Search The Archive

The Re-Up Refill Shop Relocates to Rockridge — by Skip Fogarty If you’re looking for signs of retail revival on College Avenue, you’ll be pleased to learn that the Re-Up Refill Shop is opening a new store this week. Located at 6025 College, just south of Claremont, the new brick-and-mortar operation r...

— By Skip Fogarty Lake Temescal is a crown jewel among our East Bay Regional Parks. One of the system’s three original parks, which opened in 1936, Temescal provides recreational oppor- tunities rarely found in an urban setting. Generations have sunned them...

By Skip Fogarty

by Skip Fogarty One of the three original East Bay Regional Parks, Lake Temescal is an urban oasis providing beauty and recreation on Oakland’s northern edge. Opened in 1932, the park has long been known for its picnicking, hiking, and fishing — and especi...

By Skip Fogarty

Delivering the News, Connecting Our Community by Skip Fogarty For years, I’d pick up a copy of the Rockridge News at the pub or library to peruse local happenings. Looking for something to fill sud- denly empty hours in the early days of the Covid shutdown, I started reporting for the News. When my f...

By Skip Fogarty

... stretch of Buena Vista Avenue. After writing a story about a Hillcrest schoolgirl who published her own homespun newsletter on Romany Road, I recruited her family to take a Photo: Anna L Marks Volunteer newsletter carriers (left to right: Skip Fogarty, Silvia Hughes, and Rhita Williams) have successfully expanded RCPC district boundaries to include additional parts of Upper Rockridge. smaller route of 40 papers. This new crew of “block captains” now blanket the neighborhood with nearly ...

By Skip Fogarty

Turning Reclaimed Wood Pieces into Beautiful Art by Skip Fogarty W

By Skip Fogarty

Growing a Business Writing Love Letters by Skip Fogarty The advent of genealogy services like 23-and-Me and Ancestry have enticed many to explore their familial roots, but the discovery of ancestors’ names and origins often leads to other questions. “Looking at a family tree, you see branches s...

By Skip Fogarty

Behind the Scenes With the Good People of Colby St. by Skip Fogarty Considering the types of small businesses typically profiled here in the Rockridge News, you prob- ably wouldn’t think about a bustling video production agency as one of our neighbors. But right there on Colby, in a former storefront turne...

By Skip Fogarty

A Backyard Surprise — Rare Eagle Sightings in Rockridge Hills by Skip Fogarty

By Skip Fogarty

From Kabul to the Mediterranean: Venerable College Avenue Pub Heads in New Direction by Skip Fogarty L

By Skip Fogarty

Photo: Skip Fogarty and a beer — or maybe a cocktail and a comedy show. In August, there was another change in ownership at that won- derful location, directly across the street from the Julia Morgan designed Presbyterian Church. “My family has always loved t...

By Skip Fogarty

Tech Neighbors Rally to Save Century-Old Oak Tree by Skip Fogarty

By Skip Fogarty

A Mighty Landmark Felled by Disease by Skip Fogarty Sthe 1991 firestorm. “It’s difficult to capture the sense of place and permanence that the tree gave to the neighborhood,” says longtime Golden Gate resident Louise Comfort, who lost her home in the firestorm. “The big tree was a poignant ...

By Skip Fogarty

Meet the Man Behind the Wheel of That Familiar Brown Truck by Skip Fogarty The first time I met our favorite UPS delivery driver was a dozen years ago, or maybe more. Alerted by a robust knock, I opened the front door and immediately recognized the famil- iar brown uniform. I didn’t recognize the well-tanned, gri...

By Skip Fogarty

..., after 34 years with UPS, DiPietro is retiring. A native of Livermore, he lives on the same street where he grew up. “I keep an eye on my 92-year-old mom, who is still in our family home,” he reports. Asked why he didn’t seek a UPS Photo: Skip Fogarty Known for giving toy UPS trucks to kids, and always stopping to pick up dangerous screws and nails in the street, Marlo DiPietro is retiring after 34 years. assignment closer to home, DiPietro says: “I don’t like the summer heat. Simple as...

By Skip Fogarty

by Skip Fogarty Ooccupied by the Rockridge Little School (RLS), one of two affiliated campuses in the neighborhood. There is also a printing company located in the building called Flem- ing’s Printed Affair. RLS founder and owner Holly Gold also envisions...

By Skip Fogarty

Escaping a Wildfire: A New Technology To Get You Out Safely by Skip Fogarty wildfire scenarios. So he took his ideas to two seasoned Silicon Valley entrepre- neurs. Together, they embarked upon developing a new wildfire communi- cation and notification platform now known as Zonehaven (https://www. zonehaven.com/)....

By Skip Fogarty

Meet Our Local Beekeepers by Skip Fogarty Message From The Chair RCPC Looking Back — Moving Forward Monitoring the hotline at the Alameda County Beekeepers Association, Elinor Levine had no idea she’d be adopting a new colony of bees later that day. She answered a call from the ma...

By Skip Fogarty

Is Your Neighborhood Prepared for Whatever Comes Next? by Skip Fogarty W

...t’s use this success to catalyze change to help the rest of the dwindling canopy in Oakland.” “I’m glad that the students of Oak- land Tech and neighbors around the school will continue to benefit from this tree,” said Kalb. “This however, Skip Fogarty is a freelance writer who has lived in Rockridge for 25 years. Got a story idea for Skip? Email editor@rockridgenews.org. n DRE 01881682 Happy 4th of July! From, The Claudia Mills Real Estate Team 5 1 0 . 3 5 0 . 6 4 1 9 | c l a u d i a @ ...

