of the butters land trust

Serving the neighborhoods from Fruitvale Avenue to Seminary Avenue and from Foothill Boulevard to Warren FreewayVolume 13 Number 10 December 2001/January 2002

A Community Newspaper • P.O. Box 19046, Oakland, CA 94619 • (510) 287-2655

Evelyn Ashcroft, Elda Cavagnolo, Arlyn Christopherson, Adreinne Debisschop, John & Virginia Gibson, Laren HirstMary Jones, Karen Lassen, Virginia Leskowski, Steve Lucas, Marilyn Miller, Carol Moss, Gerry Murphy, John Pichotto

cont inued on page 4

You, too, can become a friend of the Metro. See page 2.

Your support helps keep the Metro alive! Become one of the Thousand Friends.

s a child in the early1960s, I was taught tolove nature by a roar-

ing, unpredictable creek andits myriad creatures we werefortunate to have in our back-yard. It is long since gone—no more multitudes of tinystriped frogs for kids to catchand release, no more herds ofbaby toads making the patioinaccessible in spring, nomore fruit tree-lined banks.Only a thin strip of cementremains—a culvert to preventflooding. Perhaps if an ener-getic activist had taken upthe cause, this watershed areawould have been preserved

park in LeonaQuarry? A lake?These are some con-

cepts of the developers seek-ing to convert part of theQuarry land to residentialand commercial use as a Re-source Conservation Area.

The DeSilva Groupdevelopers and the City ofOakland expect to receivethe completed draft of theEnvironmental ImpactReport on this projectsometime early this month.After that, there will be a45-day hearing period bythe City Planning Commis-sion before any venturecan be approved.

DeSilva’s plans includea two-acre village-squarepark and a 6,000-square-foot community center. The

y name is De’AndreCherry. I am in theeighth grade at Bret

Harte Middle School. I wouldlike to tell you about one of themost influential teachers in mylife, Mr. Roy Brown. Most stu-dents call him Coach Brown.

Coach Brown is a nativeof Oakland. He came froma hard-working family thatincluded his parents and abrother. Even though theywere not wealthy, he wasalways well dressed and wentto school. He wanted to makehis parents proud and wasalways on the honor roll. Hesays school was fun for him.

Coach Brown told methat when he was young hewanted to be a professionalbasketball player. He earneda scholarship to St. Mary’sCollege because of his gradesand basketball skills. Heplayed the small forward

rather than enslaved. Fortu-nately, in Oakland we havePriscilla Stuckey, presidentof the Butters Land Trust, anda varied board of enthusiasticvolunteers. Their mission isto preserve Butters Canyon,a critical part of the PeraltaCreek watershed located offJoaquin Miller and one ofthe last remaining above-ground creeks and canyonsin Oakland.

I spoke with her on arecent evening in her cozyButters Canyon home over-looking the Bay. Ms. Stuckey,an editor and writer, was bornin a small town in northwestOhio. A Mennonite by birth,

Priscilla Stuckey and Sapphire take a walk along Butters Canyon.

Coach Brown at Bret Harte

architects’ drawings showwinding streets and trailslinking 545 medium- andlow-density residentialunits, some freestandingand some townhouses.

According to AidanBarry, Senior Project Man-ager for the DeSilva Group,the building will not extendany higher than the firstridge currently visible fromI-580. Some of the buildingwill include 10,000 squarefeet of commercial space.Live/work spaces are alsoplanned. Another 31 free-standing residential unitswould be constructed at thevery top of the quarry in astrip currently vacant. Thisis between existing houses.The new units would frontalong Campus Drive. Thesteep hillside area would bestabilized with vegetation of

The Last Wild CanyonA Meeting with Priscilla Stuckey

of the Butters Land TrustB Y M E R E D I T H F L O R I A N

JOD

Y BE

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BY DE’ANDRE CHERRY, 8TH GRADE

AT BRET HARTE MIDDLE SCHOOL


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Leona Quarry:The Developers’ PlanB Y A L B E R T G O O D W Y N

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Coach Roy Brown with De’Andre Cherry.cont inued on page 9

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HappyHolidays!

The Metro returns February 1.

2December 2001/January 2002

HOT NUMBERSCITY OF OAKLAND AGENCIES

ABAT—the Alcoholic 238-7103Beverage Action Team

Graffiti hotline 238-4703

Abandoned cars 615-5713

O.P.D. Non-emergency 238-3333

Animal control 535-5602

Beat Health (drugs) 615-5808

Drug Hotline 238-DRUG

Noise Hotline: 238-6777(Oakland CEDA,property complaint line)

C.O.R.E. 238-6351(Citizens of OaklandRespond to Emergencies)

Truancy Hotline 479-2199

Oaklanders Assistance 444-CITYCenter knows the answerto all problems with cityand other governmentalservices in Oakland.

PRIVATE AGENCIES

Safe Streets Now 836-4622(drugs)

A Safe Place 536-7233(domestic violence)

Conciliation 763-2117Services of Oakland(neighborhood disputes)

Sentinel Fair Housing 836-2687(free landlord-tenantcounseling anddiscrimination investigation)

Managing EditorToni LockeCopy EditorsAnne Fox, Roussel SargentFinances/BookkeepingReuben GoldbergAdvertising ManagerSuzanne TiptonArt DirectorAndreas JonesWord ProcessingDavid RaichPhotographyJody Berke, Dal SellmanDistributionPeter Bond, Dal SellmanMailingDiane TrostCalendarCathy Rindi-SundeenFriends and Money HoneysMary Seastrand�

Board of DirectorsCamille ChristianDouglas FergusonReuben GoldbergBettie GrandisonBrian HolmesLori HopeLuqmanRashaun RaymondPatricia St. Onge�

A special thanks to allresidents, associations, andmerchants for their support.Also, a special thanks to allvolunteer writers, artists,photographers, and distributors.

Imagesetting by CameraGraphics,Lafayette, California, (925) 283-2473.Printing by Wesco Graphics, Inc.,Tracy, California, (209) 832-1000

Opinions expressed in the MacArthurMetro are those of the contributorsand do not necessarily reflect theviews held by the publication.©2001 by the MacArthur Metro,P.O. Box 19046, Oakland, CA 94619(510) 287-2655.

We welcome yournews and ads;

deadline the 15th.

Publication in thefirst week of each

month exceptJanuary and July.

ISSN 1091-1111

How to Reachthe Metro

WRITE US A LETTER. Sendyour comments to Lettersto the Editor, MacArthurMetro, P.O. Box 19046,Oakland, CA 94619.

GIVE US A CALL. Our voice-mail number is: 287-2655.

Letters may be edited forlength or clarity. Please in-clude name, address andphone number. We do notprint anonymous letters.

hange on the site ofthe old Laurel Liquorsand Roberts Tires at

MacArthur Boulevard andHigh Street has been delayedagain. The neighborhoodhas been eagerly anticipatingthe opening of an Everett &Jones restaurant there. Overtwo months have passed,however, since a promisedSeptember 1 groundbreakingfor this popular restaurantat one of the neighborhood’sgateways.

According to one source,Everett & Jones owner Dor-othy King has decided toput the deal on hold fornow. Calls to King wentunanswered.

The property has servedas quite a battlefield overthe past five or six years.First, the High Street Neigh-borhood Alliance teamed upwith the Laurel CommunityAction Project to rid theneighborhood of a tenant atLaurel Liquors. Many of uswitnessed this tenant sellingillegal drugs, selling liquorto minors, and promoting

DennisEvanosky

Shenaniganson the Boulevard

prostitution at two nearbymotels. We once caught himred-handed buying liquorfrom minors, who had stolenthe goods from the Luckystore in the Laurel. The Oak-land Police Department’s BeatHealth Unit and the city’scode-compliance officersgot involved and helped closethe liquor store. The buildinghas been vacant since.

A number of fast-foodrestaurants attempted toopen on the corner. Opposi-tion from neighborhoodgroups stopped McDonaldsand El Pollo Loco from takingover the site.

Then the Oakland Heri-tage Alliance got involved.The Mediterranean Revival-style building from the early1940s had housed one of thecity’s first Safeway stores.OHA tagged the structurewith a “C” classification,making it more difficult forany new owner to simplydemolish the structure.

In the meantime, RobertsTires, which is located nextdoor, closed, and the entirecorner began to go to seed.Once I complained to the cityabout the broken windows atthe site. The inspector calledme and said he would notorder the property ownersto fix the windows because“they would just get brokenagain.” A call to Dick Speesgot both an apology fromthe errant inspector and thewindows fixed.

Then came good news:Everett & Jones was lookingat the site for one of its

restaurants—not a fast-foodaffair but a genuine sit-down-and-enjoy-yourself (andthose world-famous ribs)establishment. Dorothy King,head of the family business,came forward and purchasedthe Roberts Tires and LaurelLiquors site.

One piece of propertyremained to complete thesite, and it belonged (and stillbelongs) to PG&E. The utility

the soil on the site is contami-nated. From the 1930s untilthe construction of Interstate580 in the late ’50s, gas sta-tions were found on everycorner of Redding and Highstreets. This entire intersec-tion no longer exists as itonce did. Highway construc-tion workers carted the gastanks and the soil around andunderneath them to a landfillfurther along on the newinterstate—the site of thepresent-day Kaiser Hospital.

