Greetings!

View our press briefings,  meetings & community events  

Change will not come if we wait for some other person or for some other time.   

We are the ones we have been waiting for.

Barack Obama  

Cambodian New Year Celebration at Peralta Hacienda Historical Park, Saturday, April 21, 11 am-3 pm, 2465 64th Avenue: From Pol Pot to Hip Hop: Cambodian Festival Celebrates the "Rhythm of the Refugee" in Oakland,  an amazing community event. Oakland's Asian American population is healing from Cambodian gang warfare and other acts of violence like the Oikos University shooting - not to mention the horrific stories that many refugees have to tell from their own countries. ON SATURDAY, JOIN 500 GUESTS and NUMEROUS PERFORMERS as they TELL A DIFFERENT STORY OF JOY AND CULTURAL REDISCOVERY. 

Kung Fu Panda, Movie in the Park, Redwood Heights Recreation Center, 3883 Aliso Avenue, Friday, April 20, 6:30 pm: All movies begin at dusk. Please note that this time changes in the springs, summer and fall. Be sure to dress warm, bring a lawn chair and/or blanket. Popcorn & hot chocolate will be available for purchase with proceeds going to the scholarship fund.  

Oakland East Bay Symphony (OEBS) Concerts: Notes from the Philippines, Friday, April 20, 8 pm, Paramount Theater, 2025 Broadway: David Requiro makes his OEBS debut playing Dvorak's Cello Concerto, written during the composer's final year in New York. Also on the program will be works by Filipino composers, including a new work by a Filipino jazz composer commissioned by OEBS.  

Earth Day, Saturday, April 21! 

• Frog Park, at the end of Hardy Street
• Morcom Rose Garden, 700 Jean Street
• DeFremery Park, DeFremery Recreation Center, 1651 Adeline Street
• Lake Merritt Sailboat House, 568 Bellevue Avenue
• Dimond Park, Dimond Recreation Center, 3860 Hanly Road
• Peralta Hacienda Historical Park, 2465 34th Avenue
• Arroyo Viejo Park, 7701 Krause Avenue
• East Oakland Boxing Association, 816 98th Avenue.

For a complete list of sites visit www.oaklandearthday.org or call (510) 238-7611.

OUSD First African American Spring Parent Conference, Saturday, April 21, 8:30 am-3 pm, Bret Harte Middle School, 3700 Coolidge Avenue: The conference will offer workshops on transitional kindergarten, graduation requirements, college readiness, health, parent advocacy, the role of the District Advisory Council, the achievement of black males and how to support students at home. Resource fair, as well. Free, Breakfast and lunch provided. Register online at www.ousd.k12.ca.us.

Barbara Lee & Elihu Harris Lecture Series with Congressman John Lewis, "Where do we go from here?", Saturday, April 21, 7-8 pm, Beebe memorial Cathedral, 3900 Telegraph Avenue, $10 adults, $5 students:  This is an amazing opportunity to hear one of the Civil Rights Movement's heroes.Congressman John Lewis (GA-05), as Chairman of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, coordinated with Dr. King mobilizing students and connecting them to the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. At the historic March on Washington in 1963, Lewis spoke along with Dr. King. He is the only one of the ten speakers that day still living. In 1986, Lewis was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives where he continues to organize and lead. The Minority Leader of the U.S. House of Representatives, Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi has called Congressman Lewis "the conscience of the U.S. Congress."

Oakland Museum / OMCA FAMILY | DIY: Do-It-Yourself Jewelry Crafts for Children and Teens, Sunday, April 22, Noon-3 pm:  Drop in to art and craft stations and create your own handmade jewelry with OMCA artists. 

Golden State Warriors to Unveil Chris Mullin Court  at Arroyo Viejo Rereation Center, Monday, April 23, 4 pm, 7701 Krause Avenue: Please join me, Hall of Famer Chris Mullin and other local dignitaries as the Golden State Warriors Community Foundation in conjunction with PG&E and the Good Tidings Foundation unveil the newly refurbished basketball courts at Arroyo Viejo Park. The project is part of the team's Makin' Hoops program and named the new courts to honor Mullin's longtime commitment to the Bay Area community, and in celebration of both his induction into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame last summer and his #17 jersey retirement, which took place on March 19.  The project to refurbish the courts began with a  groundbreaking ceremony on March 7.

