Serving the neighborhoods from Fruitvale Avenue to Seminary Avenue and from Foothill Boulevard to Warren FreewayVolume 11 Number 3 April 1999

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

hat began as a sum-mertime dream hasbecome a growingreality at Bret

Harte Middle School. WhenDeaf/Hard of Hearing Pro-gram staff members Eliza-beth Chiment and LindaKingsland met in August1998 to discuss plans forthe upcoming year, theydecided to incorporate agarden project with theirLife Science Curriculum forsixth-grade deaf students.

With the support ofBret Harte principal MaryHamadeh and generousdonations from HealdsburgLumber Co. and American

n an effort to jump-startmuch-needed commercialrevitalization, businesses

along the MacArthur corridorbetween the Dimond and Laureldistricts from Lincoln Avenueto Midvale Avenue have beenoffered a maximum of $2,000 inindividual matching City grantsfor storefront improvements.

Merchants and residentshere have long organized andworked individually to safe-guard and strengthen thismixed commercial and residen-tial strip. Throughout the years,many have steadfastly investedcareers and mortgages, resultingin new generations of entrepre-neurs and families inheritinga healthier neighborhood andcontinuing the effort.

Recently, we learned thatthe Oakland NeighborhoodCommercial Revitalization

An interview with Keith Carson, theFifth District’s representative to the

Alameda County Board of Supervisors.See back page.

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.

Robert McCockran & Annette Osenga, *John Bowers & Linda Stevens, *E. Mary Conduit. Jo-Ann & John Donivan

* Renewing friends

BY EL I Z A B E T H CH I M E N T ,BR E T HA R T E SC I E N C E T E A C H E R

Soil, their vision has turnedthe rocky corner of a park-ing lot into an organic gar-den blooming with herbs,vegetables, and flowers.

Now the class of garden-ers has branched out withthe donation of nine fruittrees, which will be plantedin an empty lot on schoolproperty. The small orchardcomes as a part of theFruition Project’s “Magic,”which facilitates thedonation of trees fromwholesalers to urban chil-dren. Students sign con-tracts to care for the youngtrees and participate in atree-cycle curriculum. (Formore information aboutthis free program, contact

Facade Improvement Program,under the Community Eco-nomic Development Agency(CEDA), is awarding store own-ers in ten commercial districts$10,000 in private matchinggrants. Dimond and Laurelwere included in this initialphase, whereas the area be-tween both street boundariesthat we are calling the BretHarte district was overlooked.

To catch the next fundingcycle, an ad hoc committee oflocal merchants, the Bret HarteMerchants Association (BMA),has been meeting on the firstThursday of each month todiscuss this and other concerns.

CEDA representativeHeather Hensley, CouncilmanSpees’ aides Niccolo DeLucaand Luqman, and communitypolice beat 22Y NeighborhoodService Coordinator (NSC)Traci Corcran have attendedmeetings, fully supporting thegroup’s goals.

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Laurel resident Karen Wang last month won Fourth Princess standing in anational beauty contest sponsored by Chinese Chambers of Commerce.Karen is also an honor graduate of Redwood Heights Elementary School,Skyline High School, and U.C. Berkeley, with a degree in political science.She is taking a year off by working at a big San Francisco law firm, and plansto go to law school, according to her mother, owner of the Laurel Gift Shopnext to Bank of America. The community is proud of Karen for the splendiduse she made of her education in the Oakland Public Schools.

“The Garden MakesThings Beautiful”

Tending garden: (L-R) Daniella Paniagua, Elizabeth Chiment, Mayra Ramirez, Erica Ruvalcaba, Lisa Cruz.

B Y E D G A R C I A , B R E T HA R T E

MERCHANTS ASSOCIATION

New Merchant Group Goesfor Facade Improvement

Ms. Hensley, in a refresh-ingly eager presentation, com-mitted up to $2,000 for at leastten businesses particularlyinterested in pursuing lighting,signage and reglazing projects.Applicants should feel freeto contact her or stop by 2860MacArthur Boulevard (formerlyDean Marshall’s “The Frame-upShop”) for an application. Thissite has also served as the BMA’smeeting place since October,where references for electrical,sign design, and glass work areavailable.

Mr. DeLuca is honoring hiscommitments to procure severalconcrete refuse containers forstrategic placement along thebusy thoroughfare and to inves-tigate other committee requests.

Luqman continues to con-centrate on coalition building.He provides a pivotal linkwith many diverse groups andthe Councilman’s office while

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2April 1999

HOT NUMBERSCITY OF OAKLAND AGENCIES

ABAT—the Alcoholic 238-7103Beverage Action Team

Graffiti hotline 238-4703

Abandoned cars 615-5715

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. 238-6352(Citizens of OaklandRespond to Emergencies)

Truancy Hotline 479-2199

Cityline 444-CITYknows the answer toall problems with city andother governmental servicesin Oakland.

PRIVATE AGENCIES

Safe Streets Now 836-4622(drugs)

Conciliation 763-2117Services of Oakland(neighborhood disputes)

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

Managing EditorToni Locke

Copy EditorsPaulette Avery, Anne Foxand Joan Veldhuizen

Finances/BookkeepingReuben Goldberg

Advertising ManagerSuzanne Tipton

Art DirectorAndreas Jones

Word ProcessingDavid Raich, Chris Carter

PhotographyJody Berke, Robert Garcia,Risha Hess and A. Luqman

DistributionDal Sellman

MailingDiane Trost

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Board of DirectorsMichael BroadJanet BroughtonDouglas FergusonReuben GoldbergLori HopeSteven Lavoie

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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 Alternative WebPrinting, Oakland, California,(510) 839-2766

Opinions expressed in the MacArthurMetro are those of the contributorsand do not necessarily reflect theviews held by the publication.© 1999 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.

I want to support THE METROTHE THOUSAND FRIENDS (A tax-deductible donation of $10 to $49)

MONEY HONEYS (A tax-deductible donation of $50 or more)

Mail to The MacArthur Metro, P.O.Box 19046, Oakland, CA 94619

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SUBSCRIPTION ($10 for one year/10 issues)

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

taking on specific tasks suchas the recent Healthy StartInitiative at Bret Harte School,focused on children’s needs.

