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November 30-December 6 Oakland Political & Community Events

Becks — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 15:58:19 +0000

Note: Due to the holidays, there are dozens of events happening in the next couple of weeks so I’m picking and choosing a bit. For a more complete list of Oakland holiday events, check out City Homestead’s comprehensive listing.

Tuesday, December 1st– AC Transit Community Open House for Revised Service Adjustment Proposal

Via Ride ACT: “On November 18, a Revised Service Adjustments Plan proposal was presented to the AC Transit Board of Directors. The modified plan restores nearly half of the service hours originally proposed to be cut. Many of the restored hours are in the form of increased frequency and operating hours. In some cases, significant routing revisions are proposed… The public is invited to a community open house to learn more about the revised plan and talk with AC Transit planners.” The open house will be held from 5:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. at AC Transit General Offices, 1600 Franklin Street, 2nd Floor Board Room. For background on AC Transit’s service adjustment planning process, read V Smoothe’s excellent post on the topic.

Tuesday, December 1st– Trivia Night at the Den

This Tuesday, Trivia Night returns to the Den, the Fox Theater’s bar. Compete each week in teams of 4 to win free drinks and free concert tickets. Categories include Current Events, Sports/Entertainment, Science/Geography, Music, Photo ID, and the Miscellaneous Round. Throughout December, winning teams will win tickets to Bay Area concerts. Trivia starts at 8pm and ends before BART or regular AC Transit lines stop running, at the Den, 1912 Telegraph. Find out more details at the Den’s website.

Wednesday, December 2nd – Peralta Chicano Latino Association Scholarship Reception

The Peralta Chicano Latino Association and the Host Committee requests your presence to assist them in raising funds to benefit deserving students at the four Peralta Colleges in need of financial support. This event will be held from 5:30-8:00pm at Cocina Poblana, 499 Embarcadero West. All Donations Welcome! No one will be turned away for lack of funds. Find more information and RSVP on Facebook.

Wednesday, December 2nd – Alameda County Democratic Central Committee Holiday Party

Please join the Alameda County Democratic Central Committee at our annual Holiday Party and Celebration. The Central Committee will be providing food and beverages and we ask you to please bring at least one canned food item to be donated to the Davis Street Community Center. The party takes place from 7-8:30 pm at the San Leandro Public Library 300 Estudillo Ave., San Leandro.

Thursday, December 3rd – Oakland City Holiday Tree Lighting

Join Mayor Dellums at City Square Plaza in the lighting of the city’s official Holiday Tree, visit Santa, listen to youth choirs and enjoy holiday treats. Then shuttle over to the Oakland Ice Center for a special holiday public skate. Bring a new unwrapped toy to contribute to the Mayor’s Toy Drive. The Tree Lighting Ceremony is co-sponsored by the Downtown Oakland and Lake Merritt/Uptown Business Districts, Shorenstein Realty Services and The City of Oakland. This event takes place in City Center, from 5-6:30pm.

Thursday, December 3rd – Montclair Village Holiday Stroll

Village merchants stay open to welcome shoppers and their families for a gala kick-off to the holiday season. The event features entertainment and refresments. Entertainment inclues Montera Middle School Choir, Arrival of Santa, Kids in Motion Face Painting, Piedmont High School Band, and the The Tap Dancing Trees. This event takes place from 6:00 PM – 9:00 PM on the streets of Montclair Village. For more info, visit the Montclair Village Association’s website.

Friday, December 4th – Jack London Square Lights Up for the Holidays

Jack London Square celebrates the holiday season with a very special preview of the Oakland Children’s Holiday Parade floats and costumed characters. At six o’clock watch as City Officials light up the skies with Oakland’s only waterfront holiday light installation and stay to listen to festive holiday music performed by the Oakland Symphony Chorus. Join KBLX with live music for the entire family. And let your kids get creative with Arts & Crafts presented by the Museum of Children’s Art. During this season of giving, don’t forget to bring non-perishable food donations to benefit the Alameda County Food Bank, and toy donations for the Mayor’s Community Toy Drive. This event takes place from 5:30-7:30pm at Jack London Square.

Friday, December 4th – Oakland Under $100

Oakland Under $100 is a show featuring affordable art made by local artists. In addition to art, there will be live music. This event promises to a lot of fun. This event will be held from 7pm -10pm at Temescal Art Center, 511 48th Street @ Telegraph. Please note that Temescal Art Center does not permit alcohol so this will be a dry event. This event is sponsored by Lanesplitter Pizza and Pubs. Fore info on the artists and musicians, visit the Facebook page.

Friday, December 4th – East Bay Bicycle Coalition’s Velo Wonderland Bike & Art Party

East Bay Bicycle Coalition’s holiday event, Velo Wonderland: Bike and Art Party provides an opportunity to celebrate with fellow cyclists. The party takes place the same night as Oakland’s First Fridays art walk, Art Murmur, and they’ll have bicycle-themed and recycled art curated by local artist Margo Rivera-Weiss. Enjoy snacks from Spice Monkey and beer from Linden Street Brewery. DJ Olga T will be spinning music all night long. They’ll have a pedi-cab on hand, so you can take a ride in style to nearby Art Murmur galleries. Admission is free, and everyone is welcome – bring a friend! The party takes place from 6-10pm at Uptown Body & Fender, 401 26th Street. For more info, visit EBBC’s website.

Saturday, December 5th – Oakland Holiday Parade

Every year, V Smoothe raves about the Oakland Holiday Parade, yet somehow I’ve still managed to miss it every year so I’m determined to go this year. The parade will be filled with floats, balloons, marching bands, and performance groups. The parade starts at 2:00 p.m. an runs from Broadway and 11th Street to 20th Street, to Harrison Street. For more info, visit the Oakland Holiday Parade website.

Saturday, December 5th – Lighted Yacht Parade

The Oakland Yacht Club and Encinal Yacht Club have organized a beautiful lighted yacht parade that will sail throughout the Oakland/Alameda estuary. Jack London Square provides excellent viewing areas and restaurants to watch this magnificent holiday attraction. Special performance by the Oakland Symphony Chorus will begin at 5:30PM and the event runs until 9pm.

Saturday & Sunday, December 5th & 6th – Jingletown Holiday Art Walk

This holiday open studios will highlight the work of more than 35 artists who live and/or work in the area known as Jingletown, which is situated between the Park and Fruitvale Street bridges bordered by the estuary separating Oakland from the island of Alameda. Among other notable artistic enterprises, Jingletown is the location of the Institute of Mosaic Art and Float Gallery, as well as studios of many other renowned artists who are living and working in one of the most established artist warehouse districts in Oakland. In a time when our neighborhood is changing dramatically, the goal of the Jingletown Arts and Business Community is to heighten awareness about the rich and diverse population of working and exhibiting artists and the creative opportunities in the Jingletown Arts District. The art walk will take place from 11am-6pm throughout Jingletown. For more info on participating artists and a map of the art walk, visit the Jingletown Arts & Business Community website.

Posted in Activism, Art, Community, Entertainment, Food, Music, Oakland, Politics, Public Transit Tagged: AC Transit, Alameda County Democratic Central Committee, East Bay Bicycle Coalition, Holiday Tree Lighting, Jack London Square, Jingletown, Lighted Yacht Parade, Montclair, Oakland Holiday Parade, Peralta Chicano Latino Association, The Den

October 26-November 1 Oakland Political & Community Events

Becks — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 22:46:38 +0000

Tuesday, October 27th – Walk Oakland Bike Oakland Meeting

You may not have thought about it this way, but walking and biking are climate action! Attend WOBO’s October Volunteer Meeting this Tuesday night to discuss opportunities for advancing walking and biking within Oakland’s Energy and Climate Action Plan. The discussion will be led by WOBO Board President Carli Paine.This meeting will be held from 6:30-8:30 pm at Bay Area Wilderness Training, 2301 Broadway, Suite B – enter on 23rd Street. For more info, visit WOBO’s website. (Note that in November, WOBO will change its meeting date to the 4th Thursday of the month, which lands on November 19th.)

Tuesday, October 27th – Sierra Club Meeting on Oakland Energy & Climate Action Plan

Sierra Club East Bay energy activists are holding a meeting for Club members interested in learning more about the Oakland Climate Action Plan and how to advocate for real change that will make Oakland a climate leader. Be a part of the team that will make Oakland a leader in the green economy. The meeting will start at 6:30pm at the Temescal Branch, Oakland Public Library, 5205 Telegraph Ave., at 52nd Street. Contact: Al Weinrub, (510) 531-6692, or al [dot] weinrub [at] comcast [dot] net for further information.

Tuesday, October 27th – San Leandro Community Forum on Bus Rapid Transit

San Leandro will be holding several community meetings over the next few weeks to discuss AC Transt’s bus rapid transit (BRT) project. Though these meetings will be focused on the San Leandro segment, since Oakland’s community meetings have not yet been scheduled, this will be a great chance for Oaklanders to learn more about the project. At the upcoming San Leandro meetings, AC Transit will provide detailed information on the San Leandro draft plan for BRT and collect feedback to present to policy makers. Light refreshments will be provided and there will be a drawing for free AC Transit bus tickets. The meeting will be held from 6:30 – 8:30 pm, with the presentation at 7, at Bayfair Mall, Second floor, near center escalator, 15555 E. 14th Street. The mall is very easily accessible by the 1/1R or the Bayfair BART station.

Thursday, October 29th – Uptown Masquerade Bash

Uptown Masquerade Bash is a great opportunity to support Oakland’s newly restored Fox Theater. This is a benefit event with proceeds going to Friends of the Oakland Fox, who advocate and support the historic preservation of the Fox Theater, as well as proceeds supporting The East Bay Emergency Relief efforts. The event will be an evening of live music, dancing, drinks, food and festivities. Come in costume or purchase a mask at the venue and dance the night away. The event takes place from 7:30pm-midnight at the Fox Theater, 1807 Telegraph Avenue. General Admission: $20; VIP: $100. Find out more info and RSVP on Facebook.

Friday, October 30th – Roll Up Bike Joust IV

The first Roll Up bike joust took place October 18th, 2008. Since then Roll Up has had 2 more. So this is going to be the 4th Bike Joust we’ve had in the streets of East Oakland, outside The Roll Up bike shop. Grand prizes for the competitors, as well as raffles and prizes for spectators, 2 varieties of tall bike jousting, unicycle olympics, explosions, and more. The event takes place from 8pm-2am outside of Roll Up, 4401 San Leandro Street. Find out more and RSVP on Facebook.

