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Tough To Enforce Leash Laws

You may experience the Dog Wars in Montclair, simply by wandering the streets and local paths.  In one camp, there are people who want dogs to be leashed.  In another camp, there are owners who want their dogs to run free.

Most of the time, there’s detente because Oakland already has leash laws.  Some city parks allow leashed dogs, and a few have controlled and fenced areas to unleash dogs.  On the surface, we have a well-organized and civilized way of keeping both camps happy.

Dogs On Leash

Dog Bites Woman

However, some dog owners are blithely ignoring the rules of order.  Last week, there was a stellar example of dog-bites-woman on the Shepherd Canyon path.  One runner reported she had been bitten three times by a white-coated dog – and twice during a single day!

This dog owner “refuses to put the dog on a leash and does not respond to my request to be a responsible pet owner,” explained the victim.  “I would hate for other runners, children or casual walkers to experience what I have over the past several weeks.”

Ranger Rescue

While details have been reported to the Oakland Police Department, this is hardly high on their list of priorities.  It used to fall to the Oakland Rangers, who are now an endangered species.  Ranger Kent McNab still responded to this latest victim and to locals:

Message to Victim:

If you see her [the dog owner] again, please call the Park Rangers directly at 482-7888, and we will try to contact her.

Although there are only two rangers now, and we only work 10am – 6pm Wednesdays – Sundays, we can usually respond much quicker than a police officer during those hours.

Message to Locals:

With only two rangers left for over 150 parks, we try to patrol the trail a couple of times a week.  Most of the things we do now are reactive, based on calls from citizens.

After 6pm and on Mondays, Tuesdays, and holidays, when there are no rangers, call the police non-emergency line [777-3333] and they will stack the call for the beat officer.

Ticketing Violators

Montclarion Robert Scribner believes the Shepherd Canyon path dog-attacks are not an anomaly.  “It is a matter of complete disdain for the law and the rights of others. I have witnessed and personally experienced several incidents like this one.”

During prime-time dog walking hours, around 7:30am weekdays, Scribner recommends that rangers set up shop and issue tickets to all owners of unleashed dogs running up the Shepherd path.

We noticed the rangers aren’t on duty then, but believe there are practical solutions like switching ranger hours, having rangers work a little overtime, or making this path a patrol priority for Oakland police.

Dog Wars Detente

Well there should be detente between the two camps, because there’s room for co-existence.  The leashed camp seeks safe passage along the Shepherd path, whether for runners or families.  Let’s see if the laws can be enforced now.

All is not lost for the unleashed camp, who already use dog runs or visit more welcoming spots.  While this requires a quick drive uphill, owners happily take their off-leash pooches on endless Sibley, Huckleberry or Redwood Park trails.

It’s disappointing that the Shepherd path skirmishes are happening, as it points to a lack of civility.  What’s with these dog owners, who simply refuse to follow a few simple laws?  Anyway, we hope that detente is restored in our local Dog Wars, because we have bigger things to worry about.

Update: “The matter of dogs being walked without leashes, and the alleged woman with the dog that has bitten residents, is on MSIC’s radar screen,” said Nick Vigilante.  Anyone with info about this offending dog owner may write Nick at nvigilante-at-msn.com, and your identity will remain confidential.

Curing Poor Cell Phone Coverage

“My cell phone coverage stinks!” is a common cry from Montclarions.  When you drive around the village, it’s a hit-or-miss proposition.  Carrier signals vary from one neighbor to the next, in a seemingly random fashion.

“The Hills are probably the worst area to service from a cell phone provider’s standpoint,” explained Soren Jensen, who lives in the Village. “The geography combined with the need for line of sight and limited range requires you to be able to ‘see’ a cell tower in order to get reliable service.”

Ancient Phone Switch

Before you give up and simply rely on old wire lines, consider these tricks while at home.  Props to Paul Lindner, who shared some ways to fix your limited or non-existent cell phone reception:

  • Try a cell phone repeater: Amplify the signal with a device like zBoost.  This might work if you get some reception on your roof already, but not indoors.
  • Use a special cell phone: Buy a special, unlicensed mobile access (UMA) cell phone, and then rely on your WiFi/Internet service to make calls.
  • Look into a femtocell: Ask your carrier (i.e. Sprint or Verizon) for this device, so you can make Internet calls from any cell phone model.

