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| March Events | | |
Every Friday: Off the Grid: Lake Merritt at OMCA - Oakland Museum of California, 1000 Oak St, 5:00 - 9:00 pm
The Bay Area's most talked-about food truck party comes to Oakland. Enjoy a family-friendly take on a festive night market on 10th Street with curbside cuisine. For more information, please visit www.museumca.org or call 510.318.8400.
Fill out the Plant Information Form by clicking here or email theplantexchange@yahoo.com.
Saturday, March 30: The Great Egg Hunt, Dunsmuir Hellman Historic Estate, 2960 Peralta Oaks Court, 12:00 Noon to 3:00 pm
Saturday, March 30: The 26th Annual Lakeshore Easter Parade & Derby Decorating Contest - 5th Annual Lakeshore Baptist Church Spring Children's Festival, 3534 Lakeshore, starting at 10:00 am
Sunday, March 31st:
Springland Festival
, Franklin Recreation Center - 1010 E. 15th Street, 1:00 pm - 4:00 pm
Go to the free annual Springland Festival for families with children with fun activities for kids including potato sack races, tug-of-war, parachute games, hula-hooping, carnival style games, a jumper, face painting, arts & crafts, dancing and egg hunts with candy, toys and prizes. Check schedule below for egg hunts for different age groups or contact Rebecca Chhom, Program Director at 510.238.7141. 
Sunday, March 31: Deadline for Submitting Nominations for the 7th Annual Oakland Indie Awards Time to nominate your favorite Oakland businesses and artists for an Oakland Indie Award. Nominate before March 31st here! Award categories include: Oakland Soul, Ripple Effect, Innovative, Newcomer, Social Changemaker, Pillar, and Job Creator. And, SAVE THE DATE, Thursday, May 30th for the 7th Annual Oakland Indie Awards at the beautiful Kaiser rooftop garden. Party with 1600 other like-minded people, discover new things happening in our town, and celebrate the businesses and artisans that make Oakland unique! Apply to be a vendor in the Indie Marketplace - 50 spots available. Wednesday, April 3: Design Review Committee (of the Planning Commission) - Oakland City Hall in Hearing Room 1, 4:00 pm (this precedes a regular Planning Commission meeting) This meeting will be focused on reviewing draft design guidelines for the Lake Merritt Station Area. Friday, April 5: Kick-off: Uptown Art Park: Temporary Outdoor Gallery - Telegraph Ave at 19th St - 6:30 pm A festive ribbon-cutting ceremony hosted by Mayor Quan with remarks by Councilmember Gibson-McElhaney and Councilmember Schaaf will include tours of the outdoor display of large-scale sculptural art works and live music by the nearby Oakland School for the Arts jazz band. The new Art Park adds to Oakland's distinction as one of America's Top Art Places. The Art Park is transforming the former Sears parking lot, which became a vacant lot across from the Fox Theater. A $200,000 grant from the National Endowment for the Arts, Oakland's first NEA grant in over 25 years, is key to making the Uptown Art Park possible. The Uptown Art Park is currently funded as a three-year pilot project that emanated from a convergence of community advocacy for use of the site as cultural space and the City's ongoing downtown redevelopment efforts. The theme of the opening exhibition is "Repurposed," with "The Bike Bridge" - a 20 x 20 foot sculpture made of recycled bike parts and other reclaimed materials - serving as a centerpiece. Sponsored by Black Rock Arts Foundation and developed with the Uptown ArtPark site in mind, "The Bike Bridge" is the result of a unique collaboration between Oakland youth and Berkeley artist Michael Christian. Twelve young women from various high schools in East and West Oakland first learned the skills needed to construct a large-scale sculpture by taking classes in welding and bicycle creation at The Crucible in West Oakland. Christian worked with The Crucible's instructors and youth participants to design and complete the sculpture. The remaining eight pieces that comprise the opening exhibition are: Oakland artist Randy Colosky's "Barbican," 2011, made of engineered ceramic honeycomb and adhesive, and "The Pressure to Hold Together That Which Held Things Back Part 2," 2011/13, made from salvaged retaining wall timbers, hardware and adhesive, and redesigned specially for this exhibit; Oakland artist Karen Cusolito's "Dandelion" and "Trumpet Flowers," both made in 2011 from recycled steel; Bruce Johnson's redwood-and-copper "Offering" and "Uprising," both 2009; and Berkeley artist Eric Powell's steel-and-patina "Skiff," 2010 and "Vinaya," 2013, a new steel sculpture created for this exhibit. To compete for the remaining Uptown Art Park display opportunities, thirty-five artists responded to a call for sculptures issued by the City in fall 2012. The five selected artists will receive $1,500 per piece exhibited. The