meet our new property manager - green macmeet our new property manager by diane hira rose t he first...

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Stefen’s New Mural! (More on page 15)

Meet Our New Property ManagerBy Diane Hira Rose

The first meeting with Josephine (Jo) Cobar-rubias, our new property

manager, was held August 16th. She opened the meeting saying she would try to address the issues and problems of each tenant.

She comes from San Fran-cisco with nine years experi-ence in property management and Section 8 housing. She was with the Tenderloin Neighbor-hood Development Corpora-tion working with immigrant families, seniors, disabled vets, and the poor.

Staff Josephine introduced

staff and wanted to know the number of years each had been here. ardens.

Saane, Front Office Administrator, got a big laugh when she said she had been here 80 years, actually 6 years. Donna Miles who has been here 17 years said “I never

go home.” Andrea Brown, Service Coordinator, and Ver-non Wallace of Maintenance have been here about 17 years. Marcella Logwood, front of-fice staff, has been here about 25 years.

Tenant IssuesTenants named different

issues they were concerned about: needing a tenant name and phone number list; getting hot water quicker; wondering when a new Maintenance Man-ager will be hired.

Regarding the Mainte-nance Manager, Josephine said they were look-ing for someone with experience with seniors, disabled and property maintenance. She hoped it would be soon.

Residents were concerned about TV watching late at night in the community room and the malfunctioning entryway intercom system.

There were more far-reach-ing concerns, such as how deci-sions made by upper manage-ment are felt to be arbitrary and often unexplained to tenants.

Many tenants also felt management did not sup-port the Tenants Association. Package delivery was brought up; statues in the courtyard; chairs in the lobby; parking and garden issues; a birthday committee, and some way to know when someone passes away. There were complaints of insufficient and inconsistent staffing in the front office, and

a request that events be announced at least a week in advance.

Tenants also requested

there be regular meetings with Alex Kakavas of CSI, and with the property manager as well as the Liaison Committee of the Tenants Association.

There was a lively discus-sion about how several tenants had been improperly threatened with eviction letters by CSI’s attorney

Josephine suggested people call for appointments. If her door is open and she is not with someone or on the phone, tenants can ask to see her. She said she had worked with different property manage-ment companies and wanted to encourage good relations and good communication. She wants to work things out with tenants and said it is always possible to work around issues with upper management. This sounded hopeful, and was in-

deed a different message from what we had received from previous managers, who found it difficult to work with tenant issues and at the same time satisfy the interests of upper management.

She said that she may not be able to resolve all the issues, “but this is your home and I want you to feel safe and that you are listened to by manage-ment. I can negotiate between management and the tenants.”

She stressed that, “instead of telling you what I will or will not do, I will try to show you.”

She emphasized: “The staff at the front desk is wonder-ful and they are here for your concerns and they will try their best to respond to your needs.” She ended on a hopeful note: “There are always ways around issues.”

• • •

She said it is always possible to work around

issues with upper management.

Josephine Cobarrubias

Redwood gaRdens Review August • September–October • 2017

By and for the Residents of Redwood GardensIssue No. 12

Issue 12 October 2017

Be Brave! Choose Love!

Some good soul wrote those words. In chalk. Pink. Green. Blue. On the sidewalk, right at the bottom of the steps under the awning leading down to Derby Street. In hearts and flowers. We live in a house of brave and chosen love. Who chooses that love? We

choose it. We give it. To one another. It doesn’t need a committee or an association or a letter from management. It’s service given by individuals living at Redwood Gardens sometimes almost daily to one another.

Without credit. On their own hook. Devotedly. Here’s a short list of those among us who serve:

Richard Hunter delivers daily papers to our doors at dawn • Edie Wright arranges Warrior basketball viewing

• Jock Taft walks Carol Levy’s dog • Paul Desfor feeds Carrie Oyama’s cat • Willem Kamal grows us flowers

in the courtyard • Philomena Burkhardt teaches us bridge every Monday • Alan Leavitt makes driftwood

sculptures for the courtyard • Cynthia Johnson plays documentaries for us on Wednesdays • Bruce Moody

brings us film series • Gary Hicks brings us the Black Films Matter series • Marcia Kimmel brought us an

improvisation class • Shobi Schwebke hosts Laughter Yoga for us • Koll Kollarson supplies us with goodies

from Peet’s Coffee • Casper McCastle throws us a yearly drop-in party • Richard Hart wrote Alex and now

we have lemon trees • Eleanor Walden and Peni Hall offer protest-music concerts • King Collins brings us

The Redwood Gardens Review • Vi McFall co-edits it • Cary Knowles delivers our free Acme bread • Jian-

ing Zhang pitches-in with the bread • Marcella Logwood brings us free bagels • Miriam Berg helps various

tenants when they are in a fix—and so do lots of others • Anika Riekborn volunteers at our food distribution

• Paula Hall masterminded Dragon And Moon, the RG Literary Journal for us • We throw ourselves a 4th of

July shindig • Every single one of us who offers art in the halls offers us love • As does the anonymous soul

who wrote in chalk Be Brave, Chose Love!

We are all at different levels of strength, in the area of service but it does not mat-ter. We are equals. Thank you, Redwood Gardens servers! Thank you chalk artist who drew the message, Be Brave! Choose Love! Time, rain and shoes have faded

it. But it doesn’t go away in our minds and hearts. So here is a toast to the the Independent Volunteers O f Redwood Gardens. To those who work alone and serve! Long life to you! If you know of someone, maybe yourself, who serves in this way and you’re not mentioned here, please notify [email protected] and we’ll make it up to you in the next edition of Redwood Gardens Review.

Now hosed away, chalk drawing in front of Redwood Gardens.


