Our Opinions

How Do You Really Feel About Parking?

Well, there has been a lot of hoopla and reaction over Oakland parking changes and rate increases.  It’s not bound to stop for Montclarions, who will soon see village garage fees raised to $2/hour.  We just picked up on this ordinance amendment, which we believe confirms the City Council’s decision to increase fees in city parking garages.

We know there’s grumbling out there in the hills.  The Town Crier asked whether the new parking rules would drive away Montclair business, and some 90 percent said the tunnel’s looking more appealing to them!  With this response in mind, we wanted to know more – and have seven quick questions for you.

Survey Guy

In this parking preference survey, it’s pretty much a multiple choice affair.  Where do you park in Oakland and nearby burgs, and how often?  What are your attitudes towards the different Montclair Village options?  And finally, do you really intend to alter your shopping habits and locales?

Keep in mind that parking kiosk irritants will get fixed soon.  If you buy a ticket from a kiosk, then it will be good for the full time even if you are parked elsewhere in the village or city.  If you buy a ticket after 5pm, then you will have the option to buy three rather than two hours’ time.

Still with the rate increases overall, we are very curious about your collective reactions.  There’s nothing like sharing results from a scientific survey, skewed by whomever wants to vote.  Thanks in advance for your opinions, all.

Never A Dull Moment In Community Safety

You thought the City of Oakland’s budget was done for the next fiscal year?  There’s never a dull moment during the biggest and baddest recession we have ever known.  And there’s never a dull moment when it comes to community safety, either.

In case you haven’t heard the news, the great hopes for Uncle Sam to “rehire” all the Oakland police that were getting cut to balance our city budget…didn’t pan out.  The cops will need to tighten their belts and there will be fewer on the force.  Our residents already participate in neighborhood councils to help police, and might have to redouble their efforts somehow.

Montclair Safety Councils

Even with scarcity, it feels like some public safety resources provide a bigger bang for the buck.  We think these priorities matter most to Montclarions:

  • Let’s make sure enough police are patrolling key places – Today there are public safety officers assigned to the two Montclair beats.  These officers are tuned into what’s happening here, in part based on priorities shared by residents.  Yet resources are scarce, and patrols are mostly limited to major arteries.
  • Let’s ensure a few beloved park rangers survive – We need patrols in places like Joaquin Miller or Shepherd Canyon during the sultry evenings and weekends.  There are only two in place and regular cops can’t do it all.  While Friends of [insert place] groups are useful, they still need help to protect the places from vandals, fires and even unruly dogs.
  • Let’s continue to support citizen safety groups – No one argues with the importance of community policing and preparedness, yet the city’s neighborhood services program is on the chopping block.  Where does that put residents and active groups like the Montclair Safety & Improvement Council and North Hills Neighborhood Council around here?

It’s a logic problem to us.  If there can’t be sufficient police and rangers in the hills, then citizens need to be able to share priorities and hot spots so fewer cops can do their jobs better.  The city has a few positions to ensure that community policing works and now wants to cut them out?  You can’t have it both ways.

Update: As of month end, logic has prevailed.  The City Council decided to keep the existing park rangers and neighborhood services program.  Uncle Sam gave Oakland enough to cover 41 cops, and the cops have made pay and pension concessions as well.

No More Awful, Awful Commute

Your faithful Montclair blogger normally writes about everything and everyone else, but today she’s rejoicing in the fact that she won’t be “car camping” anymore.  Based on three years of commutes between Montclair and Palo Alto, that added up to roughly 750 round trips and at least 2,250 hours behind the wheel!

Highway 13

Whenever I would mention my doubly-awful commute to neighbors or friends, the reaction was almost physical and quite consistent.  I was barraged with these questions about the daily journey:

  • When do you drive? How long does it take? – Either early or late, which means before 7:30 am or after 9:00 am to Palo Alto; and after 6:00 pm back to Montclair.  It typically takes under 1.5 hours each way, but add another half-hour for accidents.

  • Are you crazy?  I would never do that. – Remember that dotcom people do insane things.  It’s worth driving because living in Montclair makes me remain sane.  Plus the work is interesting to me.  ‘Nuff said.

We know that Montclair is filled with commuters who head to all points, every weekday morning.  According to old U.S. Census data, some 25% of 94611 residents spend at least 45 minutes commuting daily and 62% of us drive alone to work.

Well, I’m not saying you should ever follow my pitiful example and work in Palo Alto – but I can confess all this now because my super-sized carbon footprints have gone away.

Montclair Virtual Art Gallery: Janette MacKinlay

Montclarions are a creative bunch, and we like to display local talents like Janette MacKinlay.  She had been studying Japanese flower arranging for years, following the tenets of the Sogetsu School.  Somewhere along the way, she decided her sculptural works would look even better without flowers and fresh materials at all.

MacKinlay calls her work “organic assemblage,” because she uses dried materials that reflect nature and the universe.  When we saw some of her sculptures, they seemed nicely calming and needed to be shared with a wider audience.

So we asked MacKinlay to select pieces that communicated her experiences living here.  “I’ve picked out four pieces that reflect the mood of living in Montclair’s serene environment,” explained the artist.  “All of my work was created here in my Montclair studio and I believe being here has allowed me to capture the spiritual nature of much of my work.”

For The Love Of Pine

This first piece, above, is entitled For The Love Of Pine, because it’s not all pine (!) and yet represents what we  all see outside anyway.  It’s my favorite due the the simple and sparse elements, and fits that zen-thing well.

From My Garden

Next we have From My Garden, where you see something seasonal growing with the leaf.  I’m not exactly sure what the base element is supposed to reflect…maybe it’s the good earth?

Life In The Clouds; Oakland's New Day Dawning

Finally we have two works reflecting Montclair and Oakland, respectively.  The white vase sculpture is called Life In The Clouds, and that’s definitely true in our hills and dales.  Oakland’s New Day Dawning is the more colorful arrangement on the right.  I’m trying to decide if the sea-fan top reminds me of sunny days, filled with potential energy for the city.

Who is Janette MacKinlay? She’s a  Bay Area local through and through.  After graduating years ago from California College of the Arts, MacKinlay embraced the local art scene as an artist and gallery manager.  Then for a change of pace creatively, the Westerner packed up and headed to the Big Apple where she lived across the street from the World Trade Center on 9-11.  There but for the grace of god, she’s fine…and has returned home.

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!