GrandLakeNeighbors.org

Oakland’s Community Economic and Development Committee meets tomorrow (Tuesday) at 2:00 PM in City Hall to continue their discussion of regulations for unattended donation bins.

If you’re able to attend tomorrow’s meeting to speak in favor of the strongest possible regulations, speakers cards can be filled out online at this link:   http://www2.oaklandnet.com/Government/o/CityClerk/s/SpeakerCard/SpeakerCard/OAK032373.  If you’re willing to instead send emails, they should be addressed to:

idelafuente@oaklandnet.com
pkernighan@oaklandnet.com
jbrunner@oaklandnet.com
nnadel@oaklandnet.com

The following is a copy of the message I sent earlier today to the committee members:

 

“For reference purposes, the article I wrote about donation bins is posted on this link:  http://grandlakeneighbors.org/?p=386.   Some updated information follows. 

Thrift Recycling Management (which operates the Reading Tree book donation bins) is registered with the State of California as a Commercial Fundraiser but has not applied for a City of Oakland business license nor I’d assume have they have paid business license fees.  In addition, their bins are in violation of the California Welfare and Institutions Code as amended by AB 918 which requires that the name and contact information for the operator be prominently displayed.  AB 918 states that “a city…shall have the authority to declare a box that is in violation of this chapter to be a public nuisance and to abate that nuisance”.

Campus California (in 2011) justified their non-profit status with contributions in excess of $300,000 to a variety of International Development programs tied to Tvind or the Teachers Group.  The natural assumption is that these funds are used to pay for volunteer training.  In point of fact, students pay initial enrollment fees and additional fundraising is an essential component of the “curriculum”.  “Fighting With the Poor”, which Jan Sako touted in a recent letter to the OUSD School Board is a two-year program that begins with six months of compulsory fund-raising that often includes emptying clothing donation bins.

There are also serious questions about the efficacy of the training programs themselves. I’d highly recommend this link regarding the Campus California-funded program on the island of St. Vincent:     http://www.tvindalert.com/countries/st-vincent/.

The attached photo of the CC donation bin at Garfield School is noteworthy because it was taken this past Sunday–nearly six weeks after the Superintendent of School’s office ordered the twenty Campus California bins on school property to be removed.

USAgain is also part of the Teachers Group international network (see link: http://www.tvindalert.com/companies/usagain/).  Their sole contribution to the City of Oakland’s coffers is a business license fee equal to .00125 of their gross sales.    The first of the two attached photos of a USAgain bin is noteworthy because the manager of the Union 76 station on Lakeshore has called “three or four times” over the past month to have it removed without success.  The second attached photo of a bin at 34th near Foothill is noteworthy because the bin is clearly on the city right-of-way without an Encroachment permit.

To recap my essential concerns, the above are each multi-million dollar enterprises but a minuscule portion of the donated goods and virtually none of the net proceeds stays here in Oakland.  In addition, the bins are magnets for blight and also drain resources that would otherwise be going to Oakland-based non-profits.

The report from the Planning Department lays out a variety of scenarios.  I can’t honestly say which approach is preferable but I can delineate what the regulations need to accomplish and what components are required.

1.  The permit process and/or permit fee has to be sufficiently onerous to put a serious dent in the number of bins citywide.

2.  Since the city doesn’t have adequate staff to adequately monitor bins, the process has to include online posting of a list of permitted locations so monitoring can be provided by concerned citizens including myself.

3.  To prevent intentional disregard of permitting requirements (as has been the case with Campus California in Berkeley and San Rafael)  there need to be substantial, punitive fines for violations.

4.  Similarly, provisions need to be in place to reimburse the city for staff time dedicated to recurrent blight complaints for specific locations and also for staff time responding to complaints of bin operators failing to promptly remove bins from private or public properties when requested–as is currently the case with Campus California bins on school sites and the USAgain bin at the gas station on Lakeshore.

5.  Bin operators must be required to conform to the provisions of AB 918–particularly as it applies to transparency in bin labeling and promotional materials.

6.  As an alternative to bin donations, the City of Oakland, StopWaste.org, Waste Management and concerned members of this community need to join forces to better publicize the local non-profits that depend upon donations of goods to fund their services.

Editor’s Note: Not only is the March newsletter several days late, it may be the shortest in recent memory. As an inveterate procrastinator, I’ll shoulder some of the blame but, for the balance, unattended donation bins and the Bay Friendly Garden Tour share responsibility.

How so? For the past couple of weeks, instead of taking photos and schmoozing on Grand and Lakeshore, I was busy writing an article about the controversial boxes that are proliferating throughout Oakland. When I wasn’t doing that, I was preoccupied with getting my garden ready to host an orientation for Alameda County gardeners whose yards will be featured in the annual Bay Friendly Garden Tour on April 29. It took a ton of weeding, pruning and cleaning but my garden is looking good. Not me! I desperately need a haircut and a new wardrobe–but I keep procrastinating.

GRAND LAKE MERCHANT NEWS

For the past month or so, Lakeshore Avenue business owners have been doing their best to put idled construction workers back to work. No sooner did Peet’s reopen with a revamped interior, Starbucks closed for a complete remodel–an obvious case of Peet’s Envy, if I ever saw one.

One morning, I counted at least a dozen trucks parked side by side up and down the avenue adjacent to Starbucks. They represented a host of trades including welders, plumbers, electricians and carpenters. The newly-remodeled interior looks fabulous and includes multiple chess tables. Unfortunately, I can’t provide photographic evidence since company policy requires written authorization from the corporate offices.

I did, however, take this photo of the exterior including the planters that seem to be an afterthought and vines that appear to be half dead. If you’re a Starbucks regular, please do them and us a favor and diplomatically broach the subject by suggesting that the manager check out the very colorful flower bed planted and maintained by Izek Day Spa Salon.

Speaking of which, when you’re down on Lakeshore, poke your head inside the door at Izek’s and tell them how much you appreciate their efforts and please tell them that “Ken sent you”.

Next door to Arizmendi, Chipotle has “broken ground”. On Friday, I shot this photo of the interior through the front window. They are completely gutting the insides–removing the concrete flooring and stripping off the interior plaster to expose the bare studs. The previous afternoon, I took this photo of someone atop a vertical lift working on the blade sign on the facade. A couple of days later, photographer and Social Media Maven, Paula Wirth took this Instagram image of the signage stripped down to the original.

Around the corner, 3307 Grand (which is adjacent to Monkey Forest Road) is also getting a total remodel but at a far less frenetic pace. Before I reveal what’s in the offing, let me add a parenthetical note. Several years ago, I was a member of the Grand Lake Retail Advisory Group–an ad hoc coalition of volunteers that organized a neighborhood survey that generated 705 responses. The number one item on the “Want List” in the GLRAG Report was a butcher shop.

I rashly predicted that we’d have one within the year but it’s taken nearly four. Nonetheless, it’s going to be worth the wait as we’re getting a butcher shop and a bar and a restaurant–all under one roof and the project is being coordinated under the watchful eye of building owner, Richard Weinstein and chef extraordinaire, Charlie Hallowell of Boot & Shoe Service and Pizzaiolo fame.

With Richard and Charlie’s track records, we can count on their new venture being a worthy next-door neighbor for Monkey Forest Road. We can also count on even more folks flocking to this stretch of Grand Avenue with the expectation that they’ll have to wait in line for a table at Boot and Shoe or their new (yet unnamed) restaurant across the street. Richard did, however, mention that Boot and Shoe has extended their hours and you now have the option of dining there for lunch or a weekend brunch.

The one, unfortunate downside to the above story is that Jenny’s Cafe has lost its lease and, after twelve years on Grand, will be closing at the end of the month. Jenny and Mot have been a real asset to the Avenue and, for a lot of their regular customers, this will be like losing a cherished, family member. We wish them the very best and perhaps, we’ll yet see Jenny’s Cafe reincarnated at another neighborhood location.

Back on Lakeshore, the equally disappointing news is that Juniper Tree is closing after a very long run. They are currently having a going out of business sale and will be relocating to Park Street in Alameda. I, for one, will miss their Christmas and Halloween merchandise and their always photogenic window displays.

Ergo Sleep Systems opened their new Oakland location at 3342 Lakeshore Avenue just over a week ago. They feature organic bedding including mattress sets, linens, mattress pads and, in the near future, organic pillows from the previous tenants–Sleep & Beyond. I took this photo of Manager, Leonard Laxamana and Sales Associate, Shaina Durant late last week.

Grand Avenue has been hogging the spotlight of late as acknowledged by “The Weekly Yelp” in their Lakeshore tribute published March 14. Accolades for Lakeshore businesses went to Arizmendi, Rolling Dunes, Urban Indigo, Easy Lounge, Yayu Ethiopian and Mezze. Also included (although not strictly speaking on Lakeshore) was Holy Land on Rand and (not even close) Skin and Tonic on Santa Clara just past H & R Block.

Lin Jia’s Marcia Lam was profiled in Oakland Magazine’s “March-April Secret Eats” feature. They say any publicity is good publicity but without the text, I’m not sure I would have recognized Marcia. Thumbs down for their, oh-so unflattering photo but a big thumbs-up for Lin Jia’s brand new Spring menu introducing a number of new seasonal treats including “Palace Secret Ribs”, “Flowering Chicken” and the provocatively-named, “Dragon & Phoenix”.

Easy has hung a new, “New Easy” sign and they’ve also just introduced their own seasonal Spring Menu featuring some luscious-sounding sandwiches and small plates to share. Their “Sunday Smoke” menu sounds especially tempting–particularly since their meats are all sourced from Star in Berkeley.

Last week, I stopped by Yayu and picked up their vegetarian platter which is delicious and at $11.95, a bargain. Owners, Masai and Andy told me they’re looking forward to Oakland’s Vegan Week which starts April 15. All of Yayu’s vegetarian items are Vegan, as well.

Jennie Gerard, Pat Kernighan’s Chief of Staff just advised me of two proclamations that our District 2 council member has issued in the past couple of years. The more recent honors Margene Burns whose bridal salon has been clothing blushing brides since 1961. For the last 34 years, she’s been doing so from her shop, Margene’s Bridal Salon at 3612 Grand. The second proclamation honors Gloria Orduna who has been operating Le Visage Salon at 3510 Grand since 1989.

ODDS AND ENDS:

Hundreds of California Native Irises are currently in bloom at Splash Pad Park but, unfortunately, they’re lost in a sea of weeds that have engulfed all of the planting beds accounting for the demise of about half of the Yellow Twig Dogwood. Since the park opened, we’ve also lost five Date Palms to Fusarium Wilt infections. The net result is a park that no longer looks like the pristine version that was featured in countless magazine and newspaper articles extolling Landscape Architect Walter Hood.

In last month’s newsletter, I mentioned this subject briefly, saying “I fear that Walter may be on the verge of disowning us”. In truth, my actual fear is that Walter may be on the verge of disowning me. When the park opened in 2003, we were already aware that the City of Oakland’s park maintenance staff was limited in what they could do and we had an unspoken pact that I would be the park’s guardian angel.

For the first few years, with the assistance of a hard-core group of volunteers, we did just that but, over time, we all drifted off to other projects and concerns. For me, that included the homeless, Grand Lake neighborhood issues and most particularly, this extremely, time-consuming newsletter.

On Sunday, April 22, you’ll have an opportunity to help put me back in Walter’s good graces while taking one giant step towards restoring Splash Pad as a green and colorful oasis. While the rest of Oakland is celebrating Earth Day on the 21st, we’re organizing a Sunday work day co-sponsored by Jerry Barclay’s Splash Pad/Farmers Market Advisory Group and Eric Hughes’ Grand Lake Improvement and Beautification Committee with support from the City of Oakland and the Grand Lake Farmers Market.

