TONA News Items

4/16/08

The April 2008 TONA newsletter is now available on the newsletter page.

3/16/08

Recaps of the January General meeting regarding living green and other issues are now available.

1/15/08

The January 2008 TONA newsletter is now available on the newsletter page.

12/18/07

A recap of the September General Meeting on recycling is available here.

4/29/07

The February and May 2007 Newsletters are now available on the newsletter page. The next General Meeting will be held on May 10, please see the May newsletter for details.

A recap of the February General Meeting on traffic safety is available here. A report on the city follow-up from the meeting is available here.

9/6/06

ZONING HEARING ON MILO PERMIT

On Thursday, September 14, the Zoning Adjustments Board (ZAB) will hold a public hearing on Milo Pet Adoption Store on Solano. Milo has applied for two use permits: (1) to authorize the existing dog and cat adoption service, and (2) to create a residence above the store. Notice of the hearing, including Milo's application for the use permits, has been posted at Milo, both on Solano and on Capistrano, and at a couple of other locations nearby, although one notice has now been taken down and another is missing its opening page.

TONA residents who wish to comment on Milo's application can do so at the hearing or in writing. The TONA board is aware that residents have differing views, often strongly held. The city has secured the services of mediator Victor Herbert of East Bay Community Mediation to work with Milo and neighbors who have complaints to try to resolve issues to everyone's satisfaction as much as possible. Mr. Herbert is a TONA resident as well as a mediator.

To attend the meeting, go to the City Council Chambers, Old City Hall, 2134 Martin Luther King, Jr. Way (at Center Street), 2nd Floor. Submit a card by 7:15 pm to speak during the public comment period.

To send a written comment, write to zab@ci.berkeley.ca.us or fax to 981-7420. The board asks that comments be received by noon 7 days before the meeting, but since that point in time is almost upon us, I'd advise residents to send comments even after that time but as soon as possible.

Personally, I hope that people commenting will aim for a constructive tone and content, despite their strong feelings pro and con. Too often, in Berkeley issues, the discussion becomes vituperative and includes personal attacks; these tend to inflame emotions, cause opponents to dig in their heels, and make solutions more difficult to reach, in my opinion. Almost always, neither side will get everything it would like, but it may be possible for each side to get most of what it wants if the discussion remains constructive and respectful. I like to think that TONA residents are capable of the most fruitful kind of civic participation. (Forgive the lecture, please.)

Zippie Collins
TONA President

9/5/06

The Solano Avenue Association has provided a map of street closures for Sunday's Solano Stroll. The file is available here in PDF format. The map is also available online at www.solanoave.org/strol/strol_roadsclosed.html.

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED FOR SOLANO STROLL

Hello all of you good clowns!  Here comes the Stroll - "Send in the Clowns" next Sunday, Sept. 10. and of course we need all the help we can get.  If you have any inclination to spend even an hour or two, I have a job for you! 

BLOCK CAPTAINS
So far I have these folks signed up but looks like I need 1 more for the afternoon 1-6:30, and one for a spare. You get a 3-block area to patrol for lost kids, and give info, etc.  Groovy STROLL PARTOL T-shirt, walkie talkie, clipboard, nice dinner afterwards.....

David Owen                    AM 06
Cynthia Moore               AM 06
Gail Atilano                     AM 06
Isma                              AM 06
Kathy Wong                    AM 06
Kim Brae & Elliot Zeller     AM 06
Peter Goodman               AM 06

Jamie Harris               PM 06
Susan Gillingham          PM 06
Magali Rabasa               PM 06
Catherine Durand          PM 06
Woody Breeding             PM 06
Clelia Tommi               PM 06

For ALL block captains: MEETING, TUESDAY, SEPT. 5, 7PM at my house, 2934 Fulton St., Berkeley - please park on Ashby.  There you will get
complete instructions, your T-shirt, and a radio demonstration.  Please confirm that you can attend.

