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By Bill Chung

Annette Floystrup, RCPC Vice-Chair, submitted her resignation from the Neighborhood organization’s Board of Directors late in January to pursue her bid for public office. er Ms. Floystrup, a long-time resident of North Oakland, is joining a recent surge of ...

Annette Floystrup: They started tearing houses down long before they began construction. It was terribly sad.

Annette Floystrup, Jonathan Gabel, William Kaufner, Don Kinkead, Colby Lavin, Doug Patton, Katy Taylor, Ann Winterman Contact the Board: chair@rockridge.org For information: info@rockridge.org Advance Ticket Order Form Save me a spot for the 2009 Rockridge ...

By Jessica Pitt

Annette Floystrup, Cy Gulassa, Hiroko Kurihara, Mike McDonald, Steve Meyer, Stephanie Upp by Jessica Pitt In June, the RCPC bid farewell to Deborah Weinstein, our past board chair. Deborah joined the RCPC Board in 2002 and served many leadership roles, firs...

Annette Floystrup, Rockridge resi- dent and local business person: “Zon- ing is a legally binding economic con- tract between a city and Its citizens. .. In Rockridge, College Avenue’s zoning heavily determines all of our quality of life as well as property...

By Susan Montauk

Mark Aaronson, Aly Bonde, Andrew Charman, Annette Floystrup, Star Lightner, Tom Lollini, Kirk Peterson, Ken Rich, Zac Unger Contact the board: chair@rockridge.org For information: info@rockridge.org Contacting the Rockidge News Are there community issues you’d like to see covered in the Rockridge N...

Ben Friedman, Annette Floystrup, Star Lightner, Kirk Peterson, Ronnie Spitzer, Zac Unger Contact the board: chair@rockridge.org For information: info@rockridge.org We’re also very concerned about pedestrian and cyclist safety. As it is now, we can barely cross the street...

In the June 2022 issue of The Rockridge News, Annette Floystrup’s article, “Rockridge Bids Final Farewell to California College of the Arts,” stated that Peter Selz was a kinetic artist and sculptor. This was incorrect; he was an art history professor and curator. Thank you to our reader, Aileen Franke...

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 a...

By Jody Colley

Mark Aaronson, Andrew Charman, Stuart Flashman, Annette Floystrup, David Garcia, 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? Ha...

Stuart Flashman, Annette Floystrup, David Garcia, Kirk Peterson, Ronnie Spitzer Contact the board: chair@rockridge.org For information: info@rockridge.org are not very practical these days. My house isn’t really in shape to accommodate it anyway. And then I was thinking, we...

RCPC’s Place in Rockridge History — by Annette Floystrup, RCPC Board Member Why does the Rockridge Com- munity Planning Council (RCPC) exist? What has it accom- plished? In this first in a series on Rockridge and the RCPC, we begin with a short look back in history to convey the context surround...

Michelle Boyd, David Garcia, Stuart Flashman, Annette Floystrup, Kirk Peterson, Ken Rich 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 d...

By Don Kinkead

David Garcia, Stuart Flashman, Annette Floystrup, Matt Levy, Eric Lombardo, Andrew Masalin, Kirk Peterson 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? H...

When RCPC board member Annette Floystrup gradu- ated from Claremont Junior High School, as it was known in 1964, teaching staff stood for a group photo in front of what was then the gated main entrance to the school building. That gate, found on the school grounds several years a...

Cesar Angobaldo ���������������Treasurer Annette Floystrup, Jonathan Gabel, Michael Kan, Jennifer Kaplan, William Kaufner, Don Kinkead, Ronnie Spitzer, Ann Winterman Contact the Board: chair@rockridge.org For information: info@rockridge.org Newsletter Subscriptions To subscribe to The Rockridge Ne...

By Bob Brokl

Jason Burke, Annette Floystrup, Jonathan Gabel, William Kaufner, Don Kinkead, Colby Lavin, Katy Taylor, Doug Patton, Ellen Peterson Contact the Board: chair@rockridge.org For information: info@rockridge.org main campus of Children’s Hospital) The owner reconsidered cond...

By Stuart Flashman

Correction: Annette Floystrup was the author and John Gussman and others also contributed to the article “College Avenue Owners May form New District; Area Impact Unknown,” which appeared in the October 2007 Rockridge News. The byline was inadvertently omitted. Pre-pub...

Edmister, Annette Floystrup, Cy Gulassa, Hiroko Kurihara, Mike McDonald, Steve Meyer, Stephanie Upp RECENTLY? Measure Q, which passed by an over- whelming majority of 77.2% in 2004, paid for staff to open branches six days a week and evening hours, as well as after-s...