Despite this, the authori-ties insisted that there weregas tanks and contaminatedsoil on the property. Kingspent time and money tolocate the tanks but foundnothing. The state insists thatthere may be tanks under theroad that leads straight pastthe property toward the Hay-ward entrance to I-580 butsay they will not dig up theroad to investigate. King maybe forced to pay even moremoney to seal off her prop-erty from contamination sheshould not be responsible for.

After PG&E’s bankruptcy,the expense incurred overthe soil contamination, theturn in our economy towarda recession, and, finally,the events of September 11,it may be that King has hadenough. Dick Spees an-nounced at a recent interde-partmental meeting thatrefinancing is being negoti-ated to take the bite offKing’s pocketbook.

In the meantime, one ofthe gateways to the Laurelsits forlorn and decaying.

“. . . the entirecorner began togo to seed.”C

Would you rather be unauthorized or towed at the Laurel Post Office?

company had long aban-doned the property that itonce used as a maintenanceyard and had put it up forsale.

Unexpectedly, the verycompany that King had hiredin the past to make capitalimprovements on herrestaurants put a bid on theproperty. The Laurel Com-munity Action Project andDick Spees got involved.As a result, PG&E backedaway from the constructioncompany’s offer and decidedto accept King’s.

Then PG&E went intobankruptcy, and the utilitycompany put the sale onhold. As far as I know, thatsale remains on hold and isone of the reasons that Kinghas backed off.

Between PG&E’s bank-ruptcy and today, King hashad even more headaches.The authorities claim that

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December 2001/January 2002

3

hat a change in theworld scene duringthe lives of the last

two Metro editions! Theemergency number 911,when changed by adding aslash to 9/11, has added awhole new dimension toour vocabulary. Flags havesprouted out of houses andcar antennas, and flag pinson tunics have taken ondeeper meaning since the fallof the World Trade Centertowers and commencementof the war against terrorism.In our neighborhood I noticethat we are waving to eachother more in the sense of“glad we are together, neigh-bor” feelings.

Leona Heights is an his-toric neighborhood, but it isalso a neighborhood destinedfor future change. Lots inour area are filling in withnew and modified housing.

B Y G O R D O N L A V E R T Y Melrose Library:Relating to the

Urban EnvironmentA library should be a beaconof light—a sanctuary for itspatrons and staff of all agesand backgrounds. But thesafe haven was violated atthe Melrose Branch late inOctober when a group ofyoung people attacked ateenage volunteer and in-jured an adult staff memberwho went to his aid. Thisincident brought togetherrepresentatives of the NCPC,Library Administration, Po-lice Department and nearbyFremont High School. Thelibrary scheduled safetytraining for the staff, hired asecurity guard, and plans toinstall video cameras at thebranch. The community’sconsciousness of the MelroseBranch and Fremont Highhas been raised along withthe library’s awareness of itsurban surroundings. Both thelibrary and the NCPC haveintensified their outreach totheir neighboring highschool. This is a serious issuethat must be addressed by allelements of the communityand city staff. The solutionmust change the environ-ment surrounding 48th Ave.and Foothill Blvd. and thebehavior of all those whoshare this slice of Oakland

. . . and ProvidingPrograms for All Ages

On Saturday, December 8,at 1 p.m. in the library audi-torium, Hiroshi Kashiwagiwill discuss his experience as

a young internee at Tule Lakeduring World War II. Thistimely presentation, dealingwith public perception of“foreigners,” resonates afterthe events of September 11.The year will end on a lighternote as Bay Area favoriteYolanda Rhodes presentsa family-oriented Kwanzaaprogram of African stories,music, and dance on Thurs-day, December 27, at 4 p.m.Both programs are at theMelrose Branch on 48th Ave.and Foothill Blvd.

Welcome Backto the Book Drop

I’m delighted to report thata new, sturdy book drop hasbeen installed for those of uswho can’t always return ourbooks when the branch isopen. You can’t reach itfrom your car, but the unitis farther from traffic and lesslikely to be damaged.

Melrose/High HopesNCPC: a New Meeting

Place for 2002Speakers at the last meetingof the year included represen-tatives of the Mayor’s Office,Code Compliance, the ParoleDepartment, and the PoliceDepartment (discussing theproposed reorganization).The election of officers waspostponed until January, butnominations are open. If youwant to nominate someoneor volunteer to run yourselffor President, Vice President,Secretary, Treasurer or Mem-bership Coordinator, callTom VanDemark at 436-4545,or come to the next meeting.After listening to Librarian

B Y A D E L L E F O L E Y

High Street Neighborhood NewsJane Gonzalez, the member-ship voted to hold its meet-ings at the Melrose BranchLibrary during 2002.

Plan for Winterat Brookdale Rec

As the days grow shorter,Brookdale RecreationCenter’s thoughts turn tobasketball. Youngsters inthe fourth to sixth grades cansign up the first week of De-cember. After-school practicewill begin in mid-December,and the season will last untilFebruary. A new sessionof Early Birds will begin inJanuary. Three-to-five-year-olds will find games, crafts,and snacks on Monday andTuesday from 11 a.m. to1 p.m. For more information,drop in or call 535-5632.

Drop In at aMini-Creek Cleanup

Rather than waiting for thetwo annual citywide creekcleanups, the High StreetNeighborhood Alliancejoined forces with the Discov-ery Center to organize small-scale cleanups. The first tookplace in mid-November,concentrating on theBrookdale end of the creek.It’s hard to believe that thefirst thundercloud plum trees(at Courtland and Congress)were planted nine years ago,but they began the transfor-mation of the area near thecreek. Prime mover RosettaEgan, working with RichBolecek, will set the scheduleearly next year. —————————————Adelle Foley can be reached bye-mail at [email protected].

We sit close to or atop theseveral-hundred-feet-widetrace of the Hayward Fault.We will be impacted bywhatever developmentoccurs on the Leona Quarrysite, and increasing traffic re-lated to Highways 580 and13 will affect us. Yes, popula-tion growth, political, andgeologic event potentials willcontinue to be in our plan-ning as we move into 2002.

Emergency planning andneighbor-to-neighbor com-munications and assistanceprograms will occupy ourImprovement Associationcommittee work in the newyear, as well as continuedwork with the Hill AreaCoalition in other spheres.We will continue intergenera-tional experience-sharing.And to our understandablyparochial views for our ownneighborhood, we shall adda broader view of the goodof our city, Oakland.

The Stream Flows andthe Plants Grow

Some say that in Californiathe new year truly beginswith the first rains. If that’sthe case, then we’ve alreadycelebrated New Year’s Day.Hip, hip, hooray!

Sausal Creek carried thefall’s first storm flows suc-cessfully. Many people werewatching because a majorstream-restoration projectwas completed in DimondCanyon in late October, aproject of the City of Oaklandwith support from the Cali-fornia State Coastal Conser-vancy and the AlamedaCounty Flood Control andWater Conservation District.

One of the people watch-ing as the rains came downwas Jill Marshall, a hydrolo-gist who works for the Re-gional Water Quality ControlBoard. Here’s how she de-scribed our creek: “Duringthe height of the rain, I wentto look at the restorationproject. Ahh, what a beautifulsight! The project was work-ing beautifully, with the logsdeflecting flow, the rock

he Laurel Merchants As-sociation will have theirannual holiday sale this

year on Saturday, December8. Activities for children arescheduled at the VictoryOutreach parking lot, andfree pictures with Santa willbe taken at various locationsalong the Boulevard that day.We encourage all readers tocome out and walk alongour street, visiting the shopsand services offered.

structures directing flow, andthe brush layers dissipatingenergy. And the erosion con-trol was awesome. Not aspeck of dirt was movingfrom the hillsides. The erosioncontrol blankets were blanket-ing every bit of the hill slopesand were fastened down tightenough for a nor’easter.”

The erosion-control mea-sures that Jill describes wereneeded because, along withmodifications to the creekchannel, changes were madeto the slopes beside the creek.The bay trees were pruned toallow in more light, some aca-cia trees were taken out, anda great deal of bushy under-growth was removed, leavingsome pretty bare slopes inDimond Canyon. The nextstep will be to replant thoseslopes—and that’s where theFriends of Sausal Creek (andmaybe you) come in.

Starting December 1, theFriends will be planting inDimond Canyon every Satur-day morning. The plants we’llbe putting in the ground comefrom a new native-plant nurs-ery at Joaquin Miller Park,which the Friends began to

LMA would also like tothank some special peoplewho help us be successfulin our businesses. Those areour employees. Some of theseemployees are family mem-bers, some are just ourselvesand all are our friends. Wesmall-business owners workhard and appreciate theassistance of our employeesbecause we realize how im-portant it is that everyoneconnected to the businessserves the customer. Many ofyou readers know the long-time employees of Laurel

W

Leona HeightsNeighborhood News

Friends of Sausal Creek

Laurel Merchants Association Newsbusinesses, and we ask youto join us in our appreciationof their contributions.

Future LMA activitiesinclude a business-safetyseminar with the community-policing section of OaklandPolice. Continued street rede-sign activities will occur withour CEDA rep. Our nextboard meeting will be Thurs-day, December 6, at 7:30 a.m.,at the Full House Café.

For information aboutLMA, call Dr. MaureenDorsey at 530-1353, orLease Wong at 482-5921.

B Y M A U R E E N D O R S E Y

T

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Stay Healthyfor theHolidaysand Beyond

PauletteAvery,

R.N., M.S.N.