East Bay Bus Rapid Transit Public Hearing, Wednesday, April 25, 2:30- 4 pm and 5- 6:30 pm: AC Transit General Offices, 1600 Franklin Street: AC Transit Board of Directors will hold a public hearing to consider certifying the Final Environmental Impact Report (FEIR) and adopting a Locally Preferred Alternative for the East Bay Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) project. For details go to www.actransit.org/2012/04/12/public-hearing-on-bus-rapid-transit-scheduled-for-april-25/

Stop Oakland's Violence Community Meeting, Thursday, April 26, 7-9 pm, St. Paul's Episcopal Church, 114 Montecito (Grand & 27th): Listen & learn how we can help end violence in Oakland. Hear from:  True Vine Church and S.A.V.E.: Stand-ins and the Peach March:
Project Ceasefire: Learning from successes in other cities: Oakland Community Organizations: Safe Communities Projects; Mayor's Office: The 100 Blocks Program.

Great American Cleanup-Oakland, East Oakland, Saturday, April 28, 9-1 pm: Each year, Keep Oakland Beautiful participates in the Great American Cleanup, a national event promoting beautification in the nation's communities. This April, volunteers are needed to help clean the Bancroft Median, as well as to work with efforts at East Oakland Pride Elementary School. Meet at Verdese Carter Park, 900 Sunnyside Street, at 9 am. For details, contact Keep Oakland Beautiful or call (510) 434-5126.   

Help Track Sudden Oak Death, Saturday and Sunday, April 28-19::

Healthy Kids Day at the Y, Saturday, April 28, 9 am - 1 pm, M. Robinson Baker YMCA, 3265 Market Street: Join the Y and more than half-a-million parents and kids across the country as we commit to "Take on Summer!" With 1,900 Ys hosting free Healthy Kids Day events across the country, it's never been a better time to get up, get out and grow.  Come and do this Flash-Mob Dance with us at the M. Robinson Baker Branch in West Oakland.  Learn the dance on your own, come out at 10 am to get your Healthy Kids Day t-shirt, and we will dance our dance by 10:30 am. Games and prizes for the children; basketball games, fun and friendly family fitness competitions, massage, caricature drawings-- all for free!

Career & Technical Education Career Fair, Saturday, April 28, 10 am - 3 pm, Laney College, 900 Fallon Street:  In -shop demonstrations, meet successful industry professionals and faculty, academic counseling and enrollment workshops, food, fun and prizes.  For details, go to www.laney.edu/cte2012expo or call (510) 342-9832.

Get Ready for SuperSATurday 2012 at Laney College, Saturday, April 28, 1-5 pm: Choose College Educational Foundation, Inc. sponsors the SAT/College Rally and Resource Fair with Rap, Art and Spoken Word contests for Contest participants eligible for scholarships, prizes. Their goal is to increase the number of Oakland high school students who take and prepare for the SAT exams. They are currently seeking volunteers to assist with outreach. For details, call (510) 614-3000.    

Notes & Words: Musicians & Writers on State Together For Children's Hospital & Research Center, Oakland, Saturday, April 28, Fox Theater, Oakland: Pulitzer Prize Winner Michael Chabon, bestselling authors Anne Lamott and Kelly Corrigan, Author, Actor,Humorist John Hodgman and Cake and other musical talents. For tickets and information, please visit www.notesandwords.org.   

 Bay Friendly Garden Tour, Sunday, April 29, 10 am-4 pm, Alameda and Santa Clara Counties: This year's host gardens represent the many different styles of Bay-Friendly gardening. You will find urban homesteads with orchards, chickens and bees, greywater installations by local experts, and drought tolerant replacements for water thirsty lawns. The host gardeners themselves are a diverse group that includes permaculturists, native plant enthusiasts, do-it-yourselfers and landscape professionals. Registration is required to receive a Tour Guidebook which contains directions and garden descriptions. Cost is $10 for a Tour Guide book alone, or $35 for Guidebook, plus Bay-Friendly Membership.     

Opening Day on San Francisco Bay: Sunday, April 29, 10:30 am-2 pm on the Potomac, Jack London Square:  Join some of the Bay Area's most notable and notorious characters to celebrate Opening Day on the Bay as the U.S.S. Potomac departs from Jack London Square. $85 adults, $75 groups of 20+, including gourmet box lunch and non-alcoholic beverages. Call (510) 627-1215 or go to www.ticketweb.com.  

