Oakland’s Safe Routes to Transit grant applications

Since several of you seemed to enjoy my report on a recent AC Transit meeting, I thought I’d share some of what happened at last week’s Oakland Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee meeting. Though there were several interesting items on the agenda, some were a bit too complex for a quick report or were just brief reports so I’m going to focus here on one agenda item – Oakland’s Safe Routes to Transit (SR2T) grant applications.

From TransForm’s website, here’s a description of the SR2T regional program:

The Safe Routes to Transit (SR2T) Program awards $20 million in grants to facilitate walking and bicycling to regional transit. The program is funded by Regional Measure 2, and is administered by TransForm and the East Bay Bicycle Coalition. By improving the safety and convenience of biking and walking to regional transit, SR2T will give commuters the opportunity to leave their cars at home, and reduce congestion on Bay Area bridges. Learn about the creation of SR2T...

To date nearly $12 million has been awarded to over 30 capital and planning projects.

SR2T funds may be used for:

• Secure bicycle storage at transit stations/stops/pods
• Safety enhancements for ped/bike station access to transit stations/stops/pods
• Removal of ped/bike barriers near transit stations
• System-wide transit enhancements to accommodate bicyclists or pedestrians

The application deadline for the fourth cycle of grants out of five cycles is approaching, and Oakland Senior Transportation Planner Bruce Williams told us last Thursday about the applications Oakland is submitting. Since SR2T doesn’t fund projects all the way from conception to construction, the first project is a capital project and the other two are planning projects (though Oakland could ask for capital grants for these two projects in the next funding cycle.

Two ways to invest in our community on Thursday night

Some nights, it seems like there’s nothing to do in the East Bay, but not on Thursdays. This Thursday is no different as there are two great, low dollar benefits for causes worth supporting. If I could be in two places at once, I’d go to both, but since I can’t, I’m hopeful you will attend either the Alameda County Give 22 Kickoff or the Bridge the Bay Benefit.

November 30-December 6 Oakland Political & Community Events

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.

October 19-25 Oakland Political & Community Events

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.

September 28-October 4 Oakland Political & Community Events

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.