Tracy Corcran, in her tirelessorganizing of the Bret Harte/Joaquin Miller NeighborhoodCrime Prevention Council(NCPC), has agreed to take onimproved street lighting as yetanother potential project. In hercapacity as the NSC for three ad-joining community police beats,Tracy provides valuable coordi-nating assistance and leadership.

To date, six association par-ticipants have expressed interestin applying for the storefrontmonies, from Don Denson of Hi-Hat Cleaners, who hopes to re-furbish his landmark neon sign,to a Pleshette’s Beauty Experi-ence window replacement, anda marquee awning for Hernan’sDynamic Hair Designs.

Commercial owners and ten-ants eligible for these funds maypotentially only have to provide25 percent each of the total

investment, matching the City’s50 percent grant portion, mean-ing that for a $1,000 investment,they can receive $4,000 worth ofbuilding improvements. Resi-dents seeking similar City assis-tance may also apply throughCEDA for a variety of programstargeting low-income, disabled,and senior citizens.

All interested parties areinvited to attend our nextBMA meeting at 6:30 p.m. onThursday, May 6, as well asNCPC meeting on Thursday,April 29, at Imani Church,10205 MacArthurBoulevard.

For more information, con-tact Ed Garcia, Bret HarteMerchant’s Association, 2860MacArthur Boulevard, Oakland,CA 94602, (510) 482-4545, Fax(510) 482-8990; Tracy Corcran,Neighborhood Services Coordi-nator, CPD Crime PreventionDivision, (510) 535-5679, Fax(510) 535-5682; Heather Hensley,CEDA Neighborhood Revital-ization Program, (510) 238-6654,Fax (510) 238-3691; NiccoloDeLuca/Luqman, 4th CouncilDistrict, (510) 238-7042, Fax (510)238-6129.

Editor,May I tell your Metro

readers where they can findan exceptionally good dealWednesday through Satur-day, April 7-10, at the Friendsof the Oakland Library’sbookstore, The Bookmark?It’s the semiannual 40-percent-off-the-regular-low-prices sale. The store,manned by volunteers, withprofits going back into li-brary programs, is at 721Washington St. betweenRatto’s and the police depart-ment in Old Oakland, and

will be open from 10:30 a.m.to 5:30 p.m. Everything (ex-cept us volunteers, of course)will be on sale, and stock isadded each day. Books thereARE a really good deal.Thanks.Dal SellmanOakland

t. Lawrence O’TooleSchool on High St.completed their Annual

Math-a-thon Fundraiserin late February. The par-ents, students, and staffwould like to thank the

O’Toole Math-a-thon Over the Top

Laurel Elementary SchoolAnnouncements

ou do not need to have a child at Laurel Elementaryschool to get involved. The school is currently lookingfor community volunteers for their Junior Achieve-

ment program. Do you love social studies and have one houra week for five weeks to give to children in your community?A teaching packet with all materials is provided.If interested, please call Lisa Ruhland at 531-7908.

The school also needs community volunteers for theirSaturday, May 15, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Walkathon fundraiser.Volunteers will monitor children as they walk around theschool perimeter. Join our school for this fun event. Sign upnow by calling Cherry Campbell at 635-8017.

YLettersto theEditor

SB Y J A N E T B R O W N

Hilary Hug at Magic, Box5894, Stanford, CA 94309,(650) 323-7333.)

Our Garden Programteaches more than the sci-ence of gardening. Studentswho had never had theopportunity to tend plants,watch them grow, then eatthe fruits of their labors,now regularly munch fromthe garden. Staff, neighborsand family members alsoshare in the harvest.

Students take great pridein their effort, and plans areunderway to build moregarden beds this spring.A compost bin and wormshave recently been added tothe small farm, thanks to theAlameda County Recyclingproject.

Bret Harte GardenC O N T I N U E D F R O M P A G E 1

“The garden makes thingsbeautiful.” Dani, 11

“I want to grow mycherry tree and eat thecherries!” Travis, 11

“I love digging and lookingfor the right spot for mytree!” Hector, 11

Students report whatthey like best aboutthe garden:

“We want to plant enoughfood to share with poorpeople.”

“I like to learn about grow-ing potatoes and plantingseeds the right way.”–Mariko, 13

following Metro-areabusinesses for their dona-tions:

Bank of America, Cafe ofthe Bay, CAL-FED, Daniel’sPlace, Hollywood Video,Late Night Video, LaurelHardware, Laurel Gift Shop,Longs Drugs, Lucky Food

Center, McDonald’s,Oakland Zoo, Safeway,Subway, Videos Tonite,Vista Madera Feed & Tack,Walgreens, Yumygurt,and Zodiac Records.

We appreciate yourcommunity support. Thankyou!

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eona Heights neighbor-hood interest in the futureof the Leona Quarry

property is easy to understand,as are apprehensions relatedto traffic safety, social impact,pluses and minuses of devel-opment options, and environ-mental concerns. So, as theLeona Quarry Advisory Com-mittee, chaired by CouncilmanNate Miley, proceeds with itswork, local homeowner groupsare asking fairness of the com-munity as well as of the quarryproperty owners, Gallagher& Burk. One vital requirementof Leona Heights people,together with leaders of theother eight or so homeowners’groups, is that legality andhonesty prevail. We want thedevelopers to provide, to theletter of the law, the requiredfresh factual studies indicating

real impacts of various op-tions they propose.

Locals cannot be blamedfor wondering how realisticfor all parties regional shop-ping-mall options can be. Wehave seen the ballyhoo anddemise of two regional mallswithin the sphere of influenceof the quarry property—theEastmont and Foothillprojects. We foresee seriousneighborhood traffic prob-lems related to Highway 580and local neighborhood-streetpotential uses. And as for theargument that City tax in-come and job creation wouldaccrue, we are awaiting seri-ous and unbiased in-depthtraffic, social and economicstudies. We believe the devel-opers will keep the faith withour community and that Cityofficials will see that they doas the studies and decisionsproceed.