Saturday, October 31st – 23rd Annual Piedmont Avenue Halloween Celebration

Join the Piedmont Avenue Merchants Association on Saturday, October 31 for a family friendly Halloween celebration. Activities throughout the day include a parade at 11am, a pumpkin carving contest hosted by Oaklandish, music, and a pet costume contest. The event takes place on Piedmont Avenue from 9:45am-3:30pm. Visit the Merchants Association website for more details and the full event schedule.
Sunday, November 1st - Fruitvale Dia De Los Muertos

Dia de Los Muertos (Day of the Dead) is a one-day celebration of ancestors, deceased loved ones and community. This year’s commemoration of “Celebrating the Spirit of Community” will be a gigantic event loaded with activities and displays for the entire family to enjoy! You will be able to view altar making, an interactive display and traditional ceremonies presented in partnership with the Oakland Museum of CA. Over 25 sacred artist and community altars will be displayed, and traditional music can be enjoyed in the area around the Fruitvale Village. The BART parking area will be transformed into a vibrant “Plaza Musical.” In the Plaza, Oakland Parks and Recreation will offer children’s activities; in addition, Fun n’ Games rides, retail vendors and tasty ethnic foods will be available. International Boulevard will be filled with arts and craft vendors that will offer Dia de Los Muertos and other ethnic merchandise. This eclectic Day of the Dead celebration is a safe, family oriented, non-alcoholic event that is FREE to the public. The event will take place from 10:00 am-5:00 pm along International Boulevard between Fruitvale and 35th Avenues and will be expanded to the area around the Fruitvale Plaza and down 12th Street to 37th Avenue. For more info, visit Councilmember Ignacio De La Fuente’s website.

Posted in Activism, Art, Community, Entertainment, Environmentalism, Food, Music, Oakland, Public Transit, Urban Planning Tagged: BRT, Climate Action Plan, Dia De Los Muertos, Fox Theater, Fruitvale, Halloween, Piedmont, San Leandro, Sierra Club, Uptown Masquerade Bash, Walk Oakland Bike Oakland

October 19-25 Oakland Political & Community Events

Becks — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 23:03:50 +0000

Tuesday, October 20th – Oakland City Council Meeting

Woo! The Council has been having a series of long and intense meetings since recess, and this week’s meeting looks like it will follow in that pattern. First, the Council will swear in Police Chief Anthony Batts. Then, among other items, they’ll be receiving an update on the municipal ID card program, voting on amendments to the MOU with the Oakland Police Officers Association, discussing new business incentives, receiving an update on H1N1 prevention, and, believe it or not, discussing parking again. Both items were introduced by Pat Kernighan – one seeks to make enforcement of the violation of parking in the wrong direction on narrow streets the lowest enforcement priority, while the other seeks to explore increasing time limits at meters in certain parts of the City. See the full meeting agenda and check out my post about how to watch and understand City Council meetings if you need some guidance on how or where to view the meeting. The non-ceremonial parts of the meeting start at 7pm in the Council Chambers in City Hall, 1 Frank Ogawa Plaza.

Tuesday, October 20th – 40th St Bikeway/MacArthur BART Bicycle Access Improvements Community Meeting

The City of Oakland is seeking to improve bicycle access to MacArthur BART between Piedmont Ave, Kaiser Hospital, and Emeryville. The current recommendations include a proposal to add bicycle lanes on 40th St by narrowing the median from Yerba Buena Ave to Martin Luther King, Jr Wy and from Telegraph Ave to Webster St. There are also complimentary recommendations for 41St St and W MacArthur Blvd. City Staff have worked very hard to come up with these recommendations that will narrow some of the street medians, maintain the number of car travel lanes and parking spots, add bike lanes and enhance street greenery. Organized by the Longfellow neighbors, Tuesday’s meeting will focus entirely on the proposed project, including next steps in working with the community. The meeting will be held from 7-9pm at the North Oakland Community Charter School, 1000 42nd St at Linden St. Jason Patton, the Bicycle and Pedestrian Program Manager for the City of Oakland will be presenting the city’s proposed plans. You can find more details about this project at the City’s website.

Tuesday, October 20th– Free Urban Bicycle Safety Class

This class, hosted by the East Bay Bicycle Coalition, consists of a 3.5 hour Traffic Safety 101 Classroom workshop (formerly Day One Street Skills) and a 6.5 hour Traffic Safety 101 Road Class (formerly known as Day Two Road I class) of on-bike instruction. We encourage you to take both Day One and Day Two and to entice you to do so, we’ll give you a free front/back bike light upon completing the class. If, however, your time is limited, sign up for a Day One class. You can always take a Day Two class later. The class will take place from 6-9:30 pm at Kaiser Medical Center, 3801 Howe St, Fabiola Building Room G65B. Register online at: www.ebbc.org/safety.

Wednesday, October 21st – Laurel Outdoor Movie Night on the Patio

Oakland Food Connection and Trattoria Laurellinos welcome the return of the Laurel Outdoor Movie Night on the Patio. This month they will be featuring a great food justice documentary entitled FOOD FIGHT! A film by Chris Taylor, the documentary discusses how industrialized agribusiness is taking over the American food system and how grassroots organizations and community groups are working to change that. After the film there will be a brief discussion with members of Oakland Food Connection and California Food and Justice Coalition. The event will be held from 7-10pm at Trattoria Laurellinos, 4171 Macarthur Blvd. Popcorn and refreshments will be provided. Suggested Donation of $5.

Wednesday, October 21st – NAPAWF BENEFIT for Disaster Relief Efforts

Please join the National Asian Pacific American Women’s Forum, NAPAWF Bay Area for the Bay Area relief efforts to support the people of Indonesia, Philippines, Samoa, Vietnam, and areas that have been affected by the recent earthquakes and typhoons.Typhoon Ondoy hit the Philippines with severe rains and flooding Sept. 26, followed by Super Typhoon Parma Oct. 2. These two storms left major damage to the region’s infrastructure and the increased flooding is expected to breech dams already at overflow capacity. In Indonesia, more than 80 percent of the local structures including schools, hospitals, local buildings and shops have been destroyed. Cumulatively, the typhoons have killed more than 3,000 people and injured thousands in calamity affected areas. Communities all around the country are standing in solidarity for our brothers and sisters who are still in the struggle for adequate shelter, food, water, and family reunification. A generous sponsor has agreed to match total proceeds for the night so please bring your friends, colleagues, and community. The benefit will be held from 5:30-9:00pm at Somar, 1727 Telegraph Avenue. Find more details and RSVP on Facebook.

Thursday, October 22nd – San Leandro Community Forum on Bus Rapid Transit

San Leandro will be holding several community meetings over the next few weeks to discuss AC Transt’s bus rapid transit (BRT) project. Though these meetings will be focused on the San Leandro segment, since Oakland’s community meetings have not yet been scheduled, this will be a great chance for Oaklanders to learn more about the project. At the upcoming San Leandro meetings, AC Transit will provide detailed information on the San Leandro draft plan for BRT and collect feedback to present to policy makers. Light refreshments will be provided and there will be a drawing for free AC Transit bus tickets. The meeting will be held from 6:30 – 8:30 pm, with the presentation at 7, at San Leandro Public Library, 300 Estudillo Avenue. The library is very easily accessible by the 1/1R or the San Leandro BART station.

Saturday, October 24th – BEAST Bloggers Camp

Get together with other East Bay bloggers for a day of workshops, meetups, and talk. Learn hands-on skills with multimedia, talk about growing your community, and ponder making money. This day-long meet up for new and experienced bloggers will feature time to mingle and hang out, but also offer practical, hands-on workshops including:

Investigative Reporting basics
Using a FlipCam and adding more video to your site
Making more money from your blog (case studies/strategies that work)
Getting started with Blogging
Adding photography to your site through other social media outlets (e.g. Flickr)
Local Blogger Directory and Discovery (share what your neighbors are doing)
Drupal vs. WordPress technology discussion

The camp will be held from 10am-5pm at at TechLiminal, 268 14th Street in downtown Oakland. Registration is $10 and you can register online.

Sunday, October 25th - Oakland Civic Orchestra Free Concert

The Oakland Civic Orchestra opens its 2009-2010 season with Concert Romantique at a free concert. The program includes Vieuxtemps’ Violin Concerto No 5 in A Minor, featuring guest soloist Alina Ming-Kobialka, a finalist in the Oakland-East Bay Symphony Young Artist Concerto Competition; Bizet’s L’Alesinne Suite No 2; and Berlioz’s Love Scene & Queen Mab from Romeo & Juliet. The concert will be held at 4pm at at the Lake Merritt United Methodist Church, 1330 Lakeshore Avenue. Admission is free. For details, call 238-7275 or check out their website.

Posted in Activism, City Council, Community, Entertainment, Environmentalism, Food, Music, Oakland, Politics, Public Transit, Urban Planning Tagged: 40th Street bikeway, AC Transit, Anthony Batts, BEAST Bloggers Camp, BRT, East Bay Bicycle Coalition, municipal ID cards, National Asian Pacific American Women's Forum, Oakland Civic Orchestra, Oakland Food Connection, parking, San Leandro

October 12-18 Oakland Political & Community Events

Becks — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 21:50:06 +0000

Tuesday, October 13th – Final Vote on EBMUD Water Supply Management Plan 2040

Via EBMUD Director Andy Katz: “The EBMUD Board of Directors will consider adopting the Water Supply Management Plan 2040 to meet our water needs over the next 30 years on Tuesday afternoon, October 13. While the Plan includes increased water conservation programs, recycled water projects, rationing during worst-case droughts, securing water transfers and groundwater storage, it also includes desalination, and expanding Pardee reservoir with a new dam. The proposal to expand Pardee Reservior would flood 1200 acres, including nearly three miles of riparian and scenic stretch of the Mokelumne River that is used for whitewater recreation and fishing. I support managing our water supply relying on groundwater storage, recycled water, rationing at 15% in severe worst-case droughts, and increased investment in conservation programs to avoid the environmental impacts of a new dam that would destroy our natural resources. Public involvement is essential to achieving an environmentally responsible water plan that reflects the values of our community.” The Board of Directors meeting will be held at 1:15pm on the 2nd floor of 375 11th St., Oakland. For additional info, visit EBMUD’s website.

POSTPONED – Tuesday, October 13th 20th – Taste of Temescal

This event has been postponed until next week due to expected heavy rain and wind.

Twenty-one of Temescal’s best restaurants are offering a taste from their menus. Visit Dona Tomas, Pizzaiolo, Barlata, Burma Superstar, Mixing Bowl, Bakesale Betty, Lanesplitters and many more all while supporting Good Cents for Oakland, Emerson Elementary School, Claremont Middle School and Women’s Cancer Resource Center. Tickets are $25 for adults and children 12 and over. The event will be held from 6-8:30pm on Telegraph between 40th and 51st Streets. For details and tickets, visit the Temescal District website.