2nd Annual Bay Walk Against Genocide, Sunday, April 29, Noon-4 pm, Lake Merritt Bandstand:  Music by Martin Luther McCoy, African Drumming by Tumu Soundz, Speakers Carl Wilkens, only American who stayed in Rwanda during the genocide; Yasir A Kori, Exiled from the Nuba Mountains in Sudan due to being persecuted for his Christian Beliefs, Dr. Gregory Stanton, President of Genocide Watch and  Chair of the International Campaign to End Genocide.To register, go to www.walkagainstgenocide.org or call (510) 286-7919.  

People's Grocery Plant Sale & Block Party, Sunday, April 29, Noon-4 pm, California Hotel, (3501 San Pablo Avenue @ Chestnut:  Come celebrate the unveiling of the Chestnut Green Corridor Project and the rebirth of the Cal Hotel with the residents and community organizers that made it possible!  More info at  www.peoplesgrocery.org or (510) 652-7607     

1000 Summer Jobs for Oakland Youth: Last year with only two months' notice Congress cut the Mayors Summer Jobs Programs. For decades Oakland received funding to employ about 500 low income youth each summer. The President allowed us to double the number in 2010 because of the recession, then Congress brought it to zero in 2011.  We scrambled last year  and between the City and County came up with about 400 internships focusing on foster youth and private employers answered my call with about 200 more.  This year we are aiming for 1000 jobs. I hope to hire at least half from the 100 block area.  We need your help.  A summer internship costs $1500-2000 per student to underwrite.  If you can hire a student or are willing to take a student for the Mayor's Summer Jobs Program, contact John Bailey, Executive Director of the Workforce Investment Board, at (510) 238-6440.

Cultural funding Program Applications Now Online, Deadline May 25: Applications for FY 2012-13 Cultural Funding Program are now available on line for the following grant categories: Art in the Schools, Individual Arts Project, Organization Project and Organizational Assistance.  Organizational Assistance Applicants are required to submit a letter of intent to apply by May 4. Contact Steven Huss, Cultural Arts Manager, at (510) 238-4949.

Job Opportunities with Measure Y: The City is currently recruiting for two positions within the Department of Human Resources:  a part time Program Analyst II (selective certification-violence prevention) and a Health & Human Services Program Planner (selective certification-violence prevention). Closing dates are 4/24 and 4/25 respectively. Applicants are encouraged to apply online at http://agency.governmentjobs.com/oaklandca/default.cfm or call (510) 238-3112 for information.

Children at Oakland Head Start Centers Receive Free Eye Exams and Glasses: The University of San Diego's Eye Mobile Van in partnership with Prevent Blindness of Northern California will be conducting follow-up eye exams at Oakland Head Start Centers for the next 6 weeks. Children in need will receive prescription glasses with their names engraved on them free of charge. For more information, please contact Usana Pulliam-Hopkins, Early Childhood Services Manager, at (510) 238-7186.

The Alameda County Registrar of Voters is preparing for the Tuesday, June 5, 2012 Presidential Primary Election and is now accepting applications for Bilingual Poll Workers as well as their High School Student Poll Worker Program.  If you are fluent in Chinese, Spanish, Tagalog or Vietnamese, as well as in English, or a high school student (Age 16+) you could earn some extra money while serving your community! Applications can be found online  http://www.acgov.org/rov/   

When people think of Children's Fairyland, they probably don't think of us as a place where thousands of young people have gotten their very first jobs. But it's true. And we give them more than a paycheck: we teach kids valuable lessons about customer service, professionalism, responsibility and assertiveness-lessons they take with them to college and beyond.

The other night I ran into two former employees, Winnie Chan and Alexia Martinique, who are using the skills they learned at Fairyland to help our community. Winnie and Alexia were volunteering at a fundraising event for the wonderful Lotus Bloom Child and Family Resource Center in Oakland, and I marveled at the confident professionals and fabulous young women they'd become.

Winnie came to us in 2003 when she was a student at Oakland High School. On her application she said her reason for applying was "to have fun with children while also meeting new people and learning new tasks." Starting as a ride operator, she worked all around the park-puppet shows, gift shop, ticket sales. But it was as the driver of our whimsical Jolly Trolly train that she found her niche. "Ringing the bell and waving at people were just really fun," she recalls.

Winnie doesn't remember coming to Fairyland as a child: with four kids in the family it wasn't easy for her mom to take them out. She does remember that her Fairyland jobs taught her how to socialize comfortably and how to assert herself enough to politely call parents out for bad behavior. You can track Winnie's growing confidence through her handwritten requests for time off: for an Outward Bound trip in the Rockies, rowing championships, an AIDS walk, a college tour. Winnie's last day with us was August 10, 2006. She left because she'd been accepted at U.C. Berkeley, where she later earned a joint degree in sociology and public policy.

