her home studio
in Tacoma, where she now lives.
Fitz-Faulkner often returns to the
Bay Area for projects, classes, and to
spend time with friends.
Her artwork was attached to nets
that could be more easily transported
to their final destination. Installation
took place throughout a weekend in
early December. Challenges included
intermittent rain that at times slowed


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FEBRUARY 2024

March Primary Election’s Ballot Measures
by John Gussman
Rockridge News:
District Captain
Route is Open
by Susan Montauk

I
State and local governments to build
mental health and drug or alcohol
treatment facilities; and up to $2 bil-
lion would support local government
programs to provide housing for per-
sons suffering from mental health or
substance abuse problems who would
otherwise be homeless.
n Oakland, referendum measures
appearing on next month’s primary
election ballot include one statewide
measure, two county measures, and
one City measure.
Photo: Anna L. Marks
Statewide: Proposition 1
The statewide measure, Proposition
1, was placed on the ballot by the Leg-
islature. Proposition 1 would overhaul
an earlier measure from 2004, the
Mental Health Services Act (MHSA),
by focusing expenditures on treatment
services and care for persons with
substance use disorders and/or mental
illness, and on “housing for those
needing behavioral health services
and continuing support for prevention
and early intervention.”
Prop 1 would partly redirect the
proceeds of an existing income
surtax, increasing the funds that flow
to State (rather than local) mental
health programs. The measure would
also authorize the issuance of $6.4
billion in State general obligation
bonds to provide additional funding
for such services. Of the total, up
to $4.4 billion could be used by the
Alameda County: Measures A & B
These Alameda County measures
would amend the county Charter.
Measure A would shorten the
notification period for civil service
examinations. Measure B would
rescind the County’s rules for recall of
elective and appointed officers, in favor
of general State Law (which differs sig-
nificantly and doesn't provide for recall
of appointed officers).
Volunteers bundle the newsletter for
delivery every month.
There are two openings for volun-
teers this month, including one
for a District Captain to replace Toni
Ellis, who had this route for decades.
This job requires delivering bundles
to four Block Captains in the Chabot
Road area.
We also need a Block Captain for
the 400 block of 60th Street to replace
Dorothy Owens — thank you, Dor-
othy, we wish you all the best. Toni
and Dorothy are both hoping that
volunteers will replace them soon so
their neighbors will continue to get
the newsletter without interruption.
Oakland: Measure D
This Oakland measure would raise
the City’s appropriations ceiling for
the next four years, allowing the City
to spend certain tax and other reve-
nues which were duly authorized and
collected, but which otherwise would
exceed the “Gann Limit” adopted by
California voters in 1979. n
on College Avenue
Happy Hour Special: Mussels and Pommes Frites
À Côté
5478 College Avenue
• District Captain for Routes 02A,
02B, 02C, 02D: Manor Crest,
Chabolyn, Chabot Crest, Roanoke
Photo:  Anna L. Marks
Celebrate life with a friend
or loved one over a delicious
selection of seasonal Mediter-
ranean-style small plates at this
cozy and intimate restaurant.
Don’t miss their $45 hap-
py-hour special that includes
a big bowl of Washington
State mussels, two glasses of
excellent house wine (or beer) and a
generous portion of Pommes Frites —
great for dipping. The savory mussels
• Route 25A12: Deliver to 22 houses,
400-436 60th Street, and one block
from Colby to Howell
District Captains deliver bundles to
Block Captains. Their box of bundles
is delivered to their front porches
by their Marshals the first weekend
of each month (except August). We
ask that they deliver the bundles
to their Block Captains soon after
receipt. Block Captains deliver house-
to-house. To volunteer, call (510)
547-3855, or email Susan at smon-
tauk@gmail.com. n
Happy Hour Special
is available Tuesdays through
Thursdays, from 5-7pm;
best to call ahead for reservations.
are cooked in Pernod, an anise aperitif
from France, and served straight from
their wood oven. n
— Submitted by Anna L. Marks


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FEBRUARY 2024

College Preparatory
School Used Book Sale
by Nancy Flynn
The College Preparatory School’s
renowned used book sale comes
early this year. Join fellow Bay Area
book lovers on Saturday, February 24
and Sunday, February 25, to find out
why this is a not-to-be-missed event.
Thousands of gently-used books will
be on sale for adults, teens, and chil-
dren — including many recent and
popular titles in excellent condition.
There will also be media, vinyl, puz-
zles, and a small selection of vintage/
antique books that offer something
special for book lovers of every age.
Most books are priced between $1 and
$3, with some priced slightly higher.
There will be a bag sale on Sunday
with $8 bags all day.
Sale hours are Saturday, February
24, from 10am to 4pm and Sunday,
February, 25, from 10am to 2pm.
The event will be held on campus,
with ample free parking. The College
Preparatory School, Buttner Audito-
rium, is located at 6100 Broadway.
Contact Bookfair@college-prep.org
with any questions. n
Rockridge Community
Planning Council
2023 Financial Statement