Wednesday, October 14th – AC Transit Board Meeting on Service Cuts & BRT Funding Swap

Ugh, I really wish i could make it to this meeting because it’s incredibly important. The AC Transit Board will be discussing the delay of service cuts and will be receiving an update on discussions with MTC regarding potential the shift of capital BRT funds to operating funds. If you haven’t been following this issue, check out V Smoothe’s two thorough posts about it. The Board will also be voting on a resolution to buy American (I’m sure this will make Joyce Roy and the rest of the Van Hool haters happy) and a resolution approving a collective bargaining agreement with the Amalgamated Transit Union 192. This meeting will take place at 6pm in the 2nd floor board room, 1600 Franklin Street. You can read the agenda and see the relevant memos here. If you plan to attend and would like to write a guest post about the meeting, please contact me at oaklandbecks at gmail dot com.Wednesday, October 14th – East Bay Democracy for America Meetup

At their October meeting, Democracy for America will be focusing on water issues and update the group on the public option. From DFA: “Get an update on the status of the Delta’s water. While an effort to hand control over Governor Schwarzenegger and his cronies was thwarted, there is still a possibility of it happening while broader issues regarding the water in the state of California could be impacted during the on going budget crisis. Assemblyperson Nancy Skinner, chair of the Assembly Natural Resources Committee, will talk about how she views water resources in California and what role her committee should play in making decisions about those resources. We’ll also hear about EBMUD’s efforts to meet our water needs in increasingly dry years. There are dam issues, water allocations and conservation measures that face EBMUD this year.” The meeting will be held at 6:30 at the Rockridge Library, 5366 College Avenue. RSVP here.

Thursday, October 15th - Women of the Black Panther Party and Beyond

The Main Library will put on a one-day exhibit, Women of the Black Panther Party and Beyond. This exhibit will celebrate the women of the Black Panther Party with photos, art and a short film honoring their service to the community, leadership, and vision. Hear the experiences of women fighting to uplift the community. The exhibit will be up from 2 to 8 pm, with the program starting at 5:30 pm. The Main Library is at 125 14th St. The event will take place downstairs in the West Auditorium.

Thursday, October 15th – Oakland Sierra Club Mixer & Activist Social Event

Join local members of the Sierra Club’s Northern Alameda County (NAC) Group for a fun evening in the Fruitvale transit center. They will be socializing and introducing some of our priority campaigns. Connect with other folks in the environmental community, including CBE, Transform, and other organizations. Find out how you can get active in your community! The event will be held from 6:30-8:30 at Mar Y Tierra Restaurant at the Fruitvale Village, 3411 E. 12th St. (ground floor). Directions: Take BART to Fruitvale station, exit and walk into the Transit Village. The restaurant should be on your left (downtown Oakland side). Look for signs. Contact: Kent Lewandowski, (510) 625-5831, or kentlewan [at] yahoo [dot] com.

Thursday, October 15th – Oakland Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee Meeting

Oakland’s Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee (BPAC) meets monthly to discusses bicycle and pedestrian issues. This month’s agenda covers updated criteria for prioritizing stair and pathway remediation, the 38th & 40th Street bikeways, and new bicycle parking rack guidelines. The BPAC is extremely inclusive – any Oakland resident who attends three consecutive meetings becomes a voting member of the committee – so if you’re interested in bike and ped issues, you should consider attending. The BPAC will be meeting from 5:30-7:30pm in Hearing Room 4 of City Hall, 1 Frank Ogawa Plaza.

Friday, October 16th – Pacific Coast Brewery 21st Anniversary Block Party

Celebrate Pacific Coast Brewery’s 21st anniversary with beer and music in the street. This event takes place from 5-11pm on Washington Street between 9th and 10th in Old Oakland. Find out more info at Pacific Coast Brewery’s website.

Saturday, October 17 - Oakland Kidical Mass

Walk Oakland Bike Oakland invites you to participate in a social ride for anyone interested in a kid-friendly, mellow bike ride, where you’ll get to know others who move their families around Oakland by bike. Children under 18 should be accompanied by an adult to participate. Ride meets at Frog Park (Hardy St. & Claremont Ave) from 10-10:30am with expected departure about 10:45am. Destination is Lake Shore Park. Ride is about 3 miles – expect a leisurely pace and relaxed atmosphere.

Saturday, October 17th - Linden Street Brewery Brats & Beer

Via Oaklandish: “Join us at Linden Street Brewery for a great party that benefits the Rotary Club of Oakland and Bay Area Community Services (B.A.C.S.) Come through to eat and drink for a cause! This event is Saturday, October 17th, 12:00-5:00pm at Linden St. Brewery (#8 Linden St. @ 3rd St.). There is no cover charge, and this is a family-friendly event. There will be a free shuttle from West Oakland BART and valet bicycle parking.” For more information, visit Linden Street’s website.

Saturday, October 17th - The Black Panther Film Fest

The West Oakland Branch of the library and It’s about Time presents the Black Panther Film Fest. Three films will be screened: Legacy of Torture: The War Against The Black Liberation Movement; Merritt College: Home of the Black Panthers; and Lord of the Revolution. Films screen from 1 to 5 pm at the West Oakland Branch, 1801 Adeline Street.

Saturday, October 17th - Reflect. Honor. Prepare – Commemorating the 20th Anniversary of the Loma Prieta Earthquake

Via Jean Quan’s newsletter: “Our office will be joining many other organizations at an emergency preparedness fair and commemoration of the Loma Prieta Earthquake in 1989. Free raffle for 100 earthquake preparedness kits. Free blood pressure checks. Remembrance ceremony at 5:04 pm honoring those who lost their lives in the collapse of the Cypress Freeway during the Loma Prieta earthquake on October 17, 1989.” This event will be held from 3-5:30 pm at Cypress Freeway Memorial Park, Mandela Parkway at 14th Street.

Sunday, October 18th - Reviving Oakland’s Main Street: Greenbelt Alliance and Sierra Club Urban Walk

Stroll along Broadway with members of Greenbelt Alliance and the Northern Alameda County Group of the Sierra Club. They’ll look at the area along Broadway St. between 23rd Street and I-580. The city hopes to attract more retail here, creating a thriving new shopping district for Oakland residents and others. During the event, they’ll discuss the opportunities and constraints in welcoming sustainable development to the area, share news about the Project Alternatives, and provide ways to get involved. The walk will take place from 1-3pm – meet at 27th & Broadway, near the First Presbyterian Church (meet in front of the church). Contact: Joanna Winchester, (202) 725-6513, or joannawinchester [at] gmail [dot] com.

Posted in Activism, Art, Community, East Bay, Entertainment, Environmentalism, Food, Music, Oakland, Politics, Public Transit, Urban Planning Tagged: Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee, Black Panthers, Democracy for America, EBMUD, Greenbelt Alliance, Kidical Mass, library, Linden Street Brewery, Loma Prieta earthquake, Nancy Skinner, Pacific Coast Brewery, Sierra Club, Temescal, Walk Oakland Bike Oakland

October 5-11 Oakland Political & Community Events

Becks — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 14:11:49 +0000

Monday, October 5th – Commercial/Corridors Technical Advisory Group Meeting

Thus far, the TAG has reviewed a framework for ten new zoning districts for the City’s corridors and commercial. The TAG has also reviewed detailed activity tables and design regulations for each of the proposed zones and a framework for appropriate height limits. At this TAG meeting, staff will present a conceptual map showing the proposed location of these new zones and a methodology for determining the location of the different height areas. The next meeting will be devoted to a discussion of a proposed map of height areas. The meeting will be held from 6-8 p.m. in City Hall, 1 Frank Ogawa Plaza, in Hearing Room 4 (this is on the 2nd floor). For more information, visit the Zoning Update website.

Monday, October 5th – Title IX: Gender Equity in Sports & Educational Programs 37 Years Later, We Still Have a Way to Go

Diane Milutinovich had served as a coach and athletics administrator at California State University Fresno for 22 years when she was told her position was being eliminated due to budgetary reasons. Yet in the next 2 years, the university’s athletics budget went up $2 million, and they added 17 new positions. Spending per male athlete went up $17,000; for female athletes, $8! It took 5 years, but she won her gender discrimination lawsuit. Diane will share her experience and paint a broad picture of the state of compliance today. While she will focus mainly on sports programs, she will also discuss the other areas Title IX covers including admission to universities, sexual harassment, and discrimination due to pregnancy or marital status. This event takes place from6-7:30pm at Buttercup Grill, 229 Broadway at 3rd Street. The event is sponsored by the National Women’s Political Caucus.

Tuesday, October 6th – Oakland City Council Meeting

After the last Council meeting, I posted a poll asking if you’d like to see more in depth coverage of Council meetings either before or after them. More than half of you said you’d like to see coverage before, so I’m going to start that feature tomorrow or Tuesday and will cover the full Council agenda in depth. But so you can plan, the two most contentious items of the night are the rollback of parking meter hours to 6pm and a resolution opposing the Oakland Airport Connector. It should be a very long night again for the Council. See the full meeting agenda and check out my post about how to watch and understand City Council meetings if you need some guidance on how or where to view the meeting. The non-ceremonial parts of the meeting start at 7pm in the Council Chambers in City Hall, 1 Frank Ogawa Plaza.

Wednesday, October 7 – Alameda County Democratic Central Committee Meeting

Every month, the Central Committee meets to discuss party business and to make plans for the future of the Democratic Party in Alameda County. This month’s program sounds extremely interesting and informative – “Eye on Alameda County Water Boards” featuring Andy Katz from EBMUD and Marty Koller from Alameda County Water District. If you’re interested in getting involved with the Democratic Party, this is a great way to do so. The meeting will be held from 7-9pm in the San Leandro Main Library, Dave Karp Room, 300 Estudillo Ave., San Leandro, CA 94577.

Thursday, October 8th - Rebecca Kaplan’s Birthday Party

Celebrate Councilmember Rebecca Kaplan’s birthday! Join us for a “happy hour’ reception (with great food and birthday cake) to celebrate Rebecca’s 39th birthday! Socializing, fun people, and time to share in the events of the past year, and hear about Rebecca’s plans for the coming year. The party takes place from 5pm – 7pm atJoyce Gordon Gallery, 406 14th Street (Next to Geoffrey’s Inner Circle), near the corner of Broadway and 14th st in downtown Oakland. Suggested contribution, sliding scale $390 – $39. Visit Rebecca’s website to contribute, or to RSVP, contact Earp Events & Fundraising at 510-839-3100 or laurie@earpevents.com.

