City Council Seeks Input on Budget from Citizens

Oakland City Council to Host Town Hall Meetings
Community Input Sought on Fiscal Year 2010-11 Budget
as City Faces Significant Deficit

The Oakland City Council is hosting a series (3) of town hall-style meetings this month to solicit input from Oakland residents and businesses about how to close a $31.5 million budget deficit.

Wednesday, June 9, 7:00 - 9 p.m.
Glenview Elementary School
4215 La Cresta Avenue

Monday, June 14, 7:00 - 9 p.m. – East Oakland
Eastmont Substation
2651 73rd Avenue

Thursday, June 17, 7:00 - 9 p.m. – North Oakland
Peralta Elementary School
460 63rd Street

Open Studios This Weekend!

Hey all you art lovers out there, this is your weekend! There are almost 500 artists exhibiting their work throughout the East Bay for Open Studios. Wow!

With so much to choose from? Where to start?

Start at 204 Frisbie St. / corner of Fairmount. to pick up your Free Artist Directory to help you plan your East Bay Art adventure.



Plus we're featuring 3 artists in our space: Lanell Dike, Becky Jaffe and Scott D.S. Young. See what we've been up to!

And there are more HarriOak neighbors showing their work - check out:

Debra Jan Bibel (Map number 372)
Jane Barker (Map number 371)

Hope to see you this weekend for art + conversation from 11am to 6pm.

Neighborhood Art Show * May 21, 22 and 23

We're having another Art Show + Community event at 204 Frisbie St. (corner of Fairmount.) All are welcome to attend this free gathering (no drugs or alcohol.) Hope to see you there! All the details are below. We'll have live music too and art activities.

- Lanell

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Mirror Image: An Art Show about Body (Mis) Perceptions
May 21, 22 & 23, 2010
Curated by Becky Jaffe, Carrie-Andrea Kaye and Lanell Dike



Featuring 24 Artists! And live music, spoken word, art activities for kids & adults and of course, community + fun. The show is one weekend only: May 21, 22 and 23.

Show Schedule:



Friday, May 21
6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m
Show Opening, Performance piece by About Face & Live Music by Vanessa and Her Many Moons

Saturday, May 22
2:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.
Art Activities for kids/adults, Reading by Leroy Moore of Sins Invalid & Live Music by Waste Band and Ryan James

Sunday, May 23
1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m
Show Closing, Art Activities for kids/adults
Body Image Workshop from 1:30 to 3pm

Exhibiting artists:

Myles Boisen * Bruce Temuchin Brown * Mercy Calman * Carrel Crawford * G.M.M. Coghlan * Lauren Davis * Deanne Emmons * JJ Fryzel * Evert Grobbelaar * CJ Grossman * Maia Huang * Becky Jaffe * Molly Kate Taylor * Frank King * Abby Kojola * Matthew Kowalski * Linda Shanti McCabe * Courtney McCutcheon * Diane Rosenblum Althoff * Elisa Salasin * Michael Slack * Mollee Weaver * Gary Wilson * Scott D.S. Young

About Frisbie St.

Frisbie St. is an alternative art space in Oakland, CA for artists to exhibit their work and for the community to gather to enjoy and create art together. We host one-weekend shows to highlight emerging and innovative artists in solo and group Art Shows and monthly Art Days with fun, hands-on art activities for adults and kids.

Oakland Indie Awards this Friday!

This is a great event that happens every year in Oakland celebrating the Indie spirit of Artists and local businesses. Don't miss it. There will be tons of great food, music and art + everyone in Oakland. See you there!

Party - Friday May 14, 2010
5:30 - 9pm
Jack London Pavilion
98 Broadway, Oakland
(formerly Barnes & Noble)

Tickets On Sale Now: http://indieawards.eventbrite.com
$20 each
*Sponsorships for starving artists, entrepreneurs and others for whom ticket price is a barrier. Contact us for details.

Festivities
Tastings of Oakland Food, Wine, Beer, Tea, and more! Lots of veggie-friendly food options.
-Award Presentations
-DJ spinning all-Oakland tunes
-Displays from Unwrapped! vendor artists and businesses

More Details & Photos from Last Year
http://www.oaklandindieawards.com

Oakland Underground Film Series @ Jack London Square

Cool! Check out this new free film series at Jack London Square in Oakland. Located in the old Barnes & Noble store - now the Pavilion Theater.