By Diane Hira Rose

I was impressed at our first tenant meet-ing with our new property manager’s statement that “There's always a way around difficult issues.” Josephine Cobar-rubias gave me hope she could overcome some of the communication and manage-ment problems that our past managers were unable to surmount. I looked forward to our interview.

Diane, for the Review:Welcome to Redwood Gardens. I, and I believe everyone hopes you will be happy here. I was so relieved and uplifted when you said: “there are ways around things” at our meeting. Can you say more about your thinking on this subject.

Josephine: I don’t believe there is a final No answer. I tend to have an optimis-tic approach. We need to explore a prob-lem thoroughly. We need to understand, do our research, and investigate the rationale from the viewpoint of the staff here, upper management, and from the residents to a particular issue.

Does this approach work?

In my nine years as property manager with the Tenderloin Neighborhood De-velopment Corporation, I found it worked well. I interfaced with a variety of popula-tions: chronically homeless, veterans, seniors, disabled, and AIDS patients. I was also working with foundations and various city, county and government agencies.

Tell us something about your home life. Your name is unusual.

It's Italian, as my husband is Italian. I was born in the Philippines in a town north

of Manila, called Ilocos Norte, where the Marcos family lived. I came to San Francisco when I was six. We don’t have kids at this time. We had a Chihuahua who recently passed, and our hearts are broken, so we're not ready for a new dog now, maybe in the future. We enjoy a quiet and peaceful home.

What do you do for recreation?I enjoy martial arts—jujitsu, kick-

boxing, and regular boxing.

Did you go to school in San Francisco? I went to the School of the Arts High

School and studied musical theater and

opera. I am a first and second soprano. I have always enjoyed musical theater and been in several musicals, like Chorus Line. I was in the Young Musical Theater of San Francisco. I loved to sing.

I got my BA from San Francisco State University. For two years, I also went to Healds Business College for computer and business.

I went to Hollywood to pursue my musical career. My mom was not happy about that and sent my Dad to get me. I've always had challenging jobs. I can see it will be no different here. So many issues to prioritize, boundaries to be set, and is-sues to be resolved.

One of the main issues is packages at the front desk.

Yes, I've been discussing this with staff and residents. We are working on cabinets for packages and we need to fol-low up with upper management about that.

Is it the same with chairs in the lobby? The seniors, and the frail and disabled need to be able to sit and not drag chairs from the community room when one is needed. One person got hurt not long ago doing that. Alex Kakavas, of CSI, does not seem to understand the limitations of our population. Now we have only one chair in the lobby, outside the administrative offices. Are two chairs possible?

There are now two chairs, and they will remain. One disappeared mysteri-ously.

I'm new here. It is important for me to get feedback from the staff and to speak to Alex. I need to find out the history of the situation. I want to resolve issues for the residents. Yet, I do work for the company. I believe there are ways to resolve issues. It is challenging and often a struggle. Yet I try to remain neutral.

I need to support my staff. I find they are a wonderful group of helpful and ener-getic people, who work very hard here.

I also want to look forward to coming to work here. I like the energy. It is warm and friendly and welcoming.

* * *

Jo Is Optimistic

There was a big turnout for Jo’s meeting with residents.

Josephine (Jo) Cobarrubias


Notes from Our Co-chair Miriam Berg

son committee was to function as an Executive committee in relations with management and to oversee other commit-tees founded by the Associa-tion, but subsequent meetings showed that this was not the desired purpose for the Liaison committee. The provisional bylaws also stated, as part of the Association's purpose, that it was to function as the representative to management, which is impractical because the Association in its entirety is not able to meet with manage-ment in a deliberative assem-bly.

It also came out in sub-sequent meetings that it was not desired for the Liaison Committee to be a "general overseer" for other standing or ad hoc committees.

c. The proposed new bylaws, which have been presented several times now at Association meetings, declare that the purpose of the Liaison committee is as follows:

This committee is intend-ed to serve as the representa-tive of the Association in its relation to management, other tenants' organizations, and other agencies.

This definition of the Liaison Committee has been in the proposed new bylaws for several months now, so it is hoped that all residents have seen it and know that this is the intended purpose of that committee.

2. Why do we need bylaws and why do we keep discuss-ing them?

It has also been objected that we don't need bylaws and that we function well without them. Here are three reasons why bylaws are essential to us as a tenants' association:

a. We need to have a set of approved bylaws in order to be acceptable to HUD and to management as a legitimate tenants' organization;

After the “Fishbowl” discus-sion, the staff of the Review agreed to have a regular col-umn provided by the officers of the Tenants Association.

By Miriam BergThe temporary Liaison

Committee—miriam berg, Peni Hall, Gary Hicks, and Jock Taft—had two meetings and one consultation with Jo, the new manager. We are confident that we will be able to have ongoing regular meetings.

Two issues were raised at the last Association meeting which the chair feels should be responded to:

1. What is the purpose of the Liaison Committee?

a. The purpose was not stated in the older version of the bylaws from 2014.

b. The provisional bylaws accepted at the September 16th, 2016 meeting of the As-sociation stated that the Liai-

b. We need to have a set of approved bylaws in order to obtain our own tax identi-fication number for our bank account and to register with the State of California as an unincorporated association;

c. And also we need to have a set of approved bylaws in order to be able to tell new residents or outsiders what our organization is and does!

* * *

Peter Dumont Proposes “Conflict Transformation”

Submitted by Peter DuMont,Co-Recording Secretary

people together for greater mutual good will, respect, communication, understand-ing, reconciliation, coopera-tion, and ultimately happiness.

Peter would like to see the appointment of several Con-flict Transformation Captains to whom residents could go to get help resolving problems with residents or staff. He is open to organizing this system through the Tenants' Associa-tion, Star Alliance, or both.

Peter will introduce Star Alliance concepts to residents and members of the greater community on October 15th at the Community Room: 1:00 p.m. for introductory talks, 2:30 for desserts, and 3:00 to help build the organization. All are welcome.