Thursday, October 8th – Mix It Up East Bay

Join us for a monthly happy hour bringing together young activists, organizers and leaders in the East Bay. The challenges of foster and former foster youth impact communities across the Bay Area. Come out and hear (brief) presentations on the range of local work supporting foster and former foster youth by:

Letitia Henderson-Souza, Casey Family Programs
Kevin Bristow, Renaissance Scholars Program, Cal State University East Bay
Reed Connell, Alameda County Foster Youth Alliance

Mix It Up East Bay is held every 2nd Thursday of the month from 6-9pm at Shashamane at 2507 Broadway. It’s accessible by 19th Street BART station or by AC Transit lines 1/1R, 51, 59.

Thursday-Sunday, October 8th-11th - Big Sale at Bookmark Bookstore

The Bookmark Bookstore, operated by the Friends of the Oakland Public Library, will have its 30% off fall sale October 8 – 11, 2009 (Thursday – Sunday). The Bookmark will be open from 10:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. each day this sale is happening. The Bookmark is open Monday through Friday from 10:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., Saturday from 10:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. The Bookmark is located at 721 Washington St in Old Oakland. When you shop the Bookmark, you are supporting the Oakland Public Library! Call 510-444-0473 for more information, or visit the Friends online.

Friday, October 9th – Special Landmarks Preservation Advisory Board Meeting

LPAB is holding a special meeting this Friday to discuss a proposal to “Develop more restrictive Demolition Findings based on Historic Preservation Element.” This is the first step to address demolition findings that along with view corridors were omitted from the recent passage of the downtown Oakland Zoning Update rules. The meeting will be held at 5pm in City Hall, 1 Frank Ogawa Plaza, Hearing Room 2.

Friday, October 9th – Estuary Art Attack

First Fridays are not the only day of the month to check out art galleries. Jingle Town and Alameda artists have joined together to start the Estuary Art Attack, a monthly event held on second Fridays to showcase the area’s galleries, restaurants, and bars. The Art Attack will be held from 6-9 pm throughout Jingle Town and Alameda. Check out their website for more details.

Saturday, October 10th - Oaktoberfest

Oakland’s Dimond District hosts this one-of-a-kind Fall Festival, welcoming thousands with entertainment, arts, and ecology. The Dimond continues a tradition as an entertainment destination, begun in the early 1900’s when Beer Gardens and German vacation resorts lined the boulevard. Oaktoberfest will bring world-class beer to the giant tented beer hall, serving steins of traditional German flavors regional brew pub favorites. Highlighting this years festival will be a traditional Biergarten, the Eco Fair, a Kid’s Area with Root Biergarten, a homebrew competition, and vendors from around the Bay. Celebrate Oktoberfest, Oakland style, in the Dimond at Fruitvale and MacArthur. The festival takes place from 11am-6pm on MacArthur Blvd. at Fruitvale Avenue. Visit the Oaktoberfest website for more information.

Saturday, October 10th - Life is Living Festival & 3rd Annual Estria Invitational Graffiti Battle

Life is Living is a FREE concert and caucus to affirm urban life through hip hop, intergenerational health, and environmental action. Activities will include a concert featuring Phroahe Monch, Kev Choice and Linda Tillery and the Cultural Heritage Choir, Mighty 4 B-Boy Battle,the 3rd Annual Estria Invitational Graffiti Battle, youth town hall on health care sponsored by President Obama’s non-profit wing, Organizing for America, the Official opening of Town Park featuring Hood Games, a Skate and Bike competition, environmental Service Learning project with The Natural Builders, writing, visual Art and fashion Workshops, health screening for elders, healthy food/ healthy planet models presented by the Oakland Food Connection, City Slicker Farms, Food and Water Watch, and The People’s Grocery, and much, much more. The festival takes place from 11am-5pm at deFremery Park, 1651 Adeline St. For more info and to RSVP, see the event’s Facebook page.

Saturday, October 10th - Jane Brunner’s October Community Advisory Meeting: Meet Oakland’s New Chief of Police

This Saturday, Council President Jane Brunner will be introducing Oakland’s new police chief, Anthony Batts, to Oaklanders and he will be there to answer your questions. This meeting will be held from 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 noon at Peralta Elementary School, 460 63rd Street. To learn more, call 238-7001.

Sunday, October 11th - Sundays in the Redwoods – Ledisi

This free concert features Ledisi. Bring sunscreen, hats and water– it can get very hot in the sun. Gates open at 1:30– concerts start at Woodminster Amphitheater in Joaquin Miller Park, 3300 Joaquin Miller Road. To reserve a picnic table, contact Renee Tucker at 238-4720. Find more info at the Sundays in the Redwoods website.

After a two month long recess, the Council is back in action this week and this first meeting is full of important and contentious issues. Among many other items, the Council will discuss and vote on an emergency moratorium on nail salons and laundromats, the Public Works Agency performance audit, the City Auditor’s whistleblower program report, and the authorization of incoming Chief of Police Anthony Batts’s salary. That is, they’ll be discussing all of those items if they can get past the most contentious topic of the night – parking. Pat Kernighan, after being targeted by a pro-parking mob, has proposed rolling back meter hour to 6pm from 8pm. The problem is that this would blow a $1.3 million hole in the city’s incredibly tight budget. Kernighan’s solution is to crack down on disabled placard parking fraud, but staff recommends not rolling back the meter times and Rebecca Kaplan sent the Council a copy of Donald Shoup’s presentation on “The High Cost of Free Parking.” See the full meeting agenda and check out my post about how to watch and understand City Council meetings if you need some guidance on how or where to view the meeting. The non-ceremonial parts of the meeting start at 7pm in the Council Chambers in City Hall, 1 Frank Ogawa Plaza.

Posted in Activism, Art, City Council, Community, Entertainment, Food, Music, Oakland, Politics, Public Transit, Urban Planning Tagged: Alameda County Democratic Central Committee, Andy Katz, Anthony Batts, Dimond, EBMUD, Estuary Art Attack, Jane Brunner, Landmarks Preservation Advisory Board, Life is Living Festival, Mix It Up East Bay, NWPC, Oakland Airport connecter, Oaktoberfest, parking, Rebecca Kaplan, Sundays in the Redwoods

September 28-October 4 Oakland Political & Community Events

Becks — Sun, 27 Sep 2009 17:24:15 +0000

Monday, September 28th – The Story of How Copenhagen Became a Cycling City

In the 1970s, Copenhagen was an automobile-centric city, even though it had a substantial cycling population. Huge public demonstrations in the early 1980s resulted in significant changes in the city’s transportation infrastructure. Since that time, Copenhagen has become of one the world’s preeminent cycling cities. How did this transformation happen? What changes in policy and design made Copenhagen such a pro-cycling city? What benefits have the city and its people seen as a result? WOBO is a local host to delegates from the German Marshall Fund’s Transatlantic Cities Network. They’ll be sharing their experiences and expert opinions on how and why Oakland can become a world-class cycling city. This even will be held from 5:30-7:30pm at Oakland City Hall, 1 Frank Ogawa Plaza – Hearing Rm 4.

Tuesday, September 29th – Free Urban Bicycle Safety Class

consists of a 3.5 hour Traffic Safety 101 Classroom workshop (formerly Day One Street Skills) and a 6.5 hour Traffic Safety 101 Road Class (formerly known as Day Two Road I class) of on-bike instruction. We encourage you to take both Day One and Day Two and to entice you to do so, we’ll give you a free front/back bike light upon completing the class. If, however, your time is limited, sign up for a Day One class. You can always take a Day Two class later. The class will take place from 6-9:30 pm at Kaiser Medical Center, 3801 Howe St, Fabiola Building Room G65B. Register online at: www.ebbc.org/safety.

Wednesday, September 30th – Meet the New OUSD Superintendent

OUSD Director Jody London invites the public to a Town Hall Meeting with new Superintendent Tony Smith. Learn about Oakland’s education priorities, provide your ideas and compare notes with other public school supporters. Refreshments provided. The town hall will take place from 7-8 pm at Oakland International High School, 4521 Webster Street. Contact Jody London for details at 459-0667.

Thursday, October 1st - Central Estuary Plan Community Workshop #5

This Thursday, the fifth meeting will be held for for the Central Estuary Plan, which is designed to build a vision and provide a framework to support development and enhancement of the Estuary from Adeline Street to 66th Avenue. Community Workshop #5 will include an in-depth presentation of three draft land use alternatives. Come share your thoughts about the draft land use alternatives! You can read about the first meeting at Oakland Streets or at A Better Oakland. (The CEDA website also includes meeting presentations and other materials.) This workshop will be held from 6:30-9:00 pm at The Unity Council, Fruitvale-San Antonio Senior Center, 3301 East 12th Street, Suite 201 (Fruitvale Transit Village).

Thursday, October 1st - Full Moon Buy Night

Join Oakland Unwrapped for Oakland’s first Full Moon Buy Night – an indie night bazaar featuring shops and artisans from Oakland Unwrapped!, food and drink from Jack London Square Restaurants, a twilight farmer’s market, and lots of music, fire, dancing, ice skating and more. Bike Valet provided by Bay Area Bikes! This event will take place from 5:30-9:30 pm at Jack London Square, Broadway and Embarcadero. For more info, visit the Oakland Unwrapped website.

Friday, October 2nd – Art Murmur

Check out the monthly evening of art gallery shows and entertainment in Uptown. Read my review of the art murmur here. The Art Murmur runs from 6-10pm but individual art gallery times vary. The galleries are mostly located in Uptown, between Broadway and Telegraph, and Grand and 29th. Visit the Murmur’s website for more info.

Friday, October 2nd – FilmNight 4.0 at Swarm

Swarm Gallery is pleased to announce the fourth in a series of monthly screenings of experimental, documentary, short, feature-length and animated film, video and all formats in between, curated by filmmakers and film enthusiasts from the Bay Area and beyond. There is a new home for film in Oakland! FILMNIGHT 4.0 features an evening of artifacts from the Bay Area’s live cinema milieu with a spotlight on the work of musicians who are making unique statements in the world of film. Including work from: Liz Allbee, Elise Baldwin, Jordan Glenn, epic[ABRIDGED], Kadet Kuhne, Daniel Popsicle, WetGate, Wiggwaum, and small, intense surprises. FILMNMIGHT 4.0 is curated by Suki O’Kane, Project Coordinator for ILLUMINATED CORRIDOR, a collision of public art, live music and film. “Doors” open at 7:30 and screening begins at 8:00 pm in the Oakland Ironworks parking lot [behind Swarm Gallery], 3rd Street between Jefferson and Clay. Find more info at Swarm’s website.