sculptures are accessible to the public, with three pieces lining the Telegraph side of the one-acre site and the remaining six dotting the perimeter on 19th Street. Each piece will be rotated after 12 months. If you ride your bike, free bike lights will be offered to participants courtesy of the City of Oakland (limited supply - arrive by 5:30 pm). Bike valet parking will be provided by Richmond Spokes. -- based on media release from the City's Cultural Arts & Marketing Department  Thursday to Monday, April 4 to April 8: The USA Hockey's Women's National Championships, Oakland Ice Center - 519 18th Street, The championship games will feature the top female hockey players from around the United States! For more information, visit www.oaklandice.com or purchase tickets here. The Environmental Services Division is excited to announce two up and coming events! Wednesday, April 10: Earth Expo, Frank Ogawa Plaza, 10:00 am to 2:00 pm. Renew your commitment to a cleaner, greener, healthier Oakland for all! Tips, giveaways, and "How to" demonstrations from:
Green Businesses * Environmental and Social Change Organizations * Artists * Community Groups * Local Food Purveyors
Food * Fun * FREE
Fun activities and vendors will provide presentations, giveaways and ideas for living sustainably. For more information, e-mail: earthexpo@oaklandnet.com. For the website, visit http://www2.oaklandnet.com/Government/o/PWA/s/SO/OAK025879. Saturday, April 20: 2013 Earth Day! at over 100 sites in Oakland, 9:00 am to Noon. Visit the link to Earth Day: http://www2.oaklandnet.com/Government/o/PWA/o/FE/s/ID/OAK026214. At this site, site coordinators can register. 
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| Message from the Councilmember |
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Public Safety Updates
I have some good news to report for a change! A Police Academy class of 38 new police officers will graduate this Friday, March 15. They will then be in field training for 16 weeks, but will be out on the streets with their field training officers during that time. The next Academy is starting this month.
The other good news is that OPD, along with our State and federal partners, arrested 18 people last Friday who are part of two violent gangs that have been wreaking havoc on our streets for months. They also arrested at least 12 other people from these two gangs in the preceding weeks. As a result, we are already seeing a reduction in street robberies in the District 2 neighborhoods east of the Lake.
These arrests and upcoming prosecutions are the "enforcement" part of the Ceasefire project that Oakland initiated some months ago. The basic concept of Ceasefire is that violent criminals are called in and presented with a choice: either stop shooting or get arrested and prosecuted. It is a carrot and stick approach. If they want to turn their lives around, they can get help. If they don't, the full force of law enforcement comes down on them. The idea is that when law enforcement follows through on the warning, as OPD and the DA did last week, it sends a message to other criminals that there will be consequences to futher violence. This Ceasefire model has successfully reduced shootings in several other big cities in the last decade.
Other public safety news: The community meetings held by the Wasserman team of consultants to OPD are on-going. Dates and locations are listed in the article below and on the City website, www.oaklandnet.com.
If you prefer not to attend the meetings, your voice can still be heard. Please visit www.engageoakland.com or email fightcrime@oaklandnet.com to submit your suggestions, ideas or concerns on how to improve public safety in Oakland .
Special Council Budget Meetings coming up: April 2 and April 30, at 5:30 pm
The City budget will have big implications for public safety. Most people recognize that the Oakland Police Department is seriously understaffed and needs to hire many more officers. The question is how to pay for them. We will meet that issue head-on as we debate the features of the two-year City budget, which we have to pass by the end of June.
For a preview of the issues and dollars, tune in to the Special City Council meeting on April 2, where the Council will review the Five Year Financial Forecast. In particular, we will compare the projected budgets with and without new police academies. (Cable Channel 10 at 5:30 pm or streaming video from the City website.)
On April 30, the Mayor and City Administrator will present their proposed budget to the Council and public. The budget document itself will be available on-line by Friday afternoon, April 19. There will be community meetings in May where you can learn more and ask questions of City staff and Councilmembers.
Be safe and enjoy the many outdoor events this Spring -- See our listings above.