Questions: 510-848-1818.

* * *

Miriam Berg, Co-chair of the Tenants Association

Tenants Association Column

Peter is also Founding President of the locally-based Star Alliance Good Will Edu-cation Foundation.

Peter points out that standard staff procedures for responding to inter-personal conflicts often involve legal matters, confidentiality, and generally-speaking, separating people.

He proposes another ap-proach to conflict transforma-tion which could help bring


REDWOOD GARDENS

STAFF

Josephine Cobarrubias Manager

Donna MilesAssistant Manager

Andrea BrownService Coordinator

Saane TuionoOffice Administrator

Marcella Logwood Jason Thomas

Night & Weekend Desk

Fred AltameraEmergency Response

Position VacantHead of Maintenance

and Janitorial

Vernon WallaceAssistant Head of

Maintenance

Jason ThomasMaintenance & Janitorial

David BrancoGroundskeeper

Buttons – In MemoriamWe are sad to report that But-tons passed away October 4, just as we were going to press. Here’s our interview with resident Carol Levy about Buttons, her Chihuahua, and her friend, resident Jock Taft, who walked Buttons for Carol.

By Diane Hira Rose

Carol, tell us something about your precious Buttons. How old is he and how did you meet?

Carol: Well, Buttons is all of nineteen years old. It all be-gan because my daughter takes care of animals for the SPCA in Sacramento. She fosters them before they get adopted. She called me one day and said, “I got a Chihuahua, and he’s seven years old.” I said, “I don’t even want a goldfish.”

Then, when I was next visiting her, this little guy jumps on my lap and smiles at me. I melted.

Usually the SPCA charges $100 to adopt, but because I was old and the dog was old, they waived the fee.

The next hurdle was on

People see me with him in the courtyard, and he enjoys the fresh air and all the petting he gets. Everyone loves him so much.

Jock, tell me about your walking time with Buttons.

Jock: We go out three times a day: between 8 to 10 p.m. and between 2:30 to 3 a.m. and again during the evening.

Carol doesn’t have to get up. She can sleep later and get her rest. He’s better at night, more regular. He eats a good meal after his walks.

Did you have dogs yourself?Jock: Not since I was a

teenager. My sister has had three over the years, and when I’d go to southern California to care for my mom, with Alzheimers, I’d help my sister with her dogs. I liked to give the dogs long walks.

Is it hard to walk But-tons since he’s blind?

Jock: Buttons is great, he wants to live, and has a great will to live. He’s frail and oth-ers may say, “Why don’t you

put him down?” No, he enjoys the life he has.

It’s a lesson for us all. He is great company. He won’t walk with anyone else. He’s very brave. After he went blind, he had to learn how to follow on the leash. I have to pay attention so he won’t hit a wall, I give him lots of space and guide him. He trusts me so much he will even run with me on the leash.

* * *Carol Levy conforts her dog

the train to Sacramento when I was going up to visit my daughter the next time after I adopted Buttons. He started crying on the train. He thought I was going to give him back. Then, he got used to being on the train.

He sleeps on my arm every evening. He had kidney failure two years ago, so he gets special wet and dry food.

Buttons is now totally blind. Jock Taft has taken But-tons out for his walks for two and a half years. He trust Jock so much. He won’t walk with anyone else.

OOPS!

Wry CripsDisabled Women’s Theater

By Peni Hall I goofed. In the article in the last Re-

view about the Wry Crips performance in the Community Room in June, I gave the names of the cast in the accompanying photo. I made a mistake on one of these names. I identified the actor playing the part of Meshala, The Intergalactic God-dess (fourth from the left in the photo) as Jennifer Justice. That part was played by Marie Jenkins.

Pet the Pets


By Peni HallSaturday night September 23 we got a real musical treat in the Community Room. There was a concert with our own Eleanor Walden performing with fellow singer/songwriter George Mann. They have per-formed together before, and each of them brings their own blend of song and story.

Eleanor grew up sing-ing songs of the Wobblies ... the Industrial Workers of the World ... the early radical la-bor movement. She continued her singing career in Wash-ington Square in Greenwich Village with Pete Seeger, who had popularized “People’s Songs”. She performed for $5.00 an evening, sang on picket lines, at labor strikes, and in 1948 for the Progres-sive Party working to elect

Henry Wallace as president. This was the beginning of what became known as the folk re-vival movement. All across the country people were writing songs, adapting folk music to a social stage.

She found her legs as an organizer and began organiz-ing folk festivals wherever she lived. In 1962 she did one in Woodstock, New York, and an-other one in Atlanta, Georgia, n 1965 during the Civil Rights Movement, which racially inte-grated the Georgia State Parks with music.

Out here she was one of the people who founded the People’s Song Network and for years participated in the West-ern Workers Labor Heritage Festival, which just celebrated its 30th anniversary.

George Mann is a long

time labor and anti-war activ-ist, who makes his living writing and performing topical songs. He has performed here before, and is a popular concert draw. He also performs in many nursing homes in Ithaca, New York, and has written some wonderful songs and stories about the people he’s met there.

This concert was a particularly hard concert to organize because Eleanor has been in and out of the hospital the last few months. At the beginning of the week she was back in again, but she gath-ered her strength and resolve and returned, determined to perform.

The concert was loosely woven around the theme of “home,” and the right to decent housing for all. ( Anyone who

has been in a Tenants Asso-ciation meeting with Eleanor knows this is one of her pas-sions.) They performed two sets, sometimes taking turns with doing songs and stories,

Eleanor Walden and

megaphone in an empty field. Some of the largest media outlets are famously jealous of community newspaper loyalty.