Saturday, October 3rd - State Reps Host Day of Financial Planning

Join Assemblymember Sandré Swanson, State Contorller John Chiang, Senator Loni Hancock, the City of Oakland and other sponsors for a day of free financial advice and planning assistance. Hear from certified financial planning professionals through a series of free workshops and clinics. This event will be your chance to learn information about 401ks, mortgages, savings accounts, IRAs, loans, estate planning, foreclosures, and tax preparation for personal finance needs and/or the financial needs of non-profit and religious organizations. Certified public accountants will be available for private consultations, so please feel free to bring necessary financial documents if you have questions or concerns. The services provided at this event are free and confidential and participating professional advisors will not solicit their services or promote themselves in any way. Private financial institutions will NOT be included in this event as this program is free of any kind of promotion. This event will be held from 10am-4pm at Oakland City Hall, 1 Frank Ogawa Plaza. For additional information or to RSVP, call: Iesha Powell, (510) 286-1670 or email clinicregistration@yahoo.com.

Saturday, October 3rd - 8th Annual Walk Against Domestic Violence

Walkers meet at the Lake Merritt Boat House in Oakland for a Walk Against Domestic and Teen Dating Violence. This is a collaborative effort by Communities-N-Concert, and Progressive Transitions, with support from the Alameda County Domestic Violence Coalition. The walk takes place from 8am-12pm.

Sunday, October 4th - Sundays in the Redwoods – Jon Jang & James Newton

This free concert features the Jon Jang & James Newton. Bring sunscreen, hats and water– it can get very hot in the sun. Gates open at 1:30– concerts start at Woodminster Amphitheater in Joaquin Miller Park, 3300 Joaquin Miller Road. To reserve a picnic table, contact Renee Tucker at 238-4720. Find more info at the Sundays in the Redwoods website.

Posted in Art, Community, Entertainment, Music, Oakland, Urban Planning Tagged: Art Murmur, Central Estuary Plan, East Bay Bicycle Coalition, FilmNight, Full Moon Buy Night, Jody London, Sundays in the Redwoods, Swarm, Tony Smith, Walk Oakland Bike Oakland

September 21-27 Oakland Political & Community Events

Becks — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 14:40:00 +0000

Tuesday, September 22nd – Oakland City Council Meeting

Tuesday, September 22nd – Walk Oakland Bike Oakland Meeting

Since attendees of past Volunteer Meetings have asked for more speakers on local bike/ped issues, expect to see more “special guests” at WOBO’s monthly meetings. We’re kicking things off with speaker Joel Peter, the Measure DD Coordinator, who will get us up to date on the Measure DD projects. We’ll also talk about the status of WOBO campaigns in progress and leave time for announcements from attendees (just let us know before the meeting that you’ve got an event or info to share). As always, there will be snacks and lots of bike parking.This meeting will be held from 6:30-8:30 pm at Bay Area Wilderness Training, 2301 Broadway, Suite B – enter on 23rd Street. For more info, visit WOBO’s website.

Wednesday, September 23rd – Public Hearings on AC Transit’s Proposed Service Changes

AC Transit will hold public hearings to present its proposed Service Adjustments Plan and gather feedback from the public. If you’re concerned about losing your bus line or just want to hear more about the extensive service adjustments, these will be important hearings to attend. In October, the Board will likely make its final decision on the service adjustments, taking into consideration all public comments received. The Board could accept, modify, reject, or defer each of the proposed changes. If service adjustments are adopted, they likely would be implemented in January 2010. Take the bus: All lines serving downtown Oakland (also BART to 19th Street). The workshops will be held from 2-5pm AND 6-8pm at the AC Transit offices, 1600 Franklin Street, 2nd Floor Board Room. Find further info at AC Transit’s website.

Wednesday, September 23rd – League of Women Voters State Budget Forum

From the League’s website: “At the kick-off meeting on September 15 we will have heard about budget issues from a local perspective. What is the state perspective? We will have a resource person from Assemblymember Sandré Swanson’s office to bring us up to date on the latest information on the state budget. Come learn and talk about what you can be doing to make things happen both here in Oakland and in Sacramento.” The forum will be held from 6:30-8 PM at Lincoln Court Senior Housing, 2400 MacArthur Blvd. (corner of Lincoln and MacArthur).

Thursday, September 24th – Special Meeting of the Public Ethics Commission

The Public Ethics Commission will be holding a special meeting to discuss proposed amendments to Oakland’s lobbyist registration act. The commission will discuss 1) whether registration and reporting requirements should be limited to paid, professional representatives of an organization or include volunteer representatives as well; 2) should persons who lobby City officials have to communicate a minimum number of times or devote a certain amount of their time to lobbying before triggering a registration requirement; and 3) should people be except from registering if the communications they make are a) made in writing or at a public meeting or, b) made on behalf of certain non-profit groups that operate on City property and provide a public service.These proposals sprang from a commission hearing in May at which John Klein had launched a complaint against Carlos Plazola for not registering with the City for certain lobbying activities. For background, you should read the account by Max Allstadt of the initial hearing and the lengthy discussion that followed it. The meeting will be held at 6:30pm in Hearing Room 2, City Hall, 1 Frank Ogawa Plaza. You can read the meeting agenda here.

Thursday, September 24th – Wellstone Democratic Club Meeting

The Bay Area Wellstone Democratic Renewal Club will present and discuss”Americans and the Climate Crisis: Attitudes and Social Change” featuring Aaron Pope, Director of Sustainability Programs, California Academy of Sciences. The meeting will be held from 6-9pm at the Humanist Hall, 390 27th Street in Oakland. For more information, visit the club’s website.

Friday, September 25th – Dancing Under the Stars at Jack London Square

Due to the success of Dancing Under the Stars, Jack London Square will offer an additional four-event series of free outdoor dance classes on select Friday nights through the end of September. Singles and couples alike can practice their sizzling salsa moves, learn new Latin dances like the Cha Cha, or do the Hustle while listening to disco. Live bands will add a new level of entertainment to the program. Novices and experienced dancers are all welcome to spend the evening dancing outdoors on Oakland’s celebrated waterfront. No reservation is required, and all ages are welcome. Dancing Under the Stars will begin at 7:30 PM for professional dance lessons and 8:30 PM for open dance at the foot of Broadway. This Friday, they’ll be teaching Rumba and Cha Cha.

Friday, September 25th – Fourth Friday Summer Nights: A Little Princess

This summer, the Dunsmuir Hellman Historic Estate is hosting free movies on the fourth Friday of each month. This month, they’ll be showing Finding Neverland. Via V Smoothe, “The grounds open at 6 PM for picnicking and wandering. Music is provided before the movies, which begin around 8:30, once the sun sets. And if you don’t have a car, no problem! AC Transit line 45 drops you off maybe a 10 minute walk (or less, depending on how fast you walk, I guess) from the Estate and runs until midnight.” The estate is located at 2960 Peralta Oaks Ct.

Saturday, September 26th - Love Your Parks Day

Each year, in the fall, Oakland Parks Coalition (OPC) conducts a city-wide survey of Oakland parks to determine their condition. This year the survey is more important than ever due to the maintenance cutbacks. We need lots of volunteers to ensure that all parks are surveyed. The data from our annual surveys is used as a basis for an OPC annual report, 2007 Community Report Card on the Maintenance of Oakland Parks, which is presented early each year to the Life Enrichment Committee of City Council. The written report and a Power Point Presentation are tools used by OPC to advocate for improved and enhanced maintenance services in Oakland Parks. Meet at 8:30am at the Lakeside Garden Center, 666 Bellevue Avenue, Oakland. After a continental breakfast you’ll be sent out in teams to survey 3-5 Oakland parks. To find out more information and RSVP, visit OPC’s website.

Saturday, September 26th - Democratic Unity Dinner

The Democratic Unity Dinner is the county’s largest party fundraiser. This year, speakers include Attorney General Jerry Brown, Lt. Governor John Garamendi, State Treasurer Bill Lockyer, and Board of Equalization Chair Betty Yee. The Party will be honoring ACDCC long-time member Maggie Gee for all her hard work on behalf of the Democratic Party over the years. The Oakland United Democratic Campaign (UDC) will receive the 2009 Democratic Club/UDC award recognizing co-chairs Elizabeth Echols and Rodney Brooks in particular for their success. The monies raised for this event helps support our six county UDCs for 2010. Cocktails at 6 pm and dinner at 7:30 pm at the Oakland Airport Hilton, One Hegenberger Road. Find more info and purchase tickets on ActBlue.

Sunday, September 27th - Rockridge Out and About

The Rockridge District Association organizes its annual street festival to attract residents, visitors and new businesses to College Avenue. For one magical afternoon, 10 blocks are transformed into a street fair featuring live music, cooking demonstrations, artisans and food booths, arts, crafts and kids activities. I’ve always enjoyed this street festival, but this year they’re adding an awesome new feature – a Cookbook Exchange! Bring a used cookbook and exchange it for another (remaining books will go to the Rockridge Public Library). The festival takes place from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on College Avenue from Claremont to the Rockridge Library, in the Rockridge shopping district. Find more info at the festival’s website.

Sunday, September 27th - Sundays in the Redwoods – The Oakland Symphony

This free concert features the The Oakland Symphony & John Handy. Bring sunscreen, hats and water– it can get very hot in the sun. Gates open at 1:30– concerts start at Woodminster Amphitheater in Joaquin Miller Park, 3300 Joaquin Miller Road. To reserve a picnic table, contact Renee Tucker at 238-4720. Find more info at the Sundays in the Redwoods website.

Posted in Activism, City Council, Community, Economy, Entertainment, Environmentalism, Music, Oakland, Politics, Public Transit, Urban Planning Tagged: AC Transit, Alameda County Democratic Central Committee, budget, City Council, Dancing Under the Stars, Dunsmuir Hellman Historic Estate, Jack London Square, League of Women Voters, Measure DD, Oakland Parks Coalition, parking, Public Ethics Commission, Rockridge Out and About, Sundays in the Redwoods, Walk Oakland Bike Oakland, Wellstone Democratic Club

September 14-20 Oakland Political & Community Events

Becks — Sun, 13 Sep 2009 23:42:36 +0000

Monday, September 14th – Could I Really Get Appointed to a California Board or Commission?

Have you ever thought about being on a California Board or Commission in a volunteer or paid capacity? Come find out what is available and what you need to know to apply! We are privileged to have two high-profile speakers: John Cruz, Appointments Secretary, in the Governor’s Appointment Office, and Betty Yee, Chair, State Board of Equalization. This National Women’s Political Caucus event is free; refreshments will be served. The event will be held from 7:15-9:15pm at Town Court One Room Health Education Center, Samuel Merritt University @ Alta Bates Summit Medical Center, 400 Hawthorne Ave. For more information, visit NWPC’s website.