To Your Health

ere we are, again ap-proaching the heightof the cold-and-flu

season. Like last year, the fluvaccine is arriving late andis in short supply, due onceagain to problems in themanufacturing process. Andbecause of the concern aboutanthrax, there is likely to begreater than usual demand,although the two are unre-lated. The Centers for DiseaseControl (CDC) now recom-mend a flu shot for everyone50 years old and above, forpregnant women who willbe at least three months preg-nant during the flu season,and for anyone at high riskdue to chronic disease ordecreased immunity. Beyondgetting the flu vaccine, youcan do many things to help

frequently to help eliminatethe bacteria and viral germswe pick up from touchingobjects used by others. AsDr. Weil points out, we haveall heard this advice manytimes, but few of us actuallyfollow it. You can cut thechance of developing a coldor other respiratory infectionby 45 percent simply bywashing your hands fouror five times a day. And youdon’t need to use antibacte-rial soap; regular soap willdo. As an alternative whena sink isn’t available, cleanyour hands with an alcohol/glycerol wipe.

Next, get plenty of sleep.Lack of sleep adversely af-fects your immune system.When you haven’t slept well,take time to do relaxationtechniques or meditate tohelp boost your immunity.

However, sometimes, inspite of doing all we can tomaintain good health, an ill-ness manages to take hold. Inthat case, try these strategiesfrom Dr. Weil that can helpto shorten the duration of acold or the flu or even elimi-nate it. At the first sign of acold, begin taking the herbechinacea. Take either oneteaspoon of the fluid extractor two capsules of freeze-dried extract four times aday, and continue taking ituntil your symptoms disap-pear. He doesn’t recommendtaking echinacea daily be-cause it has not been shownto be helpful as a preventivefor colds.

If you feel the flu comingon, try taking an extract ofEuropean elderberry or ahomeopathic remedy com-monly sold in stores asOscillococcinum. Dr. Weilreports that in clinical studiesdone in Israel, a bout of fluwas cut in half for thosewho took a product calledSambucol, an elderberryextract in raspberry syrup.Although I haven’t triedSambucol, I have been takingelderberry extract in capsuleform for several years whenI feel an illness coming onand find it effective. Anadditional benefit is thatthe elderberry has no sideeffects. The Oscillococcinumcomes in the form of sugarpellets impregnated with thehomeopathic remedy. Followthe instructions on the pack-age for either of these rem-edies.

I wish each of you a won-derful holiday season and avery happy and healthy newyear! —————————————Paulette Avery is a registerednurse and a freelance writer whospecializes in health issues.

she believes that working forsocial justice is her birthright.After moving to Oakland toattend graduate school in thefall of 1994, she quickly foundher cause when she rented asmall apartment in the ButtersCanyon area. She fell in lovewith the canyon and eventu-ally moved into her presenthome in 1998 with her hus-band, Jim.

Before the Stuckeys movedin, the previous owners had

Priscilla StuckeyC O N T I N U E D F R O M P A G E 1

their members beyond fivein order to increase their re-sources and their diversity.“We need city businesspeople and financial advi-sors.”

All financial contributionsto the trust are carefully scru-tinized. The contributionsmust be broadly funded inorder to maintain their status.“All of the donations cannotcome from four or fivepeople.” The organization iscurrently focusing its fund-raising energies on a fifth ofan acre on Butters that wasalmost sold to a developer

continued on page 11

B Y P E T E R B O N D S

If readers know of a business orindividual deserving mention inthis column, please e-mail theparticulars to [email protected].

Orchids and a welcometo Luann Stauss, owner ofthe new Laurel Bookstore onMacArthur at 39th Ave. Luannhas a great selection of newfiction and nonfiction booksfor both children and adults.If the book you want isn’tcurrently in stock, Luann willget it for you within a fewdays. Why travel to one ofthe megabookstores when youcan get what you need righthere in the neighborhood?

Orchids and congratula-tions to Catherine Nichols,Diamond Library’s BranchManager. Catherine receivedfloral and monetary tributesand Oakland’s OutstandingSupervisor Award at a CityHall presentation. Well-deserved, we might add.

Onions to vandals whowidely scattered debris overRedwood Road.

Orchids to Joe Marsh,Oakland city worker, who se-cured a new trash container inthe vicinity of the vandalism.

Orchids to John Stewart,a Supervisor with City of Oak-land CEDA Program who en-listed the cooperation of theauto supply store, Auto Zone,to have them paint the back oftheir building to remove graf-fiti. The Auto Zone is also tak-ing steps to restrict access tothe back of their building toprevent future problems.

Orchids to Lu Tillian,owner of the beauty shop,Shouting Out, who is orga-nizing the “Shop till YouDrop” sidewalk sale, whichwill occur on MacArthur onDecember 8.

“You can domany things tohelp yourselfstay healthy.”yourself stay healthy. Readon for my suggestions.

I am among a growingnumber of health profession-als and others who believe be-ing an optimist and a positivethinker is probably the bestthing you can do for yourhealth. When you feel goodabout yourself and life, youare more likely to behave inways that benefit your health.On the other hand, whenyou are experiencing negativeemotions, there seems to bean adverse effect on yourimmune system. That is notto say that you should repressthese emotions. Instead, ex-press your feelings and moveonto something positive asquickly as you can. As I sug-gested in last month’s col-umn, do things that makeyou feel good, and focus onthe positive aspects of yourlife as much as possible.

For more specific thingsyou can do to stay healthy,consider these suggestionsfrom Dr. Andrew Weil, takenfrom the November issueof his newsletter, Self Healing.

First, wash your hands

warned them that they wouldfind tires or other “largeitems” in the creek. Theyfound more debris than ex-pected and organized a groupof volunteers to clean it up.In the fall of 2000, Ms. Stuckeybecame involved with theFriends of the Last Wild Can-yon. But since the surround-ing creek land was privatelyowned, she realized that theonly way to preserve it wasto form a land trust, a privatenonprofit organization em-powered to preserve naturalresources. Her organizationfocuses on preserving a deli-cious half-mile stretch of can-yon with a seasonal creekextending from Robinson toButters Drive.

As we sat on the floor ofher living room studying amap of the Oakland water-shed, I asked her how a landtrust is developed. “The easypart is filing papers with theSecretary of State.” The suc-ceeding steps are arduousand complicated. As re-quired, Butters Land Trustcurrently has a board, butthey would like to increase

last March. When the dealfell through, Ms. Stuckey andher neighbors raised $50,000towards the purchase of theproperty. They are hopingto be granted an additional$25,000 from a private foun-dation.

While rescuing plotsfrom developers is critical,making agreements withexisting owners of green ar-eas is equally important.Hence, Butters Land Trustwill attempt to establish“conservation easements”with neighbors. As Ms.Stuckey explains, conserva-tion easements are a legalagreement between a land-owner and the land trust toprotect natural resources.The landowner determinesthe area and the require-ments, “usually not to de-velop a certain part of theland, although the agreementcan be more specific.” Theconservation easement isthen written into the titleof the land forever.

With a conservation ease-ment in place, property val-ues decline somewhat since

Priscilla Stuckey’s organization focuses on preserving a delicioushalf-mile stretch of canyon with a seasonal creek extending fromRobinson to Butters Drive.

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Y BE

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5

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Bernice and Joe Playschool. For over20 years, play-based learning inour home-like setting near Mills Col-lege. Earthquake retrofitted on quar-ter-acre wooded lot includes fruitand pine trees, vegetable garden,20-foot sailboat, two-story woodenrocket ship, art area, block area.Pre-reading, pre-math enrichment,computer play, field trips, F.I.T gym-nastics, music classes; however, weemphasize socialization, verbaliza-tion. Sibling, pre-payment discounts.Lunch, snacks provided. Ages 2 to 5years. License #010214258. Bro-chure (510) 638-3529.

Saxophone & Piano. Play musicfor the joy of it! Have fun learningjazz, blues, improvisation. Patient,supportive teacher. Ages 10 & up.Speciality Adult beginners Eva436-0504.

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Editor’s note: Metro readers arefamiliar with District 6 candi-dates Moses Mayne, incumbent,and Nancy Sidebotham, chal-lenger, from previous issues.

hen Desley Brookswas in sixth grade,she organized a

fundraiser to benefit theAmerican Civil LibertiesUnion. “We raised the im-mense sum of $100,” shesays, and that piqued herpolitical interest. But evenbefore that, she knew she’dbe an involved citizen. “Wewere raised to do service, andI had the example of my fatherwho, as a student, was editorof the African American news-paper at UCLA.” So it isn’tsurprising that, at 16, she in-terned in then U.S. Represen-tative Ron Dellums’ D.C.office. Later, she worked asa legislative staff attorney inWashington State and forthe Public Defender’s Office.In Oakland she worked forHUD and the INS.

Now, she’ll be runningfor the Oakland City CouncilDistrict 6 seat currently heldby Moses Mayne. But even so,she says, “When I moved toOakland in 1989, I was notlooking to run for office.”

Having lived in the districtfor 10 years, she sees whereshe can make a difference.“This district is marginalized.I remember when we movedto Seattle, a welcoming com-mittee came. They broughthomemade bread. There wasa neighborhood eatery, agrocery store. In this districtthere is only one major gro-cery store, Albertson’s onHigh Street.”

