November Girl's Night Announced
Tuesday, November 15th will be the next Girl's Night Out. From 7pm on, there will be girlish merriment at The Warehouse Bar & Grill. Celebrate with the new owners (sorry, names unknown) a night here in the Jack London District. No rsvp, no organizers. Just come and meet other women from the neighborhood.

Just to explain Girl's Night - there's really no point to it. It's just an excuse to gather and gab. It's whatever YOU want it to be and whatever YOU make it! Luckily, pesky Pulte will be a block away and I double dog dare them to ruin this evening...

Cheers!
Posted 10/31/2005

Pet Portraits by Tonya Perme
Local pet photographer, Tonya Perme, will be hosting an in-studio photo shoot for furry friends this Sunday, November 6th from 11am-6pm. Call Tonya at (510) 238-8575 or via email. Her studio is right here in the Jack London District. She'll also be at Dog Bone Alley in Alameda on Sunday, November 13th for pet photos with Santa! Call Dog Bone Alley for their appointment times and prices.

In other Pet News, Jack London Mail is now carrying Crunchkins - greeting cards for dogs and cats. The dog ones are made of rawhide and the cat ones include an organic catnip toy. Very cute, and they have a holiday selection as well!
Posted 10/31/2005

Leashes are the Law
Be sure to keep your dog (or other pet) on a leash, especially if you head over to the waterfront. Until we get a dog park, leashes are required in all areas. The Port says that there have been several recent reported incidents of people walking their dogs "off leash" and dogs threatening other visitors within Jack London Square. Omar Benjamin from the Port of Oakland says, "We all know that dogs are required to be "on leash" in the public except in the designated areas/parks. Community "self regulation" is a great concept, but the liability and risk issues are too great especially since we are now following up on formal complaints."

JLDA is working with Nancy Nadel to get a "temporary" dog park put in over by the Soccer Field. If anyone is interested in donating money to help make this happen sooner rather than later, you may want to send email to info@jlda.org.
Posted 10/25/2005

Suspect charged in serial rape case
We are pleased to inform you that a man charged with sexual assault in Berkeley has now been charged with the three Oakland assaults that happened in and close to the Jack London District earlier this year. Those included two rapes right by the Posey Tube entrance which lead to a heavy police enforcement effort in around our streets this spring.

You can read the full story in the Oakland Tribune article. The story says 25 year old Israel Bustamonte is now facing 23 felony charges and is also believed to be responsible for rapes in the Los Angeles area. What is amazing is that the original composite photo of the suspect was a very good likeness of the actual man charged (see below).



While the arrest is certainly very good news it certainly does not mean that our streets are completely safe. Everyone should remain vigilant for their own personal safety and that of their neighbors.

Next Wednesday (26th) there is the community liaison meeting with Oakland Police Department. The meeting starts 6pm at the Jack London Aquatic Center, 115 Embarcadero West which is just past the Jetro Cash-n-Carry on Embarcadero (heading south).
Posted 10/20/2005

1st Annual Haunted Boat Parade

Saturday, October 29th from 4-8pm, celebrate Halloween at Jack London Square. Join family fun with WB20 children's talent Lori & RJ as they entertain with magicians, dancers, games, prizes, giveaways, concert and a costume contests for children, adults and dogs. Kids can also have fun decorating Trick or Treat bags with the ProArts artists or be captivated by the "Mystery Machine" that transforms into a theatre for children who want to watch their favorite Halloween special. Play games and enjoy jump house fun to benefit Girls Inc. Stay till it gets dark and watch a spectacular lighted boat show as scary, haunted water vessels pass through the night carrying the spirits of pirates who were lost to the sea. To register your own scary, haunted boat in the parade, call 510-645-5968.

Posted 10/20/2005

Health Care Directives
Recently, a friend passed quite suddenly and unexpectedly. Without a Health Care Directive to turn to and without family nearby, decisions were made for him by a team of doctors. If one doctor prescribed a procedure, then two attending doctors had to agree before the procedure could be done. I must say that this did not cause his passing, but it did cause a few unnecessary delays. Do you want to take that chance with your own life? Do you want some stranger to decide if you receive heroic measures or not?

I am not an attorney, and I am NOT providing legal advice as to how to fill out the form, nor will I even recommend a specific form. I did a quick Google search and found this Health Care Directive Form for California (Spanish version also available) free online, so you might want to check it out. Your health insurance provider may also have free forms. If you have questions regarding how to fill out the form, you should contact either your health insurance provider or an attorney.

