North Hills NCPC

Town Hall For Northern Montclarions Tonight

Local construction or solicitors getting you down?

Tonight you can meet with City of Oakland reps who know what to do when there are problems, and can cut to the chase.  For Montclarions living north of Thornhill Drive, there’s a Town Hall meeting tonight at 7pm – at the Highlands Country Club, 100 Hiller Drive (map).

North Hills NCPC

Bad-News Construction Sites

This Town Hall addresses problems related to local construction.  Do you know of a construction site that has been abandoned, has piles of debris, has illegally parked trucks, or is working without proper city permits?  Do you know how to file a complaint?

Rich Fielding, who manages Oakland’s construction complaint/code compliance unit, will review the steps you take when you see issues around your neighborhood.

Irritating or Non-Kosher Solicitors

The meeting also covers solicitors and how to handle them.  Scammers and other nefarious characters have been known to pose as solicitors, so it’s unclear how to react these days.

Are you unsure what to do when a solicitor comes to your door?  Would you like to know what you can do to prevent them from ringing your doorbell?  And what you can do if they persist beyond your “No Solicitors” sign?

Barbara Killey, who works in the City Administrator’s office, can answer your questions about how to handle solicitors of all types.

Other Safety and Hot Topics

We hear that Officer John Haney will attend tonight’s gathering.  As the police officer assigned to Beat 13Y, Haney is up-to-date on the Craigslist robberies and other safety matters around the northern reaches.

To help neighbors out, North Hills Council volunteers will have a few safety items for sale at the meeting:  special FRS radios and “No Solicitation” signs.

Anyway, come join your neighbors at the Town Hall.  These meetings only take place three times a year, and it’s good to meet folks you “know” online.

May 11th Update:  The North Hills Council sent out tips about handling construction blight and solicitors.   Please donate to the Council right here and receive a “no solicitors” sign for your yard.

North Hills Council Stays Vigilant

As you may know, Montclair is divided into two police beats lovingly known as 13X and 13Y.   The “Y” actually ranges from Thornhill Drive to the Berkeley border, with plenty of hills and circuitous streets through Montclair, Hiller and Claremont.

In these northern reaches, residents communicate their safety priorities through the North Hills Neighborhood Crime Prevention Council (NCPC).  The area is doing pretty well in terms of lower reported crimes, but the Council stays vigilant.

North Hills - Ten Areas

Council officers meet monthly to discuss safety matters and establish priorities which are shared with Oakland police.  Additionally, they host three Town Hall meetings each year and local luminaries are invited to speak.  Here’s the scoop from the latest Town Hall, held on Wednesday night:

  • New Citizen Officers: There’s a newly-elected slate of leaders including Chair Nancy Mueller; Vice Chair Melissa Rosengard; Secretary Steve Reinlib; Treasurer and Webmaster Barry Pilger; Neighborhood Watch Chair Jim Dexter; and Publicity Head Sara Somers.
  • Crime Under Control: Beat 13Y residents have seen crime levels drop after two burglars were identified and nabbed last fall.  While there are no active burglary trends now, Police Officers Mark Contreras and Randall Chew continue to provide roving patrols.  The cops said that traffic officers are issuing tickets in problem intersections, as identified by the Council.
  • Supporting Audits: Oakland Auditor Courtney Ruby shared her accomplishments and challenges.  Ruby has audited measure funds, including emergency/medical and library services.  She also plans to work through all city departments.  Regardless of progress, audit recommendations aren’t treated as a priority – and Ruby asked residents to push the City Council about these fixes.

Want to help the hood? The North Hills Council welcomes your participation in sharing local safety matters.  They are still filling volunteer spots to represent each neighborhood area.  Additionally, they invite the public to their monthly meetings (times/dates), at Fire Station 7, 1006 Amito Ave (map).  Of course, North Hills residents are encouraged to share their concerns or ideas anytime with the Council, at info@northhillsncpc.org.