“I recently took the Plan-ning Commission’s bus tourof several developments ofaffordable housing in WestOakland and East Oakland.But ‘affordable’ often meanswe are just putting very low-income people together butnot also assuring needed ser-vices and infrastructure. Weneed to look at inclusionaryzoning. It’s clear, too, thatone problem of the district isblight, and blight is a magnetfor crime.”

Brooks believes that crimeis an issue that most people cont inued on page 6

Desley Brooks—AnotherCandidate for District 6B Y S H E I L A D ’ A M I C O

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can see in this economicallydiverse district that stretchesfrom High St. to 82nd andfrom the hills to the estuary.But sometimes it’s more diffi-cult to see the hidden impactof illegal activity. A recentride-along with the OaklandPolice Department as theychased a suspected drugdealer reminded her of thecomplete disregard that somepeople have of their fellowcitizens. Even an activitythat seems innocuous tosome people such as thesideshows, where drivers do“donuts” and other antics inthe streets, “might not havebeen a major issue 15 yearsago. It wasn’t dangerousthen, but now it’s dangerousand hurtful to the economy—it has an economic impact.”

In many parts of the dis-trict, Brooks observes, evenhealth issues of low-incomepeople affect the economyand impact basic services.She noted that the fire de-partment near Eastmont Mallis the busiest in the city be-cause of calls to 911. It seemsthat residents unable to

afford health insurance androutine health care call 911for transport to emergencyservices. This, of course, in-creases costs to the city but issymptomatic of another basicissue of economic disparity.Brooks adds ruefully, “Well,even if I am elected, I won’tbe able to fix everything.”

She notes some positiveaspects such as the expectedrevitalization of EastmontMall with Home Depot andAlbertson’s. This will be amodel of what to do withan old, failing retail plaza.“The Mall already containssocial services and officesof nonprofits, including abranch of the Oakland PublicLibrary and an office for theOakland Community Organi-zations.”

For the former quarry,she believes that the currentproposal for housing needsto be smaller. “Housing isa conforming use, but565 houses is too many.I don’t agree with wideningany roads. The ownersneed to be responsible for all

Classified RatesThe rate for classified ads is $.50per word. Discounted prices avail-able for five- and ten-issue frequen-cies. Please type or write your copyclearly and mail it with your checkto The MacArthur Metro, P.O.Box 19406, Oakland, 94619.Deadline is the 15th of the month.For classified-ad frequency dis-counts and display-ad information,please contact Suzanne Tipton at287-2655, fax: 534-3429.

Bill MillerYour Area Real Estate SpecialistRelocation and Corporate Services Available

[email protected]

NeighborhoodResident since 1980

Desley Brooks.

Carol Robbiano510-531-7000

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lbertson’s . . . closed.Round Table Pizza . . .closed. Mission

National Bank . . . closed.Safeway’s long-promisedrenovation is still awaitinga start date.

It may appear that toughtimes have arrived in theDimond area. Albertsons’hasty departure was certainlynot a positive development.

“One personcan make adifference.”

Dimond Gems

AB Y M I C H A E L C A R S O N shoppers or new businesses.

The City of Oakland likesbusine$$es too

Dimond merchants andresidents are getting assis-tance from Stephanie Floyd-Johnson and Keira Williamsat the city’s Communityand Economic DevelopmentAgency. Funding can besought for streetscape im-provements. Neighborhoodsalso can get help enticing thenew businesses they desire.Local shoppers benefit, asdo city-budget coffers, whenhealthy businesses ratherthan empty storefronts linethe city streets.

And every one of themis at the intersection

when I amMore than 18,000 vehicles aday travel through theFruitvale/MacArthur inter-section. There are too manybuses, too many cars stoppedillegally at the Wells FargoATMs, and too many peoplewho seem to require the en-tire roadway when makingtheir left or right turns. Thereis only so much space, andthere are many different agen-cies involved in straighteningout this bottleneck. Alterna-tives are being considered.

One person can makea difference

There are around 40,000residents within one mile ofthe Dimond. Active membersof our local improvementgroups altogether might total100. Those hundred peopleare making things happen,though. If you are not anorganization joiner, patronizelocal merchants when youcan. Tell them you are gladthey are in your neighbor-hood. When you have toshop elsewhere, tell thosemerchants that you wish theyhad a store in the Dimond.No one will know yourwishes if you don’t verbalizethem. Do so, and things canchange for the better.

oliday OpenHouse” at PeraltaHacienda cel-

ebrates traditions of manylands in Oakland’s birth-place.

Traditional holidaydecorations and new onesfrom around the world, sto-ries from far-off lands, andtreats both savory and sweetwill be part of festivities atPeralta Hacienda’s “HolidayOpen House” Saturday, Dec.15, 12-3 p.m. Two live cho-ruses will serenade; therewill be special activities for

”HB Y H O L L Y A L O N S O

kids, and visitors will have achance to view the exhibition“Faces of Fruitvale” at thisyear’s culminating event ofthe Hacienda’s CommunityHeritage Project. For moreinformation, contact HollyAlonso at Peralta HaciendaHistorical Park, (510)526-0712.

Peralta Hacienda’s“Holiday Open House”

construct this summer withsupport from the City ofOakland. The Friends havebeen holding workdays at thenursery every Saturday sinceit opened in July, and we’llcontinue to do so this fall andwinter. It’s a wonderful site,perched at the top of the wa-tershed with a view downto the estuary. As we moveour current inventory intothe canyon, we’ll be makingway for more cuttings andflats of seeds. The palette ofplants we’ll start this winterincludes shrubs that, if allgoes well, will be placed in

DOROTHY OKAMOTO

Optometrist

3714 MacArthur BoulevardOakland 530-2330

Over 20 years in the Laurel District

Artist Fulani Carter will create a Kwaanza display for the Decem-ber celebration at Peralta Hacienda in Oakland.

infrastructure so it doesn’tburden residents. Design-review controls need to be inplace, and the communityneeds to look at what theywould get in mitigation.” Asfor the solar proposal, she stillthinks the environmental im-pact needs to be looked atand all the information sur-rounding the proposal dis-cussed. If it’s a viable proposalafter all that, she’d be willingto work with the owners.

Of course, one of the bigissues is, can she get elected?Brooks believes her energyand compassion, determina-tion to listen, and especiallyher ability to articulate andadvocate on behalf of the dis-trict, along with her experi-ence and knowledge of howgovernment functions, willmotivate people to vote forher. She’s already been tocrime-prevention meetingsthroughout the district, isout collecting signatures,meeting with people, walkingprecincts, working at neigh-borhood cleanups, and at aflu clinic (where this interviewwas conducted).

“I have several endorse-ments already, includingToni Cook, Dan Siegal, PhilTagami. There are 26,000registered votes in the district.Less than 5,500 persons votedin the last special election.I think I can win.”

Metro Neighborhood Public SchoolsCLIP AND SAVE THIS LIST FOR EASY REFERENCE

1- Allendale Year-Round School .............. 3670 Penniman ......... 879-1010

2- Bret Harte Middle School ...................... 3700 Coolidge Ave. .. 879-2060

3- Calvin Simmons Middle School .......... 2101 35th Ave. .......... 879-2050

4- Fremont High School .............................. 4610 Foothill Blvd. ... 879-3020

5- Fruitvale Elementary School ................. 3200 Boston Ave. ...... 879-1170

6- Laurel Elementary School ...................... 3750 Brown ............... 879-1310

7- Maxwell Park Elementary School ........ 4730 Fleming Ave. ... 879-1390

8- Redwood Heights Elem. School ........... 4401 39th Ave. .......... 879-1480

9- Sequoia Elementary School .................. 3730 Lincoln Ave. .... 879-1510

10- John Swett Elementary School ........... 4551 Steele ................. 879-1560

11- Horace Mann Year-Round School ..... 5222 Ygnacio ............. 879-1360

12- Jefferson Year-Round School .............. 2035 40th Ave. .......... 879-1280

13- Elizabeth Sherman Elem. School ....... 5328 Brann Ave. ....... 879-1530

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Desley BrooksC O N T I N U E D F R O M P A G E 5

the ground a year from now.To learn more about the

Friends, come to a workday.It’s a great chance to meetother community members,explore your watershed, andhave fun being out-of-doors.Join us in Dimond Canyon(meet at the El Centrotrailhead) or at Joaquin MillerPark (follow the signs to thenursery) any Saturday at 9a.m. The nursery is also opento groups of students onWednesday mornings. Formore information, visit theSausal Creek Web site atwww.aoinstitute.org/sausal.

Sausal CreekC O N T I N U E D F R O M P A G E 3

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Overall, however, the situa-tion is not all that bleak. Notyet anyway. There are 10empty storefronts among theapproximately 84 retail estab-lishments in the five-blockDimond business district.In other words, somewherearound a 12 percent vacancyrate. Not too bad, thoughsome of the vacancies arerather large.

