ACTION ALAMEDA News

Scobie’s Fight Prompts License Review

David Howard, Editor, Publisher, Chief Cook and Bottle Washer — Tue, 21 May 2013 20:13:50 +0000

Repeated fights outside of Scobie’s Bar have authorities reviewing the bar’s business and liquor licenses. (Google Street View)

Alameda Police say they are stepping up enforcement efforts in and around Scobie’s Bar on Central Avenue, and reviewing the establishment’s business and liquor licenses after a weekend fight spilled out on the street involving as many as 30 people and resulted in a man being stabbed.

Police say that early Sunday morning, May 19th, a fight broke out at the bar among 6 to 7 adult females, and the fight spilled out onto the street. Then, 3 to 4 separate fights broke out involving anywhere from 20 to 30 other patrons.

When officers arrived, they found an adult male lying face down on the 2400 block of Central Avenue with multiple stab wounds to his back; his wounds were deemed non-life threatening.

According to the police, the stabbing victim was uncooperative, and all parties contacted on-scene were extremely intoxicated.

Police say that there have been many violent incidents at the bar over the past 18 months, including another stabbing a few months back. Police have also arrested a Scobie’s patron for possession of a loaded handgun. The department has stepped up patrols since then, and in recent weeks those patrols have resulted in a decrease of incidents, until this past weekend.

The Alameda Police Department says it will resume directed enforcement efforts at the bar and in the area, and that it is pushing for a review of the bar’s licenses.

Open Space Advocates Eye Grant Funds

David Howard, Editor, Publisher, Chief Cook and Bottle Washer — Tue, 21 May 2013 15:16:09 +0000

The City of Alameda needs grant money to transform the former Beltline Railway property into parkland.

Alameda open space advocates are setting their sights on some $7.5 million in grant funds offered through a new Priority Conservation Program, sponsored by the Metropolitan Transportation Commission, the Association of Bay Area Governments, and the State Coastal Conservancy.

According to a press release late last week, the money is on offer for projects that “protect globally unique ecosystems and productive agricultural lands, while promoting healthy fisheries, recreational opportunities and climate protection.” Proposed project must be located in Alameda, Contra Costa, San Francisco, San Mateo or Santa Clara counties, and “should protect or enhance resource areas or habitats, provide or enhance bicycle and pedestrian access to open space and parkland resources, or support the Bay Area’s agricultural economy.”

Jim Sweeney and Dorothy Freeman, who have been working to realize Jean Sweeney’s, vision of an open space preserve on the former Beltline Railway property in Alameda, told Action Alameda News that, “these are the very things that Jean Sweeney (Jim’s deceased wife) dreamed of for the park and the people have agreed with her. The $7.5 million being offered by the Priority Conservation Grant Program is made for the Jean Sweeney Open Space Park. The people have said they want open space, walking/bike trails, non-structured recreation and a community garden. But the greatest thing of all is the opportunity to have 22 acres of open space park land in the middle of the city. The Jean Sweeney Open Space Park will not only be an open space for Alameda, it will enhance the greater metropolitan Bay Area. Obtaining a grant from the Priority Conservation Grant Program would help shorten the time it will take to complete the park in the way the people want.”

Separately, Melanie Wartenberg, co-director of Project Leaf, an Alameda citizen’s group advocating for more green space in Alameda told Action Alameda News, “Project Leaf is excited to learn of new funding possibilities, and we’d love to explore an opportunity to do a public/private partnership with the City of Alameda to advance green space and community gardening in the city. For us, that would include continued interest in the old Island High School site, and the Beltline property, and any properties that would fall within the grant opportunity parameters.”

There are some hurdles to overcome, however, according to Amy Wooldridge, Director for the Alameda Recreation and Parks Department. By e-mail, she told Action Alameda news, “We are exploring this grant opportunity and determining whether our project meets the criteria. The Belt Line/Jean Sweeney Open Space Park is not currently a designated Priority Conservation Area (PCA) and this is a grant requirement. However, we plan to request a PCA designation for this site. This funding stream also requires a 3 to 1 funding match, which is a hurdle, as this project is currently unfunded. We will be seeking grant funding opportunities, corporate donations, and private funding to fund the development of this new community park.”

The second of two public workshops is scheduled for 1:00 p.m. this Thursday, in Oakland. The State Coastal Conservancy is administering the grant program.