By Andrew Swanson

Kent Deverell, Jennifer Edmister, Annette Floystrup, Cy Gulassa, Hiroko Kurihara, Mike McDonald, Steve Meyer, Stephanie Upps Newsletter Subscriptions For annual subscriptions to The Rockridge News, send your check for $20, payable to Rockridge News Subscriptions, to: Rockridge News Subscrip...

Doug Jones, 645-8643 Annette Floystrup

RCPC Vice-Chair Annette Floystrup met recently with some members of the nearby associations and reported that the Telegraph Avenue Neighborhood Group (TANG), the 38th Street Neighbors, the Mosswood Association, and the Telegraph Avenue Merchants Association (TAMA) want to

RCPC Secretary Annette Floystrup wrote a letter to the City on behalf of RCPC supporting the proposals and calling for a four-fold increase in the penalties and denial of all future demolition and/or building permits for violators of the Ordinance.

By Annette Floystrup

by Annette Floystrup The recent flurry of local earthquakes, coming just after the 15th anniversary of our firestorm, is a good reminder that homeowners need to protect against fire. The California State Governor’s Office of Emergency Preparedness estimates th...

By Annette Floystrup

East Bay Booksellers Consumed by Fire by Annette Floystrup Odamage can be repaired, but fortunately, no one was hurt. For Rockridge neigh- bors, this building holds many memories. It began life as the Model T Garage, most likely in the late 1910s. When the building was renovated in the mid-’80s, w...

By Annette Floystrup

A Hidden Hand Lifts Up a Neighborhood by Annette Floystrup, RCPC Board Member W

By Annette Floystrup

...onnell..................................... Vice-Chair Ben Friedman................................................ Secretary Louisa Bukiet.................................................Treasurer Mark Aaronson, Aly Bonde, Andrew Charman, Annette Floystrup, Star Lightner, Tom Lollini, Kirk Peterson, Ken Rich, Zac Unger Contact the board: chair@rockridge.org For information: info@rockridge.org Contacting the Rockidge News Are there community issues you’d like to see covered in the Rockridge N...

By Annette Floystrup

From Rockridge Area Specific Plan to the 2020 General Plan Update: How Did We Get Here? by Annette Floystrup, RCPC Board Member

By Annette Floystrup

Oakland Gets Historic Grant to Plant More Urban Trees by Annette Floystrup Uthan their rural surroundings. Strategic planting of the right type of trees can cool the air by 4°F to 14°F degrees by shading asphalt streets and con- crete sidewalks. Large urban trees are also excellent filters for pollutants and fine...

By Annette Floystrup

Alameda County Shares Report on Homelessness at Greater NCPC’s June Meeting by Annette Floystrup April’s Rockridge Community Planning Council (RCPC) Board Election brought a new majority to the board and a change to the Land Use Committee (LUC) Chair position. In May 2022, Stu Flashman, who has served as LUC Chair since 2007, was succ...

By Annette Floystrup

The Impact of Racial Exclusionary Policies on Rockridge by Annette Floystrup Elmwood as a single-family zone, was to fill the gap left by expiring or absent covenants in the affected area. The U.S. Supreme Court finally out- lawed race-based zoning in 1917 only to have it replaced by racial covenants on individual ...

By Annette Floystrup

In the Early 1970s, the Community Takes Local Development Into Their Own Hands by Annette Floystrup

By Annette Floystrup

Audubon Christmas & Backyard Bird Counts by Annette Floystrup

By Annette Floystrup

by Annette Floystrup SECOND INSTALLMENT

By Annette Floystrup

by Annette Floystrup, DVD Project co-chair The Rockridge DVD Project seeks to raise $33,000 to place more than 2,800 DVDs into the collections at the Rockridge Branch Library. A $1,000 challenge grant has been donated, which will be matched by the donor’s empl...

By Annette Floystrup

by Annette Floystrup, DVD Project co-chair The Rockridge DVD Project is kicking off its fundraising drive to raise $33,000 to place over 2,800 DVDs into the collec- tions at the Rockridge Branch Library. A $1,000 challenge grant has been donated, which will be...

By Annette Floystrup

Sponsored by the Rockridge Community Planning Council • 5245 College Ave. PMB 311 • Oakland, CA 94618 • 869-4200 Rockridge DVD Project Launches Fund Drive to Fill Library DVD Shelves by Annette Floystrup, DVD Project co-chair The Rockridge dVd Project is kicking off its fundraising drive to raise $33,000 to place over 2,800 dVds into the collec- tions at the Rockridge Branch Library. A $1,000 challenge grant has been donated, which will be...

