Just The News

Piedmonters Unsettled On Blair Park

Piedmont political leaders seem a little unsettled about Blair Park development, in Moraga Canyon.  Since we all live nearby, Piedmonters and Oaklanders should hear about the upcoming city reviews.  We thought that sports field plans were effectively iced – but apparently that’s not correct.

The Piedmont City Council has placed Blair Park on their September 8th agenda, as part of the “EIR For Moraga Canyon Sports Fields.” There will be an environmental impact review of synthetic turf and lighting plans for Blair Park and Coaches Playfield.

Blair Park's Turkey Family

Piedmont and Oakland residents united to push back development earlier this year, when Piedmont’s school district considered placing portable classrooms at Blair Park.  At that time, talk turned to installing retaining walls, permanent playing fields, parking lots and an overhead walkway across Moraga Avenue.

Last March, Today in Montclair ran a survey to gauge opinions about playing fields and alternatives.  We asked whether Blair was the answer and more than 60 percent of survey-takers were against building soccer fields there.

We also asked about alternatives to solving the field shortage in the hills.  Over 70 percent of respondents said that local school and college fields could be used more often – and that city-owned fields could improve their schedules, too.

As the summer wraps up, it seems like what was settled is still unsettled.  Some sort of slow-moving force is pushing the Blair Park fields development by the Piedmont City Council.  Even without a clear funding path, there’s an important assessment scheduled right after Labor Day.

We don’t have details for this latest Blair Park review, because “the staff report for this matter will be available on the city web site by Thursday, September 3, 2009.”  You should be able to click here for more details.

In the meantime, we know that showing up is part of the battle.  Like before, we expect concerned hills residents to attend the Piedmont meeting – on Tuesday, September 8th at 7:30pm, in city chambers (map).  The future of Blair Park is still at stake.

First Time At Oakland Policeman’s Funeral

Today was the first time we witnessed, first-hand, the funeral respect paid to an Oakland police officer.  It’s very heartwarming to watch how the police force honors their officers.  Especially on little Thornhill Drive, we saw a massive show of group unity – an emotional and lovely sight.

We were able to snap photos as the procession unfolded for Officer Murray Hoyle, who had been part of the Oakland Police Department for 28 years.  Hoyle patrolled our Montclair district for decades, so it was appropriate that Montclair Presbyterian Church hosted his funeral.

Police Arriving

The Oakland officers came by car, foot and many gleaming motorcycles.  In the beginning of the procession, officers specifically drove to the church in formation.  Afterwards, all the motorcycles were lined up in tribute and we lost count of them.

Police At Attention

The officers lined the street and all faced south this morning.  They were directed from an officer standing on the street, and gave a long salute.  In this photo, taken shortly thereafter, you see them waiting at attention for Officer Hoyle’s casket to be carried into the church.

Police Presence

There were so many officers today!  We’re guessing that 100-200 officers were present, but aren’t quite sure.  More importantly, there was a real karmic energy at this point.  The officers were waiting to go inside, following right behind the family and friends.

Service Underway

With the service underway, the street became instantly silent.  Everyone had moved into Montclair Presbyterian by then, and we heard that the large sanctuary was filled to capacity.  Overflowing officers were able to enter the grounds, though.

It’s hard to understand the lives of Oakland Police officers and the basic stresses that lay-people don’t deal with everyday.  Officer Hoyle committed suicide last Saturday, with a single bullet.  He was respectful of his fellow officers, and even called and alerted Contra Costa 911 dispatchers beforehand.

It’s also hard to fathom any loss or death, yet the amazing support and tacit understanding from the Oakland Police was fantastic to witness.  Cops’ lives are special ones, and their common bonds were beautifully displayed during this morning’s ceremony.

Our Take On Incoming Chief Batts

After many moons have come and gone, Oakland has finally attracted what appears to be a street-smart, book-smart police chief.  Incoming Chief Anthony Batts held the top job in Long Beach, and the comparisons with Oakland are undeniable.  For a motivated professional like Batts, why not move north and take on a new challenge?