Rent Review Advisory Council Meets Tonight

David Howard, Editor, Publisher, Chief Cook and Bottle Washer — Mon, 20 May 2013 17:02:32 +0000

A new case involving 2045 Clinton Avenue is before the Rent Review Advisory Committee this evening. (Google Street View)

Alameda’s Rent Review Advisory Council meets tonight. Among the items under consideration is a new case regarding four units at 2045 Clinton Avenue, a four-story apartment block.

Rents are increasing in the Bay area along with home prices.

In February, proposed rent increases at a Benton Avenue property prompted a letter to the landlord from the Mayor and calls from the public for the imposition of rent control in Alameda.

AUSD Superintendent Performance Review Bumped to Tuesday

David Howard, Editor, Publisher, Chief Cook and Bottle Washer — Fri, 17 May 2013 20:43:14 +0000

On Tuesday, May 21st, the Alameda Unified School District Board of Trustees will take a number of items under consideration in closed session. (Action Alameda News)

A closed-session school district board meeting to discuss the performance of Superintendent Kirsten Vital has been bumped to Tuesday, May 21st. Several topics have been added to the meeting as well.

The meeting will begin at 5:00 p.m. at the Alameda High School Cafeteria. In addition to discussing the superintendent’s performance, the board will conference with labor negotiators regarding employee salaries and salary schedules, and to discuss a property exchange agreement for the former Island High School site on Eagle Avenue.

The board will also consider a pending litigation issue related to the school district low-income housing fund and real property the district owns at the Encinal terminals site at Sherman Street and Buena Vista Avenue.

Members of the public may comment on items on the closed-session agenda before the meeting.

Following the closed-session, the board will reconvene for a special meeting for an update on the community engagement process regarding the question of what to do with the Alameda High School building.

Toxicology Tests Needed to Determine Cause of Death for 38-year old Alameda Woman

David Howard, Editor, Publisher, Chief Cook and Bottle Washer — Thu, 16 May 2013 16:44:00 +0000

It may take up to two months for the Alameda County Coroner’s office to determine what caused the death of a 38-year old Alameda woman who was found dead at her home on the 1000 block of Santa Clara Avenue last Friday.

Alameda Police responded to a call for service at the Santa Clara Avenue home of Melanie Campbell, 38 years old, at 9:40 a.m. on Friday, May 10th, and found the woman deceased.

The Coroner’s office told Action Alameda News this morning that, as yet, they are unable to determine a cause of death.

Tipsters alerted Action Alameda News to police activity at the residence, noting three squad cars, the coroner’s van and a crime scene investigation vehicle. Later that day, a police spokesperson told Action Alameda News that the death was initially suspicious because the woman seemed too young to die of natural causes. However, police reported no signs foul play, and the coroner’s office did not give priority to an autopsy of the woman as they normally do in homicide cases.

Ms. Campbell is survived by a minor child and the child’s father. A Google+ page for a Melanie Campbell living in Alameda said she worked at John Muir Medical Center and attended Yale University.

Median Home Sale Price up in Alameda County

David Howard, Editor, Publisher, Chief Cook and Bottle Washer — Thu, 16 May 2013 14:51:34 +0000

House prices in Alameda County were up in April. (East Bay Real Estate Directory)

Data released this week by the California Association of Realtors show the median price of existing homes was up 36.6 percent in April, compared to April of 2012.

The median sales price of existing single-family homes in Alameda County in April was $624,270 compared to $456,910 in April of 2012, and $578,310 in March of this year.

The county-wide unsold inventory index in April was 2.2, compared to 2.8 in April of 2012, suggesting a tight supply of homes for sale. The median time on market in April was 47.9 days, compared to 61.4 days in the same month last year, reflective of a faster moving market that’s driving prices up.

According to the Realtor’s association, mortgage rates dropped in April. Rates for a 30-year fixed-mortgage averaged 3.45 percent in April, down from 3.91 percent in April 2012.

Closed Session School Board Meeting Tommorrow to Discuss Superintendent Performance

David Howard, Editor, Publisher, Chief Cook and Bottle Washer — Wed, 15 May 2013 21:40:25 +0000

Update 5/16/13 3:00 p.m. AUSD sends notice that meeting has been canceled.

The Alameda Unified School District Board of Trustees will hold a closed session meeting tomorrow to review Superintendent Kirstan Vital’s performance. Ms. Vital’s contract provides for annual pay increases of 3 percent, and $15,000 performance-based bonuses.

The meeting starts at 6:00 p.m. and will be held in a conference room at the district’s offices at 2060 Challenger Drive, in Marina Village.

Members of public may comment on closed session topics before the board adjourns to closed session.