Cal's community health internship program brought Winnie to Lotus Bloom, where she hosted low- and no-cost health-related workshops for multicultural families. Did I mention that Winnie is fluent in Cantonese? "She connected so immediately with our families that it was seamless," recalls Angela Louie Howard, Lotus Bloom's executive director. "She met every challenge with positivity and professionalism and with a community perspective. Everyone loved Winnie." When the internship ended, Lotus Bloom hired Winnie to work part time, when she wasn't attending classes. She still volunteers for Lotus Bloom's big events, and it was at one of those events where we re-connected.

At the same event was Alexia, who first came to Fairyland in 1997 as an 8-year-old member of our children's theater program. Ten years later, while she was a student at Oakland Tech, she worked at Fairyland as a birthday party host. She excelled at that job and at school, where she was an Academic All-American student and a member of the championship Lady Bulldogs basketball team. She received an academic scholarship to Cal and now interns at CBS while pursuing a multimedia communications graduate degree at the Academy of Art University. As part of her program, she was required to create a one-minute video of a business or organization. The subject she chose? Lotus Bloom.

Winnie has also done us proud. She now works in San Francisco as a social work assistant, helping elderly seniors navigate their way through health care and insurance issues. She says that the patience and calm she learned from dealing with kids at Fairyland are serving her well. She's hoping to earn a masters' degree in public health from San Francisco State University.  She laughs about the fact that she's "immortalized" on our website, where there's a photo of a smiling young girl who's driving the Jolly Trolly and ringing the bell. The heading on that page reads "Fairyland Job Opportunities."   

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Help Oakland provide more "First Job" opportunities by supporting the Mayor's Summer Jobs Program.Last year with only two months' notice Congress cut the Mayors Summer Jobs Programs. For decades Oakland received funding to employ about 500 low income youth each summer. The President allowed us to double the number in 2010 because of the recession, then Congress brought it to zero in 2011.  We scrambled last year  and between the City and County came up with about 400 internships focusing on foster youth and private employers answered my call with about 200 more.  This year we are aiming for 1000 jobs. I hope to hire at least half from the 100 block area.  We need your help.  A summer internship costs $1500-2000 per student to underwrite.  If you're an employer, consider hiring an Oakland youth through the program. Or, if you can't hire a youth, consider donating to the Mayor's Summer Jobs Program Fund so that another local business can do so. Contact John Bailey, Executive Director of the Workforce Investment Board, at (510) 238-6440.  

Did You Know that Oakland was the First City in the Country to Require Landlords to Disclose to Prospective Tenants Whether or Not Smoke was Allowed in the Building? Oakland passed an ordinance that required this back in 2007. The states of Oregon and Maine have followed, as has Duluth, Minn and Buffalo, NY.   Now NYC is looking at a very similar law.    

New Facebook App Lets PG&E Customers Share, Compare Energy Use with Friends: PG&E customers can now share and compare their energy use with friends around the nation on Facebook with a new social energy application. The app, created by Opower in partnership with Facebook and the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), provides insight into individual energy use while fostering friendly competition. PG&E is one of 15 utilities participating in the program. In all, 19.4 million households will have the ability to participate in this program. Sign up at social.opower.com or search for the Opower app on Facebook and connect your utility account 

POLICE NUMBERS:

• Call 911 if you or others are in immediate danger.
• Oakland Sexual Assault / Child Abuse Tip Line (510) 637-0298
• Special Victims Unit direct phone line is (510) 238-7910.

A Safe Place

Services for abused women and children

Teen Violence Prevention  www.teenrelationships411.org 

Oakland Business Line  (510) 986-8600

24-hour Crisis Hotline  (510) 536-7233

www.asafeplacedvs.org    

Alameda County Family Justice Center

The one-stop center, over 50 programs under one roof

Oakland Business Line (510) 267-8800.

www.adfjc.org  

Asian Health Services

Provide support to seniors at Hotel Oakland and to Southeast Asian youth, teens and adults throughout the city (510) 986-6800

www.asianhealthservices.org

Asian Pacific Islander Legal Outreach

Family law, immigration for Asian women Oakland (510) 251-2846

www.apilegaloutreach.org

Asian Women's Shelter 

SF (415) 751-0880

Crisis Line (877) 751-0880

www.sfaws.org

Bay Area Legal Aid 

Domestic violence, housing, public benefits, health access

Alameda County (510) 250-5270

www.baylegal.org 

Bay Area Women Against Rape

Business Line  (510) 430-1298

Crisis Line  (510) 845-7273 (24 Hours)

www.bawar.irg    

Building Futures with Women and Children

Crisis Line 1-866-A-WAY-OUT (24 Hours)

http://bfwc.org/  

Central Legal de la Raza

Legal Services (510) 437-1554  

www.childhelp.org    

Emergency Shelter Program, Inc.