Plans include extensive weeding, some pruning and the addition of quantities of California Native plants along with some soil additives. The work day is scheduled from 9:00 AM to Noon. If you can volunteer on the 22nd, please email us at info@splashpad.org so we’ll know how many tools to order and also have an idea as to what we will need in the way of food and beverages. Regarding the latter, we’d be absolutely delighted to have someone step forward to arrange in advance for food and beverage donations and handle the table set-up on the work day.

Lakeshore Avenue still has what I described last month as an “unwelcome visitor”. Theoretically, the USAgain clothing donation bin at the 76 Union Station will soon be gone as the station manager did ask to have it removed. Hopefully, the same will be true of at least the majority of the donation bins in Oakland operated by USAgain, Campus California, Reading Tree and at least one copy-cat organization.

At their meeting on March 27, the members of the City Council’s Community and Economic Development Committee clearly expressed their desire to reverse the proliferation of donation bins operated by organizations with no ties to Oakland. Accordingly, they asked the Planning Department to come back with a more stringent application process and higher fees than what was originally on the table.

Thanks to everyone who responded to last month’s request for emails to the committee members. For more information on this issue, please refer to the updated version of my article posted on the Grand Lake Neighbors website.

In case you hadn’t noticed, I’ve been studiously avoiding discussion of Occupy Oakland in this venue. For the record, I’ve been terribly disappointed by Occupy Oakland’s embrace of vandalism and other aggressive acts under the rubric of “diversity of tactics”. I’m happy to see that the majority of the group is evolving into a movement committed to peaceful protest but they have yet to formally condemn the counter-productive actions of others protesting under the same banner. If you’re in agreement, please consider signing this online petition calling on Occupy Oakland to maintain an “unwavering commitment to peace and nonviolence in our City”.

Plans for the parklets that are slated for Lakeshore in front of Arizmendi and Foot Locker are nearing completion. The Steering Committee which had consisted of myself, Jeffrey Lim, Pamela Drake and Eric Hughes got a big shot in the arm in the last month thanks to the addition of two members. Glenn Nunez is a long-time contractor and woodworker while Elena Ion is in the process of getting a PHD in architecture at Cal. Elena’s most recent elevations and floor plans can be viewed on this link. Sometime soon, we’re going to be looking for volunteers to help with construction and with fundraising.

The long-awaited, $1.2 million Lakeshore Complete Streets Project has just begun. I’m going to be documenting ongoing construction with photos posted on this Flickr set that includes a description of the scope of the project taken from Pat Kernighan’s E-News.

FARMERS MARKET:

Look for Point Reyes Farmstead Blue Cheese to make its debut this Saturday. I skimmed their website and this looks like a first class operation that’s home to the world’s most-contented cows. According to the Market Manager, Chris Blackburn, they’ll be setting up on the west end of the market alongside Strauss Dairy.

The Farmers Market Entertainment calendar for March and April includes one new group that should be a big hit judging by the video posted on their website. The Sadza Marimba Band is based in Santa Cruz and will be performing on May 12.

April 7: PARIS MUSIQUE

April 14: DIEGO JAMEAU

April 21: DAMOND MOODIE

April 28: Drew James + IKE COSSE

May 5: BRIAN BERGERON

May 12: Sadza Marimba Band + MIKE KLAPHOLZ

May 19: Big Dog and The Bite + Jimbo trout

May 26: Anderson-Gram

EVENTS CALENDAR

April 6: First Friday Art Murmur, Uptown District

April 7: 25th Annual Lakeshore Easter Parade and Derby Contest sponsored by Lakeshore Avenue Baptist Church and the Lakeshore Business Improvement District. Details are posted on Pamela Drake’s blog.

April 14: Deadline for nominations for Oakland Indie Awards using this form. The always fun, Awards Ceremony is May 31.

April 21: Oakland Earth Day.

April 22: Splash Pad Earth Day Celebration. 9:00 to Noon.

April 29: Bay Friendly Garden Tour–Alameda County. Deadline for registering for this date is mid April.

PREFACE

During a crushing economic downturn that has forced the City of Oakland to repeatedly slash services, lay off staff and desperately look for additional funding sources, one very select group has been getting a free ride. To make matters worse, these very same enterprises are putting a significant dent in the donation of goods that had traditionally gone to local non-profits and most significantly, to those non-profit groups that provide invaluable assistance to Oakland residents who are hungry, homeless and unemployed.

Currently, this select group includes three distinct entities: Campus California, USAgain and Reading Tree’s Books for Charity. If you’re out and about on the streets of Oakland, you’ve seen their presence incarnate in the form of over-sized donation bins. On a regular basis, they are filled to overflowing thanks to the kindness of strangers who are blissfully unaware of the true nature of these enterprises, and equally unaware of how virtually none of the proceeds benefit the City of Oakland or its populace.

In the following pages, I’d like to share details about all three groups including information that is not, strictly speaking, relevant to city planning or the legislative process but which should hopefully motivate concerned Oakland residents to become involved and lobby in support of appropriate regulations and/or legislation.

BOOKS FOR CHARITY?

The big blue donation bins that were prominently labeled “Books for Charity” were officially introduced to Oakland, in a big way, in June of last year with a highly orchestrated press conference at Brookfield Elementary School. The event was scheduled as an opportunity for Safeway stores to announce an agreement to initially host 150 Reading Tree book donation bins in Northern California with another 300 in the pipeline.

This was a feel-good occasion focused on collecting children’s books that Reading Tree would turn over to Reading Partners–a highly respected, San Francisco-based non-profit recognized nationally for its efforts (beginning in 1999) to provide one-on-one mentoring for children from low-income communities. They, in turn, were prepared to distribute those books to kids in local schools who lacked reading materials in their homes.

This is how Reading Partners’ press release from June 9, 2011 described the agreement:

This exciting partnership between Reading Partners, Safeway and Reading Tree will ensure that 100% of books that are donated through Safeway collection bins will be given to children in need in local communities or recycled. Books that are too advanced for Reading Partners students will be located (sic) to local libraries, shelters and other nonprofit organizations.

Unfortunately, virtually everyone involved in this in-school event should have been directed to write, one hundred times on the nearest blackboard, “Next time, I’ll do my homework”. A more appropriate punishment for the sole exception, the Regional Operations Director for Reading Tree, would have been a full year of after-school detention for his failure to disclose that his non-profit agency was responsible for the donation bins in name only.

A cursory web search would have revealed that the bins are instead owned and operated by Thrift Recycling Management (TRM) which has approximately 4,500 bins and 10 distribution centers strategically dispersed throughout the US. CEO Phil McMullin co-founded TRM in 2004 with his son, Jeff McMullin and the latter also serves as President of Reading Tree–TRM’s non-profit arm while Jeff’s wife manages the non-profit’s paperwork.

According to a TRM press release dated April 11, 2011:

• “Thrift Recycling is the leading distributor of used media online.”
• “Since they shipped their first book in 2004, Thrift Recycling has sold over 15 million books.”
• “The company closed its last fiscal year at $27M in revenue.”
• “TRM recycles about 24 million unusable books each year.”

When Northern California community activists (who had done their homework) started making phone calls and writing letters to the editor, the situation for TRM rapidly took an ugly turn. Perhaps, the most outspoken of those activists was Linda Landau, a volunteer for the Friends of the Orinda Library group who cited a host of online reports from library friends groups elsewhere that complained of a precipitous drop in donations when TRM bins were introduced in their respective communities.

As the complaints and critical news reports accumulated, TRM took decisive action. They scrubbed their website–removing all the now damning information that boasted of their profitability and their plans for continued expansion funded by an $8.5 million infusion of cash from a venture capital firm.

Safeway took action, as well, by initially insisting that, for at least the next six months, none of the books placed in bins on their property were to be sold. Shortly afterwards, recognizing that their partnership with TRM was a public relations nightmare, Safeway ordered all 150 bins removed from their properties.

TRM is now retrenching its efforts in Northern California and gradually relocating the bins that were removed from Safeway stores. Their website currently lists 35 bins in the Sacramento area but only four in the East Bay and only one of those is in Oakland. There are, however, at least four additional, unlisted TRM bins in Oakland including this one (paired with a Campus California bin) alongside a 7-11 store at 2350 Harrison Street.

More significantly, as reported in this March 9 article by Derek Moore in the Santa Rosa Press Democrat, Phil McMullin claims that TRM is in the midst of rebranding itself as “a for-profit company with a social mission” and they are “rolling out new signs for the bins in an effort to be more transparent”.

Despite McMullin’s pledge to be “more transparent”, his claims regarding the ratio of books sold to those donated remains highly problematic. TRM’s mantra is that for every book they sell, they donate another but their own press releases in the past year indicate that they had sold fifteen million books since 2004 and donations to schools totaled only six million. I’d also argue that while six million books sounds like a huge sum, it’s a drop in the bucket for an operation this huge. By comparison, the all-volunteer, East Bay Children’s Book Project (which is directed by my wife) has distributed 668,000 books since 2005.

I’d also want to question TRM’s environmental credentials. They claim that half the books they receive are “unusable” and they openly boast that they pulp 24 million books annually. Some reports posted online note that the actual percentage is closer to 75% which seems more likely when you crunch the above numbers. In addition (in order to cope with the huge volume of books that their distribution centers receive) TRM has installed computerized sorters that read ISBN numbers and discard at least some books based solely on the quantity currently in their online inventory.

If TRM is rebranding itself, they’re doing so out of necessity and, in the process, are following in the footsteps of the clothing donation operations that are represented in Oakland by Campus California and USAgain–two organizations I’ve dubbed the…

NON-IDENTICAL TVINDS

Although they’d like you to believe otherwise, Campus California TG and USAgain were both sired by Tvind or the Teachers Group–an organization that many observers have described as an international cult or criminal enterprise.

Tvind was founded in the 1970′s by Mogens Amdi Petersen. Petersen and several of his associates were acquitted in Denmark in 2006 on charges of tax fraud and embezzlement but before the case could be appealed to a higher court, most fled the country. While Petersen had earlier taken refuge in Zimbabwe, where the Teachers Group enjoyed the support of dictator, Robert Mugabe, he is now allegedly residing in a $10 million compound on the Baja California coast.

Clothing collection bins in the U.S. under the banners of Campus California, USAgain, Planet Aid and Gaia (plus similar programs in Europe) are the main income source that funds the lavish lifestyle enjoyed by members of the Teachers Group’s inner circle. Much of it ends up stashed in off-shore accounts or invested in property holdings throughout the world including plantations in Africa and Central America.

THE FOR-PROFIT TVIND

USAgain was founded in 1999 and its status as a for-profit business was originally not that clear-cut. As recently as 2010, USAgain bins stated “We are a commercial company” that “cooperates with schools, non-profits and city recycling programs”.

Based on the wording on their bins and the content of their website, the Washington State Attorney General’s office insisted that they register as a “Commercial Fundraiser”. Not wanting to publicly disclose their income flow, USAgain deferred and eventually reached an agreement that required them to relabel their bins to read, “USAGAIN is a for-profit clothes collection company. Donated items are not tax deductible.”

That’s the wording used on the 17 bins currently within the city limits in two main clusters–one heading easterly from the Fruitvale District and the second, in North Oakland, along the Telegraph and San Pablo corridors. Since USAgain is a privately held, for-profit company, there’s not a lot of information available to the public about their operations beyond what they or their partners choose to post online.

Nationally, USAgain claims to have over 10,000 bins in 17 states that accounted for donations of 60 million pounds of shoes and clothing in 2011. Garson & Shaw, a clothing broker in Atlanta, Georgia that’s part of the Tvind network, does list USAgain as one of their suppliers, along with Gaia and Planet Aid.

In addition, USAgain’s SF district office in Hayward reports that they’re collecting 275,000 pounds of clothing and shoes per month. Finally, a source at Tvind-Alert revealed that USAgain is 75% owned by TS Recycling, which they termed a “Tvind shell company” that raked in $29 million in 2009.