What with the economyslowly sinking and unem-ployment slowly rising, itis anyone’s guess as to whatlies in the immediate future.Neighborhood residents areconcerned but are not sittingidly by. Several initiatives arein the works:

Little things mean a lotAt a recent Dimond Improve-ment Association meeting,Sean O’Shea of City Council-man Spees’ office reportedprogress on 23 neighborhooditems needing attention. Theyhad been identified on a Sep-tember 5 area walk-through.Some possibly unapprovedpayphones? (Handy for drugdealers who haven’t the goodcredit to obtain a cell phone.)Particularly bad trash areas?Overexuberant plant growth?Minor annoyances perhaps,but leave them uncheckedand soon they have multi-plied like bunnies, and itbecomes difficult to attract


7

t was a little over three yearsago that the community be-gan a coordinated effort to

bring in after-school programs.The purpose of these programswas not only to keep our chil-dren and youth off the streetsduring after-school hours, butalso to actively engage theirminds and talents and expandtheir abilities. Since those firstcommunity meetings and thesubsequent formation of theBret Harte Area CommunityCollaborative, othercollaboratives have formed,sharing similar visions ofengaging our children andyouth in supervised after-schoolprograms and activities.

These community effortshave been extremely successful.This fall nearly 600 childrenand youth are involved in someafter-school program offeredat one of our neighborhoodschools or churches. Theseprograms have been fundedthrough federal (e.g., 21st Cen-tury Community LearningCenters) and state (e.g., HealthyStart) Department of Educationgrants as well as by the city’sOakland Fund for Children andYouth. Additional communitysupport, involvement, andgrant funds are currently beingsought to sustain these efforts.

Although each year thenumber of children and youthparticipating in the after-schoolprograms has dramatically in-creased, many more would liketo participate but do not feelsafe going home in the late af-ternoon, particularly duringthe winter months. This fear of

is the season to getout the wallet andstart spending those

hard-earned dollars.Holiday shopping can

cause a lot of anxiety, espe-cially among those who’ve feltthe pinch, bite, or bust of theeconomic bear. But no matterwhat our income or budget,most of us spend more thanwe plan to, unless of coursewe have the time and talent forknitting or hand work.

“. . . fear ofwalking in theneighborhood. . . voicedby many ofour youngpeople . . . ”

Two Silent Sentinels with Bret Harte students from the after-school Community Academy programs.

After-school Programs forChildren and Youth Going Strong

But Children Need Safe Passage Home—You Can Help!

IBY GERI MURPHY, PROJECT DIRECTOR,BRET HARTE AREA COMMUNITY COLLABORATIVE

“Lots of storesin our area teemwith creativegifts and friendlyowners.”

Think Globally—Sip,Shop, & Scoop Locally

’TB Y L O R I H O P E

walking in the neighborhoodhas been voiced by many ofour young people, too many toignore!

In an effort to provide ourchildren and residents withsafe passage along our neigh-borhood streets, the Bret HarteArea Community Collaborativehas initiated the Silent Sentinelsprogram and is currently seek-ing volunteers.

The Silent Sentinels will be

adult presence to ward off po-tential attackers or other prob-lems that might be encounteredon the way home.

The Silent Sentinels receivespecial training from the Oak-land Police Department, a redwindbreaker, a special hotlinenumber to reach the privateneighborhood mobile securitypatrol, which is funded throughthe Bret Harte Area CommunityCollaborative. The Silent Senti-nels are expected to be a silentpresence only between thehours of 3 and 6 p.m. and to re-port any problems in the neigh-borhood to the mobile securitypatrol. If needed, the securitypatrol will contact the policefor support and intervention.

The Community Collabora-tive members see the SilentSentinels as a way for everyonein the community to contributeto assuring that our neighbor-hoods are safe places. Residentsneed not make a five-day com-mitment; any commitment oftime will be welcomed by theCollaborative and the PoliceDepartment.

Please contact Bobbie Bondat 879-3639 for further informa-tion or to volunteer some timeto help our children and ourneighborhoods.

a volunteer group of concernedneighborhood residents andmerchants who are committedto being a visible presence inthe community—in their homesor front yards, in stores andoffices, or along the street—tobe there for our children andyouth who might need a safehaven, a protective arm, or an

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I’ve never been much ofa shopper or knitter, so I re-cently decided that if I haveto go out and play the merryconsumer, I’m going to makeit as much fun as possible.

I’m going to think of itnot as shopping and spendingbut as something entirely dif-ferent: Community-buildingand self-care.

Okay, I’ll take off thosepink shades for a momentso we can see eye-to-eye.

I’m talking, first, abouttaking the opportunity to getto know your neighbors. Mostof us run into each other at thegrocery store and have cometo know merchants like Diana,Waverly, and, of course, Joe atFarmer Joe’s. But the holidayseason gives us a chance toget to know even more of ourneighbors. Lots of stores in ourarea teem with creative giftsand friendly owners. Some ofmy favorites that offer gifts be-yond their names: Vista Ma-deira Feed and Tack (porcelainanimal miniatures, fun socks,beautiful boots), The Food Mill(great and unusual greetingcards, intoxicatingly fragrantlotions, health teas), LaurelBooks (cards, gift items), TheLittle Book Shop (discountedcalendars), The Dollar Store(little party favors), LaurelGift Shop (fun jewelry

and diverse greeting cards).In addition to those per-

sonal-favorite shops that Ifrequent, the Dimond andLaurel contain many otherstores offering items sure todelight people with all sortsof interests: guitars and othermusical instruments (AcmeMusic), CDs (Zodiac Music),hairclips and beauty items(Sunny’s Beauty Mart), andtoys (Komodo Toys).

Now to the really fun part:self-care!

Why not give yourself apresent, as long as you’re do-ing so much for everyone else?Certainly you deserve to pam-per yourself as much as others!Myriad ways to demonstratethat care come to mind:

• Buy yourself a scoopof gelato at Tango Gelato.

• Treat yourself to a pedi-cure (in a spa chair) at any ofone the area’s numerous nailshops.

• Enjoy a leisurely cup ofcoffee and a yummy treat atBrewberry’s, Caffe Diem, orWorld Ground Café (whichalso serves great food andhosts live music on Sundayafternoons).

• Savor some PortobellaMushroom Hash at the FullHouse Café.

• Indulge in a massage atLincoln Square.

You can pick up guidesto shopping in the Laurel atLaurel True Value Hardwareand other local stores.

This year, I’m going toconnect with my area mer-chants, treating myself to somepleasurable indulgences alongthe way. It sure beats fightingcrowds at the mall.

Hope to see you aroundthe neighborhood!

Note: Be sure and come tothe Laurel Merchants HolidayEvent on Saturday, December8, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. You’llfind sales at many stores, threehours free parking at meters,Santa Strolling the Boulevard,and face painting, puppetshows, and kids’ activities atVictory Outreach parking lot.

Support our local mer-chants—shop the Laurel(MacArthur between 35thand High).

For information about becoming a member, call 238-4719or send a check, payable to Friends of Oakland Parks and Recreation,

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about one week if your homeis warm. It may stay insideup to two weeks if your roomis quite cool. Avoid placingtrees next to a fireplace orheating outlet. Excess heatcan damage live Christmastrees as well as cut ones.

• After your tree hasserved its purpose indoors,remove all decorations, takethe tree outside, and hose offfoliage with a fine mist spray.This will be helpful in thetree’s transition from indoorto outdoor living, whetherit is planted in a landscapeor left in its container to bebrought in again for as manyas three more holiday peri-ods. It will be fun to watchit grow! If you do not haveroom in your yard, you maywish to donate the tree to aschool district, park depart-ment, or charity.

Holiday wreaths are apart of the ancient north Eu-ropean tradition of bringingevergreens indoors in winteras a symbol of the circle oflife. Winter prunings lendthemselves to long-lastingwreaths. Brightened withberries or fruits, fresh foliage,or dried flowers, they takeon a festive look. Gather anysupple plant material suchas honeysuckle, wisteria, orgrapevine canes. Strip leavesor seeds from prunings. Soakdried material in a solution ofwarm water and a little liquiddish soap until pliable (abouttwelve hours).

A wire frame will helpflimsy stems to hold theirshape. Wrap a few strandsof plant material around theframe, securing ends withshort lengths of wire. Con-tinue adding plant material,tucking in ends until thewreath is slightly thicker thanyou ultimately want. It willshrink as it dries. An easyframe is a wire coat hanger.Bend the hanger into a circle,leaving the hook as a hanger.Secure stems at the hook,then wrap the rest aroundthe frame.

A small wreath can be aseffective as a large one. Onebranch tip of magnolia withpyracantha berries makes asimple but beautiful wreath.Wreaths can be used indoorsor on outside doors as a wel-come or as a centerpiece ona table.

ow to create beautifulholiday memories atyour house for your

family and friends like theones we remember from ourgoing to Grandma’s house:

Deck the halls withboughs of holly, pine, fir,cedar, and other sweetlyscented evergreens. Hangwreaths, swags, garlands,and even mistletoe.

Start a tradition witha living Christmas tree.Choose from blue and greenspruce, pine, or redwoodfrom a nursery. Place the treein a large container and placeindoors. To keep your treegreen and beautiful throughthe holiday season, it is im-portant that it receive ad-equate light air, moisture,and a comfortable tempera-ture. Requirements aremuch the same as those ofan ordinary houseplant.

• Place in a well-lightedroom.

• Keep roots of tree moist.If a tree is growing in a nurs-ery container, this simplifiesthe watering. If the root ballis contained in burlap, setit in a suitable container tocatch the drainage, and thensaturate the root ball withwater. A heavy plastic cover-ing under the container willprotect your floor or carpet-ing. Never allow the tree toremain standing in water,but be careful that the plantdoesn’t dry out betweenwaterings. Ice cubes are agood way to provide themoisture between waterings.