Dogs of
   Rockridge
Poppy “the popstar” is a sweet,
approachable two-year-old
Australian Labradoodle who
expects to be adored and petted
by all humans. She loves to
wrestle hourly with her feline
companion, Goose, who loves it,
and Leo, who mostly tolerates
and ignores them both. She will
hop up onto a very high bar-
stool and land squarely on your
lap… and give you a high five,
or even a ten. You’ll find her
enjoying short, energetic bouts
of zoomie’s near the DMV.
Hashbrown is a 50-pound low-
rider, adopted from the East Bay
SPCA in 2018. He’s 75 percent
bully, 25 percent staffy — and 100
percent stubborn. He favors slow,
sniffy walks through Frog Park,
though his pace quickens in the
direction of College Avenue with
stops at Cole Hardware, the RIC,
or Eddie’s. A champion sleeper,
Hashy dedicates 16 hours a day
to his craft with regular breaks
to find a new patch of sun, sweep
the floors for a snack, or request
a belly rub. He loves people, so
please say hi when you see him.
Does your furry friend live in Rockridge?
If so, send a photo of your four-legged companion
with a short commentary to: editor@rockridge.org.


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page 6
FEBRUARY 2024

First Time in 30
Years: District 5
County Supervisor
Seat is Open
by Casey Farmer, RCPC Chair
S

for this powerful seat. All candidates
have been invited to speak at RCPC’s
Town Hall Candidate Forum on
Tuesday, February 13 at 6pm at Oak-
land Technical High School.
The Fifth Supervisorial District
includes the cities of Albany, Berkeley,
Emeryville, Piedmont, and a portion
of Oakland including West Oakland,
Downtown (not Chinatown), North
Oakland, Crocker Highlands, Glen-
view, and Dimond.

RCPC TOWN HALL
Rockridge Community Planning
Council & Oakland Tech Varsity
Debate Team
invite you to hear from the
candidates, in person or online, at the
CANDIDATE FORUM
February 13, at 6pm

upervisor Keith Carson will be
stepping down from the Board
of Supervisors after 32 years on the
job. Carson, whose district includes
Rockridge, announced shortly after
the candidate filing deadline that he
would not seek reelection through
an online statement, noting that “it
was time for a new chapter with fresh
ideas.” Nine candidates filed to run
5 or delivered to a County Ballot Box.
Voters can opt to vote in person at
the Registrar of Voters (more at www.
acvote.org). If none of the nine candi-
dates receives 50 percent of the vote,
the top two candidates will move on to
the November general election.

Please register here:
Bit.ly/D5CandidateForum
In addition, the League of Women
Voters is hosting an online-only forum
Thursday, February 8, at 7pm
For details, see lwvoakland.org
What does a County Supervisor do?
• They vote on a $4.1 billion-dollar
budget.
• They are responsible for the social
safety net, including dozens of social
service programs, direct services to
our unhoused residents, the mental
health system, foster care programs,
and many other vital services.
• They oversee the public health
system (which includes Highland
Hospital).
• They oversee the elected Sheriff, by
way of public policy and their budget.
• They hire and fire the County
Administrator who manages 21
Departments and Agencies that
employ 9,900 people countywide.
Who is running for District 5 County
Supervisor Seat? (In alphabetical order)
Ben Bartlett (Berkeley Coun-
cilmember). He represents South
Berkeley; he is an attorney and serves
on California's Blockchain Working
Group. See ben2024.vote
Nikki Fortunato Bas (Oakland
Councilmember). She represents
Lake Merritt, Chinatown, Crocker
Highlands, and San Antonio
neighborhoods on the Oakland
City Council, and was the previous
Director of East Bay Alliance for Sus-
tainable Economy (EBASE).
See nikki4supervisor.com
When is the election?
Residents will vote for County
Supervisor in the March 5 primary
election. Ballots will be mailed to reg-
istered voters in early February, along
with the candidates’ official statements.
Ballots must be postmarked by March
John Bauters (Emeryville Coun-
cilmember). He is a former disaster
relief director and eviction defense
attorney, who currently works on
policy and finance on the issues of
homelessness, criminal justice reform,
Supervisor, see next page