Theoretically, as a for-profit business, USAgain’s bay area operations should be paying City of Oakland business license fees for clothing deposited in their Oakland bins and subsequently sold. But that’s in theory only. When we learned last year that USAgain was included in the list of exhibitors for the city’s annual Earth Expo, I was one of several neighborhood activists who filed complaints. From what I understand, that invite was rescinded when city officials learned that USAgain was delinquent in their business taxes.

Even if that’s no longer the case, those fees are incredibly nominal–only assessed at 1/10 of 1% of gross sales. Since USAgain is wholesaling the donations to Garson & Shaw, they’re not paying any state sales taxes. As for California state income taxes, for which they are liable, a very small portion finds its way back to local municipalities such as Oakland.

THE NON-PROFIT TVIND

Campus California has been collecting clothing donations since 2003. For a comprehensive look at their history and operations, I’d highly recommend Your RAGS to their RICHES, an article by Matt Smith published by SF Weekly on June 8, 2011.

In this space, I’ll share a few of the key issues regarding Campus California and also fill in some additional details.

I first wrote about Campus California in a February 2007 article posted on the Grand Lake Guardian that was inspired by an investigative report on KCBS by Anna Werner. At the time, we called them the Green boxes of Gaia thanks to the large Gaia floral decals pasted on the side of their bins–300 of which were then distributed in Northern California.

A February 1, 2008 article in the Tribune by reporter Cecily Burt rekindled the discussion about Campus California and within a couple of weeks, then Deputy City Administrator William Zenoni had advised Campus California that any boxes in the public right of way would have to be removed or each would be subject to a $850-900 encroachment permit. Furthermore, the City required Campus California to provide written authorization from the owners of any private properties on which the boxes would be located.

Rather than pay the required fees, Campus California removed the last of the bins from city sidewalks and focused instead on finding private property hosts. In a month’s time, they managed to double the total number of bins within the city.

On March 4, in response to the Cecily Burt article, Jan Sako, the head of clothing collection operations for Campus California, emailed the City Administrator’s office and all the Oakland City Council members. In his letter, Sako thanked the city authorities for their cooperation and addressed many of the charges that had been leveled against his organization.

Sako’s letter included a number of glaring discrepancies regarding their Development Instructor Program. He claimed that their Etna training school had assigned 2000 volunteers to international projects but, in a subsequent phone call, he said that number was actually 200. In addition, he mentions that “volunteer program expenses are covered partially by tuition and fundraising but neglects to reveal that the tuition was then $3,600 with street-corner fundraising an essential component of the curriculum.

The Etna campus is now closed and, as justification for their non-profit status, Campus California is now directing its contributions to three Teachers Group programs–the Institutes for International Cooperation and Development in Michigan and Massachusetts and the Richmond Vale Academy (RVA) in St. Vincent.

An online search turned up this review by a student in the RVA program:

I went to RVA in 2008 and there is nothing that they offer to the volunteers. I will never recommend this organization to anybody. RVA cost is (in 2010) almost 6000 US $ (500 enroll fees + 3900 “training” + 1500 obligatory fundraising = 5.900 US$.

As a revealing aside, in 2008, Jan Sako informed Zenoni that Campus California was no longer affiliated with Gaia–maybe due to the Anna Werner and Cecily Burt reports but more likely as a result of the “F” grade that the American Institute of Philanthropy had repeatedly given Gaia. Zenoni said he was subsequently amused when Sako turned in authorization forms printed on Gaia letterheads.

Three years later, Matt Smith (the author of the SF Weekly story) told the identical story but with slightly different details. Sako was then insisting that Campus California was no longer associated with the Teachers Group but handed Smith his Teachers Group business card. In addition, when I went out last month to photograph donation bins in North Oakland, they’re still prominently displaying the “TG” tag attached to “Campus California” as was the case with this bin at Faith Presbyterian in the Temescal District.

While Sako is playing “word games”, Campus California has, in fact, made substantial changes in their operations including the closure of the training school in Etna; their relocation to a Richmond warehouse; and their expansion within the bay area and beyond into Phoenix and Bakersfield.

Currently, they have about 1,000 bins in the San Francisco Bay Area. The number in Oakland has increased nearly five-fold in the past year and their website locator now lists 70 bins within the city limits including 20 in public schools. In 2009, they reported 7 million pounds of clothing donations and reported to the IRS revenue totaling $1.8 million.

How much of that $1.8 million ends up in the City of Oakland’s coffers? In 2008, Campus California paid the city a $30 charity registration fee but apparently that amount has since doubled. Coincidentally, if you operate a business in Oakland and you earn at least $2,500, you’re liable for city business taxes and the absolute minimum is exactly what Campus California pays on its $1.8 million in sales. To rub salt in the wounds, when I talked to Jan Sako in 2008, he confirmed that they sold their baled clothing to a company with Tvind connections (presumably Garson & Shaw) for 25 cents per pound.

Subsequently, I spoke to the clothing collection manager at Oakland Goodwill, who noted that they, too, bale clothing for sale overseas for re-use or recycling and the price ranged from 23 to 30 cents per pound. The critical difference between the two operations is that Goodwill (like St. Vincent de Paul and the Salvation Army) cherry pick their donations and the best of the lot end up for sale in their thrift shops here in Oakland.

In his interview with KCBS’s Anna Werner in 2006, the Salvation Army’s Major Bill Heiselman noted that Garson & Shaw was getting a sweetheart deal since the actual value of Campus California’s unsorted bales was probably closer to $1 per pound.

MY TWO CENTS

In writing this article, I’ve bent over backwards to be factual, but it has never been my intention to give the “other side” an equal voice. I believe that donation bins (aside from a very few that belong to Salvation Army) are serving as a cash cow for outside entities providing precious little in the way of benefits to the City of Oakland’s treasury or to the people who live here.

The most persuasive argument in their favor is that the bins are more convenient and, if Jan Sako has his way, a Campus California donation bin will eventually be no more than five minutes from every Oakland resident. I’d maintain, however, that “doing the right thing” inevitably trumps “convenience” and I’m willing to bet Mitt Romney’s $10,000 that the overwhelming majority of Oakland’s citizenry agree. I’d also safely wager that a lot of folks reading this article (and knowing what they know now) are wishing they could have back the books that got sold (or more likely pulped) and the clothes that got baled, sold and shipped overseas for resale.

A related argument, that the bin operators are increasingly relying on, is that they are “environmentally friendly”–keeping recyclables out of landfills. This may be true to some extent but it’s mostly a specious argument. If the bins weren’t so readily available, most folks would hold onto their donations until they accumulated enough to drop them off at a local thrift shop or phone for a pick-up or hold a garage sale.

Another fly in the ointment regarding the claimed environmental benefits is the amount of energy expended transporting the donated goods. Every stitch of fabric donated to USAgain and Campus California is shipped long distances–including Africa, Eastern Europe and Central America and books donated to Reading Tree have to be trucked to the nearest distribution center–often hundreds of miles away.

In addition to the negative impact they’re having on legitimate local charities, the bins are a magnet for graffiti as evidenced by this photo of a Campus California bin at a gas station on San Pablo Avenue, or another at the 1/4 pound burger on Telegraph, or this one of a USAgain bin at 18th and International. I’d also note that at least 90% of the existing bins are confined to less affluent neighborhoods further complicating the lives of individuals and community groups doing their best to upgrade their neighborhoods by eliminating the blight generally associated with higher crime levels.

THE $393 SOLUTION?

Last year, prompted by a decline in donations to local non-profits including Goodwill and St. Vincent de Paul plus related concerns about the bin operators, several residents asked Councilmember Pat Kernighan to investigate mechanisms that could be used to regulate the donation bins. After a series of meetings, Councilmember Jane Brunner joined the effort as a co-sponsor and together, they asked Planning Department staff to recommend a regulatory process.

Staff returned with two options–both of which were based on existing Planning Code requirements. The first recommended that donation bins be classified under the same provisions that apply to signs and fences. Such projects require a Small Project Design Review and a one-time payment of a $393 fee. According to Council Aide, Joanne Karchmer, (who played a major role in the necessary research and outreach) the ancillary fees would bring the total to approximately $450.

The Planning Department also offered, as a second option, a higher Design Review classification, with fees slightly in excess of $1,000.

The report to the Community Economic and Development (CED) Committee that Kernighan and Brunner issued on March 15 ended up endorsing the lower fee structure largely due to concerns that the higher fee would negatively impact the Salvation Army which currently has two donation bins in areas accessible to the public. In addition, they feared that the higher fee could have undermined the chances that a resolution would gain the necessary three votes for passage.

The CED Committee report also spelled out some of the approaches to regulating donation bins that had been employed elsewhere in California. Berkeley (being Berkeley) took a unique approach–sending “notice of violation to all businesses which had allowed boxes on their property and also indicating that the property owner’s Use permit would be reopened and reviewed”, which proved to be a highly effective deterrent.

In 2007, San Rafael deemed donation bins to be “akin to hot dog or coffee carts” that would require Administrative Use Permits and Administrative Design Reviews with fees ranging from $1,200 to $1,500 per location–enough to convince Campus California to locate elsewhere.

The 2009 passage of amendments to California’s Welfare and Institutions code specifically authorized local municipalities to regulate donation bins and the City of Sacramento was amongst the first to pass legislation regulating donation bins and imposing an annual fee for each approved location.

WHAT TRANSPIRED THEREAFTER

In the twelve days between the publication of the report and the CED Committee meeting on March 27, community members backing regulations began to express concerns that the one-time $450 fee might be adequate to reimburse the city for staff time required during the application process but didn’t take into account the inevitability of ensuing blight complaints and most disconcerting, the likelihood that bins would be placed here without permits in open defiance of city regulations–as was the case last year in both San Rafael and Berkeley.

The bigger concern, however, was that the lower level, one-time fees would not be sufficient to, at the very least, winnow down the number of bins within the city limits. In his article in SF Weekly, Matt Smith quoted Jan Sako as saying that Campus California would be unwilling to pay any fees whatsoever and, originally, I personally took him at his word.

Just before the March 27 meeting, however, we learned from a Sacramento spokesperson that Gaia had, in fact, purchased five annual permits for $200 each. This info made it seem far more likely that any or all of the three major bin operators would be willing to invest the required $450 per bin as a one-time write off that would lock in the right to a specific location in perpetuity. As multi-million dollar businesses, USAgain and TRM both had the financial resources to do so. As for Campus California, Matt Smith, in his article in SF Weekly, noted that Campus California was receiving $50,000 annually from Faelleseje–banker for Tvind-linked entities. Smith went on to note that Sako said the money was used to fund expansion drives.

By the time the meeting arrived, community representatives were confident that a majority of the CED Committee members were in support of regulations and there were some indications that there was some movement in the direction of higher level fees. Speakers included representatives from Goodwill, St. Vincent de Paul, the Children’s Book Project, Valerie Winemiller from the Piedmont Avenue Improvement League and myself, representing Grand Lake Neighbors.

As the meeting progressed, it quickly became obvious that the three committee members present (Kernighan, Brunner and Nancy Nadel) were on board and willing to support a more intensive review process with higher fees. Possibly, the only sticking point was their concern that genuine, locally based charities not be affected–specifically, not the Salvation Army. Ultimately, Eric Angstadt (Director of Oakland’s Office of Planning & Neighborhood Preservation) offered to have his staff put together another set of options that would reflect the consensus of the committee members. According to Angstadt (who is about to become Berkeley’s Director of Planning) turnaround could be two months–possibly more, if the city ultimately decides on a legislative solution.

WHAT YOU CAN DO

Please keep attuned to future developments and be prepared to send emails and/or attend meetings when this issue again comes up for a vote.