BOOTH SITTERS
I could use a few more folks who want to spend about 2 hours in the afternoon (anytime 12-5) giving the crafts people a 15-minute break while you watch their stuff.  Nice job, easy, you can sit in most of the booths.  Please confirm the time you want to do this.  So far I have:

Claire McGowan
Gay Austin
Claire Risley 3-5

THURSDAY PRIOR - LEAFLETING, POSTERING ON & RIGHT AROUND SOLANO
I can use as many people as possible...many hands make light work!  We meet at Albany Video, 933 San Pablo Ave. anytime after 3PM.  All the houses and businesses within a block of Solano need to get a notice on their doorstep, NO PARKING signs need to get put up on the meters and light fixtures, SAA Directories need to get put into the stores.  When you have finished, meet back at 933 San Pablo for pizza & soda.

So far I have:
Dave Manson/Bkly Boosters?
Dianne Haber    
Bailey Wockner  
Tracy Hua    
Allen Cain    
Tom Taylor    
Tim Volz    
Kids from MacGreggor HS?

STREET MARKING
To make our set up easier on Stroll day, I would like to get the whole street marked for booth locations.  This has to happen 6-8AM.  If anyone has a measuring marker (with a wheel and counter) that you can bring or that we can borrow, that would be very helpful.  You'll get about 3-4 blocks each side to mark.

So far I have:
Lisa (has 2 markers)
Kathy Wong    
John Cowee (has one marker)
Tyler Volz    
Willy Wong will lend a marker but can't work then.
If you are a morning block captain and can come early to do this, it
will make your job easier!

TRAFFIC CONTROLLERS
I need two people to help end the parade by directing traffic at Washington and Kains 12-1:30.

There are lots of other smaller jobs like helping at the grand stand 9-10AM or setting up the auction table across the street.  And on Monday, we need a couple of people to take down the NO PARKING signs.  Plus, if you want to walk in the front of the parade in a clown costume, I have several I can lend out........

NURSES
This one is a paid position. I need 4 people, 1/2 day each. AM shift is 8:30-2. PM shift is 2-6:30. $25/hr. Must be a real nurse! I have a light First Aid Kit & a couple of ice packs so bring anything else you may want. There are paramedics in 2 locations in addition to our 2 First Aid stations, one is at the Grand Stand, one is up near Powder Box in the T-shirt booth.

Let me know if any of this looks like something you could do..........or pass this along to your friends.

Get your clown on..........

Lisa Bullwinkel
Executive Director
Solano Avenue Assn.
1563 Solano Ave. PMB#101
Berkeley, CA 94707
510.527.5358 PH
510.548.5335 FAX
www.solanoave.org

8/26/06

Update on Solano Stroll (September 10)

TONA board member Warren Keller and I attended the planning meeting for the Solano Stroll and gleaned the following information about this year's Stroll that may be of interest to the neighborhood.

The Stroll hours will be 10 am to 6 pm, with the parade at 11 am, as usual. Streets within one block of Solano will be blocked off as usual. The city does not yet have a map of street closures available to post on our website. If you must move a barrier to get in or out of your block, be sure to put it back in place afterward.

There will be a free shuttle from and to North Berkeley BART and up and down Marin. People are encouraged to take public transit to the Stroll. As we all know, however, most people drive, and parking fills up fast in the neighborhood, so, if you drive off on an errand that day, don't expect to find street parking when you return.

This year, parade participants will line up at 10:30 on Fresno and Colusa, south of Solano, extending to and onto Marin. Greater efforts will be made this year to keep the parade moving by keeping pedestrians on the sidelines.

Street cleaning before the Stroll is supposed to be done BEFORE 6 AM (it woke me up last year), so that the street can be chalked from 6 to 7. Stroll setup begins at 7 am. Although the Stroll ends at 6 pm, the street will not reopen until 7 pm to give booth people time to pack up and leave.

