Oakland Blog

The more than 1,600 people who attended last year, already know that last year's Best of Alameda party at Area 51 truly was the party of the year. Well this year's party is only 177 days away and tickets are already being sold, be the first to get one! The 2008 Best Of party returns to Area 51 in Alameda on September 18 and promises to have even more great food, drink, music and fun. Check out the new video from last year's party just posted to the party information site and check back for updates about this great event.

Local music instructor and flutist Carol Alban is hosting an all-star concert at Yoshi’s to benefit Christopher Rodriguez, the Oakland youth who was paralyzed from the waist down after being struck by a stray bullet while taking piano lessons at Harmony Road Music School. The event, emceed by KCSM-FM DJ Jesse “Chuy” Varela, will feature local music luminaries such as John Santos, Frank Martin, Narada Michael Walden, Joe Neto and Kai Eckhardt among others. All proceeds will benefit the Christopher Rodriguez Fund. 8 p.m., $25; 10 p.m., $18; Yoshi’s, 510 Embarcadero West, (510) 238-9200.

 

• The East Bay Regional Park District and the Oakland Museum of California present In Our Own Backyard: A Celebration of the East Bay Regional Parks tonight. The opening reception debuts the Bob Walker photography exhibit. 5:30 p.m. March 21, Oakland Museum of California, 1000 Oak St., (510) 544-2200.

 

 

 

 

• Enjoy a fermented food feast and celebration of Urban Agriculture to Benefit West Oakland's CITY SLICKER FARMS—"growing fresh and affordable produce for West Oakland." There will be a presentation on the work of City Slicker Farms by founder Willow Rosenthal, a slide show of international urban agricultural by UCB lecturer Nathan McClintock, live music by Zoyres Eastern European Wild Ferment and a live ferment workshop. Bring a fermented food and get entered in a drawing to win Homebrew, Sauerkraut, Plant Starts and Gift Certs to the Berkeley Farmers Market. 7 p.m.–10 p.m. March 22, $10–$30, Ecology Center, 2530 San Pablo Ave., (510) 763-4241.

• Social Butterflies, Inc., presents a film, food and fundraising festival featuring the documentary The Souls of Black Girls Saturday. 1 p.m.–4 p.m. March 22, $20, Academy and Community Science Center, 2811 Adeline St., (866) 232-7710.

The Oakland School for the Arts class of 2008 presents fashion show fever this weekend.

Fashon Show Fever 
Friday March 21, 2008
Big Top Tent
8 p.m.
Tickets are $5 at the door

Featuring collections by:
Ralph Prado
Steven Soundara
Sasha Brown
Colin Cortopassi
Raul Orozco

Senior Benefit Performance
Saturday March 22, 2008
Big Top Tent
7 p.m.
Tickets are $5 at the door

Program:

Johnathan Arnett
Pre-Lude
De'Borah Ingram
Hard Words
Steven Soundara
Monologue
Chris Kerr
Noctum
Raffle/ Intermission
Colin Cortopassi
Angels In America
Alexa Tyler, Omar Carmical, Knia Ward, Jarrod Mayo
Woman's Work, Gravity and Adam
Edward Carrington, Johnathan Arnett, Chris Kerr
Collaboration
Andre Blunt, Daniel Hudson, Alexa Tyler, Jarrod Mayo
The Drums of Life
Kevon Towner, Johnathan Arnett, Anais Kane, India Harris
Love Has A Mind of Its Own

Oakland School for the Arts, 1800 San Pablo Ave., (510) 873-8800.

 

Free Tax Help

With tax season right around the corner, the Computer & Communication Industry Association (CCIA) is teaming up with volunteers from Intuit to offer a free tax prep day in Oakland at the Unity Council. Free tax preparation and filing services will be provided to lower wage earners and active duty military in an effort to assist folks with the tax process and to ensure that individuals who are eligible for the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) are collecting their tax credit. San Diego based Intuit, the makers of TurboTax, is donating its TurboTax Freedom Edition software and employees are volunteering to assist taxpayers and to provide rebate information with TurboTax® Freedom Edition. A new simplified 1040A form is available online to those who earned at least $3,000 in earned income in 2007, but who would not otherwise be required to file a return.  In addition, TurboTax® Freedom Edition features a new rebate calculator that can automatically calculate the amount of a taxpayers rebate. Tax experts will be available to answer specific tax related questions. Volunteers will be able to assist in Spanish as well.
 