Upcoming Film Schedule:

FRIDAY APRIL 23rd - Leading Local Talent, Filmmakers in attendance!
7:30PM: EVERYDAY BLACK MAN, dir. Carmen Madden, 2009
9:30 PM: A DAY LATE IN OAKLAND, dir. Zachary Stauffer, 2009, followed by
A LIFE TAKEN, dir. by Josh Banville, 2010

FRIDAY APRIL 30TH - Major Music: Sonic Youth & Kurt Cobain
7:00 PM: Special music guest JESSE MORRIS and THE MAN COUGARS
8:00 PM: SONIC YOUTH: SLEEPING NIGHTS AWAKE, dir. Michael Albright + Project Moonshine
9:30 PM: ABOUT A SON, dir. AJ Schnack

Location:
Jack London Square
Pavilion Theater (formerly Barnes & Noble)
98 Broadway, Oakland, CA

Keep Oakland Beautiful: Small Grant Program - Deadline, April 30

Keep Oakland Beautiful announces its Small Grant Program spring application period.

Now in its third year, the Small Grant Program happens every spring and fall. The program awards grants ranging from $200 to $500 for individuals, neighborhood groups, and organizations to use in undertaking highly-visible neighborhood improvement projects such as pocket park makeovers and cleanup and beautification of median and easement strips.

Deadline for the spring round of applications is April 30, 2010. For more details go to: Keep Oakland Beautiful.

String of burglaries in the neighborhood

Houses on Orange and Fairmount/Frisbie were burglarized on Wednesday evening. It appears someone is casing houses in our neighborhood.

Here is the report from a neighbor: "Someone parking her car heard my house alarm going off, and then saw three young
Af. Am. men run out of the side yard. She went to tell my neighbor what was up. Neighbor called the cops. It seems that someone is casing the houses as there are 3 of us in my house, and we left only for 1.5 hours that day. Someone had to be watching to see when we had all left. Another place around the corner on Fairmount was hit pretty quickly thereafter, same night. Not sure if anyone saw
who had done it. Cops told me. Let's watch out for one another."

Art Murmur Tonight!

Well, it's the night of indecision as you try to decide where to start your Art Murmur wanderings. There's a lot to see and fun to be had around Oakland tonight.

Ashley Jones has a new series of work showing at Mama Buzz (that's her painting above), Githinji Wa Mbire has some of his mixed media pieces on display as the Artist of the Month at Farley's East and you can see 25 artists at the Crucible's Cathedral Gallery (such a cool space on Broadway @ Telegraph) in a show called ‘Cast’ which highlights art utilizing the casting process.

And of course there are tons more! Walking or bike is the best way to get around so that you don't have to worry about parking. Have fun!

Help Save Oakland Arts

A Message from the Oakland Cultural Trust:

SAVE OAKLAND ARTS NOW! Stop the 50% Arts Cut!

The Council needs to hear from us again! The community prevailed when we raised our voices against similar cuts in October 2008. WE CAN DO IT AGAIN!

The Oakland City Council considers a 50% Cut to Oakland Arts at a special budget session on Thursday, April 1, 2010, 7pm. This is one move closer towards the elimination of the Cultural Funding Program, the long-established, competitive City program to provide arts and cultural services with attendance over 1.4 million.

3 STEP CALL TO ACTION:

1. Get the Word Out! FORWARD this alert to constituents, colleagues, students, friends, families, neighbors, friends-of-friends-- Cut & Paste this alert or Send Facebook Alert

2. CALL, EMAIL or WRITE your Council Member NOW! You can make the difference- Cut & Paste sample text or write your own message (See Sample below); Remain Positive and Respectful in your communications. We need the Council's support!

3. Be There April 1 at 7 pm! TAKE ACTION & MAKE A DIFFERENCE during the special City Council BUDGET MEETING at

City Hall, Sign-up for speaker cards at the meeting or in advance online -Agenda Item tba.

