Author: montclairoak

Meet Your Cops, Tues evening

Come meet your cops!  They will be on hand this Tuesday evening, from 6:30-8:30pm, at the Montclair Public Library (map).
Nick Vigilante, who leads the safety team for Montclair SIC, announced that our local problem solving officers “will be our special guests at the upcoming MSIC Crime Prevention, Traffic, and Pedestrian Safety Team Meeting.”
Sgt. Bernard Ortiz will be there, who oversees ten beats including Montclair.  Officer Maureen Vergara, who’s responsible for Montclair’s Beat 13Z, will attend as well.  Rounding out the list is Anna Chang-Lai, our neighborhood services coordinator.
It’s nice to have a chance to meet the cops this way, and learn what they really do.  They plan to discuss how two-way communications helps them do their jobs, and are ready to listen to specific beat priorities.  There will also be time for questions.
Some of the officers conducted an open meeting with Montclarions in early July, and their practical advice was welcomed.  With the spate of new break-ins, particularly when residents aren’t home, it’s about time for a refresher on how to prevent or respond to crimes here.
More info: The patchwork of police beats known as “Beat 13”  can get a little confusing. As mentioned, Maureen Vergara is the officer responsible for Beat 13Z, south of Thornhill.  In addition, Officer Mark Contreras covers Beat 13Y, the area north of Thornhill.  Beyond Montclair, Officer Randall Chew handles Beat 13X in Upper Rockridge.

Montclair Art Picks, From The Streets

The 12th Annual Montclair Village Fine Arts and Crafts Sidewalk Festival took place this weekend, and once again the streets were filled with artists and artisans.

Twice annually, Montclair hosts art festivals on several village streets.  The June show features more fine art, while this past weekend’s event includes a mix of arts and crafts.

Although the Festival is history, you don’t have to miss out.  Here are some of my favorites, as well as links to many artist web sites which you can visit at your leisure.

The Artist Hines works with various pastes and paints so his abstract works have nice, rich depth.  On his web site, he shows you how it’s done.  Hines, who hails from Sausalito, is an art booster and serves as president of the Artists Guild of San Francisco.

Sculptor Phillip Glashoff makes whimsical sculptures, using old junk that’s soldered together.  Everything he displayed on our streets made me smile, similar to what’s shown in this gallery.  Many of the Glashoff works were over seven feet tall, and perfect for a large space.

Today I spent time chatting with Neal Geisler, who finds wood pieces and transforms them into sculptures.  You have to visit this online gallery, filled with interesting results.  I really want the piece called “life,” which was also at the show.

While this just looks like an nice wood rocker, what’s special is that Jim Simons handcrafts them from old winery vats.  He brought a full display of fine-looking redwood tables and chairs to the show, that were comfortable to boot.

Well, there are too many festival artists to showcase here! Please link to these other artists, who caught my eye and seemed pretty special as well:

  • Laura Blacona makes clay pieces that are actually affordable, in the form of shakers and light switches.  These Miro-like designs are great, and I bought a few today.
  • Kelly Morgen creates one-of-a-kind medallions inspired by fairy tales and myths.  These are miniature artworks, like the Greek Goddess Daphne.

What’s most heartening about the Montclair festival?  Just hanging out with the artists and listening to them share their creative muses and stories.  It’s a very relaxed way to appreciate who’s out there.

I asked some of the exhibitors about booth traffic, and they reported things were quieter than in the past due to the rainy weather early yesterday.  A few also felt our current economic times impacted their sales.

Of course, more than a few artists were happy the art show season’s wrapping up – and they can get back to their real work.

Gotta Hear The Spinners Live

Gotta hear The Spinners perform live tomorrow!  They are an iconic R&B group, taking the stage this Saturday at 4:45pm, at the Homefront Festival.  Admission to the festival and concert is free.

Whether young or old, you probably know a lot of their 1970s mega-hits.  As a quick reminder, listen to these clips:  I’ll Be Around – One Of A Kind (Love Affair) – Could It Be I’m Falling In Love.