Wednesday: March 19, 4 p.m.–7:30 p.m.
Saturday: March 22, 10 a.m.–3 p.m.
                            
Unity Council, 3301 East 12th Street, Suite 201

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Benefit for Christopher Rodriguez

Christopher is a 10-year-old former Oakland Youth Chorus student who is currently paralyzed from the waist down after being hit by a stray bullet while attending a piano lesson on January 10th, 2008. Chris and his family face a difficult road ahead, and will need all the support and donations the community can provide.

This very special concert will feature performances by:
Keith Terry and Crosspulse Percussion Ensemble
Chelle and Friends
East Bay Annointed Voices
Singers from the OYC
The Chancel Choir of First Unitarian Church of Oakland

Guests of honor: Christopher Rodriguez & Family

7 p.m., March 19, $15, $5 chidren under 12 or $20 and $10 for chidren at the door, First Unitarian Church of Oakland, 685 14th St., click or call (510) 287-9700, ext. 110.

 

Jingletown Junction opens today at Pro Arts gallery. Jingletown is a migratory, semi-industrial zone located on the estuary of Oakland and Alameda. Ten artists, all who live and/or work there, all members of the Jingletown Arts and Business Community (JABC) have created artwork for this show, as it stems from our individual experience of living and working in an artists' neighborhood. Each artist uses his/her own medium and creative ideas to make pieces that concern the collaborative experience of this area. In a time when the neighborhood is undergoing rapid change, growing by leaps and bounds, it is the artists' goal to stimulate awareness of and support for the rich and diverse population of working, exhibiting and performing artists, and other creative members of Jingletown.

On exhibit will be: Paintings, Photography, Metal Sculpture, Mixed Media, Furniture, On-site Installation, Mosai.

Exhibit March 18–April 25. Opening Reception: 6 p.m.–8 p.m. March 20, at Pro Arts Gallery, 550 Second St., (510) 763-4361. Enjoy music from (Bird's Nest Jazz) the Cathi Walkup Double Trio!

Artists' Talk: 1 p.m.–3 p.m. April 5.

 

• Shavees, donors, spectators and volunteers are invited today! At this St. Baldrick's Foundation head-shaving event for childhood cancer research, more than 50 men and women will shave their heads bald to show solidarity to children with cancer and to raise money for childhood cancer research.  This is a fun family event with food, entertainment, a giant raffle and more. 5 p.m.–8 p.m., March 17, Children's Hospital and Research Center Oakland, 747 52nd St., 510-428-3885 (ext. 2326).

• Reviews for Terrence Brewer's new album, QuintEssential: The Calling: Volume Three, are already pouring in and so far it looks like Brewer has hit it out of the park. Hear the East Bay-based jazz guitarist tonight at his CD release party! 8 p.m., $14; 10 p.m. $8, Yoshi'strack from the new album., 510 Embarcadero West, (510) 238-9200. Hear a

 

• Internationally acclaimed West African dance company Diamano Coura presents its 13th annual Collage des Cultures Africaines. March 13–16. Saturday event at Malonga Casquelourd Center for the Arts, 1428 Alice St., click or call (510) 733-1077 for tickets.

• Patricia Polacco's colorful book, Chicken Sunday, comes to life in a world-premiere musical this Saturday and Sunday. A Stagebridge Theatre Company production. 3 p.m., March 15–16, $12, $5 children, Arts First oakland, 2501 Harrison St., (510) 444-4755.

