January 11-17 Oakland Political & Community Events

Monday, January 11th – Make Oakland Better Now! Emergency Budget Meeting

Make Oakland Better Now! will hold a combined general assembly and emergency meeting on the city’s budget crisis on Monday.  The City Council is preparing to make major decisions affecting critical city services in response to budget deficits in the current and next fiscal years.  Make Oakland Better Now! will debate and adopt positions on how the city should respond to the present crisis.  All residents of Oakland and owners of Oakland businesses are urged to attend.  This meeting will be held from 6:30 to 9:00 p.m. at Oakland City Hall, Hearing Room 4. Visit MOBN’s website for the full agenda or email Oaklanders@MakeOaklandBetterNow.org for further info.

Monday, January 11th – Fruitvale Neighborhood BRT Meeting

Oakland is preparing its recommendation for a Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system running through the heart of the East Bay from San Leandro through Oakland to Berkeley. Throughout the month of January the city will be seeking the input of Oakland residents on what they want to see from the Bus Rapid Transit program and how they want this new service to run through their communities. This process will culminate in the submittal of Oakland’s Locally Preferred Alternative to AC Transit to be included in the range of options they consider when they build the BRT system. I was lucky enough to get a sneak preview of Oakland’s plan at December’s Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee meeting, and it’s pretty astounding, especially the significant pedestrian improvements. Monday’s meeting is the first in a series of seven meetings throughout Oakland, and I highly recommend attending at least one to see the plan for yourself and to ask questions. This meeting will be held from 6-8 PM at the Fruitvale Senior Center, 3301 E. 12th Street, Ste. 201. You can read more about the BRT proposal at dto510’s excellent post about this issue and at OaklandBRT.com.

Tuesday, January 12th – Eastlake Neighborhood BRT Meeting

Oakland is preparing its recommendation for a Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system running through the heart of the East Bay from San Leandro through Oakland to Berkeley. Throughout the month of January the city will be seeking the input of Oakland residents on what they want to see from the Bus Rapid Transit program and how they want this new service to run through their communities. This process will culminate in the submittal of Oakland’s Locally Preferred Alternative to AC Transit to be included in the range of options they consider when they build the BRT system. I was lucky enough to get a sneak preview of Oakland’s plan at December’s Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee meeting, and it’s pretty astounding, especially the significant pedestrian improvements. Tuesday”s meeting is part of a series of seven meetings throughout Oakland, and I highly recommend attending at least one to see the plan for yourself and to ask questions.This meeting will be held from 6-8 PM at the Eastside Arts Alliance, 2277 International Boulevard. You can read more about the BRT proposal at dto510’s excellent post about this issue and at OaklandBRT.com.

Wednesday, January 13th – Party Celebrating Anniversary of Rebecca Kaplan’s Swearing-In

You are invited to celebrate the new year, and the anniversary of Rebecca Kaplan’s swearing-in to the Oakland City Council!  Come to this cocktail party for music by DJ Gray, fun, and fabulous food. The party will be held from 5-7pm at Ozumo, 2251 Broadway at Grand, Uptown Oakland. Suggested contribution is $20 – $200, but no one will be turned away for lack of funds. Find out more and RSVP at Kaplan’s website.

Thursday, January 14th – Oakland Heritage Alliance Lecture: North Oakland, A History in Photos

As part of the monthly OHA lecture series, Ray Raineri, photo archivist, will share his memories of growing up in North Oakland’s Italian neighborhood, drawing from his vast slide library. Idora Park will be featured. This lecture will be held at 7:30pm at Chapel of the Chimes, 4499 Piedmont Ave. in Oakland. Admission: $10 OHA members/$15 non-members. Find out more about this lecture series at OHA’s website.