Tuesday, September 15th – Public Works Committee Hearing on Oakland Airport Connector

You’re probably getting sick of me writing about the OAC by now, but think of it this way – if we can kill this project via the Oakland City Council, I’ll never have to write about it again! So please attend and speak out against this project on Tuesday. I understand that many people can’t make it, due to work so put the evening of Tuesday, October 6th on your calendar right now because that’s when it’s slated to go to the full council and we’ll need a huge showing that evening. The hearing will be held at 9:30 am at City Hall, 1 Frank Ogawa Plaza, Hearing Room 1. If you’d like more info about the OAC, visit OaklandAirportConnector.com.

Tuesday, September 15th – EBYD’s September Mixer & Happy Hour

After an intense morning hearing and presumably work afterwards, you’ll need a stiff drink so join the East Bay Young Democrats at our mixer at Somar. Here’s a perfect chance to renew your membership, see old friends, or join and make some new ones. This event will also serve as the last call for nominations to serve on next year’s Executive Committee and will be the last opportunity to become a member if you’d like to be eligible to vote in our October officer elections. New & renewing members will receive a free glass of beer or wine so if you’ve ever considered joining, now is the time. The mixer will be held from 6-9pm at Somar, 1727 Telegraph Avenue. For more info and to RSVP, see the Facebook event.

Wednesday, September 16th – East Bay Democracy for America Meetup

At their September meeting, Democracy for America will be focusing on the fast-tracked bills about the Delta and update the group on the public option. From DFA: “Tuesday, August 4, Democrats introduced five bills “intended to increase water conservation, improve the monitoring of who uses water and how much, and to create a politically appointed council that would have broad authority over the delta, including the ability to approve a controversial pipeline around the estuary.” (San Francisco Chronicle, emphasis added) The “controversial pipeline” would be none other than the old peripheral canal. Four of the seven members of the council would be appointed by the Governor. The leadership’s intent is to fast track the bills during the Special Session August 17 – September 11 without review by the Assembly and Senate environmental committees, including the Committee on Natural Resources, chaired by Assemblywoman Nancy Skinner.” The meeting will be held at 6:30 at the Rockridge Library, 5366 College Avenue. RSVP here.

Thursday, September 17th – “Repairing California” A Community Forum and Panel Discussion

The Alameda County Board of Supervisors in partnership with Bay Area Council, Repair California and ACCSPD will be hosting a forum this Thursday, moderated by Supervisor Nate Miley. From their flyer, “If you are like us, you believe the time is now to come together to work on solutions that will effectively get California back on track. To do this together, we need your voice and participation in this important Town Hall Forum and Discussion. This Discussion also includes a briefing on the movement to Repair California through a limited Constitutional Convention. The forum will be held from 9:30 am to 12:30 pm at the Alameda County Administration Building, 1221 Oak Street, 5th Fl, Board Chambers. Registration begins at 8:45 am. For more information, contact Nate Miley at 510-272-3691.

Thursday, September 17th – Oakland Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee Meeting

Oakland’s Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee (BPAC) meets monthly to discusses bicycle and pedestrian issues. This month’s agenda covers the Harrison Street/Oakland Avenue Community-Based Transportation Plan, 880 overcrossings, and the Miller-Sweeney Bridge seismic retrofitting project. The BPAC is extremely inclusive – any Oakland resident who attends three consecutive meetings becomes a voting member of the committee – so if you’re interested in bike and ped issues, you should consider attending. The BPAC will be meeting from 5:30-7:30pm in Hearing Room 4 of City Hall, 1 Frank Ogawa Plaza.

Friday, September 18th – Dancing Under the Stars at Jack London Square

Saturday, September 19th - Koreatown-Northgate Festival

The first annual KoreaTown-Northgate Festival will showcase the diverse cultures and business opportunities in the district. The festival features food court and BBQ contest with celebrity judges and audience participation, Artists’ Alley, Children’s Area, Health Haven, Going Green Corridor, Beverage Garden, and 2 stages of entertainment. The festival runs from 11:30 AM-6:30 PM onTelegraph between 24th & 27th Streets. Find more info at the neighborhood’s website.

Sunday, September 20th - Sundays in the Redwoods – John Santos

This free concert features the John Santos Sextet. Bring sunscreen, hats and water– it can get very hot in the sun. Gates open at 1:30– concerts start at Woodminster Amphitheater in Joaquin Miller Park, 3300 Joaquin Miller Road. To reserve a picnic table, contact Renee Tucker at 238-4720. Find more info at the Sundays in the Redwoods website.

Posted in Activism, City Council, Community, Entertainment, Music, Oakland, Politics, Public Transit, Urban Planning Tagged: Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee, Dancing Under the Stars, Democracy for America, East Bay Young Democrats, Jack London Square, Joaquin Miller Park, Koreatown-Northgate Festival, Nate Miley, NWPC, Oakland Airport connecter, Public Works, Repair California, Sundays in the Redwoods

August 10-16 Oakland Political & Community Events

Becks — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 15:05:46 +0000

Monday, August 10th - East Bay Young Dems Confab & Endorsement Meeting

Join East Bay Young Dems to review the U.S. Congressional District 10 candidates’ questionnaire responses, engage in lively debate (we always do!), and vote to back one lucky political player with our club endorsement. A 60% threshold among voting, current dues-paying members is needed to earn EBYD’s endorsement. The following Democratic candidates are eligible for EBYD’s endorsement: Ms. Tiffany Attwood, Assemblymember Joan Buchanan, State Senator Mark DeSaulnier, Lt. Governor John Garamendi, Mr. Adriel Hampton, and Captain Anthony Woods. We’re coming full circle after our successful Summertime in the East Bay Mixer, where EBYDs got to mix and mingle with the candidates over a beer at The Grand Tavern. The meeting will be held from 6:30-8:30pm at Shashamane at 2507 Broadway. It’s accessible by 19th Street BART station or by AC Transit lines 1/1R, 51, 59. You can find more info about our endorsement process and candidate questionnaires at the EBYD website.

Tuesday, August 11th – EBMUD Water Supply Management Plan 2040 Update

East Bay Municipal Utility District (EBMUD) is planning for the future with an update to the Water Supply Management Plan for 2040. The Board of Directors developed a “preferred portfolio” for meeting our water needs over the next 30 years. The portfolio includes increased water conservation programs, recycled water projects, rationing during worst-case droughts, securing water transfers and groundwater storage, desalination, and expanding Pardee reservoir with a new dam. The Board of Directors Workshop on this plan will be held from 8:30am – 11am at 375 11th St., Oakland. For additional info, visit EBMUD’s website.

Thursday, August 13th – Mix It Up East Bay

Join us for a monthly happy hour bringing together young activists, organizers and leaders in the East Bay. The East Bay has many assets, and access to high quality, fresh, organic food is definitely high on the list! Come out and hear (brief) presentations on the range of work on food justice, food security, and local urban agriculture by:

Gail Myers, Farms to Grow
Jason Harvey, Oakland Food Connection
Susan Coss, Eat Real Festival

Mix It Up East Bay is held every 2nd Thursday of the month from 6-9pm at Shashamane at 2507 Broadway. It’s accessible by 19th Street BART station or by AC Transit lines 1/1R, 51, 59.

Friday, August 14th – Estuary Art Attack

Friday, August 14th – Dancing Under the Stars at Jack London Square

Saturday-Sunday, August 15th-16th - Art & Soul Festival

Art & Soul, which has historicall been held on Labor Day weekend, has been moved to this weekend. Though I’m not too excited about the lineup, I love the thought of so much of downtown Oakland being closed to car traffic. Via the event’s Facebook page: “A new date, but the same great entertainment value condensed into two music-packed days with Jazz, Rock, Gospel, Latin, R&B, Smooth Jazz and Blues. Youngsters will love the kid-friendly carnival rides, interactive art projects, face painting and roaming costumed characters. Stroll through the Artisan Marketplace, sample exotic foods and tasty treats from a multicultural menu, watch exciting dance performances, and view and create art.” The festival will be held from noon-6pm on Saturday and Sunday. It costs $10 for adults, $5 for youth and seniors, and is free for children 12 and under. Entrances are at 14th Street & Broadway, 16th Street & San Pablo Avenue, and Promenade beside City Center West Garage. There will be free attended bike parking and it’s easy to get to by AC Transit or BART.

Saturday, August 15th - Walking The Key System’s C Line

The Oakland Heritage Alliance (OHA) holds regular walking tours, and this one sounded particularly interesting. Follow early day Key System commuters on their way to the Key ferries. Walk past the train yard, through the Key System 40th Street Cut, and over to the old Key System station and mural at Piedmont Avenue. Learn about the Key System’s plan to build a line though Piedmont and Oakland to San Jose. Tour ends on Piedmont Avenue, walk or bus back to BART. *Optional extension after lunch. A level walk. The walk runs from 10 am–1:30 pm at the meeting point is at MacArthur BART Station underpass on 40th Street. Tour does not loop. OHA tours cost $10 for members or $15 for non-members. Meet 15 minutes before listed time for registration. Comfortable walking shoes and sunscreen are recommended. Bring water. In case of rain, the tour will be canceled. For more info and OHA’s full schedule of tours, visit their website.

Posted in Art, Community, Election, Entertainment, Food, Music, Oakland, Politics, Public Transit, Urban Planning, Walking Tagged: Art & Soul Festival, Dancing Under the Stars, East Bay Young Democrats, EBMUD, Estuary Art Attack, Jack London Square, Key System, Mix It Up East Bay, Oakland Heritage Alliance

August 3-9 Oakland Political & Community Events

Becks — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 01:57:34 +0000

Tuesday, August 4th – National Night Out

The “26th Annual National Night Out” (NNO) is a unique crime/drug prevention event sponsored by the National Association of Town Watch (NATW). Last year’s National Night Out campaign involved citizens, law enforcement agencies, civic groups, businesses, neighborhood organizations and local officials from over 15,000 communities from all 50 states, U.S. territories, Canadian cities and military bases worldwide. This year, there nearly 400 NNO events in Oakland will provide opportunities for Oaklanders to meet neighbors and enjoy an evening out in Oakland. You can search for an event in your neighborhood at the NNO’s website.