So it’s a dance. If the pub-lisher is overly involved and micromanages the managing editor, or if the editor insists on taking the writing in an unen-dorsed direction, the expected outcome would be a split-up. If the readers feel that they were misquoted or that the story they were interviewed for is innacurate, unread newspapers

A Good Newspaper Has No FriendsBy Julia Gilden

If you want to get the pulse of a place, the first place to look is the local newspaper. The Review is our best shot at building a community. That’s what newspapers do. A good newspaper gives a platform to different opinions, and educates readers when a story needs telling.

Most newspapers and news outlets work hard to be fair and to include all sides in a story. As The New York Times says on its masthead: “All the news thats fit to print.” You don’t need to look further than the Daily Cal to see what ethical journalism looks like. In their case, they are taught by respected journalists, and their grades probably depend on getting the story right, not on pleasing the university, which funds the department.

They are a great model for community journalism, although probably most journalism majors hope to end up working for the large news outlets. And then, someday, when they’ve had enough fame and fortune, maybe they’ll find themselves on a small commu-nity newspaper where accuracy still counts.

And that brings up the question of who controls the editorial policy? The publisher pays for paper and ink and may insist on setting an editorial policy, but that’s normally the role of the managing editor. Of course, it’s a rare newspa-per publisher that will tolerate a lot of criticism against itself, but you may find examples.

Then there is the ques-tion of who owns the paper? Who has a philosophical and emotional attachment? Without readers, a newspaper is just a

Julia Gilden

Eleanor and Gerge Mann

will pile up near the laundry room. Hence, the first piece of advice to every reporter: the best way to end your career is to get the story wrong.

Here at Redwood Gar-dens, we are lucky to have experienced writers and editors who know how to put out a paper. Our editor has invested in the equipment to streamline production and distribution —in computers, able volun-teers, and training.

The publisher ought to be either the editor or the Ten-ants Association or a Tenants Association Publishing Com-mittee. I hope for the latter, which seems like the strongest structure, with the caveats noted above.

Putting out a newspaper is a lot of work. Here’s to all who have the energy and know-how to make it happen!

• • •


Redwood Gardens Review

Editors-in-ChiefKing Collins

Vi McFall

Contributing EditorsBruce Moody

Diane Hira Rose

Reporters, Photographers, Poets, Writers,

Artists, Activists

Avram Gur-AyrePeni Hall

Eleanor Walden

Direct inquiries to:Redwood Gardens Review

2951 Derby St. #214Berkeley 94705

or [email protected]

or webwww.greenmac.com

sometimes singing together. It was good seeing Eleanor strong enough to perform again. Someone in the back row was heard to say “Wow, what an amazing voice.”

By the way, if you want to hear Eleanor in past perfor-mances, she is on You Tube; just go there and type in her name.

One of my favorite stories she told was about writing a soft, satirical song that was anti nuclear in nature. She was performing in Carnegie Hall. The act that preceded her was The Fugs, a very loud and raucous band. They blasted out music that almost shook the walls, and the audience was in raucous revolt. Eleanor was scheduled next, and the producers told her she couldn’t sing such a soft song after all that noise. She said “Just watch me”. She took the stage and waited out the audience; she quietly took control, and sang the song she had written called “Bombs Lullaby,” the audience gave her a standing ovation.

* * *

George Mann in Concert

By Vi McFallGemini Stone is a night

owl. One memorable night she didn’t get to bed until 6:30 in the morning. Because she suf-fers from Sleep Apnea, Gem may stop breathing during the night, so she hooked herself up to her breathing machine known as a C-PAP. By 7:15 am, she was fast asleep.

Then the telephone rang. Roused from her deep slumber, Gem grumpily answered the phone.

“Hello,” a male voice said, “this is Mechanics Bank call-ing . We wanted to be certain that the problem with your account has been cleared up to your satisfaction.”

“That problem was resolved days ago and, besides, you woke me up!” Gem pro-tested.

In the kindest voice, the bank officer then said, “Ah, then just lay your head back on your pillow and go to sleep.”

When Gem hung up the phone, she noticed that her C-PAP machine kept shutting off and on. Then she detected an electrical burning smell.

Getting out of bed to investigate the situation, Gem caught sight of a flame shooting out of the cord on the C-PAP. Frantically she

unplugged the machine and was greatly relieved to see the flame go out.

Whew! That was a close call, she thought. With a sigh, Gem collapsed back in bed and fell asleep again.

When she awakened sev-eral hours later, Gem regretted how rude she been to the man who’d called from Mechanics Bank. She resolved to call him back and apologize.

She dialed the bank and asked to speak to the man who’d called her at 7:15 am.

“The bank’s not open at that hour,” the clerk replied.

“But a man called me to make sure a problem with my account had been settled. I just wanted to thank him,” Gem explained.

“There aren’t any men in the Customer Service depart-

Gem’s Guardian Angel

Gemeni Stone

ment,” the clerk said.Gem was astounded. If

there were no men in that department, who had called her that morning? Without that call, her entire apartment could have gone up in flames and she might have died.

She remembered the man’s soothing voice telling her to go back to sleep. Could the caller have been a guard-ian angel warning her that her C-PAP was on fire? Gem likes to think so.

* * *If you’ve had an unexpected spiritual experience, the Review would like to write about it. Just call Vi McFall at 510-204-9109 or email her at [email protected].

Everyday Miracles

...and the eager crowd in the Community Room.


Two Trees Meet

LiquiDAMBAR

By Bruce MoodyLiquidambar or sweet

gum. Sycamore or plane tree. They look alike. Their

leaves are similar. Their seed balls are similar. So how to tell them apart?

[1] You’ll find liquidambar planted on our Courtyard’s borders, away from the pave-ment and closer to the building itself. Liquidambar is never planted near sidewalks because their roots buckle it.

[2] Sycamore roots are deeper, so you’ll find them in center of the Courtyard.