• Decorate the tree withlightweight ornaments andwith miniature lights.

• Keep the tree indoors

MargeLaverty

Leona HeightsGarden Club Tipof the Month

Mistletoe has an interest-ing history. The church con-demned it for centuries asevil and pagan. Finally, insome countries, mistletoewas incorporated into aChristmas ritual in whicha holy kiss of peace and par-don was initiated by thepriest and passed throughthe congregation. This prob-ably explains the origin ofkissing under the mistletoe.

Poinsettias are the typicalholiday-season colorfulplants that come in manycolors now. Those with red-dish leaves are hardier andcan be placed outside later.Keep in bright indoor light.They do not like temperaturechange. Keep slightly moist.Punch a hole in the foil wrap-ping for drainage.

Oranges have alwaysbeen considered a very spe-cial treat at Christmas time.Costly and scarce in the win-ter months many years ago,oranges were highly appreci-ated as a delicacy. Orangeswere among the first repre-sentational glass ornamentsproduced, reflecting theadornment of the earliestChristmas trees in theirnatural splendor.

Some December/JanuaryGardening Hints

Sow wildflower seedsmixed with sand or soil.

Purchase bare-root fruittrees, roses, berries, and arti-chokes. Do not let them dryout before planting. Plantonion sets, garlic cloves,and shallots.

Prune roses and fruittrees. Spray trees with adormant oil, but do not useone with sulfur in it for apri-cots because sulfur causes anallergic reaction. Obviously,fruit trees should not bepruned while in blossom.Flowering trees should bepruned after blooming. Ever-greens require attention totiming of pruning. Montereypines are susceptible to dam-age by boring insects; barkbeetles are attracted to freshcuts, so prune them in wintermonths when these insectsare not in their flying stage.To prevent unwanted spread-ing, trees should be thinnedrather than topped.

Best wishes for happyholidays, and a peaceful NewYear for all of us.

he days are short. Sunsethappens when we’restill at work, going from

place to place, or shoppingand scurrying. When I usedto come home up LincolnAvenue, I loved the winterevening sky full of purplesand oranges above glassy wa-ter and dark city silhouettes.

Halfway up the hill be-tween 580 and Highway 13,something extraordinary hap-pens to the air in this neigh-borhood. It becomes intenselyfresher, even though I usuallythink it is fresh all the time.Harold Gilliam explained the“why” of this in his books onBay Area climate. It has to dowith air currents, inversionlayers, phenomena I forget—and trees!

Trees are the lungs ofour environment, taking inwhat we give off and givingus clean air and sweet fra-grances. The Dimond andLaurel Districts are rich intrees. When I lived in theDimond District, guests foundautumn colors they didn’tknow existed here on theLeft Coast. My yard had afruitless cottonwood thatturned lemon yellow in thefall, an elderberry with warmred autumn leaves, and redpyracantha berries adored bymigrating cedar waxwings.

Walnut trees, birches, andaspens turn intense yellow.There are light red, scarlet,and crimson liquidamberstoday as I make my way upLaguna Street. Our surpriseIndian summer this year hasgiven us winter iris and cannalilies. We have conifers toprune for solstice decorations.

B Y T A N Y A J O Y C E

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Solstice Holidays in theDimond and Laurel

I guess I can call myselfa Dimond and Laurel ex-pat.Like artists who settled inLondon and Paris a hundredyears ago, I adore cominghome to this part of Oaklandfor an injection of views,fresh air, and surprises.

There’s always somethingnew on my trips to East Oak-land. The specific things thatare new to me provide con-tinual delight. Today it is theFood Mill’s display of can-died fruit, treasured in mychildhood for the making ofholiday breads, cakes, andcookies. Glorious pale greencitron, candied orange andlemon peel, bright candiedcherries, dried figs, dates,and, of course, the wide vari-ety of nuts, seeds, and floursthat are part of what makesthe Food Mill a magnet forthe entire region.

I’ve come to get juicymonukka raisins and spelt,the traditional wheat valuedby Hildegard of Bingen, amedieval musician, writer,mystic, and medical doctor.I once gave a slide show ofpaintings done under herguidance, read from herbooks, played CDs of hermusic, and served hercookies, made with speltflour from the Food Mill.Hildegard’s music is a joyany time of year, but witha little candlelight on a win-ter evening, it is especiallyenchanting.

I turn into my homedriveway noting that my triphas been a relaxed 110 min-utes. I got my shopping done,breathed great air, checkedout an increasing number offine front-yard gardens, andeven had time for a chai latteat World Ground!

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Roland E. Smith, City AuditorGood Government ProgramP.O. Box 29192, Oakland, CA 94604-9192(510) 433-9983 • Private Fax (510) 763-4086email: [email protected]

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programs with down payments as low as $500.• If you are thinking of renting, call us for a list of rentals.• If you are tired of managing your property, call us for professional

property management.Lynn A. Worthington, Broker

5942 MacArthur Boulevard • 510-562-8600

A Special Thanksto Three Advertisers

who have supported the Metro with their adsin every single issue since September of 1993:

Daniel’s Place RestaurantDorothy Okamoto, Optometrist

Laurel True Value Hardware

(Hats off as well to Laurel Jujitsu,which has been in every issue since April 1994)

Free Preschool for Low Income FamiliesHead Start Program is accepting applications for 3- & 4-year-old children.• Virginia Ave. (Nr High St.)

Call Carolyn Cornelius at 261-1484 or 261-1479 or page her at 382-5497

SUPPORT METROADVERTISERS!


9

John Pichotto with Metro in Yalta, Ukraine, on the Black Sea.

While traveling back from the beach in a coco-cab during a recenttrip to Cuba, Suzanne Tipton reads about what is happening withOakland Parks and Recreation.

Dr. Dorsey of Oakland Veterinary Hospital, stranded with herMetro in Paris.

THE METRO GETS AROUND

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position. In 1972, whenCoach Brown didn’t getdrafted to the pros, hechanged his goals to becomea teacher and coach.

Coach Brown has beenteaching for 25 years. Thelast 11 of those have been atBret Harte. I asked him whatmade him stay so long. Hetold me that he likes to teachmiddle school-age kids be-cause they are still teachableand coachable. He alsowants to teach the studentsthe right attitude, behavior,and sportsmanship if theydon’t already have them.He also stresses how impor-tant education is to the suc-cess of their individual lives.

Coach Brown gives kidssomething to do after school.He organizes intramuralvolleyball and softballteams. He organizes gamesbetween the faculty and stu-dent body. He also coachesthe boys’ basketball team.

When the basketballseason is over, he takes theteam to Los Angeles for aweekend. I have gone for thepast two years. When we goto the airport, we have tobe dressed in slacks, a shirtand tie, and dress shoes.When we are in Los Angeles,we play a YMCA team anddo some sightseeing aroundHollywood. Believe me, itis really fun!

Coach Brown’s emphasison earning good grades canbe seen in the basketballteam. To be on the team,players must have at least a2.0 GPA (C average) in bothscholarship and citizenship,no F’s, and good behaviorin class. By doing this, hemakes kids try to get theirgrades up and have goodattitudes.

We are really lucky tohave Coach Brown at BretHarte Middle School.

Coach BrownC O N T I N U E D F R O M P A G E 1

Above: Rick Voege reads the Metro in front of the Alps. Right:Voege, Metro in hand, on a street corner in Luzern, Switzerland. litter removal, to name a few.

Your leadership, with theslogan “MacArthur returns,”got all of this going in the firstplace, and you have kept itgoing, all these years later.

I live in Davis, CA, now,but I still receive the Metro,and I still think fondly of theCoalition cleanup days whenwe would get together andperform our magic transfor-mation. You and Jane not onlysupported us at City Hall andat Council meetings, but youpicked up litter, pulled weeds,and painted out graffiti. Nowthat’s a Councilmember!

One of the team,Miriam HurleyVolunteer Coordinator forthe MacArthur Coalition,1987-1993

To SpeesC O N T I N U E D F R O M P A G E 1 2

the type already present nearbyand would not be open to fur-ther development.

For any development thatmight take place on this prop-erty, water runoff must beabated. The DeSilva planscall for grading and pavingwith vee-ditches and pipesto carry the water runoff to astorage pond fronting Moun-tain Boulevard. According toMr. Barry, this “water-featureamenity” would have a capac-ity of 16 acre-feet. Twelve acre-feet would be devoted to storm

QuarryC O N T I N U E D F R O M P A G E 1

capacity, and four acre-feetwould be a permanent lake.This would allow for better dis-tribution of water in the area.They have devised control sys-tems for releasing the runoffover a period of time so as toavoid any impact on ChimesCreek.

Mr. Barry says that the EIRdraft does not address the ques-tions surrounding the traffic onroads accessing the quarry en-trance. The DeSilva Group ofDublin, California, is a buildingand development company.Their subsidiary, DeSilva Gate,is presently mining and remov-ing high-quality mineral build-ing materials from the quarry

for construction being done bythe Group elsewhere.

Claudia Cappio, the plannerworking on this case for theCity of Oakland, says that the

EIR draft will address ques-tions of hydrology and of de-termining the impacts of trafficand noise. It will also mentionalternatives.