Wednesday, August 5th – Oakland Builders Alliance Summer BBQ Mixer

Come to the OBA Summer BBQ Mixer and meet others in the building trades and professions. Enjoy a delicious Bar B Q meal, compliments of Brian Garrett, President of Community Bank of the Bay, while you share information about contracting and development opportunities in Oakland! The BBQ will be on Wednesday August 5th from 5:30 to 8:00 pm at The Community Bank of the Bay at 1750 Broadway. To RSVP Call Erin Cusick: 510-437-9620 ext.4. Entrance is free to all members and a $10 donation is recommended for all non-members. RSVP on Facebook.

Wednesday, August 5th – Alameda County Democratic Central Committee Meeting

Every month, the Central Committee meets to discuss party business and to make plans for the future of the Democratic Party in Alameda County. If you’re interested in getting involved with the Democratic Party, this is a great way to do so. The meeting will be held from 7-9pm in the San Leandro Main Library, Dave Karp Room, 300 Estudillo Ave., San Leandro, CA 94577.

Thursday, August 6th – Jack London Square Waterfront Flick Outdoor Movie Night

Jack London Square is showing nautical themed films all summer long, featuring Big Fish this week. Guest speakers and trivia games begin at 7:30 PM. At nightfall, favorite movies will be shown on giant screens. Diners may enjoy restaurant specials, as well as take away meal boxes. Special guests: Oakland Barracuda Aquatics. The movie will be shown at 8pm on the East Lawn of Jack London Square. Find out more details at the JLS events page.

Friday, August 7th– East Bay Express Best of the East Bay Party

The East Bay Express is throwing a party to celebrate the winners of the Best of the East Bay. I didn’t make it to the party last year, but I heard it was packed and tons of fun. The main stage will feature Superfinos VTO, The Thrill of it All, Mystic Rage, Swann Danger, Souls of Mischief, C U Next Weekend (Shampu), Dizzy Balloon, Social Unrest, Fracas, and Goapele. There will also be a Kids Party Zone, film screenings, dance, theater, live art making, tattoo art exhibition, fashion shows, contact sports and professional wrestling ring, outdoor village of food, drinks, artists, retailers, and nonprofits, and much, much more. The party runs from 5 p.m.-midnight at the Oakland Museum of California, 1000 Oak Street. It’s free, and all ages are welcome. You can get there via many AC Transit lines, Lake Merritt BART, or by bike, complete with valet bike parking, courtesy of East Bay Bicycle Coalition. Check out the party’s blog for much more info.

Friday, August 7th– Art Murmur

Saturday, August 8th - 10th Annual Laurel Street Festival

This Saturday, the Laurel District will transform into a pedestrian zone to host thousands of Laurel residents and visitors from the greater Bay Area. The festival will showcase live music and performances highlighting some of the greatest Bay area and local talents, a street fair with over a 100 vendors, street art, gourmet food booths, family fun at the Kid’s Zone featuring games, activities for children of all ages and showcases more than 100 retail, service and restaurant establishments in Oakland’s own Laurel District.The Laurel Street Festival attracts over 5000 attendees annually. The festival will be held from 1-6pm on MacArthur Blvd. between 35th and High. See the music lineup and find more info at the festival’s website.
Saturday, August 8th - 4th Annual Urban Wine Experience

At the Urban Wine Experience, fourteen urban wineries will be pouring more than 50 different local wines. Participating wineries include: Adams Point, Andrew Lane, Aubin Cellars, Dashe Cellars, Eno Wines, Irish Monkey, JC Cellars, Periscope Cellars, Prospect 772, R&B Cellars, Rock Wall Wines, Rosenblum Cellars, Tayerle Wines, Two Mile, Urban Legend and Urbano Cellars. Each winery has partnered up with a restaurant to offer food pairings with their wines. Participating food purveyors include: Adagia Restaurant, Angela’s Bistro, Asena Restaurant, Bellanico, Bucci, E’Era Una Volta, Culina, E-22 Café, Fabrique Délices, Levende East, Miss Pearl’s Jam House, Pappo, SavoryCook Special Event Catering, Whole Foods, Zza’s Trattoria, Enoteca & Catering. The event will be held from 2-5 pm at Jack London Square Ferry Terminal. Tickets are $45 online and $60 at the door. You can purchase tickets and find more info at the event’s website.

Posted in Art, Community, Entertainment, Food, Music, Oakland, Politics Tagged: Alameda County Democratic Central Committee, Art Murmur, Best of the East Bay, Jack London Square, Laurel Street Festival, National Night Out, Oakland Builders Alliance, Urban Wine Experience

July 20-26 Oakland Political & Community Events

Becks — Sun, 19 Jul 2009 16:08:13 +0000

Monday, July 20th - Musical Mondays at Jack London Square – Bobby Young

This summer, Jack London Square is holding a two month series of Musical Mondays. Jack London Square hosts live musical entertainment to enjoy while playing favorite board games. Check out chess, checkers, scrabble and much more. Build up an appetite and check out the prefix dinner menus that the JLS restaurants will feature to help you ease into another work week. This event will be held from 5:30-8:00 pm at the foot of Broadway in Jack London Square.

Tuesday, July 21st – Oakland City Council Meeting

Among other items, the Council will be discussing seeking public and private funding to improve parks, establishing the Oakland Tourism Business District, increasing fees for parking garages and monthly swim passes, and various grants. But the real fireworks should happen during the item that’s not really agendized, the Army Base. Instead of discussing who to award the Army Base contract to, they’ll just be discussing when to agendize a discussion of this – either for their special Council meeting on July 28th or something after recess. Both Larry Reid and Ignacio De La Fuente walked out (at different times) on last week’s Rules Committee meeting, which is why this discussion is happenign at the full Council meeting. See the full meeting agenda and check out my post about how to watch and understand City Council meetings if you need some guidance on how or where to view the meeting. The non-ceremonial parts of the meeting start at 7pm at the Council Chambers in City Hall, 1 Frank Ogawa Plaza.

Wednesday, July 15th – MTC Hearing on Oakland Airport Connector Funding

This Wednesday, the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) will be voting on $140 million in funding for the Oakland Airport Connector (OAC). This vote will be one of the last votes on funding for the OAC, yet BART has failed to provide accurate information on projected ridership and a bus alternative. We are urging MTC not to approve this funding until BART can answer questions that advocates have been asking for months. Please join us at 10am at MTC Headquarters, 101 Eighth Street near Lake Merritt BART. For more info, visit OaklandAirportConnnector.com.

Thursday, July 23rd – Wellstone Democratic Club Meeting

The Bay Area Wellstone Democratic Renewal Club will present and discuss “Reforming the California Budget and the Process for Change” at its monthly meeting. The panel consists of San Francisco Assessor Recorder Phil Ting of “Close the Prop 13 Loophole”, www.closetheloophole.com, who states, “California cannot continue to mortgage the future to protect corporate tax loopholes for commercial properties” and proposes adopting a split-roll strategy so that corporate property taxes can increase while homeowners retain their low rates. The panel also includes, UC Berkeley Professor of Linguistics, George Lakoff, who will discuss the ways Californians can begin to frame the debate in which this difficult change can be made. The meeting will be held at the Humanist Hall, 390 27th Street in Oakland. The program begins at 7:30 PM following a potluck and business meeting at 6 PM. For more information, visit the club’s website.

Friday, July 24th – Fourth Friday Summer Nights: The Secret Garden

This summer, the Dunsmuir Hellman Historic Estate is hosting free movies on the fourth Friday of each month. This month, they’ll be showing The Secret Garden. Via V Smoothe, “The grounds open at 6 PM for picnicking and wandering. Music is provided before the movies, which begin around 8:30, once the sun sets. And if you don’t have a car, no problem! AC Transit line 45 drops you off maybe a 10 minute walk (or less, depending on how fast you walk, I guess) from the Estate and runs until midnight.” The estate is located at 2960 Peralta Oaks Ct.

Saturday, July 25th - 2nd Annual Bike for Life

Healin’ From Killin’, a Bike Ride For Peace – from Lake Merritt to DeFremery Parkm, led by SCRAPER BIKES. Ride starts at 2pm from Lakeside Park, 468 Perkins St. Party begins at 3pm at DeFremery Park, 1651 Adeline St. Featuring food, prizes, skateboard exhibition, turf dancing, and performances by the Trunk Boiz, Queen Deelah and special guests! Find more info at www.bikes4life.com.

Saturday, July 25th - Craft Bazaar at Pretty Penny

The Parlour Gallery and local vintage haunt, Pretty Penny, are joining forces to highlight emerging bay area talent with their first ever Craft Bazaar. The bazaar will be a day focused on a small number of handpicked local fashion and craft designers and their amazing fares. With an intimate feel, shoppers will have the chance to get know each artist and what goes into their designs, while enjoying some great music. Join in the support and come see how talented your neighbors really are Saturday July 25th from 11am to 7pm at Pretty Penny, 5488 College Ave.

Posted in Art, City Council, Community, Entertainment, Music, Oakland, Politics, Public Transit, Urban Planning Tagged: Army Base, Bike for Life, Dunsmuir Hellman Historic Estate, Jack London Square, MTC, Musical Mondays, Oakland Airport connecter, Pretty Penny, Wellstone Democratic Club

July Parties Part 2: Celebrating Fire & Arts

Becks — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 17:26:14 +0000

Though I don’t entirely understand it, I realize that Burning Man is not for everyone. Maybe you don’t like the idea of braving extreme weather conditions in the desert, or you don’t have the money to spend, or maybe you’re convinced Burning Man is full of hippies and that scares you away. Well, it’s ok, because in Oakland you can get so many of the benefits of Burning Man without so many of the troubles. Check out the events below this weekend and next to get a taste of the Burning Man arts scene and support Oakland artists.

Saturday, July 11th – Sand by the Ton

Part of an art piece by Dan Das Mann and Karen Cusolito, two of my favorite artists who create their recycled metal based work in Oakland.

Tonight, Big Arts Studio presents Sand by the Ton, a night full of art, music, and what sounds like a spectacular atmosphere. It’s being organized by Karen Kusolito and Dan Das Mann, the artists who helped stop the Uptown parking lot from being built. The night will showcase some of the best Burning Man artists, including the Flaming Lotus Girls, Michael Christian, and Kinetic Steam Works. And then there’s this – “4 live music stages, 4 electronic music stages, full boardwalk carnival midway with rides, 200 tons of sand with 5 swimming pools (swimwear encouraged), a quarter million square feet of space under one roof, thousands of your best friends, more lights blinkin’ than ever blinked… bookoo (6) bars….you thought you knew the drill till you came here.”