Bands will be asked not to start rehearsing before 10 am. There will be no stage in the Berkeley section of Solano this year, only in the Albany section. Bands are scheduled to play for one hour, stop for one hour, play again for one hour. Most bands will have two sessions; a few will have three.  Accoustic and amplified bands are scheduled for alternate blocks. The Stroll permit specifies decibel levels (I think the limit is 60 decibels for music in a commercial district for one hour), and  bands are supposed to adhere to them. Bands have also been asked not to block curb cuts.

Food vendors will use compostable spoons, and efforts will be made to get paper containers and "plastic" glasses made from corn; Styrofoam is not permitted. The Stroll got a grant this year for compost stations and for composting food waste.

Parking for the disabled will be moved to the Alameda at Solano, about 3 metered parking places on each of the northwest and northeast sides of that intersection, where there are sidewalks for disabled people to disembark onto.

Arts and crafts booths will be between Tulare and Santa Fe.

Berkeley police officers will be patrolling the Stroll, and the police command post will be at the northwest corner of Colusa and Solano. If you have a significant problem or complaint during the Stroll, you may call the NON-EMERGENCY police number, 981-5900. Please try to keep in mind that the Stroll inconveniences the neighborhood only one day a year and is enjoyed by hundreds of thousands of people.

For specific locations of booths and bands, for schedules of bands, and for lots more information, go to www.solanostroll.org.

I hope everyone enjoys this year's Solano Stroll.

Zippie Collins
TONA President

8/20/06

UPDATE ON FENCE ORDINANCE CHANGES

The Planning Commission on July 26 considered changes to the Berkeley code sections regulating fence heights and decided to continue the public hearing to give residents more notice of the proposed changes and a chance to respond. The next hearing has not yet been set but may be Wednesday September 27 or October 11 at 7 pm at North Berkeley Senior Center.

The proposal would limit front yard fences to 3.5 feet high generally. Backyard fences could increase to 8 feet high if the last 2 feet are 50% openwork (e.g., lattice). To vary from these limits, residents would need to request an administrative use permit (AUP) from the city, which costs about $1,400.

I spoke at the meeting, asking for the hearing to be continued to allow better notice to residents and more time for people to offer their views. (I didn't receive notice of the issue until the afternoon of July 25.) A few other residents spoke, most opposed to the changes, one partially in favor. The commission also received written communications from several residents, mostly in the Park Hills neighborhood, near Tilden.

The staff report on the proposal (available at http://www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/planning/landuse/FenceHeights/default.htm) offers this information on a rationale:

"The main reason for requiring a lower front yard fence is to create more openness in residential  front yard areas. This allows for visibility from the street into yards, and from houses to the  street, which can improve public safety by having more 'eyes on the street' and allowing law  enforcement greater visibility of yard areas. It also allows for a more interesting and interactive urban design than six-foot high front yard fences would create."

The commissioners expressed varying views and did continue the hearing. Here are a few pro and con points raised by the speakers and the commissioners.

* Higher fences are needed to enclose young children in the front yard, especially when the front yard is the primary yard of the house,  e.g., the back yard is sloped.

* Higher fences create a walled-community tone, especially when they predominate on a block.

* The administrative use permit required to exceed the proposed fence heights in some cases this would be more than the fence would cost.

* Homes close to Tilden (and perhaps elsewhere) need high fences to keep deer from demolishing front gardens.

* High fences adversely affect neighbors, blocking sunlight and sight lines.

* The cities used for comparison in drafting the proposal (San Mateo, San Rafael, Richmond, Oakland, Fremont, Alameda, Hayward) tend to be flatter and more uniform in style than Berkeley.

* Maybe offering design guidelines instead of an ordinance would be more appropriate for the varying conditions in Berkeley.

If you are interested in this issue, please get on the city's mailing list for notices and information by contacting Assistant Planner Jordan Harrison, JHarrison@ci.berkeley.ca.us or 981-7416, and plan to write to the Planning Commission or attend the next hearing.