[3] Liquidambar seed balls look like medieval maces and are hard to walk on.

[4] Sycamore seed balls also look like maces but crush underfoot easily.

[5] Liquidambar leaves and sycamore leaves resemble maple leaves but the lobes of liquidambar usually are deeper than sycamore lobes and are turning red now.

[6] The best way to dis-tinguish them is by their bark.

Liquidambar bark is rutted vertically, and you often find corky fins on their twigs.

[7] Sycamore bark looks like plaster whose paint has flaked. It lies flat on the trunk, and shows patches of grey, brown, white, cream, and tan.

In our Courtyard, most of the shade comes from Syca-mores. They are platanus x acerifolia or London Plane Tree. One of the greatest poems in the English language was written about them.

* * *The Trees Are Downby Charlotte Mew

—and he cried with a loud voice: hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees— (Revelation)

They are cutting down the great plane-trees at the end of the gardens.

For days there has been the grate of the saw, the swish of the branches as they fall,


SyCAMORE

The crash of the trunks, the rustle of trodden leaves,

With the ‘Whoops’ and the ‘Whoas,’ the loud common talk, the loud common laughs of the men, above it all.

I remember one evening of a long past Spring

Turning in at a gate, get-ting out of a cart, and finding a large dead rat in the mud of the drive.

I remember thinking: alive or dead, a rat was a god-for-saken thing,

But at least, in May, that even a rat should be alive.

The week’s work here is as good as done. There is just one bough

On the roped bole, in the fine grey rain,

Green and high And lonely against the

sky. (Down now!—) And but for that, If an old dead rat Did once, for a moment,

unmake the Spring, I might never have thought of him again.

It is not for a moment the Spring is unmade to-day;

These were great trees, it was in them from root to stem:

When the men with the ‘Whoops’ and the ‘Whoas’ have carted the whole of the whispering loveliness away

Half the Spring, for me, will have gone with them.

It is going now, and my heart has been struck with the hearts of the planes;

Half my life it has beat with these, in the sun, in the rains,

In the March wind, the May breeze,

In the great gales that came over to them across the roofs from the great seas.

There was only a quiet rain when they were dying;

They must have heard the sparrows flying,

And the small creeping creatures in the earth where they were lying—

But I, all day, I heard an angel crying:

‘Hurt not the trees.’

• • •

In The Courtyard


By Peni HallOne of the programs that Ser-

vice Coordinator Andrea Brown presented recently was a panel of students from UC Berkeley who have set up a project to pair student volunteers with seniors who need help with various tasks.

The group is the Berkeley Student Cooperative, a combina-tion of the Panhellenic Council (sororities), the Inter fraternity Council (fraternities), and Student Co-Ops (independent student housing). It is a one-year pro-gram funded by the UC Berkeley Chancellors Community Partner-ship Fund.

This is the first year of the project. It’s purpose is to support seniors to be able to age safely in their homes and be independent

in the community. They offer many kinds of help —painting, gardening, assembling furniture, housecleaning, de-cluttering, tech support, moving, help in organiz-

ing, and many other useful tasks. They introduced the project, then took comments and questions

from us.There were a few hot topics.

One was the subject of De-Clut-tering. It is actually considered a vital part of being able to age safely in place, and students are learning about the psychology of clutter. Many of us need help ranging from cleaning out closets to managing our entire apartment. The panel was very supportive and said they had volunteers who like to do this kind of work.

Another hot topic was Tech Support. People want help with everything from computers to

tablets to phones. One concern was wanting the students to understand how most seniors process information, and be able to explain things in a more fundamental way than people who grew up with this technol-ogy. Lots of people want help with phones, and there was a suggestion to have some sort of phone clinic for a group of people. Other people would prefer individual sessions.

Other interests included help with book editing, selling things on eBay, taking books to Moe’s to sell, as some exam-ples. We were encouraged not to think of limitations, but to simply state our needs and they would help us think about how they could help meet them. One resident spoke about the Chinese community and asked

if there could be volunteers who spoke Chinese. They said they would try to find some-one but were not sure that was possible.

The students were personable, sympathetic, and eager to provide assis-tance. There

are many students involved in the program. Everyone living in fraternities, sororities, and Student Coops has to do 2-5 hours of Community Im-provement work. Many enjoy volunteering—and work more hours.

One memorable quote: “We get to hang out with you, and you get stuff done.”

If you missed the presen-tation, you can still participate. Just call Andrea at 549-9785.

* * *

Student Panel from left to right: Summer Collins, Panhellenic President; Alyssa Fuji, Panhellenic Vice President of Finance; Zach Gamlieli, President Berkeley Student Cooperatives; Josh Erdtsieck, Vice President of internal Affairs of Cooperatives

Student Cooperative Offers To Help Us

To support seniors to be able to age safely

in their homes and be independent.

Tech support, moving, gardening, housework, assembling furniture,

de-cluttering...


Doris Moore and Psychodrama By Vi McFall

In psychodrama you let yourself go,” says Doris Moore as she describes her recent performance at Stage Werx Theater in San Francisco. “There’s no escaping the feel-ings. If you try to cut them off, they come back to haunt you. Psychodrama is a positive way of coping with pain.”

To create her performance piece, Doris participated in a fifteen-week course during which class members acted out significant events in each oth-ers’ lives. In the final perfor-mance, each person acted out all the roles in his or her life. Enacting these important life events proved cathartic for ev-eryone, including the audience.

“My performance was basically about mothering,”

says Doris. “My father was an alcoholic and my mother was depressed, so I became mother to my siblings at a young age. I was even my mother’s mother.

In psychology, this is termed a ‘parentified child.’

“Psychodrama helped me remember what it was like as a child and gives me a chance to relive it in a healthier way. I’ve participated in two psychodra-mas now, and I may even do a third.”