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FEBRUARY 2024

Chabot Auction Time
by Erin O’Hara
N
Are you a business owner who
can donate a special item, gift card
or service? Donating is a great way
to promote your business, and your
company’s name will be highlighted
as an official sponsor.
Email inquiries and donation
requests to auction@chabotelementary.
org by February 15th. n
Supervisor, from previous page
and community-based mental health
services. See BautersForSupervisor.com
Ken Berrick (Alameda County
Board of Education Trustee). He
founded Seneca Center, a nonprofit
agency that serves children and
families with comprehensive mental
health, education, juvenile justice,
foster care, and permanency services.
He is a resident of North Oakland.
See berrickforsupervisor.com
ew Year’s may be over, but it’s
never too late to help “support
public schools’’ as a feel-good resolu-
tion. The Chabot Auction is the PTA’s
big spring fundraiser, and starts on
Wednesday, February 21.
Funds raised support enrichment
education including art, music, and
the library. They will also support stu-
dent small-group reading and math
specialists and equity and inclusion
programming. This year, the PTA
anticipates district-wide budget cuts,
which makes the generosity of the
community even more essential.
How can you help? Do you have a
talent or trade like music instruction,
sewing, or woodworking that you can
offer for the auction? Do you have
access to a vacation home or Airbnb
to donate for a weekend getaway? It’s
donations like these that that make
the auction special every year.
Omar Farmer (ALCO Veterans
Affairs commissioner). He has also
served on the City of Oakland’s Public
Safety and Services Oversight Com-
mission.
Greg Hodge (nonprofit executive)
He is a former OUSD Board Member
and Director of the Brotherhood of
Elders; his professional work focuses
on facilitation and community
engagement.
See hodgeford5supervisor.com
Chris Moore (community volunteer
and accountant). He serves on the
Board of the East Bay Rental Housing
Association.
Gerald Pechenuk (member of the
Alameda County Republican Party
Central Committee).
Lorrel Plimier (attorney and data
scientist). She is an Army veteran and
has served on the Board of the League
of Women Voters of Piedmont.
See Lorrel4bos.com
Thank you for voting in the local
elections; these matter greatly to our
community. n


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page 8
FEBRUARY 2024

Foodie Photographer Focuses
On Composition and Light
by Judith Doner Berne
Ian innate, almost obsessive
reverence for beauty and crafts-
manship that, when focused on
a specific dish, can mean the
difference between the iPhone
pics we all take at dinner and
the emotionally impactful pho-
tographs that Aya so expertly
creates behind her lens.”
Aya did the photography for
Mark Bittman’s Dinner for
Everyone; for the cookbook
Bitter, which won a 2015 James
Beard Award, and regularly
does photo shoots for Bon
Appetit and Dwell magazines,
among others. The photo-
graphs Brackett took for Sasha
Duerr's book Natural Color
were mainly shot in her Rockridge
neighborhood.
But what has the food world
buzzing right now is the cookbook
Rintaro: Japanese Food from an Iza-
kaya in California, written by Aya’s
brother, Sylvan Mishima Brackett,
for which Aya did the photography.
It was named as one of the Times’s
Top 10 Cookbooks for 2023. Sylvan,
who lives with his family just across
the Rockridge border, is owner and
chef of the Michelin Bib Gourmand
restaurant, Rintaro, in San Francisco’s
Mission district.
f you read the New York Times, you
might have seen your Rockridge
neighbor Aya Brackett’s photographs
in its Food and Travel sections.
Brackett is an in-demand, freelance
photographer, known for a style
that is deliberately composed in an
aesthetic that looks naturally lit —
inspired by her appreciation for still
life paintings. “I love using food to tell
a story beyond the frame — storytell-
ing through context.”
“Where Aya excels most,” accord-
ing to New York Times food editor
Gabriel Sanchez, “is in what I believe
to be the most vital characteristic
for any food photographer, which is
Food photographer Aya Brackett composed
her portrait, taken in their kitchen by her
husband Corey Creasey.
The Times reviewer wrote: “Chef-
driven cookbooks can often miss the
mark of translating restaurant dishes
for the home cook. Not here. Sylvan
Mishima Brackett’s first cookbook,
Rintaro (Hardie Grant Publisher),
honors and adapts Japanese traditions
with a Californian state of mind…”
Closer to home, Market Hall in Rock-
ridge held a book signing in early
November. Last month, Alice Waters
gave a dinner to herald its publica-
tion. (Sylvan is among the many area
Eyes on Rockridge, see next page