We didn’t know what to think about Anthony Batts, and decided to view CBS5’s raw footage of the recent press confab.  It helped to watch Batts give his prepared spiel and answer some questions off the cuff.  You do get a sense of his warmth and seriousness, all in one package.  And we believe this guy is a die-hard Raiders fan – his donning of the team cap is no act.

New Oakland Police Chief
Batts Comes From The Inner City

Chief Batts spent his formative years in Central LA.  He saw what happened on the streets first-hand, and wondered if anyone cared about African-American kids like himself.  To earn money for college and grad school, Batts joined the Long Beach police force – and stayed there for the past 27 years.

“I like to touch and feel,” explained Batts, who gets out of his Long Beach ivory tower by walking the streets and driving shotgun with beat officers too.  He actually spent time wandering around Oakland incognito before taking the top cop position here, and asked folks near Lake Merritt how they felt about our police and prospects.

Mostly, Batts seems to take a page out of the playbook used by successful business executives.  When the incoming chief talked about his approach, he said “the most important thing that I have done is put together a team and gotten out of the way.”

What Batts Plans To Do

Batts quickly ticked off his priorities for Oakland, which related to budgeting, crime rates, disconnects between police and other city workers, tactical capabilities and public trust.  He challenged Oaklanders from the get-go:  “If this community doesn’t want to make a difference [and is] more interested in fighting, dividing,” then he said there’s nothing much a chief could do.

He’s already familiar with the panoply of inner-city challenges here and mentioned dealing with gangs, prostitution, drugs and plain old violence.  It sounds like Batts won’t create excuses for so-called intractable problems.

Even with a cash-strapped department,  Betts doesn’t want Oaklanders to accept the bare minimum of police support.  He firmly stated that cops must do more than appear when called.  Not surprisingly, the new chief wants to rely on residents to communicate actively with cops, and prevent crimes that way.

Batts Believes In Community Power

Batts said he believes in community-oriented safety as well as governance.  In Long Beach, he worked with 17 community groups directly, and focused on addressing the needs of African American, Latino, gay, affluent and impoverished residents.  Something’s going right in Long Beach, as crime rates have dropped and are definitely lower than up here.

So we hope this newcomer, filled with intensity and clear-sighted direction, might be able to steer the Oakland ship differently – with a little help from his neighborhood friends.  Speaking of which, we wonder if Batts will move to Montclair or live nearby.

Update: If you are in the public eye, then it helps to be squeaky clean these days.  The Long Beach Beachcomer has written about domestic violence reports from 2002, which were related to Batts and his now-former wife, U.S. Congresswoman Laura Richardson.  Not pretty, but it’s out in the open.

Montclarions Care About Meter Hours

While Oakland parking meter changes have been in the news lately, we didn’t have a complete read on how Montclarions felt and decided to launch a parking preference survey.  Now we can report that locals seem particularly bothered by extended meter kiosk hours and are less concerned about the rate increases per se.

Most survey takers visit Montclair frequently and will continue to run errands around the village.  Some respondents said they may increase their trips to neighboring cities, due to the hassles of extended hours and kiosks.  Over time, it will be interesting to see how this plays out.

Parking Meter-Machines

Meter Hours Really Matter

We learned that extending the meter kiosks to 8pm was the biggest irritant, with 59 percent giving the move a resounding thumbs-down and another 6 percent saying it wasn’t okay.  Having a three-hour ticket option, starting at 5pm, has helped to ease the pain – some 24 percent gave it a thumbs-up and 41 percent said it was okay with them.

Of course, Montclarions do have unlimited daytime hours at the local parking garage.  While parking up on La Salle solves the meter hour problem, over 31 percent report they never even use this garage.  Based on the results, we believe that respondents like to drive right up to their store or restaurant of choice.

Fewer Montclarions were ticked off about the $2 per hour rates imposed by the City Council, with only 29 percent who gave it thumbs-down and 18 percent who said it wasn’t okay.  If the garage charged $2 per hour, then just 18 percent were thumbs-down and 18 percent were not okay with this rate.