Leona HeightsNeighborhood News

High Hopes NCPC:Practical Strategies;

Clean and GreenThe High Hopes NCPC metclose to the spring equinox toshape the year to come. Thegroup placed dots on largemaps to represent priorityprojects and where memberslive and work. A brainstorm-ing session ended with for-mation of working groupsand agreement to return fora facilitated workshop inpractical strategies and ap-proaches to solving problemstogether.

The NCPC also agreedto join the High Street Neigh-borhood Alliance in sponsor-ing Clean and Green activitiesat Courtland Creek on Satur-day, May 15. Come by SanCarlos and Courtland at 9a.m. to plant trees, fix thefence, paint out graffiti, cleanup, and enjoy refreshments.

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

B Y G O R D O N L A V E R T Y

The Discovery Center will bethere with a project to reintro-duce tadpoles into the creekand analyze the water.

Good News on HighStreet Traffic Safety

Preliminary statistics on theimpact of restriping HighStreet point to the power ofneighbors working together.City Traffic Engineer KevinCummings compared aver-age accidents for four yearsbefore and one year after the1997 restriping. Overall, acci-dents were down 17 percent,compared to a 2 percent dropcitywide. Accidents due tounsafe speed were down 21percent; accidents associatedwith improper turns fell byalmost one-half.

Streets are for PeopleThe last day of PedestrianSafety Week (May 3-7) willfocus on the High Streetcorridor. Children will beencouraged to practice safe

pedestrian behavior. Concen-trated enforcement of trafficlaws is planned along withother visible reminders thatthe streets belong to people.

Other events will includea staged pedestrian incidentnear City Center and a postercontest open to all elementaryschool children. Ask aboutparticipation at your children’sschool.

Melrose Library:Still at Home

The latest estimate for themove to the DeliveranceChurch property on Bancroftbelow Fairfax, while the cur-rent building undergoes a year-long upgrade, is mid-May.Although plans for events aretentative, a writing workshopfor high-school-aged studentsis planned for Tuesday, May 4.The after-school event will besponsored by YO, the PacificNews Service’s youth branch.For more information, call thelibrary at 535-5623.

High Street Neighborhood News

uring the past century, theSausal Creek watershed—the land that surrounds

and drains into Sausal Creek—has undergone many changes.As land use in the watershedhas become more urbanized,the creek itself has been physi-cally altered through culverting,channelization, and sedimenta-tion. The willow thickets at themouth of the creek are gonenow, and the creek finishes itsjourney to the Bay in a culvert(a large underground pipe),

Friends of Sausal Creekfrom which it empties into thechannel near the FruitvaleBridge between Oakland andAlameda. The creek has beenculverted in many other sec-tions too, but nonetheless, itstill flows above ground forabout half of its length.

Today, rock doves fromFrance and European starlingslive in the watershed alongsidenative scrub jays and westernflycatchers. On the hillsides,nonnative Himalaya blackberryintertwines with Californiablackberry, and German ivy

he Redwood HeightsImprovement Associa-tion has elected a new

president. Richard Cowanaccepted the job at January’sboard meeting. Richard iswell known and respectedin the Laurel/RedwoodHeights area. He is activewith the Laurel CommunityAction Project (L-CAP) andhas been an RHIA boardmember for two years.

An update on the RHIA

B Y M A R I O N L E E Landscaping Committee:The Covenant Church hasoffered to have a trash re-ceptacle placed on theirproperty adjacent to the busstop. We hope this will dis-courage students from tip-ping the container over intothe street. We would like tosee another container placedat the bus stop across fromthe Rec. Center. TheCalTrans fence on MountainBlvd. has been repaired;maintenance in the CalTransareas has been increased;

April 1999

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Redwood Heights Neighborhood News

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n March 3 Toni Lockepresided over the swear-ing in of our new chair-

persons, Ann Nomura and TimChapman, along with the newboard. Thank you, Toni. Annwelcomed people to our openboard meeting. Our discussionconcerned the perimeter linesof beat 22X, the Dimond work-ing-group projects, and anupdate of the Hillcrest Motelsituation.

Janet Broughton spokeabout changing the limits ofbeat 22X, since it includes onlya portion of our traditionalDimond area. It has been sug-gested that Cañon Avenuecould petition to be includedin this beat. People in theDimond who wish to bringtheir concerns to this NCPCwould be welcome also. Theirissues would be directed tothe appropriate beat officer bythe beat 22X coordinator.

Dimond ImprovementAssociation News

B Y K A R E N M A R I E S C H R O E D E RMike Mannix summarized

the progress of the workinggroup on specific items in theDimond that dealt with prop-erty maintenance, trash, andbuilding codes. Apparently,our working group will becomepart of a larger one includingthe Laurel. This group wouldmeet quarterly under the desig-nation of a Service Deliverygroup. It is hoped that our is-sues will continue to be solved.

Ann spoke of a meetingscheduled in Dick Spees’ officeon March 24 with the ownerof the Hillcrest Motel andneighborhood groups. Weprioritized our concerns in thehope that we can reach someagreement with the ownersand that the Hillcrest Motelcan become a positive elementof the Dimond.

Our next meeting will beApril 7 at 7:30 p.m. in theDimond Library.

Our Web site is www.net-com.com/~tchapman

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Discover the LaurelFestival, May 1 and 2

L-CAP continues work on anumber of projects and willfollow up on several of themduring our next general meet-ing, Wednesday, April 14, 7to 9 p.m., at the RedwoodHeights Community Centerat 35th Ave. and Aliso.

Our last general meetingoffered a presentation by rep-resentatives of the U.S. PostalService regarding building anew Laurel Station on Master-son at High Street. This newall-service post office will pro-vide greatly increased services

for our neighborhood, includ-ing expanded hours of opera-tion, self-service stations, morepost boxes, and a parking lot.

Neighbors have voiced se-rious concerns about increasedtraffic flow on MacArthur andMasterson as well as noise, lit-ter, and decreasing propertyvalues. These issues will beaddressed at the meeting onApril 14. All who share theseconcerns are urged to attendto make your opinions known.

An update on the develop-ment plans for the High andMacArthur intersection willalso be discussed at the meet-ing. Plans for this gateway arecontinually changing, and thelatest idea will be presented to

gather opinions from the com-munity.