Share a link to this article on neighborhood list-servs, Facebook and other social media.

As an alternative to the existing donation bins, please check out StopWaste.org’s “Recycling Wizard”. According to Jeff Becerra, Communications Manager at StopWaste, they are now fine-tuning an expanded and more easily navigated list of Alameda County recycling and donation options that should be introduced in about two months.

POSTSCRIPT

We’ve just learned that the Oakland Unified School District has ordered Campus California to remove all twenty of their donation bins currently on school grounds. Although Jan Sako has appealed to the School Board for a reversal of this policy decision, it’s quite unlikely that it will be granted. Authors note: An earlier version of this article was posted on Oakland Local with assistance from the Editor, Susan Mernit.

GRAND LAKE MERCHANT NEWS

The big event this past month was the long-awaited debut of Flip Side. When I went there for dinner a couple of days after their not so “soft opening”, I exchanged smiles and pleasantries with neighbors Larry Rosen and Richard Young while we waited in line. I have the impression that other friends and neighbors might have been there at the same time but, if so, they were reverentially hiding behind their half-pound, charcoal-broiled burgers not wanting to be disturbed.

When I stopped by this past Sunday, owner, Abe Ajlouny, asked me to express his gratitude for the warm and very enthusiastic welcome they’ve received. He modestly declined to be photographed but graciously offered this Mushroom Burger with all the fixings in his stead. If you care (as you should), the packaging is cardboard–not styrofoam. If you’re looking for employment, the sign in the window says they’re in need of a line cook.

Last month’s photo of Charles Granich at Top Dog has had nearly 225 hits to date. Charles, as it turns out, is a versatile guy. When he’s not grilling dogs or making them out of papier mache, he makes music–as I discovered last week in front of Peet’s Coffee where I found him playing flute, with a compatriot on accordion. What sounded to me like Klezmer music turned out to be Ecuadorean or perhaps, it was Bolivian. In any case, it was quite enjoyable and I expect we’ll be hearing more in the future.

Speaking of Peet’s, they just reopened after being closed for two weeks while undergoing a complete remodel. This photo depicts only a portion of the renovations that include additional seating, countertops for laptops; walk-in refrigeration; new counters and equipment.

Around the corner on Lake Park, WingStop is very, very close to opening. When I took this panoramic photo on Sunday, a janitorial service was hard at work cleaning up after the contractors. The next afternoon, I talked to owner Emon Toliver who has his fingers crossed–hoping to open on March 1st or 2nd. Peeking through the front windows, I was impressed with the bright and attractive interior which, for me personally, helps salve some of the disappointment over the lack of period, architectural detailing on the new facade.

Two doors up, Kwik Way’s Gary Rizzo must be basking in the neon after seeing this profile in the most recent edition of Oakland Magazine. Lori Eanes (whoever you are), I love that photo.

Up on Grand at Monkey Forest Road, Chris and Arnel lack the neon but they do have lots of natural light streaming through their skylights while they relish their being described as an “instant Grand Avenue landmark” in an East Bay Express article by Nate Seltenrich.

Seltenrich was equally ebullient about the Grand Lake district, as a whole, and Grand Avenue, in particular. He writes:

“What was once was a pastiche of copy shops, nail salons, and neighborhood cafes is today a foodie haven and hip shopping district thanks to culinary anchors Camino, Grand Tavern, Boot and Shoe Service, and Sidebar.”

This is precisely what I’ve been saying for well over a year–only he says it better. By the way, I had to look up “pastiche”. It sounded like a bite-sized fruit tart.

The EBX article was only the first in a series of articles and videos this past month that trumpeted Oakland and its culinary attractions:

My personal favorite was this article in the Boston Globe which singles out three Grand Lake neighborhood establishments for praise: Boot and Shoe Service, Camino and Side Bar.

For the record, I paid particular attention to the content of the Globe article due to an unsavory experience many moons ago. We were outside Boston’s Faneuil Hall watching an organ grinder and his costumed monkey when a photographer walked up and asked if she could take a photo of our five year-old son. When we agreed, she gave Adam a quarter and instructed him to drop it into the monkey’s tin, donation cup. Several weeks later, we got a copy of the Globe with a caption that read, “Adam Katz from Oakland, California dug into his pocket to donate his allowance”.

Boston Globe, my faith has finally been restored. This time you got the story right.

A video produced by MSN and sponsored by Buick also hit the nail on the head. Lakeshore area resident, Nemo Gould was one of four Oaklanders who were interviewed for this video and he took the opportunity to extol the food and atmosphere at Boot and Shoe Service. Gould is, by the way, a talented artist who specializes in kinetic sculptures crafted from found objects. His portfolio is available here.

If you need further proof that things are popping in the Grand Lake district, I can proffer three specific examples. Diane at Boniere Bakery and Bob at Grand Bakery confirmed that, on Valentines Day, a big shiny limo pulled up at the curb and out popped Cameron Diaz who was heading to Boot and Shoe for a holiday lunch.

A week or so later, I personally witnessed a mid-afternoon flurry on Grand as a film crew, with police escorts, rushed in to shoot a commercial. My impression is that they were counting on having Monkey Forest Road in the background to lend an air of sophisticated, but casual elegance.

A week before that, I got a photo on Lakeshore (adjacent to Lin Jia) of a crew filming an episode of “I Almost Got Away With It”. I was a bit miffed thinking Oakland already gets enough bad press until I was told that the episode takes place in Florida. The crew, which is based in San Francisco, was filming here because it’s cheaper. It’s the best of both worlds. Oakland gets some added revenue while Florida takes the rap.

Some additional merchant news in brief:

Martin Chan who was formerly with Loh Realty is now affiliated with Discovery Investments–a property management firm at 3666 Grand Avenue.

Rasul Oriental Rugs and DeKors Interiors have teamed up to put drought-tolerant landscaping and volcanic rock alongside their respective storefronts. Here’s a photo.

Ergo Sleep Systems should be opening at 3342 Lakeshore in the next week or so.

Urban Furniture at 3241 Grand now opens at 11:00 A.M. 7 days a week. Closing hours vary. Although the majority of their furniture and accessories are contemporary, they do also get some with classic lines including this rolled-arm, carved wood sofa that sold almost immediately.

FARMERS MARKET:

A couple of weeks ago I caught this photo of Hans Haveman & Heidi Rhodes at their H & H Fresh Fish booth. With two small fry (pun intended) at home, and two boats to maintain, more often than not, employees will be staffing their booth.

The newest farm vendor at the market is Gascon Farms. I shot this photo of Jay Gascon this past Saturday. Jay’s parents have been farming a 25 acre plot in Lathrop (near Tracy) for 25 years. It’s not certified organic but they use absolutely no pesticides. This first Saturday, they had a lovely array of sweet potatoes, garlic, cauliflower, broccoli and bulk carrots. In the coming months, they’ll also be bringing spinach, tat soi, peas and squash. For the time being, they’ll be at the Grand Lake Market on a seasonal basis only.

The week before, I shot this photo of the Anemones artfully displayed by Thomas Farms. I really like this particular photo–but Thomas Farms gets the lion’s share of the credit for the flowers.

The Romanesco Cauliflower in a booth at the opposite end of the market was not as colorful but equally photogenic.

Peggy and Helen from Kassenhoff Growers should be returning to the Grand Lake Market this coming Saturday.

This past Saturday, faithful volunteers Katy and Meghan posed for me on either side of the new ATM machine. Chris Blackburn indicates that it’s getting lots of use and market patrons seem to be pleased to learn that the service fees are helping fund the market’s programs.

The Farmers Market Entertainment calendar for March includes the following:

March 3: PRAIRIE ROSE BAND

March 10: Drew James

March 17: Suzanne Holland

March 24: ADRIAN WEST TRIO

March 31: STEVEN GARY + DAVID GANS

 

ODDS AND ENDS:

Landscape architect, Walter Hood was the subject of yet another article in the local press. I was especially intrigued by his comments about looking for a diversity of opinion when engaged in planning any public project. In the early stages of the Splash Pad project, he didn’t have to look far. I was more than a bit disappointed that Splash Pad wasn’t mentioned and I fear Walter may be on the verge of disowning us. Sometime soon, we as a community, will have to pitch in to help restore the original luster.

If you’re looking to participate in this year’s Oakland Running Festival but are allergic to exercise and/or averse to working up a sweat, please consider volunteering. Tod Vedock, the Assistant Race Director (who is also a co-founder and Board Member of Running for a Better Oakland) sent me the following message:

The Oakland Running Festival is back again for its third year this March 25th! Last year this event brought in $3 million in revenue to our City and this year it will be even bigger as we will have up to 9000 total runners in all events! Information on races, street closures and routes can be found at www.oaklandmarathon.com.

Another reason this race is becoming so popular has been the residents of Oakland! Without our volunteers and residents getting out to cheer this race, this event would not be possible. That said we are in great need of more volunteers, especially Course Marshals. Course Marshals are out on the route making sure traffic is clear and the runners are safe and motivated! If you would like to volunteer near your neighborhood, please email me at tsvedock@yahoo.com.

With the Measure DD improvements at the south end of Lake Merritt nearing completion, Jim Ratliff’s reminder about an article in the September/October 2011 edition of Oakland Magazine was particularly timely. Available on this link, it details the history of the lake, the origins of the improvements currently underway and explains how the aesthetic improvements will be accompanied by equally dramatic improvements in the water quality.

When I recieived the Splash Pad Neighborhood Forum’s financial statement from our fiscal sponsor, the Friends of Oakland Parks and Recreation, I was pleasantly surprised to see a $331 deposit courtesy of the Fiber and Textile Festival. Lou Grantham (who coordinates the event along with Piedmont Yarn and Apparel’s Bente Petersen) told me that this sum represented last year’s net profits from an event that is intended to be an educational tool and not simply a profit-making venture. Lou also advised me that they had just obtained a permit for the third incarnation of their Festival to be held in Splash Pad Park on Sunday, July 8. A superb article on Oakland Local described last year’s festival and is accompanied by a slide show by yours truly.

In case you hadn’t noticed, Lakeshore Avenue has an unwelcome visitor. It’s this USAgain clothing donation box in the Union 76 gas station. USAgain is a for-profit company with more than 3300 such boxes in 14 western states. Like its non-profit sister organization, Campus California, it is an outgrowth of an international cult called Tvind or the Teachers Group. Both these organizations gross millions of dollars by selling the donated goods to a clothing broker with strong Tvind roots called Garson and Shaw. None of the clothing is donated to charities. None of the proceeds benefit Oakland or our neediest residents.

The big blue boxes labeled “Books for Charity” pose the identical issues. The boxes are owned and operated by Thrift Recycling Management–a for-profit company that grossed $27 million this past year. At least 50% of the donated books are sold as pulp. The most desirable are sold online. A pitiful few end up in the hands of needy children here in Oakland.

While USAgain, Campus California and TRM rake in the big bucks, the locally based charities such as St. Vincent de Paul, Goodwill, Salvation Army, the Bookmark Bookstore and the White Elephant sale suffer the consequences from reductions in the volume of their donations.

In recognition of this and other associated problems, Council Members Kernighan and Brunner are preparing to introduce a resolution to the Community Economic Development Committee instructing the Planning Department to recommend measures that would help regulate unattended donation bins. Planning codes in Berkeley, San Rafael and other municipalities already do just that.

If you share these concerns, please email these four council members to express your support. They are:

Pat Kernighan: pkernighan@oaklandnet.com Jane Brunner: jbrunner@oaklandnet.com Ignacio De La Fuente: idelafuente@oaklandnet.com Nancy Nadel: nnadel@oaklandnet.com

If you’re as passionate as I am about this issue, please consider attending the Community Economic Development Committee meeting tentatively scheduled for March 13. If you want, also send me an email to info@splashpad.org and I’ll keep you apprised of any future developments.