Montclarions Speak Out

Montclarions have reacted strongly to the combination of later meter hours and fees.  “If I am dining out, I would much prefer to dine in Berkeley or Emeryville to save an extra $6 or a pricey parking ticket,” explained one survey taker.

Another Montclarion declared that parking changes impact “the laissez-faire feeling of the Village after 6pm – to park free, time to walk, get coffee, a drink, get dinner, schmooze with friends.  Doesn’t quality of life mean anything anymore?”

A different respondent echoed that sentiment:  “The extended hours on the meters…l don’t like it.  [It’s] revenue to the city, but a big drawback for our local restaurants.  Would I eat at Crogan’s and shop in the village or make the long haul elsewhere?”

One parent expressed frustration with the parking system itself, because “kiosks are hard for people with small children and babies to navigate.  I would rather pay more and avoid the kiosks.”

Others are more circumspect about the parking situation.  “I gripe about parking as much as the next person,” admitted one survey taker.  “Actually, in my experience, parking in Oakland is not so bad; it’s definitely better than parking in Berkeley.”

“Parking fees have very little effect on where I shop,” stated another local.  “I go for convenience, and nice places.  Parking is a small fraction of the costs/decisions I make, though I do look for free spots when available.”

Where Montclarions Shop

We also asked Montclarions where they shop, and confirmed that everyone depends on the village.  A whopping 50 percent said they make more than ten visits/month and 8 percent said they make 6-10 visits to the village.  Some 44 percent spend over 10 hours and 17 percent spend 6-10 hours parked monthly in Montclair.

Despite the fears of village proprietors, few Montclarions said they would make wholesale changes in shopping and dining destinations based on these parking changes.  The survey asked about many alternative destinations, how often they shopped there, and whether the parking rates would impact their behaviors:

  • Rockridge – This district is popular with Montclarions, with 100 percent reporting at least one visit monthly and 33 percent making six or more visits.  Given the parking rate increase, 39 percent said they would go there more often for free parking spots.
  • Other Oakland – Some 88 percent reported at least one visit monthly to Glenview, 61 percent to downtown, and 92 percent to the rest of Oakland.  Under 25 percent reported six-plus times monthly visits, and there were no plans to shift shopping to these other Oakland districts.
  • Emeryville and Berkeley – Montclarions already drive to Emeryville (83 percent) and Berkeley (96 percent) at least once monthly.  Now 33 percent said they would visit Emeryville more often and park free, while 22 percent said the same about Berkeley.  Under 20 percent would consider visiting more, even if they paid there.
  • Orinda and Lafayette – Some 35 percent of Montclarions visit at least once monthly.  Survey takers said they would drive to Orinda (22 percent) or Lafayette (18 percent) more often and park free.  They also would consider going more often, even if they fed meters.

At the end of the day, Montclarions are trying to take things in stride but are clearly disappointed by the later meter hours and restrictions.  We see an attitude shift because locals are willing to drive more frequently to other cities for shopping and dining.  However they (we) remain devoted to Montclair Village, and no one is abandoning ship.

Summertime Means A New School Yard

The kids, parents and teachers are nowhere in sight, but things are hopping this summer at Thornhill School.  Over the past month or so, the paved school yard was completely dug up to reveal the dirt underneath.  We wondered what would happen next.

Thornhill School - Getting Ready

Today a full battalion of earth movers, pavers, pumpers and all kinds of other equipment arrived on site.  As lay-people, we were left gawking at these heavy duty machines but couldn’t make heads or tails of the proceedings.  What the heck is a soil stabilization unit?

Thornhill School - Trucks Ready

Fortunately, I ran into a well-informed construction worker outside the school yard fences who was supervising things a bit.  He seemed pretty enthusiastic, and shared a few details about re-surfacing the whole yard.

They won’t pour regular wet concrete over Mother Earth, which was standard procedure years ago.  Instead, dirt and dry concrete will be mixed together and delivered to the ground.  Then this mix gets transformed into real concrete.

We’re sure things will start shaping up in the next day or two, if you or your kids want to see the work underway.  It’s surprising, but this new school yard should be completed well before everyone returns next month.