Since its inception, L-CAPhas worked on blight issuesand code violations in the Lau-rel District. The Laurel/Red-wood Heights NeighborhoodCrime Prevention Councilbrought Councilmembers DickSpees and Nate Miley to itsMarch meeting. As a result,a group of City officials plansto walk the Laurel once againto view the same blight andcode issues seen several timespreviously.

With the new OaklandBlight Ordinance, we hopesome of the continually ugly,empty storefronts and busi-nesses that use dirty sheetsfor curtains will be motivatedto clean up. It is a hard sellto convince new merchants tomove to the Laurel when somesections of the streetfront lookso poor in every sense of theword. L-CAP is happy to havethe Laurel/Redwood Heights

B Y R E N E E R E Y N O L D S

Laurel Community Action Project News

and with completion of thesound wall along Aliso, land-scaping will be started there.The committee is dedicatedto improving all the land-scaping in our area, and weowe them a big thank-youfor their efforts on our behalf.

A reminder: Our beauti-fully remodelled RedwoodHeights School will host aMulticultural Fair on Satur-day, May 15, from 10 a.m.to 3 p.m., with arts, crafts,music, and wonderful home-made food. Don’t miss it!

Classical Homeopathyfor Children and Adults

Bonita Richman, B.S.N.835-6043

Oakland’s Secret HideawayThai Food by Boon & Family

915 45th Ave, Oakland • 536-6303(near the Vulcan Foundry)

Questions andAnswers AboutSudden InfantDeath Syndrome

ne aspect of my workas a maternal childhealth nurse is educat-

ing new parents.Since I am often asked

questions about Sudden InfantDeath Syndrome (SIDS), Irecently developed a handoutto provide information on thistopic. The recommendationsfor preventing SIDS havechanged in the last few years,so even those of you familiarwith the subject may learnsomething new.

What is Sudden InfantDeath Syndrome (SIDS)?SIDS is the sudden unex-plained death of an apparentlyhealthy infant.

At what age does SIDSoccur? SIDS most commonlyoccurs between the ages of twoto four months, but can occuranytime in the first year of life.

What causes SIDS? Inspite of much research, thecause is not known. However,a clear link between a baby’sposition for sleep and theoccurrence of SIDS has beenfound. Babies who sleep ontheir abdomens have a signifi-cantly higher rate of SIDS com-pared to babies put to sleepon their backs. Researchers be-lieve sleeping on the abdomenmay provide babies with lessoxygen and an accumulationof carbon dioxide in the bed-ding that can lead to death.

Can I put my baby tosleep on his or her side? Re-search indicates the back-lyingposition is the safest positionfor avoiding SIDS. Babies putto sleep on their side maymore easily roll onto their ab-domen. Wedges used to holda baby in a side-lying positionare not recommended.

Won’t my baby be morelikely to choke when sleepingin a back-lying position? No.This is a very common paren-tal concern, but researchershave found no increased riskfor aspiration for babies put tosleep on their backs. In fact,two babies in Australia who

4April 1999

PauletteAvery,

R.N., M.S.N.

To Your Health

died from aspiration weresleeping on their abdomens.

Are there additional rec-ommendations for minimiz-ing the chance of SIDS? Yes.

1. The back-lying positionis most protective, but side isbetter than on the tummy. Ifyou put your baby on the sideto sleep, bring the dependentarm forward to decrease thechance of rolling to thetummy.

2. Avoid soft surfaces, gas-trapping objects (pillows,quilts, stuffed toys) in thesleeping area, and overheatedrooms.

3. Avoid cigarette-smokeexposure during pregnancyand after birth. A British studyfound that maternal smokingdoubled the risk of SIDS.

4. Breast-feed your baby.5. When your baby is

awake, allow time in thetummy-down position to en-courage normal development.

6. Use these recommenda-tions only for healthy infants.If in doubt, check with yourpediatrician.

Will my baby develop aflat spot on the back of his orher head? This can occur witha baby who is always placedin the same position. To avoidthis possibility, turn the baby’shead to one side or the otherat least some of the time.

If we follow all theserecommendations, will ourbaby be safe from SIDS? Un-fortunately, there are no guar-antees. Even parents who doeverything right have babieswho die of SIDS. But remem-ber that SIDS is a relativelyuncommon event, and follow-ing these recommendationswill give you the assurancethat you have done all youcould to protect your baby.

Sources: SIDS NetworkWeb Page, American Academyof Pediatrics. —————————————Paulette Avery is a registerednurse and a freelance writer whospecializes in health issues.

B Y T O M V A N D E M A R K

To submit your nomination, call436-4545 and leave details andyour name and phone number.

Stars to local-hero teens(and one near-teen) whofoiled a robber near Fruitvaleand Costello. These boys gavechase after seeing a robberyon the street, flagged downOPD officers, and basicallymade the arrest happen. Ourheroes are Cory Porter, EricNewson, Robert Peterson,John Flint, and FranciscoCalderon.

Stars to Public Worksfor a stoplight at last. FollowMacArthur below the Millscampus and see this latestaddition to public safety atthe point where 55th Avenuebranches off MacArthur.Too bad yet another carwent fence-crashing intothe backyard of the houseat MacArthur and 55th. Thishappens at least once a year.

Stars to Mills Collegestudents who put their ener-gies into median care andplanting in areas nearMacArthur, 35th Avenue,and the freeway entrance.Slow down and note thebulbs coming into bloom.Among the neighborhoodvolunteers for this projectwe add the names of Millsstudents Kate Eltridge, LisaPena, Caitlin Stanton, DeniealWilliams, Tania Lee, AmeliaHicks, and Tara Dias. Oursources say they did the heavydigging while the old-timerswere looking for the daisiesto bloom.

Stars to LaFranchiLiquors on the corner of35th and MacArthur for theirnew paint job. Coral, or is itsalmon-colored, or cantaloupeperhaps?

A nudge (not yet a gripe)to PG&E and the Laurel Li-quors developer. How longwill it take to conclude nego-tiations on the PG&E lot tomove this prime (High andMacArthur) spot back to life?We reserve a Star for yourannouncement.

