Month: July 2009

Who Are We?

Actually, this isn’t an existential question.  We’re on a little quest to understand who lives around here.

Today, I discovered the most common types of 94611 people, though a marketing site.  We’re a mix of affluent empty nesters and young achievers who hang out in the urban uptown.

Who Lives in 94611

The “top five” groups living here sound like a conflicting mix of freewheeling and stodgy folks.  It turns out these segments do a pretty good job of defining who we are, along with what we’re most likely to consume.  See where you belong:

  • Bohemian Mix – The Nation’s most liberal lifestyles, with an ethnically diverse, progressive mix of young singles, couples, and families.  This segment features early adopters who are first to check out new movies, nightclubs, brews, etc.  They eat at Au Bon Pain, buy Spanish/Latin music, read The Economist, watch soccer and drive an Audi A4.
  • Money & Brains – They have it all with high incomes, advanced degrees, and sophisticated tastes to match their credentials.  This segment typically includes married couples with few children, who live in fashionable homes.  They shop at Nordstrom, contribute to NPR, read the Sunday newspaper, watch Wall Street Week and drive a Mercedes Benz E class.
  • Movers & Shakers – America’s up-and-coming business class: a wealthy suburban (!)  world of dual-income couples who are highly educated.  This segment is most likely to own a small business and have a home office.  They eat at Bertucci’s, go scuba diving/snorkeling, read Inc., watch Saturday Night Live and drive a Porsche 911.
  • Upper Crust – The wealthiest lifestyle in America, and a haven filled with empty-nesting couples between the ages of 45 and 64.  This segment has the highest concentration of post-grad degrees too.  They shop at Saks Fifth Ave, spend $3,000+ on foreign travel,  read The Washington Post, watch Golf Channel and drive an Astin Martin DB9.
  • Urban Achievers – The first stop for up-and-coming immigrants from Asia, South America, and Europe.  This segment mixes young singles, couples, and families who are college-educated and speak a second language.  They shop at Rite-Aid, download music from web, read Latina, watch BET and drive a Toyota Yaris.

Well, at least we answered that non-existential question.  We’re not all cut from the same cloth, which keeps things lively.  And no one’s struggling much, at least based on stuff they do or own.  However some of these descriptions seem so pat, crass and make me want to scream…a little.

Goats Are Better Than People

Hands down, goats are better than people for weed-wacking duties.

In the East Bay, we rely on goat herds to prevent fires every summer.  They are willing laborers who eat away at weeds and overgrowth, and generally help keep us safe.  Right now, you can see hundreds of them perched across the hillsides near the Oakland Zoo – and they are a sight to behold.

Fire Prevention Goats

In contrast, Los Angelenos employ human beings to eliminate weeds.  Yesterday, some weed-wackers were working near the Getty Museum and sparked a severe brush fire.  Yes, the people attempting to prevent fires actually caused one.

This brush fire began Wednesday before 1pm, and is now 90% contained.  According the LA Times, the fire forced the evacuation of 1,600 Getty visitors and 800 employees, as well as 75 people at Mount St. Mary’s College nearby.  Several 405 Freeway exits were closed, though things may get back to normal fairly soon.

This time, Los Angeles folks were spared because the fire blew away from civilization.  However LA fires are just as prevalent as fires up here, and prevention measures do matter.  Maybe there’s a lesson learned:  Get rid of the people!  Rely on the goats as we do!

Greet Mountain View Cemetery Denizens, This Saturday

You probably drive past Mountain View Cemetery frequently, just running errands around the city.  If you have stopped by the place, then you know this huge cemetery feels like an oasis.  Our Frederick Law Olmsted legacy also features spectacular views that visitors and denizens appreciate together.

Mountain View Cemetery Millionaires

Whether you have been to Mountain View before or not, we think it’s worth taking an official cemetery tour.  Join the Oakland Heritage Alliance’s annual visit this Saturday, from 10:00 am – 12:30 pm.  You will be introduced to old movers and shakers interred here, along with some interesting monuments.  This hilly tour meets up at the Chapel of the Chimes (4499 Piedmont Ave, map), and costs $15/head to benefit the Alliance.

The Genesis of Mountain View

Well, Dr. Samuel Merritt and his buddies didn’t want to be buried downtown in the depressing, Webster Street burial ground anymore.  After Christmas Day 1863, Merritt organized a fateful meeting of city elites along with up-and-comer Rev. Isaac Brayton, who owned some lovely hillside acreage.  Brayton willingly sold this land, used his proceeds to finance the College of California (later Berkeley) and, of course, now rests peacefully at Mountain View.

These Oaklanders wanted a fabulous place for eternity, and asked Frederick Law Olmsted to design his first-ever cemetery.  According to The Monthly, Olmsted “recommended a handful of Mediterranean plant species and one indigenous tree – the evergreen oak – to create a more formal, low-water, low-maintenance landscape.  He was more than a century ahead of his time in thinking about drought-resistant and native plants.”