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Desperately Searchingfor Tree Sponsors!Laurel Elementary School needs treesponsors for its recently renovated play-ground. Newly created tree wells areempty awaiting beautiful trees. Please help.$50 per tree. Please call Kaye Stewart at482-8250 for information on where tosend tax-deductible donations to theLaurel School PTA.


Calendar of Community Events

BY CA T H Y R I N D I -SU N D E E N , CO O R D I N A T O R

To have your event listed, please contact Cathy Rindi-Sundeenno later than the 12th of the preceding month at 535-1574 [email protected].


Neighborhood MeetingsDimond Improvement Association: Wednesday, December 5,7:30 p.m., Dimond Library, 3565 Fruitvale Ave. Contact SamCohen for more information, 482-8386.

Laurel Merchants Board: Thursday, December 6, 7:30 a.m.,Full House Café, 3719 MacArthur Blvd. Contact Dr. MaureenDorsey for more information, 530-1353. Discussion of aBusiness Safety meeting with the community police officer.

Friends of Sausal Creek: Wednesday, December 12, 7 p.m.,Dimond Library, 3565 Fruitvale Ave. For more information,contact Stuart Richardson, 912-7792, or www.aoinstitute.org/sausal.

Maxwell Park NCPC: Wednesday, December 12, 7 p.m.,Mills Grove Christian Church, 5410 Fleming Ave. For moreinformation, contact Jose Dorado, 535-0577, orwww.maxwellparkncpc.org.

Laurel Merchants Board: Thursday, January 3, noon,Chick’N’Coop, 3840 MacArthur Blvd. Contact Dr. MaureenDorsey for more information, 530-1353.

Friends of Dimond Library: Saturday, January 5, 11:30 a.m.,3565 Fruitvale Ave., upstairs meeting room. Contact DalSellman for more information, 531-2690.

Bret Harte/Joaquin Miller NCPC: Tuesday, January 8, 6:30 p.m.,PuroFirst, 2860 MacArthur Blvd. Contact Don Marx for moreinformation, 530-1319.

Maxwell Park NCPC: Wednesday, January 9, 7 p.m., MillsGrove Christian Church, 5410 Fleming Ave. For moreinformation, contact Jose Dorado, 535-0577, orwww.maxwellparkncpc.org.

Community Action Coalition: Monday, January 14, 7 to 8:30p.m., Posada de Colores, 2221 Fruitvale Ave. Contact ElizabethDrob for more information, 261-0698.

Redwood Heights Improvement Association: Wednesday,January 16, 7:30 p.m., Redwood Heights Recreation Center,3883 Aliso Ave. Leave message at 482-3471 for moreinformation, or www.redwood-heights.org.

Laurel/Redwood Heights/39th Ave. NCPC: Thursday, January17, 7 to 8:30 p.m., Chick’N’Coop, 3840 MacArthur Blvd.Contact Renee Sykes for more information, 615-5803.

Melrose/High Hopes NCPC: Thursday, January 17, 7 p.m.,Melrose Library, 48th & Foothill (new location). Contact AdelleFoley for more information, 891-4760.

Beat 22X NCPC: Monday, January 28, 6:30 p.m., DimondLibrary, 3565 Fruitvale Ave. Contact Renee Sykes forinformation, 615-5803.

Community ActivitiesOpen office hours with Councilmember Dick Spees: first Saturdayeach month, 9 to 11 a.m., Century 21 Heritage, 6211 LaSalle.No appointments necessary. Contact his office, 238-7004, withany questions or for more information.

Plant Propagation Activities: Every Saturday in December andJanuary, 9 a.m. to noon, Dimond Park, El Centro Ave. trailhead.Help the Friends of Sausal Creek revegetate Dimond Canyon.Call Stuart Richardson for information, 912-7792.

Laurel Christmas Sale and Activities: Saturday, December 8, 10a.m. to 5 p.m., along MacArthur Blvd. between 35th Ave. andHigh St. Free face painting and puppet shows for children, ac-tivities at Victory Outreach. Santa will be strolling the Boulevardthroughout the day.

Bird Monitoring Team: Saturdays, December 8 and January 12,7:30 to 9:30 a.m. Join the Friends of Sausal Creek in monitoringand conducting bird counts. Bring your own binoculars. Loca-tions vary, so please call Stuart Richardson for more information,912-7792.

Challenger Learning Center Community Mission: Saturday,December 8, 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and 1:30 p.m. to 3 p.m.,Chabot Space & Science Center, 10000 Skyline Blvd. Individu-als and families are invited to team up and form a crew for asimulated space mission to rendezvous with Comet Encke. $15.Please register via e-mail to [email protected] or call the boxoffice, 336-7373.

Japanese WW II Internee Speaks: Saturday, December 8, 1 p.m.Melrose Library auditorium, 48th Ave and Foothill Blvd. HiroshiKashiwagi will discuss his experience at Tule Lake during WorldWar II. Call the library for more information, 482-7844.

Smart Growth in Action: Supporting Good Development in YourBackyard: December 8, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Preservation Park,Niles Hall, 668 13th St. A one-day workshop for land-useadvocates, neighborhood groups, environmentalists, andconcerned citizens, focusing on how to evaluate developmentprojects for sustainability features, how to be an effectiveadvocate for land-use issues, and how to work with developersto get what you want. Register at www.urbanecology.org/cit-ies/cities.workshop.html. $20 registration includes lunch.For more information, call 251-6330 or [email protected].

On the Cosmic Horizon: Thursday, December 13, 7:30 p.m.,Chabot Space & Science Center, Tien MegaDome, 10000 Sky-line Blvd. Dr. Jeff Bennett speaks on the 10 outstanding unsolvedproblems in astronomy, from the universe’s missing mass togamma-ray bursters. Reception and refreshments follow. $5tickets can be purchased through TicketWeb.com or by calling336-7373. For more information, call 336-7368 or visitchabotspace.org.

Winter Music Concert: Tuesday, December 18, 7 p.m., Bret HarteMiddle School. Benefit for the music department, $2.

Kwanzaa program: Thursday, December 27, 4 p.m., MelroseLibrary, 48th Ave. and Foothill Blvd. African storyteller YolandaRhodes. Call the library for more information, 482-7844.

Electronic Music with composers from the Center for Contempo-rary Music: Saturday, January 26, 8 p.m., Concert Hall, MillsCollege, 5000 MacArthur Blvd. $10/$5, free to all students,Mills faculty and staff. Call the Concert Line for more informa-tion, 430-2296.

The Ives Quartet: Sunday, January 27, 4 p.m. Concert Hall,Mills College, 5000 MacArthur Blvd. Performing Beethoven andSchubert. $10 general, $7 seniors, $5 students, free to Millsstudents. Call the Concert Line for more information, 430-2296.

OngoingZarina: Mapping a Life: through December 21; Tuesday-Saturday, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.; Sunday, noon to 4 p.m., MillsCollege Art Museum, 5000 MacArthur Blvd. Free admission andparking. Call Keith Lachowicz for more information, 430-2164.

Unearthing Traditions: Japanese Expressions in Clay and Ink:through December 21, Mills College Art Museum, see above fordetails.

f you like Chinese food,you’ll like Daniel’s Place.A fixture on MacArthur

Boulevard since 1988,Daniel’s Place serves tradi-tional Chinese dishes inthe Cantonese and Szechuanstyles. (Cantonese dishestend to be light and moresubtle in flavor thanSzechuan dishes, whichare often spicy and boldlyflavored.)

Daniel Man, the ownerof Daniel’s Place, was bornin Hong Kong and emigratedto the United States in 1980.Daniel’s mother is the inspi-ration for his interest in cook-ing, so much so that Danielreturns to Hong Kong regu-larly to enjoy her cooking.

Daniel’s Place is inspiredby Daniel’s experiencesgrowing up in Hong Kong.Hong Kong is the New YorkCity of the far East: a busi-ness center where peopledine out all the time, anddining out is as much apart of the culture as the

Daniel’s Placeomnipresent neon lights.

Daniel’s Place has a well-rounded menu of entrées,all priced appropriately. Themenu includes such Chineseclassics as kung pao, mu shu,foo young, and sweet-and-sour dishes, as well as appe-tizers like egg rolls, fried wontons, and hot-and-sour soup.While most of Daniel’s dishesare faithful to traditionalChinese recipes, he has hisown specialties. Daniel usesa secret blend of homemadespices in his “salt and pep-per” dishes, and his variousmushroom plates are uncom-mon and surprisingly succu-lent. Each regular orderbrings a full plate, and therice is perfectly prepared.

Daniel’s most popularplates include Mongolianbeef, a spicy Szechuan-style classic, and the sweet-and-sour dishes he preparesin the Hong Kong style—instead of simply pouringthe sweet-and-sour sauceover batter-fried meat,Daniel immediately sautésthe freshly fried meat in the

sweet-and-sour sauce alongwith thick slices of onion,bell pepper, and pineapple.

While many customersorder carry-out, Daniel’sPlace is best experienced inthe dining room. The restau-rant is laid out like a tradi-tional Chinese restaurant,a large and open dining hallwith “good luck” pink asits base color. The service isprompt, professional, andcourteous. Most of the staff,including his head chef andhead waiter, have been withDaniel since the restaurantopened in 1988.

In addition to the qualityfood, one of the best partsabout Daniel’s Place is Danielhimself. He’s there almostevery night. Daniel is affableand funny, and he oftendevelops a friendship withhis customers. So if you’re inthe neighborhood and look-ing for some good Chinesefood, stop by and say helloto Daniel.