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BREAKFAST LUNCHALL DAY 11AM-2:30PM

Tuesday-Sunday 7:30am-2:30pm (Closed Mon)

3719 MacArthur Blvd (across from the KFC) • 482-2200

DOROTHY OKAMOTO

Optometrist

3714 MacArthur BoulevardOakland 530-2330

Over 20 years in the Laurel District

downsizing of Kaiser Hospitaland its impact on healthdelivery to people in this area,especially following the mergerof Summit and Alta Bates.At present, we have 175,000people a year going throughour community clinics.Whether citizens deal withnonprofit or for-profit provid-ers, the downsizing will affecteveryone.

Metro: The last time I person-ally saw you in action was atthe meetings about the welfareoffice at 45th and Broadway,near Oakland Tech HighSchool. What has happenedin the intervening two yearsto community concerns aboutthat site?

Carson: I admit that the sitewas not a good neighbor for awhile. But we’ve providedmore security and cleanup.Perhaps it was not an appropri-ate site for the facility when itwas built almost 13 years ago.I was recently contacted byMaria Alexander and othercommunity activists, askingfor an update. We’re lookingfor a better site. Downsizingwelfare means reorganization,perhaps reducing service sitesin Oakland from 10 to onlythree or four. Realistically, that45th Street site might wait twomore years for relocation. I’mvery sensitive to the problems,as I live nearby, too.

Metro: The city is havingbudget problems again. Whatabout the county?

Carson: Our budget is one bil-lion dollars. That sounds like alot, but we are responsible forthe health, safety and welfareof the people living in an 805-square-mile area. Since 1994,local governments have beentaking a hefty hit from thestate. Our county alone lostabout $700 million to the state,to help it deal with its deficit.That amounts to about $14 mil-lion a year from Oakland alone

and has necessitated cutsin social services, such aslibraries, and in health-caredelivery, since by law publicprotection cannot be cut.

Metro: Is some of this theresult of Proposition 13?

Carson: Yes. It may haveseemed prudent in 1978, whenthe state had to challenge localgovernments, because thelatter’s raising property taxeswas affecting the overall stateeconomy.

Metro: But a lot has changedsince 1978.

Carson: It sure has! Forexample, the populationdemographics have shifted,especially at either end of theage spectrum. More recently,the Asian economic crisis hashad an effect on California’seconomy.

Metro: Any chance of revisit-ing Prop 13?

Carson: As a matter of fact,there’s an ad hoc committeein Sacramento that has beenmeeting on the issue. Thereare members from labor, edu-cation, real estate and manymore interest groups. Eventhe state chair of the budgetand banking committee ad-vises revisiting the issue. Thecommittee has had to takemany breaks and institutecooling-off periods becauseit’s such a volatile subject.

Metro: You’re chair of theAlameda County EconomicDevelopment AdvisoryBoard. What’s that group allabout?

Carson: As the largest busi-ness association in the EastBay, we’re talking aboutplanning and preserving busi-nesses in the Bay Area corri-dor. Instrumental to that planare regional transportationstudies, based on the fact thatBay Area transportation isreally centered in Oakland.

Metro: How many businessesare there in the county?

Carson: There are 36,000 reg-istered businesses. Many ofthose are in retail and foodprocessing. The latter got itsbeginnings in the early ChezPanisse era. We’re conductinga study on the food industry.What we want to build uponare the food-processing, retail,and service businesses. In ad-dition, we need to prepare atrained and educatedworkforce by coordinatingwith the schools.

Metro: How could that trans-late into jobs for the 10,000people that the mayor envi-sions living downtown?

Carson: We’d like to see busi-nesses relocate downtown,realizing that they’d be at anadvantage at a transportationhub. We’re working withMayor Brown to see wherehe wants to “drive” the city.

Metro: Are you having anyfun on this job?

Keith CarsonC O N T I N U E D F R O M P A G E 8

Everything You Needfor a Meal!

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Free Preschool for Low Income FamiliesHead Start Program is accepting applications for 3 & 4 year old children.

Virginia Ave. (Near High St.)Call Carolyn Cornelius at 261-1484 or 261-1479 or page her at 382-5497

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Do you have a VW bug, Golf, Jettaor Rabbit? For brake, clutch serviceand general repair, give me a call.Also most other German and Japa-nese vehicles. Frank Tulleners Auto-motive Service, 1421 High St., nearE. 14th (510) 533-3943.

Bernice & Joe Playschool. For18 years, play-based learning in ahome-like setting near Mills College.Quarter-acre wooded lot has fruitand pine trees, a garden, 20-footsailboat, rocket ship, art area, blockarea. Pre-reading, pre-math enrich-ment, computer play, field trips, F.I.T.gymnastics, Kindermusik. Socializa-tion, verbalization stressed. Berniceis an Early Childhood MentorTeacher. Sibling, pre-payment dis-counts. Lunch, snacks provided. Ages2 to 5 years. License #010214258.Brochure. (510) 638-3529.

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VIDEO SERVICES. WE CAN TRANS-FORM your slides, snapshots, andfilms into a charming video—with music and effects. Or havea professional cameraman video-tape your social and businessevents. Call Harold Lawrence at530-0628.

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April 1999

5

n March 7 the Boardof Directors of the Ger-man-American Cultural

Center of the Greater BayArea approved the graphic-arts portion of their new cul-tural-center building project.

Center board presidentMarie Hoffmann declared,

German-American Cultural CenterBuilding Project Gets off Ground

Dimond area architect Robert Pilc describes the Center layout to Hodes Arts principals Stefan andRenee Hodes and to GACC President Marie Hoffmann.

“The assignment of thegraphics contract to HodesArts is a momentous stepforward in our fund-raisingcampaign! This means thatin July we can begin to informthe local community, nationalcorporations and foundationsof our program to augmenteducation on German-American heritage, culture,

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Classified RatesThe rate for classified ads is$.50 per word. Discountedprices available for five- andten-issue frequencies. Pleasetype or write your copyclearly and mail it with yourcheck to The MacArthurMetro, P.O. Box 19406,Oakland, 94619. Deadlineis the 15th of the month.For classified-ad frequencydiscounts and display-adinformation, please con-tact Suzanne Tipton at287-2655, fax: 534-3429.