By Annette Floystrup

by Annette Floystrup, RCPC boardmember and Birch Court resident The 60 teachers and staff at Claremont Middle School (CMS) have been get- ting parking tickets – a lot of them. The situation is so bad that some have indicated they want to transfer away to escap...

By Annette Floystrup RCPC

Follow our progress on FACEBOOK through the GROUP, Rockridge Community Planning Council. by Annette Floystrup RCPC board When Rockridge resident and RCPC board member Jon Gabel learned that Videots, the specialty video rental store in Berkeley’s Elmwood district, was closing and selling its stock of 10,000 DVDs, he immediately realized the potenti...

By Annette Floystrup RCPC

...bel approached Videots owner John Huffman about selling a portion of its DVD stock at a sharp discount to bene- fit the Rockridge Library. Huffman, a lifelong fan of both libraries and movies, readily agreed. Working with RCPC board member Annette Floystrup, Gabel next enlisted the support of the Rockridge Community Planning Council (RCPC) board of directors and City Council President Jane Brunner’s office, with aides Nila Kim and Maria Barra- Gibson facilitating a relationship between DVDs a...

By Annette Floystrup

by Annette Floystrup, RCPC boardmember The City Council has approved renewal of the Rockridge Business Improvement District (BID) following amendments called for by the city in the original contract with the Rockridge District Association (RDA), the non-profit...

By Annette Floystrup

by Annette Floystrup Local Shops Shop Locally Recently, Jeff Dodge of La Farine bakery posted an impressive list of the local vendors he buys from to run his business. The vast majority of his suppliers were local businesses, in contrast to national chains lik...

By Annette Floystrup

by Annette Floystrup The February 16 Oakland City Council meeting brought yet another surprising twist to the saga of the Rockridge Business Improvement District (BID), the special assessment district that covers the length of College Avenue from Broadway to t...

By Annette Floystrup

Newsletter Subscriptions To subscribe to The Rockridge News, send your check for $20, payable to Rockridge News Subscriptions, to: Rockridge News Subscriptions at the address below. by Annette Floystrup Changes are being required of the Rockridge District Association (RDA) before its contract with the city of Oakland is renewed. The Rockridge Business Improve- ment District (BID), administered by the RDA, may become democratic and more tr...

By Annette Floystrup

by Annette Floystrup, RCPC board member and Stuart Flashman, RCPC chair The traditional Rockridge Halloween Parade, co-sponsored by the Rockridge Community Planning Council (RCPC) and the Rockridge District Association (RDA), was a big hit with the many little...

By Annette Floystrup

by Annette Floystrup, RCPC board member and Stuart Flashman, RCPC chair

By Annette Floystrup

...Graphics & Layout RCPC Board of Directors, 2008-2009 Stuart Flashman �����������������Chair Andrew Charman ���������������Vice-Chair To Be Appointed ����������������Secretary Joan Martin ��������������������������Treasurer Cesar Angobaldo, Annette Floystrup, Jonathan Gabel, Michael Kan, Jennifer Kaplan, William Kaufner, Don Kinkead, Doug Patton, Ronnie Spitzer, Katy Taylor, Ann Winterman Contact the Board: chair@rockridge.org For information: info@rockridge.org Newsletter Subscriptions To sub...

By Annette Floystrup

by Annette Floystrup, RCPC boardmember The design and amenities of the building proposed to replace the current Safe- way supermarket at College and Claremont avenues were debated in another of a series of “stakeholder” meetings convened by Safeway to “harness...

By Annette Floystrup

Street Trees Offer Proven Benefits by Annette Floystrup, RCPC board member

By Annette Floystrup

by Annette Floystrup Oseed mix with shelled sunflower and peanut chips, that allowed them to get the protein and fat from these oily seeds, as most insects don’t fly in the rain. Cooper’s hawks usually stick to riparian areas and forest edges. A garden usually...

By Annette Floystrup

by Annette Floystrup and Kathy Walsh

By Annette Floystrup

by Annette Floystrup and Kathy Walsh

By Annette Floystrup

by Annette Floystrup and Kathy Walsh

By Don Kinkead

...air Casey Farmer......................................... Co-Secretary Michelle Boyd........................................ Co-Secretary Ronnie Spitzer...............................................Treasurer David Garcia, Stuart Flashman, Annette Floystrup, Matt Levy, Eric Lombardo, Andrew Masalin, Kirk Peterson Annette Floystrup Kirk Peterson A dual citizen of Denmark and the United States, Floystrup immigrated with her family to Oakland at the age of five. She grew up on 63rd Street, at Hi...