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FEBRUARY 2024

Eyes on Rockridge, from previous page
restaurateurs who began their careers
at Chez Panisse.) He was just named a
2024 James Beard Award semifinalist
for Outstanding Chef.
One of the perks of shooting for
Rintaro, Aya said, was doing it at the
restaurant rather than using a studio
space. “He has his beautiful dishes and
this beautiful restaurant.” On the other
hand, she noted, “It took a year and a
half to photograph,” as opposed to the
usual few days in a studio situation.
So how did it happen that both she
and her brother have food-centered
careers? “I would credit my mother,”
she said, without hesitation. “She’s a
great cook. She made really wonderful
dinners for us almost every night —
Japanese and Italian. She always had
cookbooks, and cooking and fashion
magazines in the house. I thought I
would be a fashion photographer for a
short while.”
This, despite growing up completely
off grid outside of Nevada City as part
of the “Back to the Land” movement of
the late ’60s and early ’70s. “I grew up
with two wood stoves, a generator for
electricity, and a long dirt road.” Her
dad, Len Brackett, who died last year,
met her Japanese mom in Kyoto where
he spent five years learning Japanese
temple carpentry. When he returned,
he built Japanese-style homes mostly,
but not all, in California, and were
depicted in a book they did together.
“He bought me my first Hasselblad
camera, which I could never have
afforded. That opened up the future
for me,” said Aya.
“Who she is, is a reflection of a
special background,” said Alice Erb,
once her employer at the recently closed
Tale of the Yak boutique, and her
Rockridge neighbor. “I have many years
of fondness for Aya. She’s a very fine
commercial photographer who brings
a huge sensitivity and aesthetic to her
work. I have a lot of respect for her.”
“My parents always encouraged us
to do things in the arts,” Aya said.
She took years of painting classes,
but recalled, “I was into photography
in high school and spent hours after
school in the dark room.” She enrolled
Examples of Aya’s cookbook
photos include pomegranates
hanging from a tree in her Rockridge
neighborhood (Bitter)
and grapefruit jellies (Rintaro).
at Brown University (graduating
magna cum laude) partly because she
could also take photography classes
at the Rhode Island School of Design.
She later studied photography at Cali-
fornia College of the Arts.
Still, she thought she would work
in arts administration rather than as
an active artist. That changed during
the four years she was a photo editor
at Dwell, the modern architecture
magazine. She saw people making a
living by shooting magazine photos
and thought: “I can do that.”
Now, she has the freedom to say yes
or no depending upon whether a proj-
ect is interesting and has a reasonable
budget. She also has been working
on and off for the past ten years on
her own book, photographing home
cooks from around the world making
comfort food. She wants readers to
know their answers to: “Why did you
choose this dish,” and “What does it
remind you of?”
Aya and her husband Corey Creasey,
a director of short films, music videos,
and commercials, moved to Rockridge
in 2008. They relocated to the house
next door in 2015 to have room for a
home office, studio, and their growing
family. The two work hard to balance
the travel time they each need for their
careers, as well as who will take and
pick up (often by bike) nine-year-old
Miya, from Peralta Elementary, and
preschooler, Niko, age four.
“I love living in Rockridge,” Aya said,
“but I wish it were safer. What keeps us
here is our neighbors,” including two
who were filling in for a babysitter who
canceled that very night. “They are our
extended family. They’re ‘aunties’ and
incredible people.”
Have local stories that need telling?
Please send an email to: judyberne@att.
net. n


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page 10
FEBRUARY 2024

Community Flips for Pancakes at Claremont
by Diedre Poletiek

The Rockridge community is
invited to join Claremont Middle
School (CMS) for the 13th annual
Pancake Breakfast, hosted by the
Masons at the Masonic Center on
College Avenue on Saturday, Febru-
ary 24. The hearty menu will include
a full breakfast of pancakes, eggs,
sausage, bacon, fruit, coffee and tea.
It’s also a rare opportunity to tour
the interior of the historic Masonic
Lodge in the heart of Rockridge,
located a few blocks south of Rock-
ridge BART at 5449 College Avenue
(between Forest and Hudson).
In addition to the syrupy good-
ness, there will be some amazing
raffle prizes offered at each seating.

With three seating options (8am,
9:15am, and 10:30am) — there’s
plenty of room for all, even during
the busiest time frame.
Advance tickets are $12 each, with
no service charge for online reser-
vations. Children under age five eat
for free (and do not require a ticket).
Credit cards or PayPal are accepted.
Tickets purchased onsite are $13
(pending space available) and can be
purchased with cash, check, or credit
cards. If you purchase online, you do
not need to print out your tickets —
your name will be on a guest list at
the door. Reserve your tickets early!
Visit https://www.claremontms.org/
pta/pancake-breakfast/ for details.