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Happy Easter!Happy Easter!

Carson: It’s a challenge ev-ery single day. The varietyand complexity of issuesseem to take my mind offthe heavy load I carry. I’velearned a lot about agricul-tural issues, health care,interconnections betweenbusinesses, and the diversityof the community. A recenthigh point for me was deal-ing with the viticulturesector. I hadn’t realized that

GO

RDO

N L

AV

ERTY

there were 19 wineries inLivermore, and that onewinery exports upwards of$30 million worth of wineannually. As for pure fun, Ienjoyed last Valentine’s Daywhen supervisors performedabout 55 marriages. I myselfheard the vows of 10 couples,surrounded by their familiesand friends. And I relish theopportunity to talk to high-school students. I alwayshope some of my enthusiasmfor civic involvement getsthrough to them. I was heart-ened recently by a phone call

from a high-school girl. Sheadmitted that she had beeninitially bored by my mes-sage but then got interestedin an issue that concernedher. You can never tell whenyou might be able to havea positive impact. Thatthought helps to keep meoptimistic.

Editor’s note: Supervisor KeithCarson and State Representa-tive Dion Aroner get the creditfor turning the Welfare ReformAct into some real support andopportunity for the poorest andneediest.

Keith CarsonC O N T I N U E D F R O M P A G E 4

6April 1999

Calendar of Community EventsB Y S A N D Y J A E G E R , C O O R D I N A T O R

April 1999Technological Feets: Saturday, April 3, 8 p.m., Mills College Concert Hall,5000 MacArthur Blvd. Experiments in real-time interactive video/danceperformance. $10 general, $5 seniors/students. Call 430-2296 forinformation.

Friends of César E. Chávez Library: Wednesday, April 7, 6:30 p.m., 1900Fruitvale Ave. Call 535-5620 for information.

Dimond Improvement Association: Wednesday, April 7, 7:30 to 9 p.m.,Dimond Library, 3565 Fruitvale Ave. Contact Janet Broughton, 532-1645.

Linda Tillery and the Cultural Heritage Choir: Friday, April 9, 8 p.m.,Mills College Concert Hall, 5000 MacArthur Blvd. Traditional AfricanAmerican spirituals, work songs, and related folk forms performed by afive-woman a capella ensemble. $10 general, $5 seniors/students. Call430-2296 for information.

Sequoia School Third Annual Carnival: Saturday, April 10, 11 a.m. to 4p.m., 3730 Lincoln Ave. Games, booths, prizes, big raffle, Chez Dad’sburgers and dogs. Rock with live music from the Nite Lites.

Laurel Chapter of the American Association of Retired Persons: Tuesday,April 13, 10:30 a.m., Fruitvale Presbyterian Church, 2735 MacArthurBlvd. New members are welcome.

Friends of Melrose Library: Wednesday, April 14, 7 p.m., 4805 FoothillBlvd. Call 535-5623 for information.

Laurel Community Action Project: Wednesday, April 14, 7 to 9 p.m.,Redwood Heights Recreation Center.

Maxwell Park NCPC: Wednesday, April 14, 7 p.m., Mills Grove ChristianChurch, 5410 Fleming Street. Contact Jose Dorado, 535-0577.

Laurel/Redwood Heights NCPC (beat 25X): Thursday, April 15, 7 to 9p.m., Laurel School Auditorium, 3750 Brown Street. Contact Renee Sykes,535-5691.

High Hopes NCPC (beat 27X): Thursday, April 15, 7 p.m., Horace MannSchool, Congress and Ygnacio.

Poetry in the Java Spotlight: Thursday, April 15, 7:30 p.m., WorldGround Café. Open reading follows.

Lei-Making Workshop (Benefit for Dances of the Pacific): Friday, April 16,6:30 to 9:30 p.m., Redwood Recreational Center, 3883 Aliso Avenue.Refreshments, music and a short performance. Call Aurora at 482-9644for cost and registration.

Clean up the Laurel District: Saturday, April 17, 9 a.m. to noon. Paint,Plant and Clean Party meets at the Laurel True Value Hardware parkinglot, 4024 MacArthur Blvd. Tools, paint,and supplies provided.

Keeping Our Children Safe From Guns and Drugs: Tuesday, April 20,11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., Student Union, Mills College, 5000 MacArthurBlvd. Officer John Lage, who works for the City of Hayward and in thepublic schools, will present this lecture offering ways to keep our childrensafe both on and off campus and away from gangs and drugs.

Hansel and Gretel: Tuesday, April 20, 4 p.m., César Chávez BranchLibrary, 1900 Fruitvale Ave.; 7 p.m., Dimond Branch Library, 3565Fruitvale Ave. Opera Piccola, a local theater group, presents free perfor-mances of the German folktale in honor of National Library Week.

Friends of Sausal Creek: Wednesday, April 21, 7 to 9 p.m., DimondLibrary, 3565 Fruitvale Ave. Planning for Earth Day, Green Sweep, andOpen Garden events; discussion of ideas for further restoration work andexpansion of our activity base in the lower part of the watershed. Newmembers welcome. Call 231-9566 for information.

Redwood Heights Improvement Association: Wednesday, April 21, 7:30p.m., Redwood Heights Recreation Center, 3883 Aliso Street. ContactRichard Cowan, 482-3471.

Bret Harte/Joaquin Miller NCPC (22Y) Thursday April 22, 7 to 8:30 p.m.,at Imani Church, 3300 MacArthur Blvd. Contact Traci Corcran 535-5687.

Friends of Sausal Creek Workday: Saturday, April 24, 9 a.m. to noon,Dimond Park Recreation Center, 3860 Hanly Rd. Celebrate CaliforniaTrails Day and Earth Day by improving the trail access to Sausal Creek.Rebuild the switchbacks that lead from the Bridgeview fire road down tothe creek near the Montclair Golf Course. All are welcome. Childrenunder 15 should be accompanied by an adult. Call 231-9566 forinformation.

East Bay Habitat for Humanity Open House: Saturday, April 24, 10 a.m.,370 105th Ave. Affordable housing available through Habitat’s home-ownership program. Join them at the open house or call 251-6304 forinformation.