...e late 1920s, the women formed by Anna L. Marks Alameda County public health nurse, activist, and feminist, Bertha Wright (1876-1971) believed health care services should be available to all income groups, especially for Andrew Charman 192 Annette Floystrup 179 Stuart Flashman 173 Ronnie Spitzer 167 Jennifer McElrath 164 Kirk Peterson 162 Bambino Thrift, see next page Got Kitchen? Got Time? Join the Tour! David Beiser 15 by Star Lightner Congrats to the six winners highlighted above; please w...

... Head Librarian Pat Lichter and Teen Specialist Librarian Susy Moorhead will discuss the construction slated to start early next year, which will create a Teen Center. There will also be more shelves for DVDs and a new computer area. Then, Annette Floystrup and Jon Gabel, co-chairs of the Rockridge DVD Project, will give an update on the status of this project to fill the coming increased DVD shelf space. Rockridge Branch Library, 5366 College Avenue at Manila, Community Room (Upstairs) Novem...

...hics & Layout RCPC Board of Directors, 2009-2010 Stuart Flashman �����������������Chair Andrew Charman ���������������Vice-Chair Michael Kan ������������������������Secretary Joan Martin ��������������������������Treasurer Cesar Angobaldo, Annette Floystrup, Jonathan Gabel, E v e n t h e most robust, protected bird f e e d e r m a y fall prey to a d e t e r m i n e d j u v e n i l e squirrel looking for seeds. Jennifer Kaplan, William Kaufner, Don Kinkead, Doug Patton, Ronnie Spitzer, Katy Ta...

... branch was still in the Jucy’s building; Gail Weimann, head librarian from the trailer years and early days at the new library; current Branch manager, Pat Lichter, John Gussman dispenses sparkling cider at the Library celebration. PHOTO: ANNETTE FLOYSTRUP Library Celebration, page 4 ¬ Nancy Dutcher Honored for Library Project Leadership by Annette Floystrup, RCPC Boardmember

Annette Floystrup, RR resident 1955- 72, 1981-present: We had a classic, flatiron Bank of America on that corner. With architectural medallions of the Christopher Columbus ships. It was a gorgeous building and it smelled divine inside.

ANNETTE FLOYSTRUP: 652-6794 Brooke Levin: 653-7522 BARBARA ANDERSON: 655-3499

By Judith Doner Berne

Long-time Rockridge resident wants you to know: College Avenue didn’t happen by accident. by Judith Doner Berne Annette Floystrup likens College Avenue in Rockridge to the little engine that could. In that tale, a small engine encounters obstacles along the way but finds a way to pull a long train over a high mountain, maintaining the mantra “I think I can, I think I...

Peterson 165; Annette Floystrup 165; David Garcia 162; Casey Farmer 156; Jennifer McElrath 151; Ken Rich 150; Barbara Dunne 143; Brian Chadwick 115; Diana Mitch- ell-Chavez 108; Michael Rosen 62; Brett Moyer 56. Sea was appointed to the RCPC board in 2015, first elected ...

By Judith Doner Berne

... the professional tone, even-handedness and attention to detail which has marked his editorial leadership.…” “There is no question that we would not have been able to be as informed as citizens had it not been for The Rockridge News,” adds Annette Floystrup, who grew up in Rockridge and was also an RCPC leader at that time. What was at stake, Floystrup says, was whether Rockridge would continue to develop as a low-rise, pedestrian-friendly Bobbie and Don Kinkead leaf through archives of The R...

...for $18,000. It was close to Thank you to these Rockridge residents who shared their memories of that seminal time in Rockridge history. Greg Brennan Greg Candler David Chilimidos Eric Clausen Evelyn Clevenger Scott Donaldson Marti Fischer Annette Floystrup Ron Fujie Catherine Griffing David Jacobs Michael Kan Jeannette Lakness-King Claire Lomax Pat Nolan Kim Richards Camille Trentacoste

...onder that Hudson looks at firefighters as heroes. Your comments on this column and/or ideas for future stories about Rockridge residents and neigh- borhoods are welcome: email judyberne@att.net. The Saving of Station 19 Rockridge resident Annette Floystrup remembers a time in 1986 when the Oakland City Council wanted to close the Rockridge Fire Station as part of a cost-cutting effort. “It was huge. Everyone was up in arms. But it seemed inevitable that it would be closed,” she said. However...

...ritus, Stuart Flashman. The board also chose John Gussman, the board’s legal advisor, as RCPC historian. Two long-serving members left the board as their terms ended. Jon Gabel finished his second term and opted not to run for re-election. Annette Floystrup, after three terms on the board, was termed out. (RCPC’s bylaws limit board members to three successive elected terms.) Each departing board member served long and notable terms with RCPC on behalf of the Rockridge community. teous way to ...