Oakland Tech Auction Goes Live February 23
By Leslie Ayers

The Oakland Technical High
School Parent Teacher Student
Association (PTSA) cordially invites
our neighbors in Rockridge to par-
ticipate in the school’s annual online
auction fundraiser starting on Friday,
February 23.
The auction is the Tech PTSA’s big-
gest annual fundraiser, and there will
be hundreds of items available to bid
on donated by generous local business
owners, including gift certificates for
use at restaurants, shops, and service
providers in Rockridge and greater
Oakland.
To bid online (2/23 through 3/6),
please visit the auction homepage at
https://oaklandtech.schoolauction.net/
auction2024. Or, come for an evening
of fun, food, and fundraising the
annual Gala on March 9 at Humanist
Hall, 390 27th Street. n

Market talk: General inflation rate is down to near 3%, so FEDs are likely reversing course and will hold and or reduce short
term rates in coming months. Long term mortgage rates came down about 1% in the last 2 months averaging about 6.875%
now. A 1% reduction in rates can mean $100K more in buying power for a Buyer so great time to get in before the spring surge!

Coming soon:
-Gorgeous 2200sf 5978Margarido.com Rockridge view home will re-emerge late January. $2,095,000
-3+ Bedroom 2 Bath 1900sf restoration project off Piedmont Ave Neighborhood. $ TBD
-4 continguous view lots in Piedmont Pines, great for 4 homes or a dream estate. $ TBD

January is Awareness Month for: Blood donors (Red Cross on College @ Kales), Mental Wellness, Poverty, Veganuary, Walk
Dogs, CBD, Hobbies, Hot Tea, Soup, Food Servers, Learn to Ski/Snowboard!
HAPPY NEW YEAR!!


THE

page 11
FEBRUARY 2024

Sommelier Pairs
Italian Wine
Producers with the
Local Community
by Carol Kasparek
“wine citizen”) brings people, wine,
and food together in true Italian style.
The wines are made from organi-
cally grown grapes, highlighting the
characteristics of small vineyards
and the many supporting community
development projects in the region.
In addition to wine, her monthly
memberships and tasting events offer
dolcini (slightly sweet) treats, capo-
nata (a relish of chopped eggplant and
assorted vegetables), olives from Sicily,
and an assortment of antipasti from
local producers.
“We connect with each other over
these things. What you’ll get from
me is quality and someone who really
cares about making your day,” offers
Aiello. Molto bene.
Emilia Aiello has come full circle.
Three generations of her family,
herself included, have lived in Temes-
cal-Rockridge, and she fondly recalls
stories of when the neighborhood
was filled with Italian families and
Italian-run businesses. Her mother’s
family is originally from Liguria, and
her father’s family is from Sicily. As a
result, the family maintained a strong
sense of cultural and culinary identi-
ties that continue to this day.
Aiello notes that when choosing
a home in their adopted country,
Italians immigrants would look for a
place with enough room to grow vege-
tables and herbs from the old country,
and a basement where they could
make and store their homemade brew.
For many, Rockridge fit the bill.
Aiello mastered her wine knowl-
edge in New York City, where she
supported herself with restaurant
employment while studying classical
ballet. “I kept turning down promo-
tions at restaurants to pursue dance,”
she recalls. Realizing that she had a
future in the wine industry, she put
her dancing on hold and went on
Sommelier Emilia Aiello is inspired to
bring people together Italian style.
To send your loved one a San
Valentino Wine Gram, or to learn
more, visit https://www.cittavino.co/. n
to manage high-profile restaurants
in Manhattan — becoming one of
the first Italian site-specific certified
sommeliers in the city.
After working two grape harvests
in Sicily, creating maps for the Mt.
Etna wine regions, and exploring the
developing industry in the area, Aiello
developed a unique insight into Sicilian
wine production. She saw an opportu-
nity to connect Italian wineries in the
area with those who want to build upon
their knowledge base and discover their
personal preferences. This inspired her
to open her own online business for
southern Italian wines — and Cittavino
& Co was born.
Cittavino & Co. (Citttavino means


THE
page 12
FEBRUARY 2024

Part Two: Reinventing the Neighborhood
Bar — the RIC’s Long and Colorful History

by Edward Guthmann

Room of the Oakland Public Library,
none of them mentions temperance
or warns of the depredations of
demon booze.
The club didn’t inveigh against
alcohol, but raised money and rallied
support for civic improvements such
as schools, a branch library, tree
planting, street lighting, and side-
walk paving.
“We do not blow our horn about
what we do,” a club officer wrote in
the Bulletin in 1915. “We just do it
because it needs to be done for the
good of the district.”
The clubhouse had a kitchen, a
12×14-foot stage, dressing rooms,
and a 30×40-foot main hall with a
maple floor. It was rented out for
weddings, religious services, card
parties, plays, dances, and concerts.
Neighborhood groups like the Kales
Avenue Whist Club and Taft Avenue
Sewing Club met there.
In 1920, the club vacated the build-
ing and The Hut opened. Prohibition
became law early that year, so The
Hut, calling itself a “recreation club,”
sold milkshakes and soft drinks, ice
cream, cigars, and cigarettes. No
liquor. It had a billiard table and
rooms for chess and for reading.
“Applications for membership may be
made by persons of good character,”
announced an ad in the Bulletin.
The myth of the Rockridge
Improvement Club’s crusade against
liquor probably grew from the