786-1246

24 Hour Crisis Line 888-339-7233     

www.espca.org/   

Family Paths, Inc.

24 Hour Support Line for Parents under stress

800-829-3777
 www.familypaths.org  

Family Violence Law Center

Crisis Line: (510) 208-0255

www.fvlc.org 

Highland Sexual Assault Center

Crisis Line: (510) 437-4688

www.acmedctr.org/supportsexassault.cfm   

La Clinica de la Raza

Casa del Sol 535-6200 

Legal Assistance for Seniors

Provides free legal advice and representation for seniors

Legal 832-3040  

Health Insurance Coverage   (510) 839-0393

www.lashicap.org   

Shelter Against Violent Environments

Crisis Line (Can Call Collect) (510) 794-6055  

www.save-dv.org/   

STAND Against Domestic Violence

Business Line: (925) 676-2845

Crisis Line: (888) 215-5555 

Tri-Valley Haven

Crisis Line; (800) 884-8119  

www.trivalleyhaven.org 

Women's Day Time Drop In Center

Berkeley's Business Line  (510) 548-2884    

www.womensdropin,org  

Crisis support for low-income women, housing case management, housing stabilization, therapeutic programs, children's programs. 

Vegetarian Delights

Brazilian

Rio California

1223 Preservation Park Way

Oakland, CA 94612

(510) 834-2565 

Cambodian

Phnom Phen  

251 8th Street

Oakland, CA 94607

(510) 893-3825 

 www.phnompenhhouse.com

Chinese

6247 College Avenue

Oakland, CA 94618

(510) 658-8458

 

 

Nature Vegetarian Restaurant

1116 Franklin

Oakland, CA 94607

(510) 238-9688

 

 

Ethiopian

Addis Ethiopian Restaurant 

6100 Telegraph Avenue

Oakland, CA 94609 

(510) 653-3456

www.addisethiopian.com

 

Asmara Ethiopian

 

5020 Telegraph Avenue

Oakland, CA 94609

(510) 547-5100

 www.asmararestaurant.com  

 

 

Enssaro Ethiopian

366 Grand Avenue

 

 

Oakland, CA 94610 

(510) 238-9050

www.enssaro.com  

 

 

 

Filipino

No Worries (Catering)

www.filipinoveganfood.com

Japanese

Ozumo  

2251 Broadway

Oakland, CA 94612

(510) 286-9886

www.ozumo.com/oakland  

Mexican

Cactus Taqueria

5642 College Avenue

Oakland, CA 946180

(510) 658-6180  

www.cactustaqueria.com

Las Palmas

5804 College Avenue

Oakland, CA 94618

(510) 597-0890

Taqueria Sinaloa

2138 International Blvd.

Oakland, CA 94606

(510) 535-1206 

Middle Eastern

Amba Middle Eastern (Kosher)

6464 Moraga Avenue

Oakland, CA 94611

(510) 339-8000

www.ambafalafel.com

Pizza

Pizza Palace

6211 Shattuck Avenue

Oakland, CA 94609

(510) 420-1433

www.veganplaza.com

Soul Food

Souley Vegan

301 Broadway

Oakland, CA 94607

(510) 922-1615

www.souleyvegan.com 

Tapas

Encuentro Cafe & Wine Bar

202 2nd Street

Oakland, CA 94607

(510) 832-9463

www.encuentrooakland.com

Thai

Siam Bay Authentic Thai Cuisine

1009 Clay Street

Oakland, CA 94607

(510) 452-1449

Vietnamese  

Golden Lotus Restaurant

1301 Franklin Street

Oakland, CA 94612

(510) 893-0383

www.goldenlotusvege.com 

Check out other local stores. Every time you shop in Oakland you are supporting local business and local sales tax revenue.

Visit the Oakland Grown website for referrals to independent and locally owned retail stores.