Pat Kernighan
pkernighan@oaklandnet.com
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| Proposed Snow Park Dog Play Area |
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Wednesday, April 10: Community Meeting Regarding Design of Proposed Snow Park Dog Play Area - Lakeside Park Garden Center - time to be determined
The City is developing a conceptual plan for a dog play area in Snow Park. When completed, the conceptual plan will be presented to the Parks & Recreation Advisory Commission (PRAC) at one of its regular monthly meetings, which will take place after this community meeting. PRAC will review the conceptual plan in reaching a recommendation to the City's Planning Department regarding the design of the dog play area and associated minor Conditional Use Permit application.
At the community meeting City staff will solicit comments regarding design features of a dog play area. This community meeting is not about whether a dog play area should be permitted at Snow Park. At a subsequent meeting PRAC will hold a public hearing on whether or not to recommend a dog play area at Snow Park.
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| Public Hearing on Draft Design Guidelines for Commercial Areas and Corridors |
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Wednesday, March 27: Public Hearing on Draft Design Guidelines for Commercial Areas and Corridors - Design Review Committee, City Hall, Hearing Room 1, 5:00 pm
In 2011, the City adopted a comprehensive set of new zoning designations for most of the City. These regulations implement the policies in the City's Land Use and Transportation Element of the General Plan that direct development to the City's transportation corridors in order to encourage transit use and revitalize retail activity.
In conjunction with a Technical Advisory Group consisting of local design experts, City staff has developed a draft version of "Guidelines for Commercial Areas and Corridors." The proposed guidelines expand on the new Zoning Regulations by providing design direction that descriptively and graphically expresses the City's expectations for new development on the commercial corridors.
The purpose of the public hearing is to receive input from the DRC and the public, in anticipation of a future Planning Commission meeting. The guidelines will require approval from the full Planning Commission.
For your review, go here for the draft design guidelines. The following is the link to the design guidelines, in PDF format: "February 2013 Public Review Draft".
Staff welcomes your comments and attendance at the Design Review Committee meeting and at future meetings. If you have any questions or input, please contact Neil Gray at 510.238.3878 or ngray@oaklandnet.com.
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Town Hall Meetings: "Short Term Strategies, Long Term Solutions to Oakland's Public Safety Problems"
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The City of Oakland is hosting a series of town hall meetings seeking input from neighborhoods on public safety priorities. This input will be incorporated into two action plans currently being developed by Strategic Policy Partnership for the Oakland Police Department: 1) a short-term strategy to have an immediate, high impact on crime trends and 2) a long-term, citywide strategy to sustain reduced levels of crime.
These town hall meetings will be structured to foster active, engaging dialogue between the new consulting team, the Oakland community and City leaders. Meetings will be attended by Mayor Jean Quan, City Administrator Deanna J. Santana, City Councilmembers, Police Chief Howard Jordan and members of the OPD Command Staff.
See below for the meetings schedules:
All meetings are open to all members of the community. You can locate your police district, beat and Council district at http://www.oaklandpolice.com/cdpdbeats/.
To request interpretation services in other languages, please contact Silvia San Miguel, at least five days prior to the meeting date, at 510.238.6448 or ssanmiguel@oaklandnet.com.
For PDF flyers of the town hall meetings, visit www2.oaklandnet.com/OAK039852 or contact Joe DeVries, Neighborhood Services Supervisor, at 510.238.3083.
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The City Opens New Oakland Housing Assistance Center
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On Wednesday, February 20, the City of Oakland's Housing and Development Department launched their New Oakland Housing Assistance Center. Its goal is to streamline City housing services and improve access to housing-related information and services for Oakland residents and businesses. Below is the summary of all the services they offer:
New housing assistance resources:
- Trained housing intake specialist to provide referral to City, nonprofit, private, and other public resources
- Volunteer community housing advocates to help Center customers navigate access to housing services.
Streamlined access to City housing services including:
- Foreclosure prevention and mitigation assistance for homeowners, including housing counseling and legal services
- The City's new Restoring Ownership Opportunities Together (ROOT) Program to keep families facing foreclosure in their homes
- Low- or no-interest loans and grants for residential rehabilitation, home repair and energy retrofits for eligible residents
- Information about first-time homebuyers' assistance and workshops
- Tenant petitions and landlord/tenant mediation for rent increases and related rent adjustment services.
Community and customer facilities:
- Large conference room for workshops, trainings and meetings
- Private rooms for client intake and consultations
- Reception and waiting area staffed by housing intake specialist
- Resource wall with brochures, forms, and applications for housing services.
Guided referrals include:
- Affordable housing
- County programs for healthy housing services
- Weatherization, energy efficiency services, and energy bill assistance
- Other housing rehabilitation resources
- Emergency and transitional housing
- Legal services and advocacy for tenants; landlord support resources
- Homelessness prevention services.