• The Laborers International Union of North America has partnered with Bay Area Faith Base Career Development, and The Beat 6 Coalition to bring what is projected to be the largest Career Fair in the West Oakland area. This historic event will take place on Saturday, March 15 between the hours of 10 a.m.–2 p.m. On March 15, West Street will be closed to thru traffic from Sycamore to 27th Street and will be filled with Contractors and Companies who are seeking applicants for future employment opportunities.

• Manzanita Recreation Center's "Parks for Peace" event: 10 a.m.–2 p.m., March 15, free. Program begins at noon. 2701 Second Ave., Oakland.

• Hoedown at the Great American Music Hall: Jimmy Sweetwater Presents Loretta Lynch with Devine's Jug Band and the Stairwell Sisters at the Great American Music Hall (859 O'Farrell St. San Francisco) Saturday, March 15th. Show starts at 9 p.m. Opening will be Devine's Jug Band, followed by Loretta Lynch, with the Stairwell Sisters rounding out the evening. Tickets are $13, and can be purchased online at www.gamhtickets.com or by calling 1-800-225-2277. Presale dinner tickets are also available.

 

Dogman Joe frontman Robin Applewood grew up in Berkeley playing clubs such as the Gilman and Ashkenaz with his high school band. See Dogman Joe this Friday as part of the 2nd Annual Local Musicians Benefit. With Native Elements. The first Local Musicians Benefit was a huge success so we decided to take it out to the East Bay. Bring your dancing sensibility, peace pipe, some friends and ten bucks for cover that goes directly to hard working local musicians. What a way to bring in an awesome summer! 8:30 p.m., March 14, $10, The Starry Plough, 3101 Shattuck Ave.

 

Last week the Oakland City Council voted unanimously to accept an independent, third-party arbitrator’s tentative award to the City of Oakland and the Oakland Police Officers’ Association (OPOA), bringing closure to a nearly two-year effort to reach agreement on a new employment contract for Oakland police officers.
 
The City’s focus throughout the negotiations was to ensure that the Police Chief has the tools necessary to manage the department to respond to crime. The arbitrator adopted 100% of the City’s proposals related to efficient management of the department and eliminated all non-standard, inefficient practices in exchange for a competitive wage increase (four percent per year for the life of the contract). This agreement represents a sea change for the Oakland Police Department and institutionalizes the reforms set forth by Chief Tucker when he took the helm of the department three years ago.
 
“I’m very pleased with the scope of the arbitrator’s award on management rights,” said Oakland Police Chief Wayne Tucker. “The OPOA’s willingness to accept these changes bodes well for the future of the department and the City. It will fundamentally change the rules under which we operate to the benefit of the citizens of Oakland. I look forward to working with the OPOA to build upon the gains we’ve made through this process. I applaud the City Council and the Mayor, whose unwavering support throughout this process has made this outcome possible.”
 
At the outset of the negotiations, the Oakland City Council identified five (5) major goals for the process: 1) establish management rights, 2) conform practices to industry standard, 3) minimize non-productive paid time, 4) limit the cost of benefits and 5) reward performance. The arbitrator’s award represents successful achievement of all five goals.
 
Under the tentative award issued by Oakland arbitrator Barry Winograd, the City will continue to offer important compensation and pay incentives for the hard-working men and women of the Oakland Police Department, including premium pay for college education. The wage increase will restore OPD’s market standing, which is essential in this highly competitive recruitment market.
 
At the same time the award grants the City the flexibility and significantly enhanced management rights necessary to efficiently and effectively deliver public safety services to the Oakland community. For instance, it allows the Police Chief the flexibility to deploy police officers where and when they are needed according to crime patterns, without having to resolve disputes in arbitration. It gives the City the right to civilianize any position that does not require a sworn officer, freeing more sworn officers to perform critical crime-fighting duties. It greatly enhances the transparency of the contract, eliminating “side letter” agreements and adherence to inefficient past practices.
 
The cost of the award will be partially offset by efficiency savings due to the restructuring of holiday pay, sick leave, compensation time and overtime. For example, under the previous MOU, officers had a right to be paid overtime for holidays they did not work. They also received 90 days of paid leave for every illness or injury. The arbitrator’s award established an industry standard sick leave accrual of eight hours per month, capped at 480 hours. Achieving these efficiencies represents a significant improvement and will result in greater effectiveness in the delivery of police services.