... can convince more folks to quit scroll- ing on the couch and start strolling into our stores, we’ll be OK.” Please clip their generous coupon and give the Cole team a chance to exceed your expectations — and bring your dog in for a treat! Skip Fogarty is a freelance writer and editor who’s lived in Rockridge for 25 years. Got a story idea for Skip? Email editor@rockridgenews.org. n

...n the above area, are now eligible to vote in RCPC board elections and to run for the board. The Rockridge News distribution network has been expanded to allow de- livery of the paper to residences within the newly included area. Thanks to Skip Fogarty, Charles Feltman, Rhite Williams and the other community volunteers who have helped to make this expansion possible. Ridge, contiued from cover site, it could yield up to 1,221 units, even

Gary Fine Zac Unger Rachel Latta Dogs of Rockridge Skip Fogarty Ella Smith H. L. Onstad

...unusual training aids the Goldfarbs have employed since he was little: Standing on a raised beam to improve his balance while batting corn kernels with a bat and wiffle golf balls with a broomstick. Photo courtesy of the Goldfarb family by Skip Fogarty He loved baseball from the time he could walk. His father was a college pitcher and a baseball opera- tions executive with the San Francisco Giants. “I would watch a three-hour baseball game on TV when I was two years old,” says Rockridge ...

By Casey Farmer

... (6300-6346); Buena Vista Avenue (5611-5921); Buena Vista Place; and part of Contra Costa Road, Contra Costa Road; Contra Costa Place; Romany Road (5950-6095); and a new portion of Golden Gate Avenue (5000-5560). The new block captains are Skip Fogarty, Rhita Williams and Silvia Hughes. Thank you, new Block Captains for your valuable contributions. For a map with organization and newsletter distribution boundaries, see https://rockridge.org/boundaries. n

...sure forever.” A Love Letter makes a very special gift for birthdays and holidays. (Hint: Father’s Day) To learn more, visit familyloveletters.com and be sure to download the free gift, the "Six-Step Guide to Preserve Your Family Stories." Skip Fogarty is a freelance writer and has lived in and loved Rockridge for 26 years. n

By Casey Farmer

...is writing, it’s unclear whether her assailants were among those rounded up. Oakland Housing Authority’s Housing Choice Voucher Program Eyes on Rockridge, see page 8 Cole Hardware Tenders a Rare, Old- Fashioned Brand of Customer Service by Skip Fogarty and that’s been a killer for many small businesses.” The original store opened on Cole Street in San Francisco in 1920, hence the name, Cole Hardware. The busi- ness was purchased by David Karp in 1961. Now overseen by Dave’s son Rick, Col...

By Kirk Peterson

...inter and disappears when the ground dries in spring. Oxalis, or wood sorrel, is a prolific genus of small flowering plants. This variety, sometimes called “Bermuda buttercup,” is widespread in California, though native to South Africa. By Skip Fogarty For 30 years, Bruce Paton has been something of a fixture in the neighborhood. I first spotted him at the former Barclay’s pub on College Avenue enjoying a pint at the bar. Turns out, Paton and beer have a deeper affinity than simply sippi...

...perators only, not commer- cial property or residential property owners. While this limited the revenue potential for the district significantly, it keeps the burden of this commu- nity investment overwhelmingly on • 62nd Street [307] — by Skip Fogarty S • Broadway [5050, 5152, 5100 - 5301 (odd numbers only)] ome homeowners and landscapers may not be aware that as of April 1, 2021, gas-powered leaf blowers have been banned throughout the city of Oakland (see April 2021 Rockridge News). A...

...keley BART parking lots, committing $53 million to make the project at least 35 percent affordable — a total of about 570 affordable units. Similar possibilities exist here in Oakland, including sites such as the Rockridge BART station. by Skip Fogarty It wasn’t until we got a tip that we learned the neighbor on the other side of our backyard fence, Mia Gousman, a fifth-grader at Hillcrest School, was running a hyper-local

...uding physical distancing and facemasks. Hand sanitizers will be available in dispensers. For safety and to avoid crowding, the scheduled business will be limited to the call-to-order, preliminary A Little School That’s Big on Community by Skip Fogarty Rockridge Home Sales Rocket During Pandemic by Judith Doner Berne Holly Gold at her school’s College Avenue location, founded in 2004. Sixteen years ago, we were looking for a preschool situation for our daughter. That’s when we spotted a ...

By Judith Doner Berne

...chers of the Year. Both are automatically nominated for Alameda County Teacher of the Year, and will be eligible for California Teacher of the Year. Chabot Teacher, see page 14 Bosko’s — A Snapshot of an Enduring College Avenue Business by Skip Fogarty M

By Don Kinkead

...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. by Skip Fogarty Not long after Election Day in November, Sam Davis was actively transitioning into his new post as a director on the board of the Oak- land Unified School District (OUSD). Although he didn’t take the District 1 seat until early this month,...

...d) and a runner will deliver the order to the table. Sanitizing protocols and social dis- tancing will be strictly observed and, as Snow puts it, “we will be empha- sizing safety over volume” as they begin to rebuild their business. n — By Skip Fogarty Selling groceries at the curb was never part of the plan, but it became a lifeline for one College Avenue business during the COVID lockdown. The Golden Squirrel, which took over the former site of Barclay’s pub, has nimbly pivoted its

Local Entrepreneurs Re-Think Household Products & Packaging to “Meet the Moment” — By Skip Fogarty Back in the day, the friendly neigh- borhood milkman delivered fresh dairy right to your door. He also picked up your empty bottles to use again. Breathing new life into that bygone business model is the brainchild of two Cal alumni who li...