For more information, contact the Department of Housing and Community Development - 250 Frank Ogawa Plaza, 6th Floor, Oakland, CA 94612
or call 510.238.6182 or email housingassistance@oaklandnet.com
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| Highland Hospital Acute Tower Replacement Project March Update |
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See the progress of the soon-to-be-opened, Highland Care Pavilion!
Visit here for the Neighborhood Update of the Highland Hospital Acute Tower Replacement Project.
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| District 2 Appointments to City Boards and Commissions | | |
I am looking for District 2 residents to appoint to the following boards and commissions. If you are interested in being considered, please contact Jennie Gerard (jgerard@oaklandnet.com or 510.238.7023).
Youth Representative for Oakland Fund for Children and Youth Planning and Oversight Committee
My thanks to Jimmy Matthews who was the District 2 Youth Representative until he turned 21 - the representative must be between the ages of 14 and 20. The POC provides oversight to the "Kids' First!" Oakland Childrens' Fund. The POC representatives (adult and youth) actively participate in making policy and evaluating the program applications in the competitive process for this $9 million annual funding. Being a commissioner a serious responsibility and entails a significant time commitment. The POC meets the first or third Wednesday evening of every month and has sub-committee meetings as well. Go here for details about the POC.
Measure Z Cannabis Regulatory Commission
My thanks go to Joe Villatoro and then Charlie Minz who have represented District 2 on the Cannabis Commission. I note that the current Commission is made up almost exclusively of cannabis advocates. I think it would be beneficial to have a range of viewpoints on the Commission. My preference is to appoint a commissioner who provides more of a "neutral" perspective on the public safety policy and implementation issues associated with making cannabis available. The Commission meets the third Thursday evening of the month in City Hall.
The CAP representative must be a resident of the Community Development Block Grant area of District 2, which includes Chinatown and most of the area east of Park Blvd. The representatives must be at least 18 years old and low-income where feasible.
Alameda County - Oakland Community Action Partnership Administering Board (CAP)
The AC-OCAP Board members are responsible for planning, developing, and executing the Community Action Partnership plan for alleviating poverty and working toward institutional change to enhance the ability of low-income residents to achieve self-sufficiency throughout Alameda County. AC-OCAP's priority areas are: family self-sufficiency, community economic development, job training/education/employment, supportive services, advocacy, capacity building and various anti-poverty initiatives.
The CAP meets the second Monday evening of each month. For more information about the CAP, go here. For additional information, call Alameda County - Oakland's Community Action Partnership at 510.238.2362 or visit us on the web @ www.oaklandcap.org.
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| Lake Merritt Channel Re-Opening a Milestone for Measure DD | | |
(Photo by Ken Katz)
First 750-Foot Section of Lake Merritt Channel Re-Opens after 140 Years - a Milestone for Measure DD
A major milestone in the effort to reconnect Lake Merritt to the Bay was marked with the recent re-opening of a 750-foot section of the Lake Merritt Channel. Making this possible was the removal of the 12th Street dam, culverts and twelve-lane roadway, a premier Measure DD project. Since 1869, Lake Merritt has been separated from the channel by man-made structures that altered what was once an open waterway to the San Francisco Bay.
This phase of the Measure DD project included removal of the Frickstad Viaduct also known as the 12th St dam, culverts, unsightly pedestrian tunnels and twelve-lane "mini-freeway"; and construction of a new 100-foot-wide, free-flowing tidal channel bridged by a six-lane, tree-lined boulevard. The $47 million project also includes improvements for water quality and wildlife habitat, creation of a new tidal marsh and construction of a new recreational trail that may eventually connect to the San Francisco Bay Trail. This is the first in a series of major projects to open the Lake Merritt Channel and make significant progress toward connecting Lake Merritt to the Oakland Estuary and San Francisco Bay.
In 1869, Samuel Merritt built a narrow dam across the channel, with gates to hold in the high tides, forming Lake Merritt. As time passed, the dam was widened, the surrounding marshlands were filled in, and the channel was squeezed into small underground pipes or culverts.
The Measure DD restoration work is the culmination of years of effort to reverse the negative impacts of this urban encroachment upon the natural channel.
Water Quality Enhancements Improve Wildlife Habitat
One of Measure DD's major goals is to improve the water quality in Lake Merritt, with an emphasis on increasing dissolved oxygen levels. The Lake Merritt Channel 12th Street project helps meet these goals by removing restrictive culverts and opening the channel to greater flows. The increased tidal exchange to and from the Bay will mix and oxygenate the water, and provide more tidal flushing. Tidal flushing improves the water habitat for fish and birds.
