Just The News

Remember That Skyline Is Closed

While it’s nearly ancient history, do you recall the mudslide in early January?  Skyline Boulevard was closed for temporary repairs, and one lane re-opened for traffic by late February.  You’ve needed a little patience since then, when waiting for the red traffic light to change there.

Yesterday, I started driving up Skyline and reached a surprising dead-end!  The mudslide section is now closed for permanent repairs, at least until December.  This closure may have publicized, but the news passed me by – and maybe you, too.

As a public service, here’s the latest scoop from Oakland Public Works.  First, the road is closed between 7257 and 7293 Skyline Blvd.  No pedestrians, bicycles, motorcycles or motor vehicles may use the road.  While closed, the work scope includes drainage repairs, utility relocation and slope stabilization.

Public Works expects to complete all fixes before the winter rainy season, and permanently re-open both travel lanes.  If the work proceeds without delays, then Skyline might be accessible by early December.  I’m taking bets for sometime before the holidays, though.

In the meantime, don’t even try to sneak around the Skyline closure.  Stick to the lower roads when you head over to Berkeley.  If you want to drive to Tilden Park or Sibley Preserve, then wander up Claremont Canyon.  Any other hints, please share them here.

Safety Boost For Shepherd Canyon

The long-awaited Shepherd Canyon parking problem is finally going to be solved.  It’s generally an accident waiting to happen, if you drive down the Shepherd Canyon Road while soccer games are in progress.

Through a combination of public funding and private donations, a new parking lot will be constructed over the next few weeks.  The City Council approved 29 spaces, a wooden fence and five redwood trees planted as a visual barrier.

According to the resolution, the construction will be mostly financed by City District 4 and At-Large City Pay-Go funds.  The gap was closed through these private donations:  $30k from the Montclair Soccer Club; $7k from the Friends of Oakland Parks & Recreation; and $5k from the Montclair Safety & Improvement Council.

I’m not complaining, but with our City budget in shambles how come everything isn’t put on hold?  I don’t pretend to understand why current budget allocations are sacrosanct.  In any event, we are moving forward on this small construction effort in Montclair.

The City requires work to be completed rather quickly, because there’s a rainy season moratorium that kicks in by October 15th.  Bids were already requested and received back in August, in anticipation of this construction timetable.

It’s been a long while since the original plans were created for Shepherd Canyon Park, and the need for decent off-road parking was identified five years ago.  Soon we can cross this safety item from the list.

Oakland vs. San Francisco Crime Showdown

When looking through the newly-released FBI crime stats for last year, the geographic results were clearly out in the open.  There’s no question that Oakland experienced a higher level of crime than San Francisco, in a true apples-to-apples comparison.

Oakland recorded 119% more violent crimes per capita than San Francisco, and 27% more property crimes. Every type of crime was higher except for larceny theft, which was 29% lower than San Francisco.

Here’s the overall lineup, with highest to lowest differences: 343% for Rape; 212% for Motor Vehicle Theft; 184% for Aggravated Assault; 122% for Murder; 73% for Burglary; 70% for Robbery; and -29% for Larceny Theft.

The Oakland Tribune looked at Oakland’s track record alone, reporting a 2% decline between 2006 and 2007.  Overall declines continued this year, with the Oakland Police reporting 10% or more reductions in rapes, burglaries and auto thefts year-to-date.  Robberies were about even, down 1% this year.  Murders were up slightly, from 99 to 101 murders this year.

Maybe we’re shrinking some of those per capita gaps with San Francisco.  Does anyone have their stats handy, so we can compare trends versus our urban sibling?

Famous Giraffe Artist Gets 15 Minutes

Oakland Zoo’s artist-in-residence, Benghazi, will finally get his 15 minutes of fame.  He painted this modern masterpiece, which will be auctioned tomorrow.

Benghazi painted the abstract work while at the zoo earlier this year, by holding paintbrushes in his mouth.  Too bad we can’t hear what inspired the artist, but these images evoke the Oakland sky and hills in the springtime.

The auction is sponsored by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA), so the Oakland giraffe’s work will be featured nationally.  This commission will be auctioned along with 60 other animal artworks – and we’re so proud.

The live bidding starts promptly at 2pm PST, with previews an hour earlier.  If you are not available, then it’s possible to browse the art and place a proxy bid beforehand.

New Cop Assigned To Montclair

In Montclair, Maureen Vergara broke our glass ceiling as the first female Problem Solving Officer (PSO) assigned to the Village.  She’ll be a presence in the community, as the “go-to” contact for Montclair and North Hills residents.

PSO Vergara is pictured above, along with Montclair Safety’s Nick Vigilante, Jim Dexter and Jean Quan staffer Sue Piper.  Welcome her to the neighborhood – without any interrogation about her family, hairstyle or choice of eyewear!

Along with Vergara, the other two Oakland Police assigned to our 13Y/13Z beats are Sgt. Bernard Ortiz and traffic contact Jason Scott.  We met the other officers during early July, where they shared safety priorities.  They can all be reached via email, including Vergara at mvergara-at-oaklandnet.com.

For actual emergencies:

Calling “911” works best from your land-line.  However this number connects you to Highway Patrol, when called from your cell phone.

Here are direct telephone numbers for emergencies: Oakland Police dispatch at 510-777-3211; Fire Department and Medical dispatch at 510-444-1616; and Drug Activities at 510-238-DRUG (3784).

Since it will be virtually impossible to recall these numbers right when you need them, just take a minute to save them in your cell phones.

Corrections:  Please click on comments above.  Jim Dexter, Vice-Chair of North Hills NCPC (Beat 13Y) provides full corrections about past and current officers assigned to Montclair-related beats.  Thanks, Jim.