Sounds like an incredible night to me. The party will be held Saturday, July 11th from 4pm to “late” at the American Steel Building, 1960 Mandela Parkway. Tickets are $25 presale, $30 @ door and $125 VIP (check the site for VIP info, includes a 50 ft. yacht suspended from the ceiling). Close to BART~LATE NIGHT BUS SHUTTLE TO SF! and ample secure parking. Find more info @ www.thebigartexperience.com.

Wednesday-Saturday, July 15th-18th – Fire Arts Festival

If Sand by the Ton sounds a bit too adventurous for you, the Crucible’s Fire Arts Festival is what you should check out instead. The past several Fire Arts Festivals have been incredible, more fantastic year after year, but this year’s should be the best yet since they’re moving it to a MUCH larger location. That means more art, more entertainment, and most importantly, more fire! Out of 40 art installations, 35 of them will involve fire. Plus, there will be fire dancers and other fire performances.

If you’re having a hard time picturing what this looks like, there’s some of this:

And this:

And a bit of this:

If you’re still having a hard time visualizing, check out my posts on the 2008 and 2007 festivals.

The festival will be be held Wednesday-Saturday, from 8pm-Midnight at 2020 Engineer Road in West Oakland. There will be a free shuttle from West Oakland BART, which sounds like the most convenient option, since free parking is a couple blocks away from the event. You can find out all the other details and buy tickets at the Crucible’s website.

Posted in Art, Burning Man, Entertainment, Music, Oakland Tagged: Dan Das Mann, Fire Arts Festival, Flaming Lotus Girls, Karen Cusolito, Kinetic Steam Works, Michael Christian, Sand by the Ton, The Crucible

Oakland Blogger Showdown: Living in the O vs. A Better Oakland

Becks — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 15:53:20 +0000

OK, so the title of this post might be a bit misleading. V Smoothe and I won’t be duking it out in the Thunderdome or anything like that. But we are two of the three finalists for the Best of the East Bay best blogger award.

I hadn’t realized this previously, but East Bay Express is holding another round of voting, where the top vote winners for each category are facing off. For the blogger award, it’s Living in the O vs. A Better Oakland vs. Inhuman Eating Machine. I’m not going to ask you to vote for me, but please do vote for either me or ABO – it’d be a shame if an Oakland blogger didn’t win.

More importantly though, there are lots of Oakland businesses, artists, and community members that have made it to this final round of voting, and you should vote for them too. Here are my suggestions some with links to previous posts on these places, people, and events:

Best Artsy Cafe/Best Cafe: Awaken Cafe
Best Band: Damon and the Heathens (You can find my reasoning in my last post about voting.)
Best Club: Uptown
Best Performer/Singer/Musician: Kev Choice (Yeah, he’s up for practically every musical category and deserves to win several awards. Did you catch his set at Uptown Unveiled? It was incredible.)
Best Festival: Temescal Street Fair
Best Local Book: Bryant Terry, Vegan Soul Kitchen (Help stop Michael Pollan’s In Defense of Food from winning. I love Pollan, but that was by far his worst book. It was written in a hurry and didn’t really say much. Terry’s book, on the other hand, braves new territory.)
Best New Culture Scene: Uptown Oakland
Best East Bay Product/Best Place to Buy a T-Shirt: Oaklandish
Best Farmer’s Market: Temescal (I know many won’t agree with me on this one, but I’m loyal to my local market.)
Best Salvage Store: East Bay Depot for Creative Reuse
Best City Employee: Jason Patton (Jason is one half of the City of Oakland’s bicyle and pedestrian team, the other half being Jennifer Stanley. Also, he’s up against Ron Dellums and a bunch of other elected officials.)
Best Community Organizer: V Smoothe (OK, so V Smoothe is not even her real name, but let that slide and show that blogging and community organizing can go hand and hand.)
Best Rising Political Figure: Sean Sullivan (I’m sticking with my initial choice, even though he’s up against Rebecca Kaplan and Van Jones. Why? Kaplan and Jones have risen already and are staying put for a while, while Sullivan is still moving up.)
Best New Restaurant: Sidebar (See why in my initial review when they first opened.)

That’s it for my recommendations. Share yours in the comments below. Voting closes on July 6th so take a few minutes to cast your ballot now.

Posted in Art, Community, East Bay, Election, Entertainment, Food, Music, Oakland, Politics Tagged: A Better Oakland, Best of the East Bay, East Bay Express, V Smoothe

June 29-July 5 Oakland Political & Community Events

Becks — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 17:41:49 +0000

Monday, June 29th - East Bay for Kamala Harris “$30 Before June 30th” Countdown Bash

Though it’s early in the 2010 campaign cycle, statewide candidates are busy raising money and building their support bases. Whether you’re decided in the Attorney General race, Monday’s party for Kamala Harris should be a fun event and is probably one of the cheapest AG fundraisers you’ll find. Music will feature Martin Luther Rebel Soul Music, Kev Choice Ensemble, Fear & Fancy, and DJ D Sharp. The party will be held at Maxwell’s Lounge, 341 13th Street from 7:30-10pm. Tickets are $30 and can be purchased online – all ages are welcome. You can RSVP and find more info on Facebook.

Tuesday, June 30th – Oakland City Council Meeting on Budget (note special time)

Tuesday’s Council meeting, which starts at 5pm and should be very long, is all about the budget (yes, again). They’ll be discussing a mix of taxes, fees, and cuts, which is a refreshingly well-rounded approach compared to what’s going on in Sacramento. See the full meeting agenda and check out my post about how to watch and understand City Council meetings if you need some guidance on how or where to view the meeting. The meeting starts at 5pm at the Council Chambers in City Hall, 1 Frank Ogawa Plaza.

Wednesday, July 1st – Alameda County Democratic Central Committee Meeting

Every month, the Central Committee meets to discuss party business and to make plans for the future of the Democratic Party in Alameda County. If you’re interested in getting involved with the Democratic Party, this is a great way to do so. I’m an associate member for the 16th Assembly District, so you can find me at this meeting every month. The meeting will be held from 7-9pm in the San Leandro Main Library, Dave Karp Room, 300 Estudillo Ave., San Leandro, CA 94577.

Thursday, July 2nd – Temescal Street Cinema

The Second Annual Temescal Street Cinema returns to 49th and Telegraph (Bank of the West Building) this summer for another year of great, free, locally made films! There’ll be live music and free popcorn at every show, with events getting started at 8 PM every Thursday from June 11-July 16. Movies will start when it gets dark, no sooner than 8:30 PM. Come early or bring a chair! This will feature Drylongso: “Pica is a woman who can’t find meaning in her own life. Living in Oakland, CA, she’s tired of her job at an illegal poster distribution center. Unable to complete a photography project on herself at school, she grabs a Polaroid camera and decides to document the existence of young black men, whom she feels are a breed on the verge of becoming extinct. What results is a beautiful tribute to the power of community.” Find out more details at the Temescal Business Improvement District’s website.

Friday, July 3rd – Dancing Under the Stars at Jack London Square

Via Angela Woodall: “Free Outdoor Classes from May 1 to July so you can Dance the Night Away on Oakland’s Waterfront. On Friday nights this Spring and Summer, Jack London Square will see sizzling salsa, tight turns, and elegant waltzes. But on this dance floor, there will be no judges and no one will be voted out. Jack London Square today announced Dancing Under the Stars, a summer of free outdoor dance classes open to the public. Over ten Friday night sessions, visitors will be treated to professional instruction in a range of popular steps, all on Oakland’s waterfront and by the light of the stars. Dancing Under the Stars will begin at 8:30 PM each Friday at the foot of Broadway from May 1st to July 3rd.” This Friday, they’ll be teaching Salsa.

Saturday, July 4th - Fireworks Show at Jack London Square

The Port of Oakland and the City of Oakland will present a 20 minute fireworks show over the Oakland and Alameda estuary. Jack London Square provides a prime viewing area for watching this spectacular event. The fireworks will begin at 9:15 PM and end at 9:35 PM. Jack London Square will celebrate the holiday with live music beginning at 7:00 PM. Enjoy the big band sounds of the Ben Oni Orchestra and the Rhythm and Blues of the BluesBurners. Free bike valet will be available at 7:00 PM at Jack London Square’s newest shop, Bay Area Bikes. Parking at Jack London Square may be scarce, so visitors are invited to take public transportation.

Sunday, July 5th - 5th Oakland Grand Prix of Cycling

Approximately 350 cyclists from USA Cycling will bike a .85 mile closed loop of Oakland City Streets in the Kaiser Center Area for these Multi-Lap (Criterium) Bicycle Races from 8am-5pm. Cheer on amateurs and professionals, including riders from across the country and some foreign amateurs as well. The Races will feature eight separate multi-lap events, ranging from (Senior 1/2/Pro-Am, 40 miles) down to 10 laps. Location: A .85 mile closed loop of Oakland City Streets in the Kaiser Center area: A clockwise hourglass loop on Harrison, 19th, Webster, 20th, Franklin, 22nd, Webster, 20th and Harrison. For details, call (209) 533-8234 or email Velo Promo.

Posted in City Council, Community, Entertainment, Music, Oakland, Politics Tagged: 4th of July, Alameda County Democratic Central Committee, budget, Dancing Under the Stars, Jack London Square, Kamala Harris, Temescal Street Cinema

Save some energy to party on Friday night

Becks — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 01:58:11 +0000

So I know I promised a post about Uptown Unveiled, but V Smoothe beat me to it and did a great job explaining why you absolutely have to go. So now I don’t have to do that (thanks V!) and can instead tell you about an incredible event happening Friday night.

It’s nearly impossible for me to believe, but Sisterz of the Undergound (SOTU) is having its 8th anniversary party on Friday. If you’ve never heard of SOTU, it’s a collective of female hip hop artists from across the country, rooted right here in the Bay Area. SOTU was born out of what was meant to be a one time show, organized by my sister, to showcase female hip hop talent. She gathered several amazingly talented women together and put on a packed show at the Justice League. It was so successful that it grew into an artist collective and later into a non-profit that teaches all the elements of hip hop to Bay Area youth.

My sister left the Bay Area a couple years ago, but SOTU has still been going strong, and this party should as fun as their past events. Here’s a preview of their some of their breaking talent:

So check out Uptown Unveiled on Thursday, but save some energy for Friday night and cross the bay for SOTU’s 8th anniversary party. The party starts at 9pm and goes until 2am, at Club Six, 60 Sixth Street. It’s just a few blocks from Powell or Civic Center BART, and if you want to stay late, the 800 all nighter AC Transit bus will get you back to Oakland. If you RSVP via Facebook, it costs $5 before 11pm – otherwise it’s $10 all night.

Posted in Art, Community, Entertainment, Music, Oakland Tagged: hip hop, Sisterz of the Underground, Uptown Unveiled