Committee members Mary Biagini, Teddy Elston, Annette Floystrup, Andrea Gabriel, Don Kinkead, Liz Maxwell, Diane Ravnik, Ethel Ruymaker, Meg Trahey, and Mike Wilson met regularly to plan schedules, select events, contact merchants, and collect and clean garage sale merchandise. Many others helped along...

Candy Dobert Jason Dobert Jordan Drake Isaac Elia Ann Emerick Casey Farmer Charles Feltman Annette Floystrup

The RNews RNews Tell a Tale to Toast The Rockridge News Turning 40! CORRECTIONS ●”SNAP Food Drive” (Jan. ’26) One very generous donor was inadvertently omitted: Annette Floystrup donated $7,000 to honor her father, putting totals at an even more impressive $21,126. We’d love to hear from you about your memories of the paper. ●"Haunted RIC" (Jan. ’26) Sarah-Jean Bartky’s name was misspelled once as “Sarah-Jane.” The...

and streetscape; improvements to transportation; and encouragement of “measured development.” 1987–1996: Rockridge Builds a Library As noted in an early Rockridge News article by former board member Annette Floystrup: “In 1987, the City was forced to close the Rockridge Branch Library because the building needed extensive structural repairs. RCPC formed a Library Committee to find a temporary home, which was

...offee and snacks will be provided to volunteers. If you are part of a large group interested in participating, RSVP to: info@frogpark.org no later than September 15 so we can get a headcount. See you there! n Dear Editor: I’d like to thank Annette Floystrup for researching, remem- bering, and writing on the past and future development of BART (see July 2024 Rockridge News). It

Rockridge Neighborhood Commit- tee requested rezoning around the Rockridge BART Station area to allow construction of an 83-unit apartment complex. The Past and Future of Development at Rockridge BART by Annette Floystrup Rockridge was founded as a transit-oriented neighborhood, uniquely situated to take advantage of an expanded transportation system in all four directions. Commuters can take freeways, BART, or bus to work in San Francisco and beyond, yet f...

...ity. Devel- opers benefit from the community input with project adaptations that streamline the city approval process and still allow the projects to be built profitably. F HISTORIAN’S CORNER F Building High-Density Housing in Rockridge by Annette Floystrup This is part one of two to examine the recent history of high-density housing in Rockridge. This history is exclusive to projects submitted to the City of Oakland Planning Department and reviewed by RCPC. Projects that did not enter the fo...

...n Olund Powell, into the family business, and is sur- vived by them and his loving spouse, Anne Hefferan Olund, along with many extended family members and friends in our community. n Larry was known around town as “the cat in the hat.” by Annette Floystrup Rockridge resident and business- man, Larry Worth Olund, 89, passed away peacefully on Thurs- day, April 18, at his home in the company of family and caregivers. A familiar sight on College Avenue, Larry was one of the business and propert...

...ts kind with the former Soviet Republic. The next meeting will be held at the Rockridge Library Conference Room Thursday, April 11, at 7pm There will be brief presentations by Community Resource Officers and discussion of crime and safety. Annette Floystrup (Incumbent) I’m RCPC’s historian and de facto “commun- ity memory.” I have ser ved on RCPC boards during several key periods, and the knowledge I gained has directly benefited current projects such as the Jewish Community Center (JCC) and ...

...onnell..................................... Vice-Chair Ben Friedman................................................ Secretary Louisa Bukiet.................................................Treasurer Mark Aaronson, Aly Bonde, Andrew Charman, Annette Floystrup, Star Lightner, Tom Lollini, Kirk Peterson, Ken Rich, Zac Unger Contact the board: chair@rockridge.org For information: info@rockridge.org Contacting the Rockidge News Are there community issues you’d like to see covered in the Rockridge N...

.................... 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 wher...

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: Februa...

...onnell..................................... Vice-Chair Ben Friedman................................................ Secretary Louisa Bukiet.................................................Treasurer Mark Aaronson, Aly Bonde, Andrew Charman, Annette Floystrup, Star Lightner, Tom Lollini, Kirk Peterson, Ken Rich, Zac Unger Contact the board: chair@rockridge.org For information: info@rockridge.org

...man................................................ Secretary Louisa Bukiet.................................................Treasurer Love Again Fabrics / 6030 College Avenue Shops, from front page Mark Aaronson, Aly Bonde, Andrew Charman, Annette Floystrup, Star Lightner, Tom Lollini, Kirk Peterson, Ken Rich, Zac Unger Murasaki Futon and Fine Bedding / 6050 College Contact the board: chair@rockridge.org For information: info@rockridge.org