Council President Ignacio De La Fuente's

District 5 Connection

Fruitvale Glenview San Antonio Tidewater Jingletown

Issue #10  December  2007

Letter from Ignacio

As you know, crime and violence in Fruitvale and other neighborhoods in District 5 continues to be a problem. Young children are seeing prostitutes near their schools, teenagers are getting jumped after school. And worst of all, young people are getting murdered in their own neighborhood. It's one thing to sit in City Hall allocating resources and making policy. It's another thing to see the resources on the ground. I am extremely concerned that our District is not getting its fair share of violence prevention resources.

That is why on Thursday, I announced the Fruitvale Safety Project. The heart of the project is an action team of OPD, my staff, merchants, non-profits, and neighborhood leaders to ensure constant attention to the neighborhood and coordination to produce results. This action team will meet every two weeks and my first action team meeting will be on Tuesday, December 11^th.

            The Fruitvale Safety Project will draw on all resources possible. From OPD, we are working with the incoming Area II Captain Orozco, Problem Solving Officers, Patrol, Gang Unit, Alcohol Beverage Action Team (ABAT), the Vice Unit (prostitution), the Neighborhood Crime Prevention Councils and the Neighborhood Service Coordinator. From the community, we are seeking the help of such organizations as the Unity Council, the Spanish Speaking Citizens Foundation, the Latino Advisory Committee on Crime, the Merchants, La Clinica De La Raza, Cesar Chavez Education Center, Carmen Flores Recreation Center, the Cesar Chavez library, and CRECE. I am facilitation the OPD Gang Unit, Patrol and other specialized units, working with Measure Y resources. Other goals include shutting down problem liquor stores, abating problem properties, hiring more walking officers, and adding a bilingual Neighborhood Watch coordinator.

            In only two police beats (20X and 23X) there have been 18 homicides and 512 robberies reported since the beginning of 2006. This year, the Oakland Police Department Vice Unit has made 153 arrests related to prostitution in Police Service Area 3. The statistics clearly indicate that Fruitvale needs to receive its fair share of attention and resources; we need to support our youth to prevent gang activity, we need to lift language barriers so no crime goes unreported, and we need to support Neighborhood Crime Prevention Councils. We must stay focused on results.

 

Also, I have updated my website  http://www.idelafuente.com/ to better communicate my priorities and my vision for Oakland. If you have suggestions for the web site, please contact me at delafuente@oaklandnet.com.

 

Wishing you safe and happy holidays,

Ignacio De La Fuente

P.S. The 16^th Annual Mayor's Toy Drive needs volunteers to help sort, pack and distribute toys to the 800 families who have signed up. Volunteers will be sorting and packing Monday through Friday on December 17^th-21^st at 1:00-5:00 p.m. and distributing toys on Saturday, December 22^nd and Sunday December 23^rd from 9:00 a.m.-6:00 p.m. We will be accepting toys and money donations until Friday, December 21^st.  Please call Lisa at 238-7247 or lruhland@oaklandnet.com for more information or to sign-up.

 

City Hall Update

For more information contact Ratna Amin/238-6126/ramin@ oaklandnet.com

 

Here are some important issues the City Council will be discussing in December. Please check updated agendas: http://clerkwebsvr1.oaklandnet.com/calendar/#current

 

Dec 11^th Finance Committee:

-Item 3: Performance Audit of the City's Payroll and Compensation Practices - the first audit from our new City Auditor Courtney Ruby

-Item 8: Prompt Payment Policy- Councilmember Brooks is proposing new regulations on how payments should be made for any City contract - requirements include payment within 15 days and 10% per month late fines.

 

December 11th CED Committee:

-Item 8: Activities initiated in response to Subprime Lending

-Item 9: Plan for updating the zoning code to conform to the General Plan

 

Council Meetings will resume after the holidays with Committee meetings on January 8^th.

The City Council meets the 1st and 3rd Tuesdays of each month at 6pm. Council committees meet on the 2nd and 4th Tuesdays as follows: Public Works-12:30pm, Finance/Management-2pm, Community Economic Development (CED)-4pm, Life Enrichment-6pm, Public Saftey-7:30pm.

 

Oakland Taxi Community Meeting

 

Contracting Disparity Study Public Hearings

The City of Oakland is conducting a study on disparity in City contracting - how contracts are awarded fairly to small, minority-owned or woman-owned businesses.   Please come share your experiences and ideas so that the City can improve its contracting process. I am hosting a hearing along with councilmembers Henry Chang, Pat Kernighan, and Jane Brunner on December 12^th from 6:00 to 8:30 pm. Multilingual translation will be provided and refreshments will be served. To RSVP, Contact (510) 291-9682 or oaklandmeeting@mtaltd.com

 