It seems like you have nothing to lose by trying out some of these in-home solutions.  If you can freely use your cell at home, then lucky you!

P.S.  Thanks to everyone complaining about their cell phone carriers and coverage tonight, on the Montclair SIC message board…such inspiration.

Oakland Wants Billions, Now What?

President Barack Obama called Oakland Mayor Ron Dellums “an old friend” yesterday, but will this mean we get over $2.6 billion worth of federal assistance?  Maybe we deserve this much investment, but many requested items seem like they will get scratched from the list.

Mayor Visits DC

Like all cities, our requests were first submitted through the 2008 U.S. Conference of Mayors.  We made 75 requests for streets/roads (16), water (10), airport (5), community federal block grants (14), energy (7), housing (1), and public safety (22).

Without help from Uncle Sam, there are some breathtaking infrastructure projects that would never see the light of day.  Here are the largest ticket items, which each run more than $100 million and add up to $1.75 billion alone:

  • New police administration building –  $450 mm
  • New airport parking garage – $300 mm
  • Library upgrades – $270 mm
  • New municipal service center – $220 mm
  • Clean water, safe parks – $150 mm
  • Wharf reconstruction – $130 mm
  • Sanitary sewer system upgrades – $130 mm
  • Oakland army base upgrades – $100 mm

The project list also includes familiar, budget-gap items that Oaklanders have discussed over the past year.  Many deferred public works are shown, even sidewalk repairs.  The public safety wish list runs from new patrol cars to sophisticated surveillance, and goes far beyond the minor systems rejected in Measure NN.

Are all these projects actually eligible for Recovery Act funds?  See the complete list of Oakland requests below, and draw your own conclusions.

Continue reading →

Friends Gather To Protect Moraga Canyon

Lately, Montclarions and Piedmonters have focused on protecting Moraga Canyon.  While this area isn’t exactly pristine and untouched, there are a few open spaces that have been targeted for development.

Many concerned citizens decided to join forces, through their new Friends of Moraga Canyon group.  Their goal is to keep a more active and watchful eye on the canyon area, whether private or city-owned property.

Moraga Canyon

We caught up with one of the Friends of Moraga Canyon founders, Sandra Pohutsky, and asked about the group and their plans ahead.

Q.  When did the Friends of Moraga Canyon form?
The group formed in January 2009 by Piedmonters who live near Blair Park and Coaches Playfield on Moraga Avenue,  and by Oaklanders who live on and near Moraga Avenue from Piedmont to Highway 13.  They knew that they had a common interest that was not being considered by the City of Piedmont.

Q.  Why did the group form?
Concerns over the uses of Moraga Canyon, especially the short-term use of Blair Park for temporary schools, and the long term use for a sports complex that would require a 40 foot retaining wall along the canyon and a 20 foot retaining wall along a portion of Moraga Avenue, in addition to two parking lots for 90 cars.

Q: What are the rough boundaries of the Moraga Canyon?
Moraga Canyon runs downhill from Highway 13 to Pleasant Valley.  It begins in Oakland, passes through several blocks of Piedmont, and ends in Oakland. Moraga Avenue is built over and near Cemetery Creek that is channeled in culverts and comes out near Coaches Playfield.

Q.  Who are the “leaders”  of your group, and their roles?
This is truly a grass roots organization of over 70 people and growing. A remarkable group of neighbors has come together from a variety of professions to protect Moraga Canyon. Our spokespeople change as the needs arise, and we share leadership roles.

Q.  What’s the official mission of the group?
To make sure that uses of Moraga Canyon are well understood by our respective cities and other citizens.  To communicate about developments related to open spaces and parks within the canyon.

Friends of Moraga Canyon work to ensure that the tranquility and environmental well-being of the Moraga Canyon area is preserved.  We believe that issues affecting the welfare of Moraga Canyon should be addressed with reason, responsibility and consensus.