For the past several years, I’ve been reporting maintenance problems to the Public Works Agencies Call Center via a phone call (615-5566) or by email (pwacallcenter@oaklandnet.com ). Earlier this month, they added additional features that allow you to report potholes, non-working street lights, malfunctioning sprinklers, and so forth using mobile devices. You simply click on SeeClickFix.com to file a report which can include a photo. This service also allows you to track PWA’s response.

EVENTS CALENDAR

March 2: First Friday Art Murmur, Uptown District

March 2: Oakland Museum White Elephant Sale.

March 10: Volunteer for Oakland. City Hall, 1-4 pm. Volunteer recruitment plus social and environmental justice panels including “police accountability”

March 24-25: The Third Annual Oakland Running Festival

April 7: Annual Lakeshore Easter Parade and Derby Contest

March 31: Free Lakeshore Avenue Plant Exchange.

April 21: Oakland Earth Day.

April 29: Bay Friendly Garden Tour that includes my Balfour Avenue residence.

July 8: Third annual Fiber Festival, Splash Pad Park.

If you’d like to comment on any of the above news, please do so on the Grand Lake Neighbors website.

Editor’s Note: A warm welcome (that matches our unseasonal weather) to all our new subscribers with an especially warm welcome to Dixie Jordan for helping spread the word via The Piedmont Patch.

Grand Lake Merchant News

When it comes to this month’s merchant news for Lakeshore and Lake Park, Pamela Drake has done all the heavy lifting with this comprehensive merchant update that she recently posted on Oakland Local.

I can, however, add a few significant details and several photos. The best of the latter is probably this photo of the newly installed neon sign in front of Flipside. Friday afternoon, I talked to the owner (Abe Ajlouny) and he said they’re hoping to open the doors by the end of next week but I’m still doubtful since there’s quite a bit of work to do including installation of the new front windows that will open and close to take advantage of Oakland’s Mediterranean climate.

The Flipside menu is much like that of its sister restaurant, Urbun Burger on Valencia Street in San Francisco but with one exception: their Mission Heat with grilled onions and chili peppers has been renamed “Lakeshore Heat”. As in SF, the burgers will be half-pounders with Niman Ranch beef ground daily on site and with fries included. In addition to beef, you’ll be able to order Diestel turkey, Gardenburgers or portabella mushrooms.

Across the street, the manager of the Ergo Sleep Systems shop in Berkeley says they hope to open in the space next to Silver Lining within a couple of weeks. The bedding will be supplied by the previous tenant (Sleep and Beyond) and they’ll also offer organic mattresses and possibly some bed frames. I actually called them only after seeing the “Help Wanted” sign in the window. I asked if they needed a product demonstrator since I had a well-deserved reputation for sleeping on the job–but, alas the answer was “no”. What they are looking for is a part-time sales associate. If you know anyone who might be interested, have them email “info@ergosleepsystems.com“.

Just a few doors down, I popped into Top Dog to take this photo of Charles Granich manning the grill. Using recycled cardboard and lots of glue, Charles created the two papier-mache tip jars you probably noticed on the countertop. Here’s a photo gallery of dozens of other pieces he’s created. Look particularly for the six-foot tall totem pole/tiki goddess. It’s a gem!

One quick note regarding the ground floor office space at the corner of Lakeshore and Longridge, Donna Hankins and Associates have returned to their former location and continue to offer full accounting and management advisory services.

Around the corner on Lake Park, I was really pleased last Saturday afternoon to see a big lunch-time crowd at Caña’s new parlor and took this picture–which shows off the interior far better than the image I posted last month. Just in case you’re curious, remodeling this space took approximately a year and a half. This photo of Yusuf experimenting with finishes for the newly-exposed brick wall was taken in July of 2010. Having gutted and rebuilt our kitchen and downstairs bathroom a few years back, I can readily empathize with Yusuf and Daniel’s plight–but it was a job well done and well worth doing.

Things are hopping on Grand Avenue with a mix of new openings, improvements and a windfall of press coverage. This is due in part to the theory that I keep expounding. Namely, that positive developments are contagious and none more so than the opening of Monkey Forest Road. In addition, with Lakeshore and Lake Park full, potential tenants and owners are increasingly looking to Grand where there are vacancies; where rents are considerably lower and where the potential is enormous.

Let’s begin with the businesses on Grand that have opened in just the past month. Topping that list is Red Crow Yoga which moved into the 3234 Grand space that was vacated by Next Level Training when Dr. Pigott moved up to 3354–a space he shares with Emerson Personal Training. Andy Matinog is the owner and lead instructor in the Shadow Yoga technique offered at Red Crow. When I stopped by early Friday morning, they were not yet open and I had to settle for a photo of Red Crow’s front door.

Also on our list of new neighbors is Grand Lake Dental which opened December 28 in a totally revamped space next to Cycle Sports. Dr. Won-Joo Lee has been practicing dentistry for eighteen years–most recently in a shared office in downtown and before that, working as an Assistant Professor in a dental program in South Korea. Dr. Lee did a fabulous job remodeling her new Grand Avenue office but, when I stopped by on Friday, she was feeling a bit camera shy and declined to be included in a photo of the reception area. I also took this photo of the exterior.

In order to introduce herself to her new Grand Lake neighbors, Dr. Lee is offering a special package through the end of June that will include cleaning, consultation, exam and unlimited x-rays and during this period, she is also offering a reduced price for teeth-whitening services. Please call for more details.

Just a few more doors up the street at 3602 Grand, Kristin Thompson just celebrated the Grand Opening of imBRACE Boutique. Kristin describes her inventory as the “hottest urban contemporary fashions for men and women from 18-35. She is a student at the Academy of Art University in San Francisco and has prior experience in sales at H & M and the Gap. Please stop by and give her a big, Grand Avenue welcome.

Touring Grand Avenue on Friday, I was also delighted to see a number of improvements underway. At Classic Cuts (3233 Grand), carpenters were at work rebuilding the front window frame which was disintegrating. I understood them to say that the facade will be repainted as well.

Across the street at Grand Bakery, owner Bob Jaffe had someone taking measurements for a new sign on the facade. The blade sign is going to be rebuilt as well. Hopefully, I’ll have photos of the completed work by next month.

I actually mentioned last month that Kenda Burke had landscaped a major portion of the front yard at Awaken Chiropractic but didn’t have photographic evidence. I’m hereby rectifying that oversight with this photo.

As I mentioned above, Grand Avenue basked in a windfall of positive press this past month. Camino struck gold with an in depth article by Emily Thelin in the Art of Eating. Russell had to love the review but likely had some reservations about the way Thelin described him:

Tall and lean, with spiked dark hair, Moore looks much younger than his 47 years–more skateboarder than grandma.

Temoor Noor at Grand Tavern had to be equally pleased with this article in the East Bay Express.

The pièce de résistance, however, came in the form of one of Angela Woodall’s columns in the Tribune. In answer to a rhetorical question about how to spend a day in Oakland, she rattled off a number of essential stops and then headed for her own, current Lake Merritt stomping grounds.

Easy and Heart and Dagger were mentioned as were thirteen businesses on our stretch of Grand including my favorite two newbies–Monkey Forest Road and Rebooty. The latter is, by the way, hosting a jazz trio on Thursday night. Check out our calendar for more details.

Farmers Market

Like Grand Avenue, the Grand Lake Market has just welcomed some new merchants. H & H Fresh Fish is based in Santa Cruz and features sustainable seafood–most of which they purchase from local fishermen and then process. Owners Hans Haveman & Heidi Rhodes do, however, have two fishing boats of their own and during the course of the season will directly supply a minimum of 25% of the fish sold at the market in order to comply with AIM’s market requirements.

Saturday morning, I took this photo of their booth and then inquired about what was then on ice. I was told that five or six items had been caught locally but was cautioned that those went fast. In a couple of weeks Hans and Heidi will be back from vacation and one or both should be at the Grand Lake to introduce themselves. Later in the season, we should expect to find locally caught salmon, halibut, sea bass and more.

The other new vendor, Achadinha Cheese Co. fills a big void at the market as the only supplier of goat cheese. I took this photo of their booth last week. If you didn’t see it this week or last, check the perimeter of the market near the Vesta flatbread truck or ask at the market’s information booth. Market manager, Chris Blackburn is looking to rearrange booths so he can group all the cheese makers together to facilitate comparative shopping AND tasting.

Technically speaking, Napoleon Alexander isn’t a new vendor as he pointed out that he’s sold at the Grand Lake Market a couple of times previously. I just hadn’t noticed. This past week, I did and after introducing myself, took this photo of Napoleon with some of his hand-crafted fine leather handbags arrayed on the shelfs behind him. Napoleon says he and his wife have been making bags for some fifteen years.

Starting next week, the market management will have an ATM in the info booth as a courtesy to market customers. The $3 service fee will help to fund AIM programs and offset expenses.

The Splash Pad Farmers Market Advisory Committee meets Wednesday, February 22 at Lakeshore Avenue Baptist Church beginning at 7:00 p.m. The agenda should include an Agricultural Institute of Marin proposal for restoring the decomposed granite walkways and very likely, a discussion of the decision to terminate the membership of several vendors (including Ahhh Massage).

If you have any questions or wish to suggest additional agenda items, please direct your email to SPFMAC Chairman, Jerry Barclay at jerryandcaryn@gmail.com.

Farmers Market Entertainment for February and March includes the following:

February 4: KC Jiang

February 11: Clang’n and Bang’n + JIMBO TROUT

February 18: FRED MCCARTY

February 25: Anderson-Gram

March 3: PRAIRIE ROSE BAND

March 10: Drew James

March 17: Suzanne Holland

March 24: ADRIAN WEST TRIO

March 31: STEVEN GARY + DAVID GANS

Events Calendar

February 2 from 6-9:00 p.m. Music by the Easter Brawler Jazz Trio + tasty treats at Rebooty. Here’s a link to their invitation.

February 22 beginning at 7:00 p.m. The Splash Pad Farmers Market Advisory Committee meets at Lakeshore Avenue Baptist Church.

March 24-25. The Third Annual Oakland Running Festival

March 31. Free Lakeshore Avenue Plant Exchange.

Odd and Ends

This is old news by now but just in case you’ve been living in a vacuum, the New York Times travel section published an article on January 8 listing the “45 Places to go in 2012″.

Oakland’s #4 ranking elicited derisive jeers from points immediately west of us–but ask all those new folks moving into our neighborhoods and you’ll find that at least 75% are refugees from San Francisco who are astounded by our weather; neighbor’s neighborliness; and compared to the Big City, the availability of parking.

Grand Lake Merchant News

If you’ve somehow resisted an in-person visit to Monkey Forest Road, here’s a link to a December 22 article in the Oakland Tribune and a second link to my own “before and after” photo. To tempt you even further, here’s another photo of just one of a great many distinctive architectural features–the junction between two contrasting wall surfaces.

Monkey Forest Road is the first in an ongoing series of openings that we’re going to see over the next couple of months.

After six months of major improvements to the interior and exterior, Easy Lounge is scheduled to formally re-open on January 3. I haven’t been inside yet but I did take this photo of the exterior. Improvements include a new entry door, new paint and a new stucco facade to replace the wood siding that was beyond repair.

In addition to the physical changes, Easy’s owners are leaning towards a more sophisticated ambience. In addition, the ever-popular Farmers Market Cocktails will be offered seven days a week–not just Saturdays. I talked to Colin and he noted that Easy has always included fresh, locally sourced ingredients in their cocktails. He confided that the produce is a bit limited this time of year but they do have citrus, apples and pears readily available. In addition, ingredients for the more savory cocktails are almost always available.