Doris’s script evolved out of ten photographs chosen from her personal life. As each photograph was projected on a screen, she sang, danced, and vocalized the joys and sorrows that photo represented, focus-ing on her son’s death by drug addiction at age 26.

Using the sun as a symbol, Doris sang a song about the rising sun to symbolize her son’s birth, as well as the rising events in her life. A song about the setting sun represented

his early death and the loss of other relationships.

Singing and dancing have long served as escapes from the pain in Doris’ life. She also read a lot and was a diligent student, obtaining a Masters Degree in Clinical Social Work and PhD in Developmental Psychology. During her busy career, Doris worked as a psychotherapist for companies in New York and California. She also raised four children of her own and has five grand-children.

The greatest insight Doris gained from creating and per-forming her theater piece was to face pain rather than running from it. “Just being with the pain brings relief and healing.”

• • •

Doris Moore uses pscho-drama, dance and song to express the vicissitudes of her life.

The next issue of the Review will have

CLASSIFIED ADS

25 WORDS OR LESS FOR $2.00

Calling Redwood Gardens Artists

For Contributions To The

2017 Redwood Gardens

Holiday Art ShowSunday Dec. 17th

All original visual arts accepted.

For more information call:

Alan Leavitt - 510.549.1488 Sandy Barlow - 510. 277.2624

Exercise and CoffeeBy Julia Gilden

Start the day with your two favorite things - exercise and coffee! OK, just kidding about the exercise. You are invited to join us in the Community Room for an hour of TV-led exercising followed by excellent coffee and healthy treats. Our first meeting will be on Monday, October 9, from 9am - 10am.

The exercise programs are on KCSM community TV, Channel 60.1. The first half hour is core body strengthening, and the second half hour has full body movement. Both are a combination of standing and lying on a yoga mat. (You can bring your own or use what’s there.) Anyone can do these, and the three demonstrators have different ability levels, from sitting to standing.

At 10, we’ll serve Peet’s coffee. Partici-pants are invited to bring healthy treats (no grain, no sugar is what I will be enjoying). There will be a small charge to cover coffee and cups. We’ll stay focused on the exercises until 10 AM, so please either join in or refrain from chatting until then.

* * *


Before The Fall

By Bruce MoodyAs everyone already

knows, Television was in-vented in order to floss one’s teeth while watching it.

This adage is old as Solon. As a maxim it stands at tall at-tention next to The Pentateuch, The Golden Rule, and Mur-phy’s Law. TV and Floss were married at birth.

Of course, TV does have the subsidiary functions of

I use dental tape and dental floss both. Floss is a thin strand of thread that I run up and down between my teeth. Tape is wider. Tape’s harder to extract from between fillings. But it works real well when my gums are sensitive.

But here’s my other great trick: toothpicks. Since I watch a good many movies in my home, I pick as I flick.

My dentist gives me the toothpicks: Stim-U-Dent.

Stim-U-Dent comes flavored or not. Made of bal-sawood (like WWII airplane

entertainment and misinforma-tion. Both of these do have the power to thrill and stir. And no one thinks less of these functions because they do not attain the more exalted realm of flossing.

But for those of us, and I am one, who do not have Television, I can suggest an alternative. For I have found a way to floss my teeth away from Television. I floss in the shower. I keep dental floss alongside the shampoo. No one sees me; my dignity is assured; I floss like mad.

models), they are a specific against gingivitis, which is an inflammation of the gums I don’t want to fool with.

Stim-U-Dents are soft on the gums, so my gums wel-come them. They keep my teeth filling-free, so I am eager for you to try them. My dentist gave me a bunch, and I’ll be carrying them around for a while. Just ask me. I’ll hand you a packet as long as they last.

Try ‘em, why doncha?Before the fall.Of your teeth.Onto the floor.

• • •

Jazz Pianist Betty Shaw Welcomes Visitors In RehabBy Vi McFall

Redwood Garden’s jazz pianist Betty Shaw has been recovering at Elmwood reha-bilitation facility after taking a serious fall. She’s been away for over a month and greatly misses her home, her beloved cat Annie, and all her friends here.

Betty has entertained us on many occasions including our annual art shows and her own monthly jam sessions. Some of us remember when she jammed with bass player extraordinaire Ron Crotty who moved on to the great jam ses-sion in the sky three years ago.

Betty has also played many venues in the world at large. One of her longest run-ning gigs has been at the ever popular Cheese Board where she has played for Berkeley pizza lovers since the nineties. During the eighties and nine-ties, Nordstrom’s hired Betty

Betty had time to resume piano practice and to take lessons from a teacher in Hollywood.

Before Betty can return to her life at Redwood Gardens, she needs a live-in caregiver. Betty would love to talk to anyone who’s interested in this position. Just call her at the Elmwood, 510-665-2800, or contact our Service Coordina-tor Andrea Brown at 510-549-9785.

In the meantime, visits from friends are the high-light of Betty’s recovery. Fortunately, the Elmwood is located nearby at 2829 Shattuck Avenue right across from the Berkeley Bowl. Just take the 79 bus to downtown Berkeley and get off anywhere on Shattuck Ave. Then catch the number l8 bus going south toward Oakland and get off at Shattuck and Oregon. You’ll often find Betty practicing her chops on Elmwood’s piano.

• • •

Betty Shaw at the piano in her new quarters at Rehab. She misses her home and friends at Redwood Gardens.

to play for customers in its Walnut Creek retail store.

The piano has been Bet-ty’s best friend since she was five years old when her mother taught her to play. Then she learned to improvise from her husband’s guitar teacher. Her first paying gigs were playing background music in restau-rants. These jobs offered Betty

a place to practice her craft and develop her own improvisa-tional style.