Q.  What do you hope to accomplish this year?
We are pleased that the school district has decided not to place portable school rooms in the canyon.

We would like to have a full description of [any local] project, a community-wide discussion of the desirability and necessity of such a project, and at least one workshop by the Piedmont Planning Commission to discuss the physical impacts and appearance of the project.  We hope that the Piedmont city council and planning commission will decide to erect story poles to show the size and extent of the project, as is required for even the most modest private projects in Piedmont.

Our goal is to be sure that any use of Blair Park will have low impact on traffic and noise, that it will not interfere with the wild life that live in the park and visit it at night, that the hillside is not carved away and that all the trees are not cut down.

We oppose adding night lighting and synthetic turf at Coaches Playfield, across the street from Blair Park, as it will further erode the nature of Moraga Canyon.

Q.  How many people joined so far, and what’s the mix between Oaklanders and Piedmonters?
There are about 70 Friends of Moraga Canyon as of the beginning of February who are mostly Piedmonters living in or near Moraga Canyon.  In addition there is an allied group of about 110 Oaklanders watching Piedmont’s actions and they in turn are keeping at least six neighborhood associations informed.  There are about 770 Montclair homes located on or near Moraga Avenue that would be effected by increased Moraga Avenue traffic.

We find that even people who do not live near Moraga Canyon become very interested once they hear about Piedmont’s plans and practices so this group isn’t about who lives in either city.  Friends of Moraga Canyon is discussing setting up a website (now live) to make the information more accessible to all who want to know what could happen along Moraga Avenue.

Q.  How does the group work with the two cities?
We want to work well with all government constituencies.  In Oakland, there are two city council members and their teams involved.  This includes Jean Quan, supported by Sue Piper (510-238-7042); and Jane Brunner, supported by Zac Wald (510-238-7013).  They can all be reached at 1 Frank H. Ogawa Plaza, Oakland, CA 94612.

In response to requests by Oakland residents, the City of Oakland set up a project to monitor Moraga Avenue developments.  Project manager Eric Angstadt,  Oakland planning department,  is coordinating input from Oakland city’s traffic engineers, fire department, planning department, and any other  Oakland departments that have an interest in the impact Piedmont’s Moraga Canyon project on Oakland.

Mr. Angstadt is also the lead on developing the city of Oakland’s input to the scoping session for Piedmont’s required Environmental Impact Report.  Piedmont has not yet announced the date of their scoping session.

In Piedmont, we are speaking at the city council twice a month, and meetings of the planning commission, parks commission, recreation commission and intend to contact the Capital Improvement Projects advisory commission before its once-a-year meeting.

We have found that information has not been widely disseminated – and most Piedmonters are not yet aware of the scope, design and cost of the development of sports fields at Blair Park and Coaches Playfield.

More info: Read more about the Friends of Moraga Canyon and their Blair Park concerns on their new web site.  If you would like to join the Friends or have questions, please reach Sandra Pohutsky – at sandsky@comcast.net.  Also check the Piedmont Neighborhood News blog, to stay informed about city happenings.

Metro Cafe & Bar, A Seismic Shift For Village

Forgive the earthquake metaphor, but we’re really excited the Metro Cafe & Bar has taken up residence in Montclair Village.  What an nice upgrade from predecessor Royal Ground, complete with real cafe food, coffee, wine and wi-fi.

Most importantly, the Metro sports nice, long hours:  6am-9pm weekdays and 7am-8pm weekends.  The place is located at 2058 Mountain Blvd, right in the center of the Village (map).

Cafe Metro Opens

There are good breakfast options until 11am, especially if you want to grab something beyond the baked goods typically in coffee shops.  I can attest to very friendly service today, as they accepted my bagel and lox order a few minutes past the cut-off time.  Other menu items include oatmeal, yogurt, fruit and an egg sandwich.

I’ll have to return for lunch or dinner soon, since the mediterranean, nicoise, salmon and chinese chicken salads all sound quite good to me.  While there are several hot and cold veggie sandwiches, the hot ham and gruyere catches my eye as well.

We hope the Metro turns into another third-place for the Village, as a real alternative to Peet’s or Crogan’s.  Have you tried ’em yet?