The Parlor at Caña launched a soft opening earlier this evening and tomorrow, for New Year’s Eve, they will be offering a five-course, prix fixe menu with a complimentary glass of champagne and complimentary wine tastings. For more details, check out their website. FYI: until they iron out a technicality with the Beverage Control District, they will be serving only wine and bottled beer. When I walked by yesterday, I caught this photo of someone staining and varnishing the magnificent entry doors and tonight, took this photo of the completed interior. Will have to return later to take more photos of some of the details. When you visit, be sure to check out the hand-wrought wine rack in the rear.

While waiting for Caña to open its door this evening, I wandered around taking photos including one of the Good Vibes billboard high on the roof adjacent to Heart and Dagger. At first glance, it appears to be breathlessly advertising the arrival of Good Vibrations around the corner but is actually tempting one to visit San Diego.

The timing is exquisite as Good Vibrations is, in fact, hoping to open this Monday, January 2. Yesterday afternoon, I took this photo of the exterior as a painter gave a fresh coat of paint to the doors and window trim. By the way, the signage on the front windows is very classy and mostly etched in glass. Whether you supported or opposed their permit, I do hope you can chuckle with me as you read their logo enshrined in their display window: “Good Vibrations. Creating a buzz since 1977″.

While it might appear to the casual observer that construction has been ongoing at the former Adam’s Burger for an eternity, it really hasn’t and more importantly, the end is in finally in sight. I talked to Abe Ajlouny, the new owner of what’s going to be called FlipSide earlier this week. He’s hoping to open by the third week in January. But after peeking inside yesterday and seeing an open trench in the concrete, I suspect that might be optimistic.

In any case, it sounds like it will be well worth the wait. Abe has a sister restaurant on Valencia in San Francisco called Urbun Burger that has very good reviews. FlipSide will have seating for about 36 patrons. Half-pound burgers will feature Niman Ranch beef while the turkey is supplied by Dietzel. Produce and other ingredients will be locally sourced including ice cream from Double Rainbow for use in their shakes.

If you’re hankering for a burrito from Chipotle in what used to be China Lake Express , the wait is going to be considerably longer. The recent news that they have filed an application for a Conditional Use Permit to serve alcohol is actually the first real confirmation that Chipotle would be the new tenant and construction has not yet commenced.

Incidentally, if you have an opinion pro or con on their CUP permit, you can email City Planner, Aubrey Rose: arose@oaklandnet.com. Just for the record, I see little likelihood that their application will be rejected since the application for Wingstop was approved.

Heart and Dagger Saloon was recently profiled in a nice article posted on the Oakland North website.

Last month, I posted a couple of photos that I had taken of holiday window displays on Lakeshore and subsequently went back and took some more. My favorite from this latter batch is this photo taken through Namaste Yoga’s front window.

Last month, I also boasted that there were no vacancies on Lakeshore or Lake Park but maybe I jinxed them. The space vacated by Sleep and Beyond is still vacant and across the street, Hair Sessions Phase II at 3411 Lakeshore has relocated. On the other hand, I talked to Richard Odenheimer, the property manager for the latter and he said that there’s been lots of interest with multiple offers likely in the offing.

The volunteer workday on Grand Avenue on December 4 was quite successful. It was organized by Grand Avenue Chiropractor, Robert Townsend with a big assist from Eric Hughes and several other community volunteers.

Trees up and down Grand were trimmed from the theater up to Mandana while tree wells, planters and the Walker Avenue parking were all spruced up. Two other Grand Avenue merchants participated: Jesse Jensen from Rebooty and Scott Yundt, husband of Awaken Chiropractic’s Kenda Burke.

As an aside, Kenda and Scott have just replaced over half of their front-yard parking strip with a raised planter bed. It’s really a big contribution towards a more pedestrian-friendly avenue and we can only hope that the attorneys next door take the hint and do the same. As another aside, Lou Grantham, who has been a long-time Splash Pad volunteer, would have been out weeding but instead completed her survey of Grand Avenue merchants in preparation for an update to the current GABA Business Directory.

One other note regarding Grand Avenue. Jesse Jensen and I have been talking to a very few Grand Avenue merchants about organizing a monthly arts and crafts fair on Grand. The basic objective would be two-fold. One, to provide an outlet for local artists but also to capitalize on the success of the Saturday farmers market by luring patrons out of the park and up the street where they’ll discover a wealth of restaurants, shops and services of which they’re currently unaware. If you’d like to get involved in the outreach and planning process, please stop by Rebooty or give Jesse a call at (415) 994-4230.

Farmers Market

The farmers market will be open as usual tomorrow, New Year’s Eve, but will likely be a bit smaller than usual–partly due to the absence of the seasonal fruit growers but also due to those vendors who choose to stay home and enjoy a holiday weekend–a rare privilege for folks in the agricultural trade.

Tomorrow will be Ahhh Massage’s last day at the market as the Agricultural Institute of Marin’s Board of Directors has opted to not renew the membership of several non-food vendors including Ahhh Massage, the newspaper vendors and the Acupuncture clinic. Ahhh Massage owner Ed Rockowitz is not a happy camper as detailed in a letter that I’ve uploaded to the Splash Pad website.

Since the Splash Pad Farmers Market Advisory Committee has not yet discussed this specific issue, I phoned the group Chair, Jerry Barclay. He confirmed that typically, SPFMAC has left such decisions in the hands of the market management. In general terms, we’ve expressed a preference (all things being equal) for Oakland-based vendors; insisted that the market’s first priority has to be on locally-sourced, sustainable food products; and that the non-food vendors (including artists and craftspeople) be limited to a reasonable number.

For the record, over the past year, several other sellers have had their membership revoked without any negative feedback. This has occurred as a result of AIM’s on-site inspections that ensure that vendors are actually selling what they claim to grow–or in the case of the seafood vendor, catch.

In terms of Ahhh Massage, I, personally, am a bit ambivalent–less so, If I know that their space will be occupied by a new farm vendor that’s a big plus to the market. For those of you who are going to miss your regular Saturday massage, take comfort in knowing that Ahhh is at Farmer Joe’s on Fruitvale seven days a week and beginning this month, also at Whole Foods daily.

Entertainment for January includes the following:

January 7: MIKE KLAPHOLZ + DIEGO JAMEAU

January 14: Big Dog + IKE COSSE

January 21: FLOWTILLA + Asheba

January 28: 5150 Band + Keenan Webster of Talking Wood

Events Calendar

January 16: Martin Luther King National Day of Service. There are dozens of volunteer projects scheduled locally. Here’s a partial list. The closest project to this neighborhood is the one at Lakeview Gardens. Last year, they had several hundred volunteers organized into teams that accomplished an incredible amount. I don’t have all the details, but these projects typically begin at 9:00 AM or a bit earlier.

Odd and Ends

Our proposal for a parklet on Lakeshore has been tentatively approved by the city pending some revisions to our original set of drawings. At this point, our biggest need is input from contractors, architects, engineers and skilled carpenters. To volunteer or receive additional background information, please email me at info@splashpad.org.

Thanks to Jim Ratliff for calling my attention to a late-breaking story from the East Bay Express. The Parkway Cinema will be reincarnated in a former glass factory on 24th in the Uptown Arts District. Although the facade and location would not seem to be ideal, it’s worth noting that Allen Michaan’s original Rialto Theater on Gilman had the same humble beginnings.

Until today, December has been unusually dry and almost balmy with less than two-tenths of an inch of precipitation–far below the 4.48 inch average. Most of you are probably enjoying the respite but farmers must be freaking out worrying about a shortage of irrigation supplies next year. As for me, I’m pissed! I’ve been using an ointment to treat Actinic Keratoses (the plague of red-heads from Southern California) that forces me to avoid prolonged sun exposure. Instead of looking out the window at sheets of rain falling as I’d expected, I’m mostly home-bound while seeing nothing but clear skies and temperatures in the 60′s.

Kudos to my Balfour Avenue neighbor, Lesley Podesta for a feature article in this month’s Oakland Magazine about “Running for a Better Oakland”–the group she founded last year. If you’re so inclined, they still do need additional volunteers.

I‘m hoping not to make obituaries a regular feature of this newsletter but I’m compelled to take this opportunity to pay tribute to two Oakland residents who both passed away in the last couple of weeks far too early.

Architect Ron Bishop was a tireless advocate for bicycle transportation and for Oakland, in general, for some twenty years. He served as Chair of the Oakland Bicycle Pedestrian Safety Committee in the early 90′s and helped organize this nation’s first Bike to Work Day in 1994.

I got to know Ron several years ago when I joined his Easy Riders Meet-up group. Ron’s intention was to encourage beginning to intermediate riders to get out on two wheels (with an assist from public transportation) and explore the surrounding countryside. It was a perfect fit. I didn’t have to wear Spandex and a typical ride consisted of equal parts riding, eating and resting. On my second or third outing, we took BART to SF and rode across the Golden Gate Bridge and up to Larkspur Landing for a ferry ride back to SF. I was blown away and decided then and there, that I would do more such rides and as often as practical.

On the ferry ride back to the SF Ferry Terminal, I took this photo of Ron with the broad, infectious smile that accurately reflected his approach to life. For more details about Ron’s life and passing, see this tribute from the East Bay Bicycle Coalition.

Sanjiv Handa, sole proprietor of the East Bay News Service and Oakland’s most knowledgeable gadfly (a term which I use affectionately) died earlier this week at the age of 55.

I first met Sanjiv in 2000 when I began attending council meetings whenever Splash Pad Park was on the agenda. At the time, he’d already been a fixture at Oakland City Hall for ten years. Most folks either hated him or loved him and unfortunately, some folks in City Hall fell into the former category. Tammerlin Drummond in her December 28 column in the Tribune writes that “Yet to others–city officials and residents alike–Handa was an annoying, grandstanding pest who wasted countless hours at public meetings with pointless speechifying.”

I never felt that way and I suspect that most community advocates who chafed at 1 or, at best, 2 minute time restrictions at council meetings welcomed his ability to muster the time to properly address issues. Yes, he was abrasive and at times, redundant but again and again, Sanjiv was the one person willing and able to stand up and point out (when necessary) that the Emperor had no clothes. There’s no replacement waiting in the wings and I fear he will be greatly missed.

If you’d like to comment on any of the above news, please do so on the Grand Lake Neighbors website.

Grand Lake Merchant News

To paraphrase Ed Sullivan, we have really big news. Monkey Forest Road, which I’ve been talking about for a full year (beginning with the December 2, 2010 newsletter) is tentatively opening this coming Monday, December 5.

The sign is up and the landscaping is in–complemented by a bas relief stone carving at the base of the rear retaining wall.

For the record, owners Chris and Arnel Cooper invited me to take photos of the interior but when I peeked inside on Monday, lots of folks were busy with last-minute details and I didn’t want to be in the way. More importantly, I feared my photos wouldn’t be able to do this project adequate justice. Instead, you’ll have to go see for yourself. Before you do, tuck this “before photo” into your memory bank and be prepared to be astounded by the transformation.

Meanwhile, the first incarnation of the Monkey Forest Road web site features a sampling of their merchandise including exquisite furnishings, paintings and jewelry. For additional information including details about their coffee bar and pastries, please visit their Facebook page.

Monkey Forest Road is the latest in an ongoing procession of improvements that have contributed to Grand Avenue’s renaissance over the past several years. The other, most obvious examples I’ve mentioned repeatedly–namely, Boot and Shoe Service, Ikaros and Grand Tavern. But I could also cite the repaving of the parking lots belonging to Milano Ristorante and the one next to Grand Oaks restaurant that is owned by the Piedmont Executive Office Center. I could also point to the 2-story house next door to Milano that was abandoned and literally falling down. It was purchased by Tania Leullieux who has restored the interior and exterior and added an attractive, fenced yard.