Jazz Benefit for Bret Harte Youth Safety Council: Sunday April 25, 4:30 to7 p.m., World Ground Cafe.

Dimond NCPC (beat 22X): Monday, April 26, 7:30 p.m., upstairs meetingroom, Dimond Library, 3565 Fruitvale Ave. Contact Jim Hill, 530-6665.

sunny weather will break therest period, and the hillsideswill turn green almost over-night, and the buds burst onall that is dormant. Gardenersrealize that much time canbe made up by setting outnursery-grown plants.

“One of the most commonerrors made by gardeners isto buy a few each of manykinds of bedding plants toform an old-fashioned garden.This type of garden, whenproperly done on a plannedscale in which there is a tie-inbetween shrubs, perennials,biennials, and annuals to sup-ply color over a long period,can be very beautiful, espe-cially if the house is the typethat calls for this style of gar-den treatment. But on a smallscale, it is usually somewhatof a mess—not enough of anyone thing to make a showingor supply flowers in sufficientquantities for both gardeneffect and cutting.

“Every picture needs aframe,” Navlet continues,“to set it off, and so does agarden bed. The frame for agarden bed may be suppliedby plants such as boxwood,English border daisies, alys-sum, primroses, coral bells,border begonias, forget-me-nots, or pansies.

“For bedding effect,mainly, the following are inthe nurseries: Ajuga, which

pring is here! Time for gar-den growth to begin again.We have had many experts

on gardening to help us getstarted.

Arthur E. Navlet, well-known local nurseryman,wrote: “One thing is certain—every gardener will have tomake up for lost time. Muchdigging, soil preparation,spraying, and planting willhave to be done. Gardenersmust bear in mind that thecold spell brought about anenforced dormancy of unusualproportions which shouldresult in the finest crop ofspring-flowering shrubs andtrees we have had in a longtime. A week or so of balmy,

makes an excellent shadedborder plant or ground cover;sweet william, columbine,blue marguerite, and petunias;all types of flowers not gener-ally used for cuttings, exceptfor use in bowl arrangementsor when grouped in old-fashioned bouquets. Medium-to-tall growing flowers thatmake outstanding garden dis-plays when grown en masseand are excellent for cuttingsare calendula, coreopsis,stocks, Iceland poppies, lark-spur, and anemones. Mixedcolors make small beds looksmaller, and self-colors makesmall beds look larger.”

A Few Things to Do NowAs bulbs die back, leave thefoliage on the plants until ithas turned completely yellow.This allows the nutrients torestore themselves in the bulbitself. To give the bulb a jump-start on next year, feed themwith a complete liquid fertil-izer. You may want to tieup the leaves to keep thingslooking neat. Feed poinsettiaslightly with an acid food.Divide and repot African vio-lets. When soil is warm andworkable, plant seeds andnursery stock of flowers andvegetables.

For information on LeonaHeights Garden Club, call531-4860. We welcome newmembers.

MargeLaverty

Leona HeightsGarden Club Tip

of the Month

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Bret Harte/Joaquin Miller NCPC (beat 22Y): Tuesday, April 27, Bret Harte Middle School, 3700 Coolidge Ave.Contact Luqman, 482-8560, for time.

OngoingArts and Crafts and Theater Workshops for Children: Saturdays, 3 to 5 p.m., World Ground Café. 3-4 p.m. for5-to-8-year-olds, 4 to 5 p.m. for 9-to-12-year-olds; sponsored by the Mills College Outreach program. Arts andcrafts and theater on alternate weeks. Call 482-2933 for information and reservations (a must).

Jazz in the Java Spotlight: Sundays, 4 to 6 p.m., World Ground Café. Free.

America Reads: Mondays-Fridays, 2 to 5 p.m. Volunteer to teach second and third graders to learn to read, help withhomework, and lead enrichment activities. For more information, contact the East Bay Conservation Corps, 208-6171.

Library EventsFree Tax Assistance: through April 15, Tuesdays, 12:30 to 4:30 p.m., Fridays 1 to 5 p.m., Dimond Branch Library,3565 Fruitvale Ave. For information, call 482-7844.

Lawyers in the Library Program: 1st Tuesday, 6 to 8 p.m., Dimond Branch Library, 3565 Fruitvale Ave. Freedrop-in legal advice. Call 482-7844 for instructions.

The Laurel’sNewest Coffee House

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JAVA SpotlightPoetry Readings

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Live MusicJazz Every Sunday

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April 1999

*RepeatMoney Honeys

*Roussel Sargent

*Jean Quan & Floyd Huen*Douglas Ferguson

*Jacob Hart Interior Painting

*Katherine Dunne &Michael Vecchio

*Stan & Naomi Cohen

*Ellen Griffin & Brian Stein*Carol Lennox

*Jim Locke & Sandy Warren

*Dimond ImprovementAssociation

*Gary Delgado &Marcia Henry

*Karen Marie Schroeder

*Andretta Fowler

*Jim & Sandra Wright

*Zarka Popovic

Knud Danild

Phillip W. Wong & Lisa Lemus*Deborah Cooper

*Joan Dark

*Janet Broughton

*Fong Wing

*Betty & Robert Doty

*Jeff Kelley & Hung Liu*Mary Lee Peterson

*Diane Trost

*Richard & Linda Weinstein

*Oakland Veterinary Hospital

*Ruth Malone

Lydia Palmin & Tom Daly*Teresa Croce &Abelina Carmona

Stevan & Catalina Alvarado

Pat Sawanwatana/ Old WeangPing Village Restaurant

*Betsy Callaway*Richard Cowan

Support Net, Inc.

MacArthur &High Trailer Park

*Nancy & Chris Meyer

Stuart Richardson &Mailinh Dang Truong

Phillis Robbiano

*Ethel Sandal

Vic & Nancy Miloslavich

Bennet & ArlynChristophersonPamela Calvert& Helen Haugt

*P. Oliveri & F. Baer,Royal Hi Apartments

Phil & Kathy Caskey*William & Susan Bagnell

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

MONEYHONEYS

7

Special thanks to Money Hon-eys who doubled their dona-tions to take advantage of theMetro’s non-profit status.