If you’re a boomer, then doesn’t this Spinners photo take you back?  Don Kirshner was a 1970s music promoter like Dick Clark, with his own show.  I think he produced many hits for The Monkeys, too.

Anyway, The Spinners are a long-lived R&B group who struck gold during the funkalicious era right before disco took hold.  Makes me want to go watch a few old blaxploitation movies, which featured plenty of soul music.

Where can you catch The Spinners?  They will be crooning at the Homefront Festival in Richmond, on the Ford Building Craneway Stage.  Here’s a venue map for the festival, along with a google map to plot your course there.

My sage advice is to make the quick trip to Richmond tomorrow.  One of their singers, Pervis Jackson, died in August – so this may be your last chance to hear these smooth guys in person.

Appreciation For Montclair Park

When I drive by Montclair Park, I pretty much take it for granted.  It’s the place where villagers gather for large events, kids play sports or hang out, and various recreational programs are offered.

Sometimes our local park can seem magical.  Last month, a flickr photographer snapped this shot and was able to clarify the colors using HDR (high dynamic range) techniques.  The trees and carriage/horses look like they were painted in this image.

Another artist, Jason Quisenberry, created this nice charcoal sketch of the park: “I would have drawn more, but a girls softball team started to play nearby and I decided to move.  I just didn’t want to be hit in the back of the head with a ball.”  The work seems complete to me, as an almost-abstract landscape.

With these odes to Montclair Park, I’m wondering what will happen to the place.  This year, we were able to bid for improvements to the park.  Additionally, the park has scheduled a full slate of programs, classes and activities for our kids.

However, Oakland is dealing with financial crises and all budgets are at risk.  Like all city-supported services, there’s going to be cutbacks soon.  Is it time to “queue up” the local philanthropists?

Which Community Programs Live?

Civic-minded Oaklanders typically support and vote for community programs that help kids, elderly and everyone in between.  This seems rather natural to do, but now our choices aren’t that cut and dry.

On the November ballot, there’s something called Measure OO, which ensures funding for kids’ after-school programs and more.  This measure effectively “earmarks” $26 million annually in the city budget.

Why Vote For Or Against OO:

Vote For: Advocates say the programs must be secured, since they help kids focus on their schooling and futures.  According to one supporter, “As someone who has worked for Oakland public after-school programs, if Measure OO doesn’t pass, we lose most of our funding.  If it passes, we will get 2.5% of the budget – but if it doesn’t pass, we lose even the 1% that we are getting now.”  (lucille.two27)

Vote Against: Opponents appreciate the programs, yet reject the budgeting tactics.  “The City Council already has extended the original funding for an additional 12 years.  Measure OO proposes to increase the funding beyond the current level, and to do so forever.  What other program is getting its budget doubled in this time of big budget cuts?”  (League of Women’s Voters)

From a financial perspective, the measure would require Oakland to allocate $26 million in perpetuity, before any other programs are budgeted.  It actually increases city funding from 2.5% to 5% of the budget.  Meanwhile, our City Council has to make 15% worth of cuts to the overall budget – so this doesn’t add up.

Hobson’s Choices:

There’s no question that other worthwhile social programs, for kids and adults, would get whittled away.  Here are likely candidates, along with their current budgets:  public libraries ($12.3m); parks & recreation programs ($14.7m); human services for families/elderly ($6.75m); and even the Oakland museum ($6.4m).

We have difficult trade-offs to consider here.  Who’s more worthy?  Kids who attend after-school programs versus others who visit local libraries?  I believe libraries provide a terrific oasis as well, including access to the internet, and friendly faces willing to help.  The same might be said for all the park programs, which appeal to kids too.

In more stable economic times, we would all jump at securing funding for community programs.  However it’s more important to maintain some flexibility and ensure the survival of other city resources, too.  This measure takes away our freedom to choose.

More Insights:  Please click on comments, discussing how Kids First programs are funded (!) without passage of Measure OO.