There are also a number of new businesses that have opened during the interim that are contributing immensely to an improved ambience. The most sophisticated of these is McMullen a women’s fashion boutique at 1235 Grand (next to Ace Hardware) that opened in April, 2010. Owner Sherri McMullen began her career with Neiman Marcus and is now capitalizing on her years of experience in the fashion industry with her own shop which offers a wide selection of designer clothing, accessories and shoes that are stylish, yet versatile.

Currently, McMullen is having a special sale with up to 40% off on Fall merchandise. Kathy Kamei, a designer of fine jewelry hand-crafted in Bali will make a personal appearance in the shop on December 16 from 2:00 to 7:00 P.M. for a Kathy Kamei trunk show. Discounts will be offered along with champagne and pie from pieTisserie.

Also fairly new to Grand Avenue is the Interior Design Salon which opened at 3711 Grand several months back. Owner Deborah Carson boasts 28 years of experience as an interior designer.

I have to confess that when I’m inside boutiques and interior design studios such as the above, I feel (and look) like a fish out of water which is not at all the case with Rebooty–another more recent addition to the avenue. They’re located at 3654 Grand Ave which old-timers (like me) will remember as the long-time home of Time Was Antiques.

Rebooty is owned and operated by a husband and wife team, Jesse and Kathy Jensen. They specialize in art and furnishings made from recycled or repurposed materials–much of which has been diverted from landfills. Kathy is a contributing artist in her own right and they also have on consignment, the works of half a dozen other artists–several of whom are represented in this photo of a chest that Kathy laboriously hand-painted. By the way, at $120, the chest is a big-time bargain.

An even more recent addition to the avenue is Tuina Massage Alternative Therapy at 3221 Grand. They offer a variety of massage techniques including Acupressure, Hot Stone, Shiatsu, Deep Tissue, Sport, Swedish and Foot Reflexology.

This photo shows the exterior of Tuina and Newfangles, their next-door neighbor. The former has new paint and a new awning while Newfangles boasts a new sign and an updated, distinctive paint job. If you’re not familiar with Newfangles, owner Alyce Preston tells me she’s had a shop in the immediate neighborhood since1986. Although the location has moved three times that I’m aware of, the focus has remained constant–specializing in everything from jeans to cocktail dresses for tall women.

While I’m encouraged by all the progress that’s been made thus far on Grand, I do have to note that there’s still roughly half a dozen storefronts that desperately need cleaning and upgrading. In addition, the sidewalks, gutters and landscaping need ongoing maintenance. Eric Hughes, as an individual and, more recently, with the formal assistance of his Grand Lake Improvement Committee has been doing graffiti removal and litter pick-up for well over twenty years.

In addition, a gentleman named Michael Harris has been sweeping the gutters and the sidewalks on upper Grand on his own initiative for the past year. Apparently, some of the business owners help him out with cash donations. When you see him working on Grand, at the very least, extend your thanks and let him know how much his work is appreciated.

For me, the most encouraging sign for Grand’s long-term future is that the GABA meeting that Chiropractor, Robert Townsend initiated to discuss cleaning up the avenue was attended by fifteen people who ended up scheduling a volunteer work day for this Sunday, December 4 from 9:00 A.M. to 2:00 P.M. If you’d like to pitch in, you’re asked to bring gloves, hats and tools–although, at least some of the latter will be available. Plans are to sweep the sidewalks and gutters; prune trees; weed tree wells and planters; and pick up litter. Volunteers are going to assemble initially in front of the Grand Lake Theatre but if you arrive later, just look for groups working up and down Grand–as well as in the Walker Avenue parking lot.

As I reported last month, Wingstop owners La Donna and Emon Tolliver have applied for a Conditional Use Permit and a Variance that would allow on-site sale of beer and wine. The hearing date for their application has been scheduled for December 14. If you have questions, phone City Planner, Aubrey Rose at 238-2071. Comments can be emailed to arose@oaklandnet.com. You can also address the Planning Commission directly at their meeting on December 14.

As an aside, I regret to say that the Tolivers have apparently rejected the recommendations for aesthetic improvements to the facade made by neighborhood architect Jeffrey Feldman. In all fairness, they’ve already budgeted $200,000 for the restaurant make-over and the thought of spending more is understandably daunting. Nevertheless, their lease is for twenty years and their neighbors (including adjacent merchants) are going to be stuck looking at a largely blank, stucco facade that could have been vastly improved at relatively little cost.

Namaste Yoga is offering two special classes on New Year’s Day with all proceeds going to the Alameda County Food Bank. They’ve also initiated a Community Acupuncture Clinic “where participants can experience the benefits of acupuncture in a restful, community environment”. This service is available on the 1st and 3rd Friday of every month from 12:00-1:30pm.

One quick note regarding Izek Day Spa Salon: they’re participating in a Vine Ministry program that will provide new coats and new toys to children in West Oakland’s Lafayette School. Details are on this flyer. Unwrapped donations should be brought to Izek during their regular business hours no later than December 18.

Another quick note regarding Trader Joe’s hours: they’ve applied for modification of their Conditional Use Permit in order to operate an additional two hours–opening at 8:00 A.M. and closing at 10:00 P.M. Their application is currently in the hands of the Zoning Manager. Once a decision is rendered, appeals can be filed.

With the sun setting so early in the evening, I find that I’m far more aware of the lighting and window displays in neighborhood shops–particularly since many of them boast holiday themes. Earlier this week, I posted half a dozen early-evening photos on Flickr. My favorites are this photo of Arizmendi and this photo of Lin Jia.

Farmers Market

I don’t have much to share regarding the farmers market. Market Manager, Chris Blackburn returns from his vacation this weekend. By all accounts, vendors and market patrons easily adapted to the changes in the configuration of the market to accommodate Brett’s Christmas Tree lot. The weather last Saturday was unusually mild for late November and the long-range forecast (for whatever, it’s worth) calls for dry weather for the next two Saturdays. Best news for Grand Lake Farmers Market addicts: no need to go cold turkey on the 24th or cold duck on New Year’s Eve. The market will be open both days.

Entertainment for December includes the following:

December 3: Susan Holland
December 10: The Harkenbacks
December 17: Anderson-gram + Jimbo Trout
December 24: BRIAN BERGERON
December 31: Susan Holland

Events Calendar

December 4: Volunteer work day on Grand Avenue beginning at 9:00 A.M. in front of the Grand Lake Theatre.

December 10: The Oakland Urban Path group is sponsoring their second annual, Walk and Shop tour beginning at 10:00 A.M. from the corner of Lakeshore and Prince. They will “explore the neighborhoods and stores of Crocker Highlands, Grand Lake, Piedmont Avenue, Adams Point and others via the historic stairways and pathways that once served the Key Route Street Car”. To whet your appetite, here’s a photo I took on last year’s inaugural walk.

December 16-17: The annual holiday celebration on Lakeshore Avenue will feature free carriage rides, face-painting and visits from Santa. Also, be on the look-out for merchant specials and an appearance by the LABC carolers on Saturday from 4:00-5:00 P.M. For more details including specific time frames, please visit the Lakeshore Avenue BID website.

Odd and Ends

Our proposal for a parklet on Lakeshore has been submitted to the city and we’re awaiting confirmation that we’re one of up to eight groups that have approval to submit detailed plans prior to starting construction. Here’s Jeffrey Lim’s conceptual drawing for the Arizmendi half of the parklet and for the other half in front of Footlocker. If you’d like additional information, you may want to read the Parklet Narrative that accompanied the application.

At this point, there’s a lot of energy involved in this project but what we very much need are some individuals who have contracting, architectural and/or engineering expertise who can sit down with us and help delineate the nuts and bolts construction details. If you’re one of those individuals, please send an email to info@splashpad.org and I’ll share it with the other members of the steering committee.

Two years ago, I took this photo as Oakland artist, Inka Pullen put the finishing touches on a mural for Taste of Joy chef/owner Brian Hill who is a member of her extended family. This week, I learned that the US State Department has selected it as one of nineteen images that will be used to depict the varied faces of US culture and sports. All 19 photos will be incorporated into portable display panels that will be sent to thirty US embassies worldwide where they will be incorporated into presentations for students considering advanced degrees here in the states.

I’m very honored to be a part of this but the overwhelming majority of the credit goes to the artist who so ably depicted this New Orleans street scene and also to jazz itself–an art form that long ago proved its worth as one of our most effective good-will ambassadors.

Speaking of murals, I’ve long wanted to publicly call attention to my inclusion in Peter Lee’s mural in the Trader Joe’s parking lot. I’d like to claim that Peter honored me for my contributions to the Splash Pad Park project but, in all honesty, I extorted this tribute in exchange for my loan of a ladder that allowed Peter to reach the uppermost corner. As you’ll discover in viewing this photo, his tribute is roughly equivalent to the deed that prompted it. I’m about half the size of the bird in flight; absolutely dwarfed by the squirrel and infinitely smaller than “Miles”, Nancy Strange’s dog which is depicted larger than life and in a far more prominent location. I remain forever humbled.

If you’d like to comment on any of the above news, please do so on the Grand Lake Neighbors website.

Grand Lake Merchant News

Since we last talked about Wingstop, the franchisees (La Donna and Emon Tolliver) have applied for a Conditional Use Permit and a Variance that would allow on-site sale of beer and wine. The hearing date for their application is tentatively scheduled for the second week in December. Please wait for official confirmation of that date before emailing your comments to City Planner, Aubrey Rose.

Le Donna and Emon graciously attended this month’s Grand Lake Neighbors meeting to answer questions and talk about their operation. The space on Lakepark will accommodate 30 plus seats plus a number of large screen TV’s that will provide coverage of major sporting events. Alcohol sales represent no more than 1% of their revenue and they will proceed with plans to open whether or not the beer and wine license is approved.

The Tolivers also indicated a willingness to look into expanding their menu to include more healthy options. However, as a franchisee, they have fairly limited options and any menu changes (a salad bar, for example) would have to be approved by the main office. According to this blurb on the Wingstop website, the existing Toliver locations are amongst the highest grossing in the chain which means they should have a bit more pull with the “suits” in Richardson, Texas.

The Tolivers also invited input on improving the aesthetics of the property. Neighborhood architect Jeffrey Feldman donated his services and put together a list of proposals that would eliminate the existing blank stucco facade in favor of one that features some architectural details that hearken back to the original construction and complement the art deco detailing of the adjacent buildings that house Caña, Lanesplitter and Sprint.

Meanwhile, they have begun construction starting with a new, much needed sewer line. Hopefully, they will be able to accommodate at least some of our concerns but trying to win over neighborhood converts is going to be an uphill struggle–even if they’re driving (give them a round of applause, please) their hybrid.

Speaking of facade improvements, Gary Rizzo two doors up at Kwik Way just had the clunky brick pillars removed to expose the original steel support posts. As this image shows, the facade is far more open allowing the overhanging wings to “float in space” as they did originally. In addition, the pigeons will have to find other roosting places. Thanks, Gary for doing this and also for the monthly car shows.

I was disappointed to find that Sleep & Beyond had closed their Lakeshore shop which was their sole retail location. I had talked to Sarvár last month and he explained that 99% of their sales were to their wholesale distributors and they had held on to the retail site primarily to garner feedback that allowed them to further refine the product and the packaging. One of their most recent innovations was a package that resembles a Prada handbag.

As an aside, I’d like to note that Sarvár (who is roughly 23) and his older brother, Sardór (who is now 25) migrated to the United States in their early teens to further their educations and now operate a company with hundreds of distributors throughout the country. I find it comforting to know that despite all the outcry about how immigrants are destroying our economy, it’s still possible for individuals such as these to realize the American dream and contribute to economic growth–particularly since they’re offering products that are 100% organic.

Although I’ll miss visiting with the Azimovich brothers (not to mention Koko–their Merino mascot), I was pleased to learn that the space will most likely be leased to one of their retail distributors Ergo Sleep Systems which already has a location in Berkeley. If this comes to pass, organic/green mattresses will be available in addition to Sleep & Beyond bedding.