Opening the first 750 feet of the channel has already increased tidal flow by 50 percent, increasing the dissolved oxygen in Lake Merritt to the benefit of the rich aquatic life in the lake. In addition, the entire project includes vegetated bioswales and basins that improve water quality by allowing water to naturally infiltrate thereby filtering storm water before it reaches the lake and Bay.
The creation of the 2/3's of an acre tidal marsh restores an important type of mud flat habitat for migratory shorebirds, mollusks and fish. Much of this type of vital habitat has been lost around the San Francisco Bay as development spurred the filling in of wetlands.
Improved Public Access on Water and on Land
The opening of this 750-foot-section of the Lake Merritt Channel is the first step in what eventually may allow unimpeded paddling of shallow vessels from Lake Merritt to the Oakland Estuary and San Francisco Bay. In the future, kayakers and canoeists will be able to glide down the channel as the Ohlone Indians once did. The open channel will also allow Lake Merritt to become a stop on the Bay Water Trail.
Complementing the popular walking, jogging and biking course around Lake Merritt, the pathways under the bridge and the new pedestrian bridge across the channel will allow walkers, joggers and bicyclists to follow the channel downstream, with an eventual connection to the San Francisco Bay Trail.
Roadway changes
The demolished twelve-lane "mini-freeway" was built in 1950 and had become structurally deficient and obsolete after I-880 and I-580 were built. Unlike the old structure, the replacement roadway - a six-lane, tree-lined boulevard and free-span bridge - is friendly to park users, pedestrians, bicyclists and wildlife.
Nearby project elements
Other nearby project elements include the new 12th Street park, landscaping, an event plaza and restrooms, which will be finished this Spring. This phase will also close the gap in the existing Necklace of Lights by adding 11 new lampposts. The public art element will be a series of light-based sculptures created by Oakland-based artists Todd Blair and John Colle Rogers mounted along the pedestrian pathway walls flanking the channel under the 12th Street bridge.
Next Phases for the Lake Merritt Channel Restoration
Coming next are the Lake Merritt Channel Improvements at 10th Street. Construction on the improvements is scheduled to start this summer. This phase will replace the 10th Street roadway with a clear-span bridge, continuing the open channel further toward the Bay. The work will further improve the tidal flow into Lake Merritt by an additional 50 percent.
Project Funding
Funds for the 12th Street Phase were provided by the Oakland Trust for Clean Water and Safe Parks (Measure DD), the Federal Highway Administration, the California Coastal Conservancy and the California Wildlife Conservation Board. In November 2002, Oakland voters approved Measure DD - the Oakland Trust for Clean Water and Safe Parks - a $198 million bond measure to fund parks, trails, bridges, a recreation center, historic building renovations, land acquisition and creek restoration.
Other Measure DD Projects Underway at Lake Merritt
Four other Measure DD projects at Lake Merritt are currently in the design phase and slated to begin construction in 2013:
The Lakeside Green Streets project will reconfigure the intersection of 20th and Harrison streets to provide more parkland along the lake and at Snow Park, and will renovate the shoreline pathway and landscaping from 19th Street to Grand Avenue.
The Sailboat House Shoreline project will replace a failing seawall at the Sailboat House, move a parking lot away from the shoreline, treat street storm water runoff through vegetated bioswales, add an attractive shoreline pathway and restore a section of shoreline to a natural soft edge with native upland and marsh plants.
The Bellevue Avenue project will improve parking, provide a safer pedestrian crossing at the Lakeside Park entry, and enhance the entrance to the Gardens at Lake Merritt.
As previously mentioned, the Lake Merritt Channel Improvements at 10th Street will replace restrictive culverts with a clear-span bridge, matching the improvements already completed at 12th Street.
For more details and updates on Measure DD progress, visit www.oaklandnet.com/measuredd.
- Based on City Media Release
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Alameda County's Community Development Agency Administers the City of Oakland's Minor Home Repair Program |
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The City of Oakland's Minor Home Repair Program allows for free repairs for health and safety, plumbing, electrical, security-related, carpentry and accessibility needs.Applicants must meeteligibility requirements: be at least 62 years old - unless disabled; meet income limits (for instance: a one-person household can make up to $45,750, two-person $52,300, and so on).This particular program is limited to owner-occupied dwellings. An eligible homeowner can participate in this program once every two years.