Oakland was ranked as the fourth most dangerous city in the United States on Sunday by a controversial but closely watched private-research group that publishes a list of the country's most dangerous cities annually, the Oakland Tribune reported Monday. Nearby Richmond came in at No. 9. Oakland jumped four spots, from No. 8 last year, in this year's "City Crime Rankings: Crime in Metropolitan America," which was published by CQ Press, a unit of Congressional Quarterly Inc. Detroit earned the dubious title of most dangerous city in America. It was followed by St. Louis and Flint, Mich. After Oakland, at No. 4., came Camden, N.J.; Birmingham, Ala.; North Charleston, S.C.; Memphis, Tenn.; Richmond; and Cleveland. Landing in the top 10 in the 2007 rankings, which were based on the Federal Bureau of Investigation's crime data for 2006, is not shocking for Oakland.

 

New Mayor Ron Dellums had his first meeting with community members and began to lay out his plans to turn Oakland into a model city, the Oakland Tribune reported today. Speaking to a standing-room-only crowd Monday night at the annual meeting of the Piedmont Pines Neighborhood Association, Dellums asked for community support in helping him to fulfill his campaign promise to turn Oakland around. Dellums had 41 task force groups meeting between September and October making numerous recommendations to help Oakland deal with problems of poverty, crime and hopelessness that have plagued it for years. One idea Dellums is embracing is the plan to make it easier for once incarcerated individuals to find city jobs. Under the plan, formerly incarcerated individuals would no longer have to disclose that fact on city employment applications. Dellums also plans to expand the mayor's summer jobs program to 500-600 positions and has also called for nonprofits and philanthropies to lend their grant writers to the city in an effort to increase the amount of federal money flowing into the city. At the end of his remarks about half of the audience rose to give the mayor a standing ovation, others are adopting a wait and see attitude.

 

 

 

 

  

The Oakland Athleticshere for tickets. begin their home opener against the Chicago White Sox tonight at the McAfee Coliseum. Right-hander Rich Harden will be on the mound for the 7:05 p.m. start. The series continues through Wednesday. The A's are attempting to return to the postseason after their 2006 American League West Championship. 7000 Coliseum Way, (510) 638-4627, click

 

The Alameda Civic Light Opera says it may be unable to produce a 2008 season if it can't raise $100,000 by the end of the year, the Alameda Journal reported last week. The performing arts group sent out an appeal letter to potential donors last week.

In the letter to theater patrons, the company's board of directors says the cost of its production has risen so steeply that, despite price increases and fundraising efforts, the company's revenue is not matching its expenses. The group needs to raise $100,000 by the end of 2007 in order to produce the 2008 season.

The current financial difficulties have occurred gradually because of rising costs and fewer-than-expected ticket sales. Costs include the rent owed the school district for the use of Kofman Auditorium, the salary paid to artistic director Jeff Teague, marketing expenses and fees for the rights to perform a particular production. The opera company has a budget of about $350,000. Ticket sales cover about half of the costs, with the rest coming through fundraisers.

Good news for holiday travelers! The Oakland Tribune reported today that the Port of Oakland is granting AirBART rides a temporary reprieve from higher rates. Under the plan rates will be kept at $2 per trip and not go up to the proposed $3 for a trip to the airport from BART's Coliseum station. The $3 rate proposal will be back on the table next year, however, as airport officials say the funds are needed to purchase two new natural-gas-powered vehicles in an effort to accommodate new passengers taking advantage of the popular service. Oakland International Airport will also be offering $10 coupons early next year to encourage people to park in airport parking lots which have been losing customers to cheaper off-airport lots. A coupon will be available for download starting next year. The airport hopes that next year's $1 fee increase will raise $5 million over the next four years. The money will be used to purchase the new buses at $390,000 each, maintain them and pay drivers' salaries.