Health Care Directives must be signed by two witnesses or notarized. If you mention this Jack London News Story Jack London Mail will only charge $5 per notarized signature, versus the normal charge of $10 (sorry, only for HCD's). Remember, you should fill out all of the information on the directive prior to having it notarized. Wait to sign the document until the Notary says it is okay. The Notary Public will not provide any legal advice as per California law.
Posted 10/20/2005

Digging in the Dark
Jack London District resident, Jodi Lomask, is the Artistic Director and Choreographer for the dance group Capacitor. Their new show, Digging in the Dark, opens Thursday, October 20th at the Project Artaud Theater in San Francisco and runs through Sunday, October 30th.



There is a $7 discount per ticket for sales of 8 tickets or more. These tickets must be purchased in advance. See the Capacitor website for more information.

The New York Times raved that Capacitor was "ingenious" and Citysearch described the company as "visually stunning and mindfully confounding. Capacitor juxtaposes the evolution of mankind against the evolution of technology, stretching the human form across space and time. Some call it a modern dance, and others call it a religious experience."

Support our local resident and check it out! Take along some friends and save some money.
Posted 10/17/2005

Developer Meeting Wed. 10/19 @ 7pm
The October Developer Meeting will be held Wednesday, October 12th at 7pm at the We the People Auditorium (Jerry Brown's old building). The auditorium is located at 200 Harrison on Second Street between Alice & Harrison. Please use the Second Street entrance.

All four developers and the City contact(s) attend this meeting in an effort to keep neighborhood relations on good terms and to address issues that are of concern to the surrounding area within the confines of the Conditions of Approval that each developer agreed to upon building approval from the City Planning Commission.

Unfortunately, some of the developers and their construction teams have not been abiding by the agreements, nor have they been been held accountable for their actions. The affected businesses and residents of the area should show their support for rules enforcement by attending this meeting.

Things that should not be addressed at this meeting include the number of parking spaces being provided by each project for future tenants, look of the project(s), height or size of the project(s) - these are all issues that were already set in the building approval process with the City Planning Commission.

What should be addressed at this meeting are the after hours and weekend work hours that are not allowed (until the project is fully enclosed and has been signed off by the City), the construction workers parking on local streets (also not allowed), and noise levels.
Posted 10/17/2005

Shop for Jewelry, Benefit Wardrobe for Opportunity
Lori Bonn Designs is having a jewelry sale this Saturday to benefit Wardrobe for Opportunity. It's close by - 114 Linden Street (down near Lonely Planet) and 10% of all proceeds goes to Wardrobe for Opportunity. Hmmmmm, you might even find a nice holiday present! Prices are $25-$175 (retail prices would normally be $63-$450) and you can pay by MasterCard, Visa, or cash.

Wardrobe for Opportunity is volunteer based non-profit located here in Oakland. They provide free professional clothing, image inhancement, and career support to disadvantaged jobseekers in the Bay Area. The Wardrobe provides jobseekers with the self-confidence, self-esteem, knowledge, and skills necessary to find and maintain employment and thereby give them the opportunity to lead fulfilling and self-sufficient lives with unlimited possibilities for themselves and their families.
Posted 10/13/2005

Editor's Opinion: Don't Vote for De La Fuente

I'll leave out the whole Raider's deal that he brought to the City...

But just for his comments today at the Rules Committee meeting, he's not worthy of the neighborhood's vote. He refused to agendize the issue of enforcing the Conditions of Approval that developers have as part of getting their building permit. He says it is a Planning Commission issue. He's WRONG. Enforcement is not a Planning Commission issue. Henry Chang's solution was to not issue an Occupany Permit. That would help I'm sure in about a year when they're ready for occupancy, but what incentive does that give to the developers TODAY to not screw up? Besides, can you really see the City with a brand new building ready for sale, refusing to allow people to move in?

I urge you ALL to come to the developers meeting on Wednesday, October 19th at 7pm at the We the People auditorium (Jerry Brown's old abode on 2nd Street near Harrison - big corrugated aluminum siding building), now owned by Covenant House. Please set aside your plans for this one night next week to help get the City to force the Developers and contractors to follow the rules. At this time, not one fine has been put upon the developers, and yet I can come up with at least 50 instances where they have broken the terms set in the Conditions of Approval. We pay the fine if we park on the wrong side of the street at night, shouldn't the developers be subject to enforcement of the rules as well?
Posted 10/13/2005

Learning to Tell Time
Hey, construction workers! Let's do a simple lesson to learn how to tell time.