***Strategy & Info Meeting at Pro Arts, Tuesday, March 30, 6:30 pm 150 Frank H Ogawa Plaza at Oakland Art Gallery

Learn about public comment at Council, sign-up for a speaker card, review talking points, and get your message to Council!

What's at Stake: The City Council faces an unprecedented budget challenge. The additional proposed 50% cut to the Arts 1) is disproportionate to other City program cuts, 2) stands to cripple the arts sector, and 3) significantly reduces City tax revenues. Oakland is currently 13th in the nation for Arts Businesses per capita.

For every $1 the City invests in arts and culture, the City gets back $4 in fees, licenses and taxes. Nonprofit Arts in Oakland generate over $103 million in total gross annual economic activity and provide more than 5,000 jobs. The proposed cut means less revenue, more arts organizations closing their doors, loss of jobs and irreversible damage to the sector's infrastructure. The Arts are a means of economic investment and renewal for Oakland! STOP THE 50% ARTS CUT!

---

Supporting Documentation & Resources:

A. SAMPLE Letter/Email:
Dear Council Member ________________,
Oakland Arts are the means to Oakland's economic renewal and are fundamental to our quality of life. It has come to my attention that the City Council is considering a disastrous and disproportionate 50% cut to the Cultural Funding Program.
As a concerned citizen, I understand that difficult choices need to be made to ensure that essential services and infrastructure remain in place. I also understand that there are no easy solutions to our budget crisis. However, I believe a disproportionate cut to the arts exacerbates the crisis, cripples Oakland's nationally ranked arts sector, and undermines our economic competitiveness, the compassion within our communities, and our investment in our future. I call upon you to mitigate the Arts cuts through a lens of equity and proportionality. Thank you for your leadership in investing in a better Oakland.
Sincerely,

B. Council Contacts:
District 1, Jane Brunner, jbrunner@oaklandnet.com, (510) 238-7001;
District 2, Pat Kernighan,pkernighan@oaklandnet.com, (510) 238-7002;
District 3, Nancy Nadel, nnadel@oaklandnet.com, (510) 238-7003;
District 4, Jean Quan, jquan@oaklandnet.com, (510) 238-7004;
District 5, Ignacio de la Fuente. idelafuente@oaklandnet.com, (510) 238-7005;
District 6, Desley Brooks, dbrooks@oaklandnet.com, (510) 238-7006;
District 7, Larry Reid, lreid@oaklandnet.com, (510) 238-7007
At-Large, Rebecca Kaplan, rkaplan@oaklandnet.com (510) 238-7008

Not sure who your council member is? Click here to find out: http://gismaps.oaklandnet.com/councils/

C. Key Talking Points - Nonprofit Arts in Oakland:

• 13th in the nation for Arts Businesses per capita.
• Generates over $103 million in economic activity
• Provides more than 5,000 jobs.
• Produces more than $ 4 million in revenue to local government
• Arts funding is a Low Cost Investment with High Economic and Cultural Return
  
• Arts are a means of community and cultural development
• Art serves public safety, violence prevention and saves lives
  
• Arts education contributes to academic success and increased skill development for youth
  
• Art generates revenue; If the arts decline then other businesses decline in a ripple effect.
• Oakland benefits from one of the largest artist populations in the country
  
• Art Cuts = Bad press for the City and undermine national and regional marketing campaigns
  

Additional Resources and References available online: http://www.proartsgallery.org/oaklandCulturalTrust/artsAction20100401.php

---

Community Organizing is our best option for ensuring the survival and sustainability of Oakland Arts. Please forward this email to friends, colleagues and mailing lists; the arts have strength in numbers.

Thank you for your support,
Margo

Chair, Oakland Cultural Trust

Mission: The Oakland Cultural Trust advocates for a vibrant, safe and sustainable Oakland by policies and action that support and nurture the vitality of Oakland artists and cultural organizations. More Info: http://proartsgallery.org/oaklandCulturalTrust

Oakland Indie Awards! Nominate & Save the Date

OneCalifornia Foundation, in conjunction with East Bay Express are happy to invite you to the 4th Annual Oakland Indie Awards held Friday, May 14th at The Pavilion in Oakland's Jack London Square.

We hope you will save the date and that you will help us honor and celebrate Oakland businesses and artists by nominating them for an award.