In the how-time-flies department, Lin Jia will be observing its first anniversary this Friday, November 4. Quite honestly, those of us who were amongst Marcia’s biggest boosters worried that Lin Jia would suffer the same fate that befalls the overwhelming majority of new restaurants–particularly since Lin Jia is located at the very end of the Lakeshore commercial district with minimal pedestrian traffic. I’m happy to report that (thanks to a high quality menu and lots of good reviews) we can now stop worrying about its closure and fret, instead about having to wait for a table. The “final straw” was the recent Michael Bauer 2-1/2 Star Review accompanied by some breathtaking photos that brought new patrons in droves.

The two vacant restaurant spaces on the opposite side of Lakeshore are apparently about to be filled. Word is that Chipotle has signed a lease for the space that was vacated by the China Express restaurant. It’s unfortunate that we’re getting yet another chain on Lakeshore but the good news is that MacDonald’s divested of all their shares some time ago and Chipotle does make a legitimate effort to provide foods that are locally grown using sustainable practices. They get bonus points in my book for their support of Farm Aid programs.

The other vacancy was created well over a year ago when Adam’s Burgers closed with the expectation that it would reopen as the Flip Side. That never happened but according to the property manager, the Flip Side backers have continued to pay rent and have located a tentative buyer for the restaurant business and fixtures. If that and the deal across the street at Sleep & Beyond come to pass, the Lakeshore Business Improvement District can celebrate a phenomenal achievement (zero vacancies) at a time when commercial districts everywhere are suffering.

Grand Avenue is still well behind the curve compared to Lakeshore but they seem to be on a roll thanks to an infusion of new business and property owners–most of whom want to get involved, in one capacity or another, in efforts to upgrade and energize the Grand Avenue Business District.

Leading the charge is Monkey Forest Road which should be opening in the next couple of weeks. Now that contractors are working outside, the progress is obvious. The exterior painting is done. The doors and windows are in. The parking lot has been repaved. For photos and significant details, please visit their Facebook page.

Other newcomers to Grand Avenue include the following:

• Simplicity Salon recently opened at 3639 Grand in the space that was previously occupied by Smart Herbs and Teas. Simplicity’s owner, Alicia, previously had a station at Izek Spa and Salon on Lakeshore.
• Another newcomer really isn’t. Clair Frederick had long maintained an office in the Grand Executive Building but purchased a building across the street at 3540 Grand and recently moved into its second-floor suite. Her business is called MerryMakers and for seventeen years, they’ve been manufacturing dolls that represent characters from children’s books–both contemporary and classic. Clair proudly noted that they are currently offering dolls from six of the New York Times Top Ten children’s book list.

Here’s a photo that I took this afternoon of Claire flanked by some of her company’s creations. Dolls can be purchased through their online catalogue but the majority of their business is wholesaling to book stores and other retailers.

A ground floor space in her building is currently undergoing major renovations and will open in December as a dental office.

• The building next door at 3560 also has a new owner. Ruth Stroup moved her Farmers Insurance office from Piedmont Avenue after purchasing and remodeling the downstairs space. It has a lovely ambiance thanks in part to the view (out the side window) of the mural that Peter Lee painted alongside Davidson Way. On the opposite interior wall is a cluster of the historic Oakland posters that Galleria Scola has been printing and framing.

 ·  Across the street in Suite 105 of the Grand Executive Building, Kelly Wright and her husband have set up their State Farm Insurance office.

• Up at 3718 Grand in Suite 1, the Oakland Acupuncture Project is scheduled to open on November 7. This is the second location for a practice started by Whitney Thorniley and Roselle McNeilly in Oakland’s Laurel District. For the Grand Avenue location, they’re adding a third partner, Jeff Levin, who is a neighborhood resident.

I’m forwarding an invitation to their Grand Opening:

On Sunday, November 13th OAP is pleased to offer free acupuncture treatments from 10:00am-2:00pm. Patients are asked to schedule an appointment online at http://www.oaklandacupunctureproject.com or by calling 510-842-6350. This will be followed by refreshments and a reception from 2:00pm-5:00pm. All are welcome.

• If you need more tangible proof about the positive changes underway on Grand, Chiropractor Robert Townsend, who is in Suite 3 at 3718, has requested a Grand Avenue Business Association meeting to talk specifically about how to clean up the Avenue. The meeting is scheduled for next Monday, November 7 from 6:30 to 7:30 at Jenny’s Cafe. You can RSVP using this Evite link or by phoning Robert at 708-9363.

Before leaving Grand Avenue, let me also take note of the fact that the Grand Oaks Restaurant at 3701 Grand has survived not one–but twenty-three years. Fairly recently, they did reinvent themselves as a sports bar but still offer a full brunch and dinner menu. The latter continues to feature an Early Bird Special that includes soup or salad with entrees priced from $11.95 to $14.95.

Farmers Market

I confess that I’m feeling a bit sorry for new Market Manager, Chris Blackburn. He’s only held the job for less than two months and in that period, he’s suffered the following trials and tribulations:

• It started with me ribbing him in print for wearing an Oregon Ducks sweatshirt.
• Then, he learned that the city was imposing parking fees under the freeway just about the same time he found the “height limit sign” at the parking lot entry dangling from one side when he arrived at 5:00 AM.
• Not long after that, there was a high-speed car chase with some 15 police cars in hot pursuit of a stolen vehicle. After heading down Lakeshore and then past the market at alarmingly high speeds, it ended with a crash around the corner on Grand at MacArthur.
• The following Saturday, when Chris arrived, he found one of the tractors that had been involved in the Lakeshore repaving project inside the park in the space usually occupied by the orchid vendor. Fortunately, he tracked down one of the contractors who moved the offending vehicle and then tossed Chris a set of keys in case he needed to move any of the other pieces of heavy equipment surrounding the park. Later that morning, the Occupy Oakland protestors paraded past the market and up Lakeshore and then back down again where they temporarily blocked the Lakeshore Avenue freeway off ramp. Why did the march intentionally pass the Grand Lake market? For the same reason, every single home listing within a two-mile radius mentions its proximity to the market. Isn’t it nice to be the in destination!
• This past Saturday, I shared with Chris my intention to document his travails and urge Splash Pad Newsletter readers to give him a much-needed, hug when they next saw him. In reply, he shared yet another incident of which I was completely unaware. According to Chris, one morning he unlocked the porta-potties and noted a strange interior illumination. When he peeked inside, he found that, in the middle of the night, someone had broken through the roof and jumped inside. I figure it was either someone who had eaten some really bad chile or a spelunker who couldn’t locate any other, nearby dark and dank locations to explore.

If you want to give Chris a comforting hug, as I’ve suggested, do so soon as he’ll be on vacation for the latter part of November. His assistant, Brian Boone, will be filling in while he’s absent.

Brent’s Christmas Trees opens shortly after Thanksgiving. If you can’t find one of your regular farmers market vendors, check with the Information booth as they may have been temporarily relocated. Also, please note that the market will be open on both Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve which fall this year on Saturdays.

The market’s jack-o-lantern giveaway was again a big success. Here’s one photo I took Saturday morning. Photos from the Lakeshore parade and “Harvest Festival” at Lakeshore Baptist Church are in the same Flickr set.

The food tasting program that featured a half dozen neighborhood restaurants and one bakery proved to be a very popular addition to the market. Look for more of the same beginning next Spring.

I failed to request a copy of the market’s entertainment schedule in a timely manner. Look for it to be posted on the Splash Pad website by the end of next week–if not before.

Odd and Ends

Visit Oakand (nee: the Convention and Visitors Bureau) has just published a glossy visitors guide that features a ton of great photography including lots of images that were entered in their annual photo contest. A digital version is available on this link. Although the tool bar may seem a bit daunting, it’s really quite simple. Just click on the corner to turn the page. I was especially pleased by Page 69 which profiles our Grand Lake Farmers Market and includes a photo I took earlier this year.

Jeffrey Lim from Garden Hortica is working out the decorative elements for the proposed parklet on Lakeshore while other members of the planning group help assemble the application packet that will be submitted to the city late this week. By next month, we should be looking for input on the design and also for volunteers to help with construction and fund raising.

If anyone out there has the necessary experience, Lakeshore Avenue Baptist Church is looking for bass and tenor section leaders for their choir. These are paid positions in what has to be one of the most diverse and welcoming congregations in the East Bay. If interested, direct your email to Rev. Jim Hopkins at jim@labcoakland.org.

On this last day of October, I confess I’m glad to see this month come to a close. Over time, I learned to hate Octobers partly due to the passing of a couple members of my immediate family but also due to the extent to which it seems to be a harbinger of disasters. The Loma Prieta Earthquake struck in October of 1989 leaving death and destruction in its quake. Two Octobers later, my mother passed away just days prior to the firestorm that consumed much of the Oakland hills with twenty-five fatalities. Even the Associated Press reported today that “October is somewhat cursed for the stock market — the Crash of 1929, Black Monday in 1987, a slow-motion meltdown in 2008″.

For me, this year’s October losses have been on a far more personal scale but still carry a poignancy that prompts me to share the following tributes and to dedicate this issue of the newsletter in memory of the following who passed away this month:

STEVE JOBS: We purchased an Apple II+ in 1982 or, more accurately, my wife purchased the computer primarily for our older son (who was then 11) despite my protestations that we wait until the product improved and the price came down. At the time, a personal computer in one’s own home was such a novelty, John Eckhouse profiled us in a major piece in the San Francisco Examiner. A confirmed Luddite and technophobe, I barely worked up enough courage to turn the computer on and off and insert the floppy discs but did become highly proficient playing Tax Man–a digital version of Pac Man.

If not for the intuitive simplicity of the Apple computers that were designed under Jobs stewardship, I may never have progressed beyond that point. Instead, like untold millions of people around the globe, I’m using my computer as a planning and organizing tool, as a way to supplement a failing memory, and, for me most importantly, to communicate with others with an ease and efficiency hitherto impossible. In a very concrete fashion, Steve Jobs reshaped our individual lives for the better and ultimately, his genius will have a positive effect on societies worldwide.

REV. FRED SHUTTLESWORTH: I’m including Rev. Shuttlesworth on this list because his passing on October 5 drew far less attention than it deserved. Rev. Martin Luther King was the public face of the Freedom Movement but it was Rev. Shuttleworth who (behind the scenes) lobbied aggressively for direct, non-violent action to bring about an end to the pervasive segregation in the Southern states that survived as a remnant of slavery. For those of you too young to remember the Freedom Rides, sit-ins, voter registration campaigns and the lynchings that inspired Billie Holliday to sing Strange Fruit, I’d urge you to do some background reading beginning perhaps with this profile of Rev. Shuttlesworth on Wikipedia.

HUNTER MCCREARY: We’re giving Hunter McCreary a mulligan and including him on this list although he actually passed away in late September. He was perhaps the last of a dying breed. Those of us who are long-time neighborhood residents remember Hunter as the man behind the counter at Dime and Dollar–a wondrous, variety store in the building that now houses Arizmendi. Dime and Dollar is where you went for just about anything. Needles and thread. Window shades. Pots and pans. Toys and novelties. But most importantly, Dime and Dollar is where you took your kids for their Halloween costumes.

A co-founder and producer of the Piedmont Light Opera Theater, Hunter was a showman at heart and once a year, he arrived at the Lakeshore Easter Parade dressed in a formal top hat with rabbit ears where he presided (with a twinkle in his eye) over the parade, judging and awards presentation. Here’s a photo I took at this year’s Easter Parade that embodies to some extent his whimsical approach to life.

Pamela Drake has posted her own tribute to Hunter on the Lakeshore Avenue website along with an obituary from the San Francisco Chronicle.

If you’d like to comment on any of the above news, please do so on the Grand Lake Neighbors website.