Part One of this story, which ran in the January edition of the Rockridge News,
described the last years of Ye Olde Hut, a longstanding College Avenue bar,
and the changes made by Scott Ayers and Jeff Saltzman when they bought the
establishment and renamed it the Rockridge Improvement Club (RIC, for short).
With physical upgrades and a slate of weekly activities — skee-ball tournament,
trivia night, drag night, karaoke, live music, and deejays — they drew a younger
clientele.
W

improve Rockridge, huh?’”
Ayers originally thought of calling
the bar The Prancing Pony after
the roadside inn where Frodo goes
to meet Gandalf in The Lord of the
Rings. Rockridge Improvement Club
ultimately won because it echoes
the civic organization that built the
Craftsman-style structure in the
early 1900s.
Rockridge was brand new back then.
Formerly farmland, the area was devel-
oped in response to the thousands of
San Franciscans displaced by the 1906
earthquake and fire. The Vernon-Rock-
ridge Improvement Club opened its
clubhouse at 5515 College Ave. in 1911,
on a block that became the heart of the
Rockridge commercial district.
“There was always the rumor that
the place was originally a temperance
club,” said Ayers. Not true. If you ref-
erence the Bulletin, the Improvement
Club’s newsletter, several editions of
which survive in the Oakland History
hen the RIC opened in June
2016, Scott Ayers and Jeff
Saltzman got static for the new name,
the irony of which escaped many
people. “It seemed so snotty, you
know?” Saltzman said. “People were
like, ‘Oh, you think you’re gonna

RIC, see next page


THE

page 13
FEBRUARY 2024

heroin was sold. For much of my
life, no decent woman would be seen
there, dead or alive.”
Occasionally, former habitués of
The Hut (later renamed Ye Olde Hut)
wander into the RIC and tell stories.
“Apparently, there was a guy who
lived upstairs in the bar for a long,
long time,” said Ayers. “There’s ghost
stories and stories of people dropping
dead at the bar. All kinds of, ‘This
place is haunted’ or whatever. I’ve
never seen anything like that.”
Ayers said he’s happy with the
energy the RIC generates today and
likes that it’s become a performance
space and community gathering spot
— not just a drinking establishment
or a sad refrain on Ye Olde Hut.
“People don’t come here to sit and
get hammered,” he said. “It’s not a
drunk’s paradise.” n
RIC, from previous page
fact that The Hut — which wasn’t
associated with the Improvement
Club — was forbidden by law to sell
liquor. Prohibition was repealed by
certification of the 21st Amendment
on December 5, 1933, so it’s a safe bet
The Hut sold alcohol soon thereafter.
When construction began on
BART and Highway 24 in the
mid-1960s, hundreds of homes and
businesses were razed in Rockridge
and Temescal, and longtime residents
fled to Contra Costa County. The
neighborhood was depressed, crime
spiked, but The Hut stayed open. The
people who’ve lived all their lives in
Rockridge — before the demolition
— remember Rockridge as homey,
unpretentious, not the upscale desti-
nation of today.
“I thought it was a little village,”
said Catherine Griffing. “This fun,
tiny little village.” “My dad would
take us walking at night down to The
Hut,” remembered Claire Lomax,
who lives on Harwood Avenue in
the house her grandfather bought in
1913. She says that in the 1950s, “The
Hut had a newsstand and cigar stand
in front.” A decade later, the bar was
sketchier. “In my teens I walked by
it daily on my way to Tech (Oak-
land Technical High School),” said
Annette Floystrup.
“The Hut was known to be a place
where biker gangs hung out and
Greater Rockridge Neighborhood
Crime Prevention Council
The Greater Rockridge NCPC
meets on the 2nd Thursday of even
numbered months.
The next meeting will be held on:
February 8, at 7pm,
Rockridge Library Conference Room
There will be brief presentations by
the Community Resource Officers and
discussion of crime and safety issues.
For details, visit
 www.rockridgencpc.com