Nominate by March 24
Nominate the Oakland businesses and artists that make a difference in our neighborhoods for categories like Oakland Soul, Ripple, Greenie, Innovator, and more!

Winners will be announced at the party - come help us celebrate! You'll get to taste Oakland wine, beer, chocolates, teas, baked goods, dips, sauces, tapas and so much more! Talk to hundreds of other Oakland lovers, and chill to Oakland tunes.


Party - Friday May 14, 2009
5:30 - 9pm
Jack London Pavillion
98 Broadway, Oakland
(formerly Barnes & Noble)

Citywide Earthquake Response Practice April 24

CORE, or Communities of Oakland Respond to Emergencies, is holding its annual exercise on April 24, 2010 from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. to give neighbors an opportunity to come together and practice responding to a disaster. The scenario for 2010 is based on a 7.0 magnitude quake on the Hayward Fault, centered in North Oakland.

If you are part of a HarriOak CORE group, or you'd like to take part in this exercise, please email harrioak@yahoo.com, or please respond in the comments. We'd like everyone who is interested to have a chance to participate.

You can find more information about the exercise on CORE's Web site.

Meet Mayoral Canidate Jean Quan

Naomi Schiff, James E. Vann and Iris Winogrond have been canvassing this morning in support of Jean Quan's bid for mayor. I tried to scan their flyer, but the results are not so great.

Here is the text:
Neighbors!
Join Us & Learn about Jean Quan's Run for Oakland Mayor in 2010

Wednesday, March 24, 7-8:30 p.m.
The Old Crow Tattoo
362 Grand Avenue

Jean knows Oakland from 20 years of public service and successful organizing as a parent, school board member and now council member. As Mayor, she will be accessible and organize our city block by block, school by school, neighborhood by neighborhood and kid by kid

Jean will work with you to:
* Be a true EDUCATION MAYOR -- the city's long-term success depends on better schools
* Prioritize PUBLIC SAFETY, community policing, schools and resident involvement to make our neighborhood thrive
* Promote JOBS and training for Oaklanders, incentives for SMALL BUSINESSES and AFFORDABLE HOUSING to invigorate our economy
* Encourage BALANCED DEVELOPMENT while maintaining the character of our neighborhoods and involve NEIGHBORHOOD ORGANIZATIONS in local planning decisions!
* Expand WILDFIRE PREVENTION and DISASTER PREPAREDNESS efforts; create a greener sustainable city

Join our neighborhood discussion with Jean Quan!
Volunteer and donate up to $700 to help elect Jean in 2010!
Can't make it? Learn about other upcoming events by contacting us below.
RSVP: Iris Winogrond at iwinogrond@yahoo.com 510-836-7547

jeanquanforoakland.org



Dear Neighbors

I am supporting Jean Quan for Oakland Mayor in 2010 because she's smart, tough, passionate about Oakland and gets real results through hard work.

Building community block by block, Jean Quan has served Oakland with integrity, a tenacious spirit to dig deep into the issues that are important to us, and unwavering dedication to our communities. Oakland needs a Mayor who trule understands our city, and Jean has been an active Oakland resident for over 30 years. She knows this city, and, most importantly, knows how to get things done ad make real change working together with our communities.

Please join us to hear how Jean Quan will make a difference in Oakland as our very first woman Mayor! She is not for sale, and wants to end backroom pay-to-play politcs in City Hall. Jean has always stood for equity and will develop policies that will benefit families, seniors, and young people in our city.

Come to this informal coffee with Jean to talk about the future of our neighborhood and city on Wednesday, March 24, 7-8:30 p.m. at The Old Crow Tattoo, 362 Grand Avenue. If you will join us, please RSVP to iwinogrond@yahoo.com. To learn more about Jean and her work, check out and subscribe to her acclaimed newsletter www.jeanquan.org.


Sincerely,

Naomi Schiff, James E. Vann, and Iris Winogrong

Chief Batts shares his vision for Oakland

OPD Strategic Plan

New Play at FCC

New Play

Message from OPD's Capt Toribio (head of our area)

"Our dispatch center is experiencing problems with the non-emergency line
(777-3333). The answering message citizens hear when the call is not
immediately answered is not working. The line will either keep ringing,
or there will be dead air.
"The call is still going through and it will be answered as soon as
possible. Please do not call 9-1-1 or the seven-digit emergency number
(777-3211) for non-emergency calls.
"The problem is expected to continue until tomorrow morning when the
system will be repaired."