Motherhood was another long-term gig undertaken by Betty. Not only did she raise three adopted children, she served as mother to her young-er brother Don when their mother died. When her kids got old enough to go to school,


Ghost Gynmasium!

By Bruce MoodyHave you ever visited The

Ghost Gymnasium? Have you even known it was a gymna-sium? Well, it’s right there on Sports Lane, rearing its digni-fied mass among the redwoods.

In its day it must have been one of the chief resources on our athletic UCB back-street, which has a pool, a gymnastics gym, an archery range, beach volley ball courts, tennis courts, a softball dia-mond, a full running track, and a skateboard court.

Where is this gym, you won-der?

When you cross the east bridge to Sports Lane, you’ll see our cars parked on the left on the dirt with a derelict building behind them. But that’s not it.

Just north of that is the drive going up to the beach

around it and enjoy it. Some of its fine windows have shat-tered, but it still has a queenly air – a sort of Miss Haversham of buildings.

Why has it not been torn down? James Sanner says it has been recognized as an historical place, so it can’t be. But it might be put to some good use – perhaps as a sports museum for the University (there’s plenty of parking in the lot attached to it).

I wonder what The Ghost Gym is like inside, don’t you?

Anyhow, make a pil-grimage. It’s one of the most interesting and curious sights surrounding us. And you won’t have to order an Uber. It’s only a hundred yards away.

• • •

volley ball courts.On the far side of that

drive, among the redwoods, stands an old abandoned build-ing. You wouldn’t know it’s a gym from the outside. This is the Ghost Gymnasium

I took a close look at it with James Sanner, who is the Cal Berkeley groundskeeper. He told me that it was built on the site of a large castle-like structure that burnt to the ground. On the remaining mas-sive foundations was erected the gymnasium in 1915. He showed me the Roman numerals on the front of it. He pointed out the huge granite blocks of reclaimed stones it’s built of.

He tells me that inside it, downstairs, is a swimming pool. And on the main floor, is a single lane bowling alley, a hardwood basketball court, and a raised stage suggesting the gym was used for assemblies

and performances, as gyms were in those days.

No one can get into it anymore, but James says that it probably has a retractable

roof. Nowadays you can see the blue sky through it, for tons of slate have collapsed into the building.

He pointed out the tiles in diamonds, and the noble pillars outside. The building has been wholly whitewashed so the colors have drowned. But walk

The date inscribed over the entrance is 1915.

This massive building, a beautiful derelict surrounded by Redwoods, was once a part of the School for the Deaf.

We’re Surrounded


Stefen‘sAlluring passersby to Trader Joe’s/Peet’s Cof-

fee at 3256 Lakeshore Avenue, a mural by Stefen offers itself to the wondering eye. Stefen depicts Lake Merritt circa 1925, but he blended into it ear-lier and current-day imagery. The wall (below) is 21 feet high and 80 feet long. Stefen started it on August 1 and finished it on August 24, putting in about 175 working hours. He had to start it a wall. Before starting, the owners of the building, Barry


and Elaine Gilbert discovered they had to waterproof and repaint the entire wall because a mural had been painted there in the early 2000s. Other fine murals in the Bay Area by Stefen include one (above) near Redwood Gardens, right down on Broadway past 51 St., on two walls of the Broadway Pet Hospital, on the East as you drive south.

Park, disembark, and enjoy them.

Oakland Murals


A Laughter Meet-Up can take place with any number of people with the purpose of laughing together – not laughing AT something or someone, but laughter for the sheer joy of laughing.

Meet-Ups Groups bring their own ideas for exercises and everyone joins in.

The meet-up can also be just be-tween two people on an elevator or on a street or bus. Those meet-ups will just laugh with each other and then go on their way (leaving behind a trail of giggles!).

Health Benefit of Laughter- Lowers Blood Pressure- Reduces Stress Hormone Level- Improves Cardiac Health- Boosts T-Cells (Immune Sys-tem)- Triggers Release of Endorphins (Body’s Natural Painkillers)- Increases Sense of Well Being

From Google “Benefits of Laugh-ter.” For more, contact Shobi #333

Next Laughter intro session meets in the courtyard (weather permitting) at 2 pm on Tuesday, October 17.

By Peni Hall“I realize that humor isn't for everyone. It's only for people who want to have fun, enjoy life and feel alive.”

-- Anne Wilson Schaef

What if you woke up and started laughing hysterically? What if you made the decision to laugh every day for abso-lutely no reason? How would you feel, and how would that affect the rest of your day?

According to our own Shobi Schwebke, also known as Shobi Dobi the Hospital Clown, the answer is pretty darn good. This is one of the principles of Laughter Yoga, which Shobi has taught for many years both in this coun-try and in Japan.

Shobi says we have a Giggle Crisis in our land, that children laugh 400 times a day, and the average adult laughs 5 times a day. Somewhere adults have lost a lot of laughs a day! We need to not just smile, but laugh! Deep down Belly Laughter! Cultivating the abil-ity to laugh deeply at anything, or for no reason at all, has

many physical and psychologi-cal benefits. It enhances your mood, helps reduce stress and helps create a positive mental state to deal with life's difficul-ties.

That's where Laughter Yoga comes in. It was devel-oped by Dr. Madan Kataria, a medical doctor from India. The idea is to initiate laughter as a body exercise as a group, with eye contact and childish

Why Laughter? Why Yoga?

playfulness which will soon turn into real and contagious laughter. The combination of Yoga’s deep breathing exer-cises and Laughter exercises oxygenates our body and brain, making us feel more healthy and energetic.

Shobi began leading a Laughter Yoga group for anyone interested in the Com-munity Room recently. Many of us were a little reserved and

curious. She encouraged us to try Cold Start Belly Laugh-ing, saying it took practice to develop the Giggle Muscle; the more you do it, the easier it is to do. We practiced bringing up topics and laughing at them: My credit card is over the limit ... laugh! My Comcast bill just went up ... laugh! We rotated telling dilemmas to laugh at, and played many other laugh-ter inducing games. At the end, Shobi passed out red clown noses, which we delighted in wearing.