 District 5 Jewel - Oakland Animal Shelter

The Oakland Animal Shelter at 1101 29th Ave.was built in 1999 and is a modern facility that is over half an acre in size and can house over 300 animals at a time or nearly 6000 animals per year!  The building also includes public space, offices, an adoption gallery, a classroom, animal holding areas, a grooming room, a large lawn, and several off-leash exercise/play areas for dogs. Not only is the space modern, but so are its policies regarding the care and placement of animals in the Shelter.  For example, Oakland Animal Shelter has a nationally recognized volunteer program to involve citizens in the socialization of the animals at the Shelter and to provide additional education and customer service to visitors.  The volunteers have also implemented activities to increase the adoption rates, which includes creating and distributing videos about animals in adoption. The Shelter has also expanded its partnerships with organizations throughout the state to help find homes for animals, and the numbers show that the shelter is below the national euthanizing rates. 37% of dogs and 24% of cats were euthanized at the shelter this year compared to 56% of dogs and 71% of cats in the country.
    If you would like to become involved with helping Oakland's animals, consider volunteering or adopting a dog, cat or rabbit from the Shelter.  To volunteer at the Shelter, visit http://www.oaklandanimalservices.org/ to sign up for a volunteer orientation where you will get a "behind-the-scenes" tour of the entire Shelter and experience the excitement of volunteering.  All volunteers are given online hands-on-training to fully prepare them to handle animals and work with the public.  You can also visit the Shelter any day we are open and get to know some of the many dogs, cats and rabbits we have available for adoption.  A volunteer will help you visit with different animals in one of our get acquainted rooms or outside visiting areas until you find the right animal to fit your personality and lifestyle.
    The Oakland Animal Shelter and Animal Control Field Services is a division of the Oakland Police Department, and is responsible for the welfare of all animals in Oakland and for promoting the health and safety of animals and people in the community. They are located at 1101 29^th Ave. and you can reach them at (510) 535-5603.

 Announcements

 

1. Community Holiday Celebration at Peralta Hacienda Historical Park: Your friends of Peralta Hacienda Historical Park invite you to celebrate our volunteers as well as indulge in some creative holiday festivities on Saturday December 8^th from 2-4PM ! There will be a mosaic artist from the community, Rachel Rodi, who will help us co-create a large-scale community art project, as well as our new History Director, Wells Twombley, who will be giving a historical tour of the park and teaching kids how to make their own cornhusk dolls. For more information, contact Joanne Lee at joanne@peraltahacienda.org

 

2. Urban Renewal in Fruitvale: District 5's Fruitvale Transit Village was recently highlighted in an article for Inside the Bay Area. The article shows how the area was transformed from a vacant lot planned for a massive parking garage into a shopping and residential hub targeting the untapped spending potential of Fruitvale. Additionally, there is a sneak peak at the grand opening of the Public Market; the newest expansion of Fruitvale. Check it out at http://www.insidebayarea.com/localnews/ci_7578928

 

3. The Unity Council and Americorp will also head up a weeding and clean up effort at Cesar Chavez Park (at Foothill Blvd. and 39^th Ave) on Saturday, December 8^th from 9-12AM. For more information, please contact Noel Gallo (615-5415) and ask for Maria Sanchez.

 

4. Oakland Unified School District Options Fair: Have kids heading to school soon? Then you should head to the OUSD options fair. Several OUSD schools will be represented with information and displays as well as students and staff to answer questions. All schools will be represented on December 8^th from 10Am-4PM at the Oakland Coliseum East Side Club. For more information, visit http://webportal.ousd.k12.ca.us/Default.aspx

 

5. Oakland Fund for Children and Youth: Would your agency or non-profit organization like to help fund services for Oakland youth? If so you should submit a proposal to the department of human services by January 17^th, 2008. Services could include after school programs for children aged 6-10, early childhood programs for kids 0-5, Career and College Readiness programs for kids 15-20, and Summer Enrichment programs for kids 6-14. Proposal forms and more information can be found at http://www.ofcy.org/, or you can pick one up at OFCY office at 150 Frank Ogawa Plaza, Suite 4216, Oakland, CA 94612.

 

6. NCPC Assessment Survey: The City of Oakland is looking over our Neighborhood Crime Prevention Councils to see what works and find out what could be done better. Follow the appropriate link below to complete the online survey, and please don't hesitate to forward it if you have a neighbor who shares your concerns.
If you are an active NCPC member, use this link (or copy and paste it into your browser):

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=02RMlwDhIo0yDx3GvPLYIA_3d_3d 

Survey in Spanish:  http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=yEKp3_2f7Fcnt6a0vL9I0E9A_3d_3d

If you are not involved with the NCPC but are concerned about crime in your neighborhood, please complete this survey.  It will help to let our NCPC know what you're concerned about:

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=I_2b7MBpuesxh8WwLtx_2fYQ8Q_3d_3d

Important City Numbers

Police Emergency (Crime in progress or about to happen)  911
Police Emergency from a Cell Phone       777-3211
Police Non-Emergency    777-3333
Graffiti Removal 238-4703
Street Maintenance        615-5566
To start a Home Alert Neighborhood Watch Call   238-3091
To anonymously report drug activity (voicemail)     238-DRUG
To report Street Light outage or flickering lights     615-5430