This month marks thetenth year of unbroken Metropublication. You, our readersand advertisers, have pouredout money, encouragingwords, bright ideas for stories,and a steady interest in thisneighborhood voice of ours.

You have created the cli-mate that sparks our manyvolunteers to keep their halfof the bargain to get the local

By Toni Locke

news out to the public once amonth.

To thank you, the Board ofDirectors celebrates this tenthanniversary with a party atWorld Ground Café on Wed-nesday, April 14, 5 to 7 p.m.Printed invitations are out tothose who have worked on thepaper and kept it well and sol-vent. Chronicle columnist ChipJohnson will bring greetings

from the larger world of printjournalism. Invitees may re-spond to our voice mail, 287-2655, to aid the planners.

For me, ten years with theMetro offered the best possiblesolution to the trials of aging.Wonderful colleagues and anetwork of good neighbors ofall ages have kept me eager totackle the next issue, and thenext, and the next.

NCPC working on blightissues and hopes this col-laboration will improveresponse.

Mark May 1 and 2 onyour calendar and plan to at-tend the second Discover theLaurel Festival. Through thework of L-CAP, the Laurel/Redwood Heights NCPCand the Laurel Merchants’Association, many events areplanned for the weekend:Saturday morning a Kids’Expo will be held in the Hol-lywood Video parking lot,with a number of activitiesfocusing on care for the envi-ronment because the Festivalis held during Oakland’sGreen Month. For strollingshoppers, Laurel Merchantswill hold a sidewalk saleboth days.

Saturday night will offerdinner and live music at theChick’N’Coop and dinnerand comedy at Daniel’s PlaceRestaurant. The Mills Col-lege Players will also per-form Saturday night at theVictory Outreach Theater.Late Sunday afternoon,there will be a tea at WorldGround Café with a stringquartet.

Complete information onall activities will be posted atLaurel businesses later thismonth. Tickets for the Satur-day evening comedy, livemusic, or the play, or theSunday afternoon quartet areavailable through the L-CAPvoice mail at 986-9021.

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L-CAP NewsC O N T I N U E D F R O M P A G E 3

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

competes with native manroot.European white birches growalongside native alders, and foxsquirrels compete with nativewestern gray squirrels. Whilefollowing the trail alongside thecreek in Joaquin Miller Park andDimond Canyon, it can be easyto forget you are in the middleof urban Oakland. The delicioussmells of the forest floor, ofmosses and decaying leaves,pervade the air. Enormous baytrees bow out over the creek inwide arches, echoed in the linesof the Leimert Avenue Bridge.Black phoebes call to eachother and fly low over the wa-ter, catching insects. Down inthe water, backswimmers maketiny ripples in the water. Dam-selflies glint bright blue in the

torrent, the creek continues toflow through the geographiccenter of Oakland and carve itspath into the land and into his-tory. With a little help from itshuman neighbors and groupslike the Friends of Sausal Creek,it will do so for centuries to come.——————————————Excerpted from The Sausal CreekWatershed: A Cultural andNatural History——————————————The Friends of Sausal Creek, a citi-zens’ group of creek supporters,meets monthly to discuss plans topreserve and restore the creek. Thenext meeting is Wednesday, April21, 7 to 9 p.m., at the Dimond Li-brary. The next restoration workdayis Saturday, April 25, 9 a.m. tonoon, at Dimond Park. For moreinformation on the Friends ofSausal Creek, please contact AnneHayes of the Aquatic OutreachInstitute at (510) 231-9566.

filtered sunlight, and cliff swal-lows playfully circle and swoopabove the creek in Dimond Park.Brown towhees hop through theleaf litter just as they have donesince before the first humanslived here.

Like its watershed, SausalCreek has been transformed andaltered, but its integrity remainsintact. Whether welcomed as ababbling brook or feared andfought as a raging, unruly

8April 1998

Accounting for the County

The local media keep us up to dateon the doings of Oakland City offi-cials. Many citizens have venturedat least once into the Councilchambers to make their opinionsknown to those elected officials.At the national end of the scale,most voters are all too familiarwith what happens in the OvalOffice. Even the state capital getsattention. However, there’s an in-between layer of government thatseems much less visible: that of thecounty. I must admit to havingnever set foot inside the countyoffices at 1221 Oak. And I wasn’teven sure how many county super-visors there were. My ignorancehas been somewhat abated by avisit with Keith Carson, the FifthDistrict’s representative to theAlameda County Board of Super-visors since 1992.

Metro: Why do you thinkpeople are more aware of citygovernment than of countygovernment?

Carson: People historicallyassociate themselves with thelevel of government that isclosest to them. The media isresponsible for part of thatperception. However, whencitizens approach the city witha problem, they frequentlyfind out that it’s in an areathat’s handled by the county,not the city.

Metro: Such as . . . ?

Carson: A whole range ofprograms, such as health care,social services, probation,sheriff’s department, somelibraries, senior and veteranprograms. Most people areaware that their property taxesgo to the county. But whenever cont inued on page 4

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35th

Ave

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ve

Hwy 580

3033 MacArthur Blvd

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ORGANIC PRODUCE

NUTRITIONAL CONSULTANTON DUTY

WHOLE GRAIN BAKERY

HUNDREDS OF BULK HERBS,SPICES, GRAINS, FLOURS

Tae Kwon Dofor kids and adults

Get in Shapeand Build Self-Esteem!

Intro Special $19.95also offering Cardio Kickboxing

(1st class free)

Baker’s Martial Arts4226 Park Blvd. (upstairs)

510-482-2814

they vote, go to court, buy ahouse, obtain a marriage li-cense, or drive on several roadsand bridges, they are utilizingcounty services. Arguably, thecounty level of governmentis most pivotal to citizens’daily lives.

Metro: Would you like to seecounty services made morevisible?

Carson: Sure—in some cases.For the most part, the mediadoesn’t cover our weekly meet-ings, and we don’t even take amonth or more off in the sum-mer as the City Council does.But there are some hot issuescoming up, and maybe a lowerprofile is better.

Metro: What’s the hottest ofthose hot issues?

Carson: Probably the

B Y T R I S H W E S T

CO

URT

ESY

K EIT

H C

ARS

ON

Keith Carson.