If it's morning, you know that you can start working once the little hand is on the 7 and the big hand is on the 12. If the little hand is on the six and the big hand is on the 11, it's still not time to start working, so don't even think about it.

If it's night, you have to stop working when the little hand is on the 7 and the big hand is on the 12. If the little hand is on the 7, but the big hand is even a tad to the right of the 12, YOU MUST STOP WORKING.

It's really very simple and I'm not sure why so many of you seem to have a problem with this. Also, I find it more infuriating when you feel the need to laugh at me for being annoyed and yet more infuriating when you continue working for an extra hour or two.

Oh, and one more thing. If it's a Saturday or Sunday, you can't work at all. No exceptions, no excuses. I don't care what your deadline is, I don't care if you missed a weekday workday, and I don't care if everyone else gets to do it. These were the conditions of approval and someone agreed to them when your project was being granted a permit. If you're unhappy, go talk to them. Do not take it out on the neighborhood with complete disregard for the people who live and work in the area.

If you need help with the time, perhaps you could get a digital watch.

A big thank you to the projects who stop on time and who are curtious to your surroundings.
Posted 10/12/2005

The Yucca Lives On
Remember the yucca that used to be on the corner of 3rd & Harrison?



I did everything I could to find it a new home. In the end, no one wanted it. The nurseries and the City Park Department all said that it, "wasn't special".

Well. Simon Waddington saved a small bit of it and now it's in a pot on the Tower Loft's Roof Garden, miraculously not only did it survive, it has also just bloomed again. Check it out.


Posted 10/10/2005

Open Letter to the City Planning Commission

To the Planning Commission:

For some time now KSD/Webcor (127 Second St) has ignored the portion of their conditions of approval regarding only working Monday-Friday 7am-7pm. Yesterday I was able to see a worker (the noise had been going on for some time) and called the police. The police were hesitant to do anything because they felt that I should be contacting City Planning to complain. I explained that we (various residents inthe Jack London District) have contacted City Planning, but to no avail.

As a result of all the work that went on this weekend, it is my feeling that KSD/Webcor should not be allowed to work in order to remove the crane over the weekend. They should also be severely fined, as per the conditions of approval. This was not their first weekend (by far) to work, but it is the first time we were able to actually document it with the police or a City Official.

We have a monthly meeting with Don Smith and Claudia Cappio (the next one is 10/19 at Jerry Brown's old place at 2nd & Harrison) to discuss the issues surrounding the four major construction projects going up in the Jack London District. Work hours and parking issues have topped the list each meeting. The City always admonishes the builders/developers, but no fines have been levied. With the learned behavior that there's not much (if any) repercussion, they have kept doing it with flagrant disregard for the conditions of approval.

Parking has never been an easy discussion here in theJack London District, but if you were to do a survey, I think the residents feel the parking issue could have been prevented had the City agreed to the Ad Hoc Jack London District On-Street Parking Improvement Committee's plan and specifically, the permit portion of the plan. (see http://jlda.org/parking/JLD%20OSPC%20Plan13.htm)

The City (meaning Don Smith and Claudia Cappio) have helped get "no construction parking" signage in the12-minute zoned parking spaces in the past month, but have done nothing for parking throughout the rest of the area because, "there's just no way we can police these problems". We need to find a better way to write the conditions of approval, so that the conditions of approval CAN be enforced. We also need to follow through and FINE these developers when they don't follow the rules. If the city can't enforce the conditions of approval that are written at the time of project approval, then the whole process is meaningless.

There's an article in today's San Francisco Business Times about two future developments here in the District, and I hope that we can implement viable COA's for these projects before their COA's are finalized.

http://sanfrancisco.bizjournals.com/sanfrancisco/stories/2005/10/10/story3.html

Please take time in your next planning meeting to discuss the issue of enforcing conditions of approval and the issue of fines. I'm not against development -it will greatly benefit my business and hopefully the quality of food/entertainment/services in our neighborhood. However, I do want to see the developers held accountable when they refuse to follow the rules.

Thank you,

Joanna Adler

President, Jack London Mail Inc.

Resident, Jack London District

Posted 10/10/2005