Zippie Collins
TONA President

8/19/06

PEST CONTROL AT THE THOUSAND OAKS SCHOOL PARK

Jill Martinucci from Councilmember Capitelli's office sent the following message 8/17/06:

We were notified today by the City Manager's office that Environmental Health will be doing some rat abatement in and around the creek next to the park. We've been assured that EH will be practicing "integrated pest management" and that there will be no impact to those folks using the park or playground area. But, the creek will be fenced off for a definite period of time.  I don't know how long.

There will be a sign posted at the creek informing park visitors what is going on, and there will be contact information.  The EH contact is Rolando Villarreal at 981-5310. 

Please know that our office received several complaints from neighbors about rats around the school property in June.  We have been working with the school principal and the City's solid waste department to eliminate the attraction for rats.  Environmental Health decided the situation warranted further intervention.

Jill is sending a notice out to school neighbors on Capitelli's e-mail list. To be added to that list, call 981-7150 or email LCapitelli@ci.berkeley.ca.us.

7/25/06

FENCE ORDINANCE CHANGES PROPOSED--PUBLIC HEARING WEDNESDAY, JULY 26

I  learned today that the Planning Commission will hold a public hearing tomorrow evening on proposed changes to various Berkeley ordinances about fence heights. The commission meets at 7 pm at the North Berkeley Senior Center, ML King Jr Way and Hearst.

The notice states in part:

The amendments would lower the allowable fence height in required front yards from 6 feet to 3.5 feet; increase the allowable fence height in required rear and side yeards from 6 feet to 8 feet with the portion of the fence over 6 feet being 50% open; and allow greater flexibility in fence design including allowing ornamental features and one entry feature by-right. The amendments woud provide for an Administrative Use Permit to allow fences to exceed certain height limits, subject to proposed findings. The City is also considering amendments to allow for installation of solar energy equipment in required residential yeards by-right consistent with California Government Code Section 65850.5.

As I understand it, existing fences would be grandfathered, but to rebuild a fence or build a new one that doesn't meet this standard would require a permit that is quite costly.

Neighbors may wish to come to the meeting to speak, urge more time for the community to consider the proposals, or ask questions about the purpose of the proposed changes.

Comments may be submitted to

Planning and Development Department
2120 Milvia Street
Berkeley, CA 94704
or
jharrison@ci.berkeley.ca.us

However, the notice states that, to ensure distribution to the commission before the meeting, written comments needed to be received 7 days before the meeting.

For further information, call Jordan Harrison at 981-7416.

Zippie Collins
TONA President

7/9/06

DISASTER SUPPLY CACHES FROM CITY

Apply by July 31 to win a storage container of emergency supplies from  the city, if your neighborhood is organized for disaster. Applications can be downloaded at www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/fire/oes.html. To qualify, your neighborhood must meet these criteria:

* The group has been organized for three years or more.

* The group has done six of the nine steps the city outlines for becoming a disaster-resistant neighborhood (the steps can also be downloaded at www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/fire/oes/html).

* The group has at least 8 people trained in disaster first aid, fire suppression, and light search and rescue, and formed into a community emergency response team. Training programs are given by the city (for information, schedules, and signups, go to www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/fire/cert.html).

The caches contain loads of useful supplies and equipment, including a generator, fire hoses and couplings, lighting equipment, work gloves and goggles, portable radios, caution tape, and a 50-person medical kit.

Groups will be awarded a cache based on a point system for how well they meet the critera. Awards will be announced August 15. Applications must be received at the BFD/OES Disaster Supply Program, 2100 MLK Jr Way, 2nd Floor, by 5 pm on Monday, July 31.

Questions can be addressed to Dory Ehrlich, OES, 981-5506.

If your neighborhood doesn't yet qualify, start working to meet the criteria when the next application period comes up (no date has yet been given).

7/8/06

Click here to read a recap of the May  TONA general meeting about organizing neighborhood blocks. The file is in PDF format.

6/8/06

PUBLIC MEETING WITH ANDRONICO’S MANAGERS

You will have a chance to tell Andronico's your views and ideas at a public meeting convened by Council member Laurie Capitelli.