February Events at
the Rockridge Library
5366 College Ave.
at Manila
510-597-5017
For Children: 
Storytime: Thursdays and Saturdays; 10:30am.
Chess Club: Wednesdays at 4pm. All ages and
skill-levels welcome.
Read to a Dog: Thursdays at 4pm.
Intergenerational Origami: First Tuesday at
4pm, Third Tuesday at 6:30pm. All ages and
skill-levels welcome.
Craft Program: Annual Valentines Making
Craft Session. All ages welcome. Tues, 2/13, 4pm.
For Teens:
Cookies and Crafts: Wednesday, 2/7; 2pm-
3pm. Presented by Teen Advisory Board with
support of Friends of the Rockridge Library.
Teen Advisory Board: Wednesday, 2/7;
3:30pm-4:30pm. Join the Rockridge Branch
Library Teen Advisory Board (TAB) and take
an active role at your local library. Every 2nd
Wednesday in the TeenZone. New members
welcome. NOTE: NEW MEETING DAY.
For Adults:
Rockridge Book Club: Every 2nd Saturday,
3:30pm-4:30pm. Please call 510-597-5017 for
more info and a copy of the book. February’s
book is What You Don’t Know Will Make
a Whole New World: A Memoir by Doroty
Lazard who will join the discussion remotely.
Beyond the Game: Dr. Vernon L. Andrews
Explores ‘Policing Black Athletes’: Saturday,
2/17, 1pm-3:30pm. Dr. Andrews is an accom-
plished scholar, and sociologist. Don’t miss this
opportunity during Black History Month.
Meet the Authors:
Wednesday, 2/21, 6:30pm–7:30pm. Our Spring
series kicks off with Dr. Akilah Cadet discuss-
ing her book, White Supremacy is All Around:
Notes from a Black Disabled Woman in a White
World. Co-sponsored by A Great Good Place
for Books who will have books for signing.
Saturday, 2/24, 1:30pm-2:30pm. A bonus Meet
the Author event with Irene Sardanis, Ph.D.,
who will be launching her book, Connections:
The Power of Connecting with Strangers.
Writing to Heal with Jennifer Lang: Tuesday,
2/27, 6:30pm–7:30pm. Lang will teach a work-
shop on Writing to Heal; putting our emotions
into words, especially when words fail us.
Hours: Mon, Thurs, Sat 10am to 5:30pm
Tuesday and Wednesday from 10am to 8pm
Closed on Sundays.
Note: The library will be closed Monday,
February 19 in observance of Presidents’ Day
www.oaklandlibrary.org/events.


THE
page 14
FEBRUARY 2024

Claire Wahrhaftig
IN MEMORIAM
Administration Program.
Claire had a talent for connecting
with people. She kept childhood and
college friends close throughout her
life and was always open to new expe-
riences. As a young woman, Claire
lived an adventurous life. After college
she went to Israel on a freighter,
wanting to visit the brand-new
country and study Hebrew as part of
her desire to learn more about Jewish
history. While there, she traveled,
worked clerical jobs, and moonlighted
as a nightclub Jazz singer.
Her commitment to social justice
led her to march for civil rights in
Selma, Alabama, in 1965. Fifty years
later, Claire returned to Selma for the
50th anniversary commemoration
where she reconnected with several
people she had met back in 1965.
Claire Isaacs Wahrhaftig, a gener-
ous, loving, and exuberant free
spirit, open-minded with an amazing
range of interests, passed away on
December 31, 2023, after a long and
fulfilling life of friendship, love,
community, work, and philanthropy.
Claire was a fourth-generation San
Franciscan, born February 12, 1933.
She grew up among extended family
in SF's Richmond District. She was a
proud graduate of Lowell High, and
held degrees in History of Art and
Speech and Drama from Pomona
College. She had also received a fellow-
ship at the Harvard University Arts
She wrote about those experiences in
The Rockridge News.
Claire enjoyed a close, loving
marriage with Bill Wahrhaftig until
his untimely death in 2005. Together
they built a home filled with art and
mementos from nearly 20 years of
traveling to over 14 countries. After
his death Claire continued to travel,
including a trip to China as part of a
Stagebridge joint friendship and shared
storytelling visit.
During her distinguished 30-year
career of public service in arts and
museum education, Claire held
numerous positions including Exec-
utive Director of the San Francisco
Arts Commission and Supervisor
of Education for the SF Museum of
Modern Art. At the Arts Commission,
she developed grants for funding the
City’s public statues and restoration of
the Coit Tower murals, and founded
the City’s Youth Arts Festival. Claire
had also been the Director of the Los
Angeles Cultural Affairs Junior Arts
Center where she initiated “Heart
to Heart,” a city-wide arts program
integrating disabled children with the
general population.
After retirement, she was a volunteer
for the Alameda County Suicide Pre-
vention Hotline and served as editor
and writer for the Rockridge News.
Claire would have been 91 years old
on February 12, which she always said
she proudly shared with Abraham
Lincoln. Memories of Claire will live
on in the hearts of her Rockridge
neighbors and the Wahrhaftig, Greene,
Groeschel, Fisher, and Cole families. n
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