Who’s Buried At Mountain View

You’ll find former captains of industry, politicians and other famed Westerners.  The ones you probably know best are railroad titan Charles Crocker,  chocolatier Domingo Ghirardelli, architect Julia Morgan and murder victim “Black Dahlia.”  Notable Oaklanders include industrialist “Borax” Smith, poet laureate and Jack London mentor Ina Coolbrith, and even Leland Stanford’s brother Josiah, who produced the first Californian champagne.

We poured through a Mountain View site, and discovered other interesting denizens.  Foodies will appreciate the mother of olive oil, Freda Ehmann, or the father of the Pacific fruit industry, Henderson Luelling.  Educational leaders there include U.S. kindergarten movement founder Emma Marwedel and California’s public education system founder John Swett.

Plus two folks who left a nice legacy are Sarah Plummer, who made the poppy our state flower; and Glenn Burke, the A’s ballplayer credited with inventing the high-five!

Of course, hearing cultural and historical perspectives from the Oakland Heritage Alliance will shed far more light.  We’re fortunate to have some real experts, historians and architectural buffs who care about Mountain View.  If you can’t make this Alliance tour, then no worries – check out the cemetery schedule for other docent-lead, free tours.

More info:    Mountain View Site – Cemetery Events – Tomb with a View – Lives of the Dead:  Mountain View Cemetery People – Oakland Museum’s Online Exhibit – Cemetery Book Preview – Cemetery Book Order – Oakland Heritage Alliance

Depressing Search For Skyline’s Principal

Are you familiar with Skyline High?  That school where principals only last around a year?  It’s kind of depressing to report that no one wants the job at this point.

The Tribune’s Katy Murphy recently confirmed the latest selection, Lauren Klaffky, decided against taking the post.  We’ll never know her exact reasons but that’s water under the bridge.  The Skyline search committee will need to soldier on.

Skyline High

We’re wondering how this leadership gap affects the morale of teachers and students.  If history repeats itself, then Skyline students are going to feel some pain.  When the 2006 school year began without a principal, it wasn’t pretty.  “It’s like nobody knows anything, basically,” said one 16-year-old student.

Two other principals followed since then, including the firing of the last one.  That means the Class of 2010 students, by graduation, will have welcomed four different leaders and learned the meaning of fungible:

    fun-gi-ble: (adjective) – being of such nature or kind as to be freely exchangeable or replaceable, in whole or in part, for another of like nature or kind.

The teachers aren’t saying much, but at least one reacted to the search with equanimity:  “There are some big shifts happening at the school next year and maybe it’s better if teachers have to shoulder the responsibility to make sure they come off.  Certainly, waiting for a savior is not a good strategy for improving such a large, complex institution.”

Skyline has over 2,000 students and is the only public secondary school sitting in the Oakland Hills.  Maybe we could rally and figure this one out.  Kind of embarrassing, huh?

Time’s A Wasting: Oakland Special Election

Have you been paying attention to the Oakland budget and upcoming municipal election?  It’s the chance to vote on four measures which increase the City of Oakland’s coffers in some way.  To be counted, your ballot must be received by July 21st at 8pm.

It seems like everyone and his mother are supporting these measures, including our Council Rep Jean Quan.  However we want you to consider, independently, whether you support these measures which include some taxes.

Begging Hands

Just Four Measures

There are just four measures on this ballot, and the League of Women Voters does a great job with the facts.  Three are about taxes which may or may not impact you.  One is about how general funds are spent.  Here’s a recap:

  • Measure C – Hotel tax increases by 3% – for zoo, museums, visitor bureau, etc. – visitors would pay 14% now, funding some of the local spots they visit and we use – projects $3  million revenues a year – more info
  • Measure D – Set aside 3% of annual fund – reduced grants for kid/youth services – remember that the last measure (OO) passed would set aside more – projects $3 million savings this year, $17 million next year – more info
  • Measure F – Cannabis tax increase – raises tax from $1.20 to $18.00 per $1,000 sales – if you use the dispensaries or own one of them, this tax impacts you – projects $300-800k revenues a year – more info
  • Measure H – Real property tax – applies when corporations change ownership or control – this is a loophole that the city council wants to close – projects $500k-$1 million revenue a year – more info

Vote By Mail Ballot

Remember you can only vote by mail for this special election.  Here’s the ballot book (download PDF) you should have received by mail a while ago, which includes a sample ballot and measure details.  Also an official ballot was sent to you later.

If you don’t recall whether you received a ballot, start by checking the status of your ballot online (click here).  If you are pretty sure that you didn’t receive a ballot book or ballot, double-check your voter registration status online (click here).

Not registered to vote? Act quickly because today is the final day to register.  Since you have only a few more hours, we suggest you stop by the Alameda County Registrar’s office to meet the deadline:  1225 Fallon Street, Room G-1, Oakland – map here.

Registered but no ballot? Well, you do have a bit more time.  We suggest calling the Alameda County Registrar directly, at (510) 267-8683, to obtain an official ballot.  Worst case, you may have to stop by the Registrar’s office as well.

So get things squared away and remember to send your ballot a few days before July 21st – time’s a wasting!