When: Wednesday, June 14, 2006, 7:00 pm

Where: Thousand Oaks School Multipurpose Room

The meeting will allow representatives from Andronico's to meet with neighbors in an effort to gather ideas to help satisfy any concerns about the store's operations and impacts on the surrounding community.

5/18/06

Correction/clarification to the 3/8/06 news item:

The summary of the traffic and parking discussion at the January 19 TONA meeting (in the item posted 3/8/06 below) reported on San Lorenzo traffic issues. It began with the sentence, "San Lorenzo now gets twice as much traffic as Capistrano, Tacoma, San Pedro, and Catalina, the parallel east-west streets nearby, probably because it did not opt for speed bumps several years ago and the other streets did." A neighbor on Tacoma questioned the basis for this "twice as much" statement, noting that she had seen no traffic count on her street. Council member Capitelli's office has clarified that the traffic study was done on only San Lorenzo and San Pedro, using San Pedro as a "representative" of the other streets with traffic bumps.

I apologize for giving the impression (which I shared at the time I wrote the summary) that all the parallel streets had been surveyed. I realize that traffic issues are important to the neighborhood, and I'm very sorry to have given misinformation in my summary.

Zippie Collins

TONA President

5/7/06

The latest edition of the TONA Newsletter is now available on the newsletter page of the TONA Website.

4/9/06

NEXT TONA GENERAL MEETING

Thursday, May 11, 2006, 7 to 9 pm

Thousand Oaks School, Multipurpose Room, Colusa between Solano and Tacoma

Agenda:

ICE CREAM SOCIAL

and

How to Organize Your Block for Disasters and for Good Times

Panelists from the 800 block of Mendocino, the 600 block of Neilson, the 1800 block of San Lorenzo, and the 600 block of Santa Rosa tell about

* how their blocks got organized

* ways of getting started and keeping going

* disaster preparation ideas

* qualifying for dumpsters

* requesting street cleaning

* block parties and other positive side effects of organizing for disasters

If you want to organize your block but just don’t know how to start, come find out. If your block is organized, come share your good ideas and learn some new ones from other blocks.

The meeting will also touch on organizing networks to help home-bound neighbors with shopping, appointments, and other needs so that they can stay in their own homes.

TONA would like to compile a list of blocks in our area that are organized and the contact person(s) for each, so others can use their expertise. Please give us this information via our discussion group site, http://groups.yahoo.com/group/thousand_oaks/ or by mail to TONA, P.O. Box 7572, Berkeley, CA 94707. Many thanks!

There will be free ice cream at the meeting—come and enjoy!

3/8/06

Click here to read a recap of the traffic issues discussed at the January TONA general meeting. The file is in PDF format.

1/12/06

The latest edition of the TONA Newsletter and a list newsletter delivery routes and volunteers are now available on the newsletter page of the TONA Website.

1/10/06

Click here to read a recap of the discussion on possible changes to the Solano Avenue restaurant limit from the October TONA general meeting. The file is in PDF format.

12/9/05

NEXT TONA GENERAL MEETING

Thursday, January 19, 2006, 7 to 9 pm

Thousand Oaks School, Multipurpose Room

Agenda:

Cars Parked on Narrow Streets

Marin Reconfiguration

Trucks at Andronico's

Traffic on San Lorenzo and Nearby Streets

Hamid Mostowfi, senior traffic engineer at the Berkeley Office of Transportation, will offer information and (try to) answer questions about traffic and parking issues in the neighborhood. At our last meeting on traffic, concern about neighbors parking too many cars on the street was raised late, and we promised that it would be first on the next agenda about transportation issues. Do you have ideas for solutions? We'll get updates on the Marin changes and Andronico's delivery policies. Neighbors on San Lorenzo between the Alameda and Colusa are working with the city to reduce the volume and speed of traffic. Some of the options may affect Catalina, San Pedro, Tacoma, and Capistrano. Learn about the proposals, and express your views.