page 15
FEBRUARY 2024

List your 36-word message here for only $22 (phone number counts
as one word). Make check payable to RCPC, and write “Rockridge
News Classifieds” in the memo line. The deadline for March
is February 21, 2004 (available March 2). Mail to: RCPC, 4900
Shattuck Ave., PO Box 22504, Oakland, 94609-20131. For more
information, email Susan at smontauk@gmail.com.
663 Alcatraz Ave 3
$2,200/first /$2,200 last /$1,000sec.
Available February 13, 2024. Large one
bedroom unit, remodeled. Full kitchen,
laminate floors and tile. 408/685-3550
Melissabparker@gmail.com.
Classifieds
RN
Piano Teacher
For students of all ages and levels. I have
decades of teaching experience, and offer
a comprehensive approach to learning
the piano, which includes technique,
sight-reading, theory, learning piano pieces,
and more. Please contact phyllisplotkin@
att.net. n
Living With Scoliosis:
A Workshop with Galen Cranz
Saturday, February 17, 10:00 am - 5:30
pm $275/person ($75 for supportive
adults accompanying teens).For more
information, and to register (by February
10), email galen@berkeley.edu.
HIRING BRAIN GAMES
INSTRUCTORS For Seniors
throughout the Bay Area
Assisted Living and Memory Care/$25-
$50 an hour Visit: www.californiagamegirls.
com and click yellow box WE ARE
HIRING, upper right on homepage
for details. www.californiabraingames.
com; 925/212-4642.
HARDWOOD FLOORS
Install, sand/refinish, repair, re-coat
existing. Large jobs or small. Twenty-plus
years in Piedmont Ave/Rockridge. Bruce
Williams Woodfloors. Please call or text
Bruce at 510/652-8121. CA Lic # 913727
www.blwfloors.com.
Be my Valentine!
Valentine’s Day Special!
Penelope’s Aesthetics is offering
an Express Facial for the month of
February! Only $90! Gift certificates
available for use any time. Please call for
an appointment. 510/594-1552; www.
penelopecalef.com.
Reward Based Dog Training
Does your adolescent pup need help
with basic obedience, leash manners
or impulse control? We offer private
training customized to help your dog
succeed! Please call 510/646-9657 or
visit dogsquaddogtraining.com for more
information and to get started.
Garden Maintenance,
Cleanups & Design
Experienced team of two dedicated
to the art of gardening. We specialize
in garden maintenance, cleanups and
custom garden designs. To contact us,
please email yourgreengardeners@
gmail.com. Check us out at www.
yourgreengardeners.com.
Electrical Remodels and Repairs
Hooking up your hot tub for Valentine’s
Day? I can help with that. I’ve been doing
electrical work in Oakland and Berkeley
for over 35 years. Sutorik & Company. 
www.sutorikandco.com. Lic #397149.
510/655-3677.
Space and Stuff Organizing 
Feeling overwhelmed in your home,
garage, or office?  Stuff taking up too
much valuable real estate?  Let me
help!  $35/hour, free consults. Vanessa @
510/917-0783 or Vvpratt2@gmail.com.
Handyman Service –
House Repairs & Remodeling
Dry rot, kitchen and bath tile refurbishing
or installation, window installation,
plumbing, fence, deck & handrail repair,
electrical wiring- fixtures, outlets. And
much more. Call Juan 510/692 -6399 or
email jbahena.info@gmail.com.
Oakland Tech High School
Dance Student
I am a 9th grader fund-raising for a class
trip to New York City this spring. Ten
chocolate chip cookies to you for $25
(local only). Email: 200raleighave@gmail.
com for details.
PIANO: Free to a Good home
Good condition Steinway medium grand
“DuoArt Pianola”, that is no longer being
used. Probably from 1920s. Located in
Rockridge.  Text or call 415/518-1611 or
email galisoncolgan@gmail.com. Recipient
must engage movers.
Handyman for Hire
Multifaceted and well experienced.
Hauling and towing available. No job
too small. Reasonably priced. Lee Self.
707/223-1298-call and text.
Shop ROCKRIDGE


THE

COME VISIT US AT
THE CORNER OF
LIFE & CHANGE