For you want further info you can go here: http://www.co.alameda.ca.us/cda/nps/fixup.htm or here: http://www2.oaklandnet.com/Government/o/hcd/s/HousingRepairRehabPrograms/DOWD008719.
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| Job on! The Oakland Public Library Offers Free Series of Job Searching Classes | | |
News from: Oakland Public Library
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 21, 2013
Job On! The Oakland Public Library Offers Free Series of Four Job Searching Classes
Oakland, CA -The Oakland Public Library is offering a series of free classes to help people involved in a job search. Job On! Secrets to Job Search Success is a four-part program to provide instruction to job seekers as they enter the complicated and sometimes confusing job market. Four courses, starting March 5 and continuing until early April, will be offered at the Main Library and the Dimond Branch Library.
Class # 1, PREPARING TO GET THE JOB YOU WANT, will provide an overview of the cycle of job searching, covering issues such as establishing job goals, taming the emotions and roadblocks of job searching, examining what employers look for, planning and organizing your search, and self-assessment.
Classes # 2 and 3, get into THE NITTY GRITTY OF JOB SEARCHING. These two courses cover topics such as networking, honing your One-Minute Self-Introduction, getting the most out of informational interviews, searching job ads, writing resumes and cover letters, and using sing social media.
Class # 4, HOW TO ROCK YOUR INTERVIEW, is all about preparing for an interview. The course delves into topics such as answering and asking questions, handling illegal questions, what to wear, projecting confidence, and follow up.
The class schedule for each location is as follows:
Main Library, 125 14th Street. Call 510.238.3134 to sign up.
Class #1 Tuesday, March 5, 10 am - 12:30 pm
Class #2 Tuesday, March 19, 10 am - 12:30 pm
Class #3 Tuesday, March 26, 10 am - 12:30 pm
Class #4 Tuesday, April 2, 10 am - 12:30 pm
Dimond Branch Library, 3565 Fruitvale Avenue. Call 510.482.7844 to sign up.
Class #1 Tuesday, March 5, 5:30 - 8 pm
Class #2 Tuesday, March 19, 5:30 - 8 pm
Class #3 Tuesday, March 26, 5:30 - 8 pm
Class #4 Friday, March 29, 1 - 3:30 pm
Instructor Nancy Rhoda is a teacher, small business owner, and librarian. She brings experience from over 35 years working in careers she loves.
For more information, please visit www.oaklandpubliclibrary.org or call 510.238.3513.
- Based on Oakland Public Library Media Release
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Cleveland Neighborhood Public Safety Meeting
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I want to give a shout out to the Cleveland Heights neighborhood who organized a very successful community public safety meeting on March 2 at Cleveland Elementary School. They started with a lunch potluck at noon to socialize and then got into a tightly organized meeting at 12:30. The focus of the meeting was to rebuild and reinforce the "Neighborhood Watch" plan. Its goal is to strengthen true Community Policing in the neighborhood by building strong neighborhood groups and networks that can actively collaborate with OPD in response to crime or threats of crime. More than 100 people showed up. The neighbors invited the OPD Problem-solving officers, Neighborhood Service Coordinator Hoang Banh and me, the Councilmember, to make short presentations, but they ran their own agenda, sharing success stories from their neighborhood watch (watchful eyes, quick reporting and burglars nabbed), and doing further organizing with folks who were new to this. Kudos to the five folks who worked to hard to organize this great event!
(Photo by Steve Ma)
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Assistant City Administrator Participates in Hour-Long Radio Panel on Unfunded Liabilities
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On Monday, February 11, Assistant City Administrator Scott P. Johnson participated on an hour-long panel for City Visions which aired on KALW 91.7 FM. Joining Mr. Johnson to discuss how Oakland is managing its Unfunded Financial Liabilities were Daniel Borenstein, columnist and editorial writer for the Bay Area News Group, and Jim Blachman, co-founder of Make Oakland Better Now (MOBN). The discussion centered on Oakland's fiscal health and pension costs. Questions included "As Oakland is being challenged to find ways to honor its pension and retirement obligations while providing essential city services, how realistic is the city's Five-Year Financial Plan?" and "What lessons can be learned from Oakland's approach to its unfunded liabilities?" To listen to the show, please visit www.kalw.org/programs/city-visions.
To download the podcast, visit www.npr.org/rss/podcast/podcast_detail.php?siteId=14946265.
For more information, please contact Scott P. Johnson, Assistant City Administrator, at sjohnson@oaklandnet.com or 510.238.6906.
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