What next? Shobi is continuing to lead the group, although she says we could also meet on our own and laugh. She's probably right, but I enjoy the games she leads and the videos she brings of other Laughter Yoga groups -the things one could laugh at are endless! You could try it too; just watch for the signs in the elevators or on your doors and come join us!

* * *We don't laugh because

we're happy, we're happy be-cause we laugh!

--William James

Participants in the Laughter Experiment were awarded hon-orary red noses.


Come On, People. Trust One Another!

By King Colins

From the earliest days of Redwood Gardens,

there has been an under-standing, as well as a written

Bylaw, which asserts that all tenant/residents have a right to at-tend any meeting of the Associa-tion. See the box at right with the excerpt from the earliest Bylaws we have found in our research.

Since that time we know of no effort to change this declaration of the rights of tenant/residents to attend committee meetings

For this openness to work, members must be kept informed. Therefore, comittittee heads should announce meetings and agendas before the meetings are held.

Right to exclude? The requirement of open

meetings applies as much to the Liaison Committee as any other. Some believe that there are times when meetings should be held in a private setting where only elected committee members may attend. If such closed meeting are to be held,

then it is up to the members of the committee to explain why this ex-traordinary step—excluding other residents from the meeting—is necessary.

This is a significant matter that is a hang-over from the Fish Bowl days (See last issue.) when there was much ado about open meet-ings and such.

It is my fervent hope that I have raised enough of a fuss about open meetings so that the time will never come when it is assumed that all our meetings are closed. Nay! No! Never!

May we always assume that our meetings are open and every-one is welcome.

How’s the song go? “Come on People. We got to trust one another, right now!”

* * *

“All committee and subcommittee meetings are open to any resident, but only members of the committee shall have a vote.”

Redwood Gardens BylawsMarch 31, 1987

King’s CornerFrom a document found in the Archives:

May we always assume that our meetings are

open and every resident is welcome.


OCTOBER 2017October 6, Friday: 4 p.m.: 3rd floor Conf.: Tenants Assoc. Agenda MeetingOctober 9, Monday: 9 – 10 a.m.: Com. Rm.: KCSM TV Exercise Class, Coffee 10 a.m.October 10, Tuesday: 10:30 a.m.: Com. Rm.: Produce Distribution 2:30 p.m.: Com. Rm.: Tenants Association Meeting October 15, Sunday:1 - 4:30 p.m.: Com. Rm.: Star Alliance introduction October 17, Tuesday, 2 p.m. Courtyard: Laugh Yoga October 18, Wednesday: 11 – 12 noon: Com. Rm.: Tenants and Josephine 12 – 2: Food Bank distributionOctober 19, Thursday: 1 p.m. – 3 p.m.: Com. Rm: Flu Shots 6 p.m. – 9: Com. Rm: Potluck and Movie: Ernst Lubitsch Comedy Series: Carole Lombard, Jack Benny: To Be Or Not To BeOctober 24, Tuesday: 11 a.m.: Com. Rm.: Produce DistributionOctober 25, Wednesday: Tomorrow is 4th Thursday. Move your car on Derby!October 28, Saturday: 3 p.m.: Com. Rm.: East Bay Musical ChairsOctober 30, Monday: 3 p.m. – 7 p.m.: Com. Rm.: Art ShowOctober 31, Tuesday, Redwood Gardens 31st Aniversary and Halloween

NOVEMBER November 3, Friday: 4 p.m.: 3rd fl. Conf.: Tenants Assoc. Agenda Meeting November 9, Thursday: 6 – 9 p.m.: Com. Rm.: Potluck & Movie: Betty GrableNovember 10, Friday: 2:30 p.m.: Com. Rm.: Tenants Association Meeting November 14, Tuesday: 2 p.m.: Com. Rm.: American Heart AssociationNovember 15, Wednesday: 11 a.m. – 12 noon.: Com. Rm.: Tenants & Josephine 12 noon – 2p.m. Food Bank DistributionNovember 16, Thursday: 6 – 9 p.m.: Com. Rm.: Pot Luck & Movie: Ernst, Lubitsch Comedy: Jimmy Stewart, Margaret Sullavan, Frank Morgan in The Little Shop Around The CornerNovember 18, Saturday: 3 p.m.: Com. Rm.: East Bay Musical Chairs 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.: Medicare Health For Seniors: at Ed Roberts Campus, 3075 Adeline St., BerkeleyNovember 22, Wednesday: Tomorrow is 4th Thursday. Move your car on Derby!November 23, Thursday: Staff Thanksgiving HolidayNovember 30, Thursday: 6 – 9 p.m.: Potluck & Movie: Judy Garland, Van Johnson in In The Good Old Summertime

CSi CORPORATE STAFF

Nancy EvansGeneral Manager

Anne Sackrison National Operations Mgr

Mel HudsonNational Construction Mgr

Tim Braunscheidel, Asst. Natl. Operations Mgr

Bob KernsCA Regional Mgr

Darla Huttinger CA Regional

Operations Mgr

Alex KakavasCA Senior Liaison

Alan DavidsonCA Facility Mgr

Bridge Lessons

Every Mondayafternoon

4pm to 5:30pmin the

Library

Yoga

Every Tuesday and

Thursday morning

10am – 11amin the

Community Room

THE CALENDAR

CONGRATULATIONSThese folks have been here since Year One—1986

•Jean Chien • Mary Gee • Lisa Rayburn Betsy Pauley • Peni Hall

meet our new property manager - green macmeet our new property manager by diane hira rose t he first...

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