Daniel’s Place, 4245MacArthur Boulevard,530-8880 / 530-9898.

B Y B I N K Y S U N D E E N

M E T R O R E S T A U R A N T R E V I E W

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Lincoln Sq. Shopping Center(next to Safeway)

4100 Redwood Rd.Plenty of Parking

510-530-8737

Gourmet Deli

Espresso

Delicious Smoothies

Painting Exhibitions

Anyone interestedin distributing bundlesof 25 or more Metrosin your neighborhoodor at meetings, please

call Peter Bondat 530-0427.

Pick up yourMetro at

Extended Playtoys

Laurel True Value Hardware

Phoenix Auto


11

Roussel SargentBetsy Callaway

David Locke & Cathe ReadJacob & Linda Hart

Knud DanildMary Lee Peterson

Rebecca KaplanChristopher WarrenStan & Naomi Cohen

Dave & Shoshana FinacomPamela Calvert & Helen Haug

Carole Ward AllenJohn & Claud Elk

Phil & Kathy CaskeyIgnacio De La Fuente

AnonymousRichard Cowan &Kathleen CollinsElmarise Owens,

Cal Fed BankKatharine Samway

Lydia Palmin & Tom DaleyRichard Weinstein

Cherie IveyRuth Malone & Terry SayreUtterman/Forster Family

Abelina Carmona &Teresa Croce

Lisa Ruhland &Michael Cowan

Bonnie R. HenriquezMacArthur & High

Trailer ParkJeff Kelley & Hung Liu

HamachiKaren Marie Schroeder

Oakland VeterinaryHospital

Libby Jacobsohn &Jerry BowlingCaffe Diem

Bill and Susan BagnellBarbara Reynolds

Joan DarkDeborah Cooper

Vic & Nancy MiloslavichMs. Desley Brooks, Esq.

Nancy SidebothamMike Carson &Ron SteigerwaltDavid A. Stein

Elaine Lyford-Nojima &Dana Nojima

Rochelle Wald & Sara WynneSusanne Lea & Russ Bruno

Niccolo DeLucaSusan HaarmanAndrew Cohn

Michael CooperLuqman

David VahlstromGary & Caroline Yee

Beth WalukasJanet Broughton

The Metro acknowledgescontributions of $50 or moreby listing your name orbusiness as a Money Honeyfor 10 issues. You keep ourpaper alive and well.

MONEYHONEYS

By Toni Locke

On November 14,District 4’s Dick Spees andnew aide Sean O’Shea con-vened another meeting ofour Councilmember’s inno-vative effort to improve cityservices. The Interdepart-mental Working Group/Ser-vice Delivery System met inthe “Banish Bureaucracy”room adjacent to the CityManager’s office in CityHall. Representatives of allagencies involved reviewed89 items of perceived blight,crime, and litter. The com-munity monitors, old faith-fuls Mike Mannix and JimHill for the Dimond, andBetsy Callaway for the Lau-rel, spoke for the rest of us.Progress has been made. ButI was reminded of the manin Greek mythology doomedto pushing a heavy boulderuphill forever.

The shooting intothe bus-stop crowd ofhigh schoolers at 35th andMacArthur last month wasan act of revenge springingfrom a previous altercationat a downtown dance.Sound like a familiar moti-vation? According to police,the shot was aimed at theground and not to kill. Themany solutions to the con-tinuing problems created byour system of uncontrolled

youth transportation fail inimplementation. Diana Chenof Farmer Joe’s, located onthat corner, thinks retimingand rerouting buses is thekey. She will be glad to knowthat a new express bus fromSkyline High to East Oaklandhas been put on line. ReneeSykes, Neighborhood Ser-vices Officer for OPD, hashopes for regular monitoringfrom the Safe Passage andSilent Sentinel programs. IfRenee, who knows who andwhat to look for, or a regularcommunity policing officerwere stationed on the cornerdaily, we would feel muchsafer.

Laurel residents havebeen clamoring for openspace—a park or a commu-nity garden. They would finda case study in the experi-ences of F.A.C.E. with NicolPark on Coolidge Avenue.Gwen Jackson, a woman ofgreat heart and great persis-tence, invites Metro readersto come on Saturday, Decem-ber 8, from 1 to 4:30 p.m.,to the celebration of the firstanniversary of the park andnearby community centerat 2935 Coolidge Avenue.Working with the ParksDepartment, the City Coun-cil, the Land for Public Trust,and neighbors, Gwen and the

leaders of F.A.C.E. havemade a dream come true.They have nurtured it fora year. The Oakland ParksCoalition, a group trying topry open the closed cultureof Parks and Rec, providesoutreach. Ya-Ting Liu of theLand for Public Trust is writ-ing a grant to help deal withthe needs of surroundingchildren for more love, edu-cation and creative outlet fortheir energy. One objectiveis to curb vandalism, alwaysa problem at small, un-guarded open spaces. TheDecember celebration willprovide turkey and fixingsand welcomes potluckcontributions as well.

When the next issueof the Metro appears in Feb-ruary 2002, we will be in thecrucial phase of campaignsin District 4 and District 6 fornew City Council representa-tives. The outcomes of theseraces can make a great differ-ence in community life. TheMetro’s advice is the sameas always: Get involved!Sideline critics are a dimea dozen.

In addition to advice,this column wishes our read-ers a happy holiday seasonin the warmth of friends andfamily. See you in 2002.

development potential hasbeen eliminated. Because ofthe increasing desire in theBay Area for “monsterhomes,” I asked Ms. Stuckeywhat might motivate ownersto be so generous. She ex-plained that an owner canreceive a large tax deductionafter the property is reap-praised. “If your propertyis worth $500,000 before theeasement, it may be nowworth only $400,000, so youcould receive a $100,000 taxdeduction.” The hope is alsothat people who already livein the area for its wildernessgifts of wildflowers and birdswill be altruistic and wantothers to enjoy it too.

“We needcity businesspeople andfinancialadvisors.”

Ms. Stuckey, who hascreated an ambitious Website to share the goals, strate-gies, and projects of the landtrust, believes that outreachto all Oaklanders, especiallychildren in the flatlands, iscentral to the project’s vision.“We are united by geogra-phy. The creeks run fromthe hills to the flatlands. Weneed to get kids in touch withnatural environments. Weneed to instill hope in chil-dren and empower them.”

Board member StuartRichardson, an educator andcreek activist, often takeschildren on excursions innature so that they can learnto appreciate a world outsideof their often insulated com-munities.

Ms. Stuckey believes thatwe can all benefit by findingsolace in nature. “After Sep-tember 11, I spent more andmore time on the land trust.I realized that even thoughwe were at war, it didn’t stopthe growth of flowers ortrees.” She envisions a timewhen the canyon could be-come a regional recreationarea for all, with multiusetrails for hikers and cyclists.“There is lots of moneyavailable for trails, but firstwe have to have the land.”

Finally, I asked thisdeeply intelligent and gentleactivist what we as citizenscould do to help. “Don’tlitter. Go to commercial carwashes—they can preventthe suds from draining intothe watershed. And appreci-ate animals.”

If you would like tolearn more about how youcan help preserve the ButtersCanyon or be connectedto related local environmen-tal issues, visit their Web site(www.butterslandtrust.org)or phone Ms. Stuckey at 482-2496.

Priscilla StuckeyC O N T I N U E D F R O M P A G E 4

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On behalf of the Staff at Colonial Chapel we wish to thank the Metro community for yourcontinued support. We will always be dedicated to those we serve.

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ear Dick,I look back at the

MacArthur Coalitionyears as something very spe-cial. We had a vision of whatwe knew was possible. Weknew our Oakland could bea cleaner, safer, and morebeautiful place, and we be-gan by having that cometrue in our own centralMacArthur neighborhoods.What a team! Neighborhoodvolunteers, local businesses,and the City, pulling togetheraround the projects that werethe neighborhoods’ priority.Whatever we tackled, wewere successful—trees, trafficlights, rezoning, graffiti, and

he Metro boasts manyreaders who are faithfulactivists striving toward

safer, cleaner, friendlier neigh-borhoods for homemaking,shopping, and raising chil-dren. They well know that co-operation from a city agency isusually the key to gettingthings done. A lifeline ofstrength and help has longreached out from the office ofDistrict 4 City CouncilmemberDick Spees, who retires inMarch 2002.

If you recall a particular ex-perience of help from DickSpees and his aides (SeanStark, then Niccolo DeLuca,and currently Sean O’Shea),please write the Metro a lettertelling about it. We will printas many as we can betweennow and next spring and will

Miriam Hurley in 1989 when she was volunteer for the MacArthurCoalition.

A Call for LettersLetterto SpeesB Y M I R I A M H U R L E Y

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TO VOLUNTEERfor the

MacArthur Metro,please call 287-2655

finally present them all to Dickin appreciation of his work.

The letter from MiriamHurley, formerly a Laurelresident, opens the campaign.Her dynamic leadershipbrought a “can do” power toresidents. With the MacArthurCoalition, hundreds gotorganized and on the roadto achieving their dreams.

Do you have an anecdoteor a memory? The subjectscould range from toning downa noisy neighbor to getting anew park inaugurated. Writeto our post box #19046, orsend an e-mail to the editorat [email protected].

MET

RO F

ILE

of the butters land trust

Documents