Great Art + Fabulous Music too! Can you think of a better way to spend a Friday or Saturday night?

Hey HarriOak there is an Art Show this weekend in our neighborhood. Walking distance from your house - come on by.

We ordered clear skies, a full moon, compelling and thought-provoking art and amazing musicians to add sound to our art + community experience for the latest Frisbie St. Art Show: Illuminating Shadows.

We can’t promise the clear skies or that you will be able to see the full moon – but the art and music will be here for your enjoyment on Friday and Saturday nights. The show opens at 6pm on Friday and closes at 5pm on Sunday. Here’s the schedule:

Friday, Jan 29
6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m
Show Opening
Music by Zoe Boekbinder and Dakota Belle Witt

Saturday, Jan. 30
4:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.
Music by Cara Wick and Kim Lembo

Sunday, Jan. 31
1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m
Show Closing

Address: 204 Frisbie St./corner of Fairmount. For more information: www.frisbiest.com. Hope to see you there.

Free Events for the HarriOak Community

This is post for everyone in the HarriOak neighborhood - or anyone who wants to attend one of the free community events listed below.

All events will be held and hosted by the First Christian Church - 111 Fairmount Avenue (up the hill from the Grocery Outlet, at the corner of Fairmount and 29th.)

And if you're not religious, don't worry about proselytizing - the pastor, Sandhya Jha, is not focused on conversion but on creating inclusive community and peaceful, safe neighborhoods.

Plus, the church building is just cool. Built in 1928, it's 82 years old and full of Oakland history. Sandhya gave me a tour and there are fascinating stories and mysterious nooks and crannies.

Thursday, January 21, 7 PM: The Congregation: A Reader's Theater
Come to a dramatic reading of scenes from The Congregation, a new screenplay by Writer/Director Robert T. Fields. Enjoy the story of a typical (or not-so-typical) church wrestling with issues of judgment, compassion, family tension, and figuring out how to make love matter more than "keeping up appearances." Excerpts from the new screenplay will be "test run."

January 28, 7 PM: Community Movie Night!
Bring the family for popcorn, soda and a viewing of "The Garden," a documentary about a community garden in South Central Los Angeles. Afterwards, learn about People's Grocery and other efforts to "Green" our city!


February 4, 8 PM: PEACE TALKS: A spoken word event
Come for spoken word poetry on the theme of violence, peace, and the pursuit of a just and peace-filled city.

February 11, 7 PM: SAVING PARADISE: *How Christianity Traded Love of This World for Crucifixion and Empire* Hear internationally acclaimed author Rita Brock speak on her most recent book. "For a thousand years, Christians did not depict Jesus dead. Why not? And what happened that crucifixion eventually took center stage and became the core of Christian faith?"

Looking forward to seeing as many of you as possible!

Peace,
Sandhya Jha
Pastor

Click It and Fix It!

The New York Times has a story today about a local advocacy Web site called SeeClickFix.com that encourages folks to post complaints about issues that occur in their neighborhoods like graffiti or pot holes. The idea is the site will communicate with the appropriate agency on your behalf. I am not sure it is wise to depend on this site, which was started as a volunteer project (it has since raised investment money). But if you log your complaint and call one of the numbers for listed on the Harrioak.com sidebar, you are likely to get some action. (You can invite the city worker to respond to the complaint on the site, as soon as the problem is fixed!)

To start us off, I made a note about the styrofoam peanuts that were blanketing Oakland Avenue this morning. They apparently got dumped during routine garbage pickup. Unfortunately they are not only dirtying the street, they are rapidly being swept toward the storm drains that empty directly into Lake Merritt. I stuffed my pockets full of the foam peanuts this morning on the way to work, but I didn't have time to pick up them all. If other folks chip in, we can all help keep Lake Merritt clean and healthy.

Many mailing/packing facilities will accept and reuse styrofoam peanuts. You can also call Plastic Loose Fill Council at 1-800-828-2214 or visit StopWaste.org.

I