BOARD OF EDUCATION AGENDA
SPECIAL MEETING May 16, 2013
6:00 PM
District Office
2060 Challenger Drive, Suite 100 Alameda, CA 94501 Ballena Bay / Harbor Bay Conference Rooms

City of Alameda to Update Housing Element for 2014 to 2022 Planning Period

David Howard, Editor, Publisher, Chief Cook and Bottle Washer — Wed, 15 May 2013 16:44:25 +0000

At Monday’s Planning Board meeting, City of Alameda Planning Department staff provided an informational report on a plan to update the City’s housing element for the 2014 to 2022 planning period.

By law, the city has to have a housing element as part of it’s General Plan. The 2007 to 2014 Housing Element was finalized and approved in July of last year. According to the staff report, the updated element must be adopted by December of 2013. Over the coming months, planning department staff will schedule a series of public hearings to receive comment on the update.

Planning Department staff expect that the current inventory of land identified for housing should be sufficient to meet the city’s housing opportunity allocation from the Association of Bay Area Governments, due to the re-zoning of several parcels last year.

Land at Alameda Point is not included in the housing element completed last year, but is expected to be included in this new element due at the end of the year.

Included in the staff report is a summary table of six sites in the current inventory that have either been entitled or are the subject of preliminary development applications. Of note is a so-called “remnant parcel” at the intersection of Webster Street and Stargell Avenue, where a commercial development with no housing is proposed, although it is zoned for 61 multifamily units. Also, the city has an incomplete application on file to increase the Boatworks project to 240 multifamily units.

The full staff report is included below.

Housing Element Update

Concerts at the Cove, 2013 Schedule

David Howard, Editor, Publisher, Chief Cook and Bottle Washer — Tue, 14 May 2013 19:40:16 +0000

Concerts at the Cove Schedule, from the West Alameda Business Association. Entertainers not published yet.

Friday, June 14, 2013 • 5:30 p.m.-7:30 p.m.
Friday, July 12, 2013 • 5:30 p.m.-7:30 p.m.
Friday, August 9, 2013 • 5:30 p.m.-7:30 p.m.

Concerns About Backyard Farming, Slaughter

David Howard, Editor, Publisher, Chief Cook and Bottle Washer — Tue, 14 May 2013 12:11:57 +0000

(Editor Note – italics and capital letters are reflected as they appeared in the original submission.)

Dear Editor,

It is a Pandora’s Box, having livestock in backyards of Alameda. The irony is that I abhor factory farming and am a huge advocate for small farms. But we will have some residences with livestock being raised, bred and slaughtered without oversight or concern for neighbors, the environment, or the animals.

Let’s consider that people who have livestock in their backyards, will be, for the most part, on the honor system. I don’t think the city has the resources to make inspections, issue citations, etc. I say this because when I called to ask what the law was pertaining to chicken’s, I had a difficult time getting a return call. When I finally spoke to someone, he literally whined to me about how short staffed they are and all the responsibilities he had. I wasn’t asking him to do anything but answer a question.

I know they all work hard and do the best they can but it made me feel bad for bothering them. So what will it be like when people need help with noncompliant neighbors? That said, whatever laws we enact or use, whether from the city or state, are going to be kind of irrelevant. With all due respect to Alamedans, there are some people who aren’t going to abide by any law. It’s possible that they don’t even know what the laws are. Will we send out a mailer to every residence in a language they can read? (My landlord doesn’t speak English.) My neighbor had a rooster and could not have cared less about the noise. I tried to make the best of it for a year before I had no choice but to call the city and complain. I felt bad having to do that and was really amazed that he would not have realized it was disturbing the peace.

What about animal waste and rodent issues? What about environmental and contamination issues? What about how they are housed and slaughtered? What can renters do when a backyard farm at their residence infringes on their rights? I’m expected to comply with all rules and regulations for the safety, care and cleanliness of the premises and for the benefit and comfort of other tenants or neighbors. A renter also has the right to quiet enjoyment.

I came home one day to witness, in the FRONT YARD, my landlord slowly slitting the throat of a live chicken so he could save the blood in a container for some reason. (We do not have chickens. Maybe he bought it from the neighbor.) Truth is, I don’t have a problem with this in principle, because I’ve seen what happens in slaughterhouses and it could never be as horrible. Although state laws says “the animal must be rendered insensible to pain by a captive bolt, gunshot, electrical or chemical means, or any other means that is rapid and effective before being cut, shackled, hoisted, thrown, or cast, with the exception of poultry which may be shackled”, unfortunately, it’s not adhered to.

I’m a little embarrassed to say that I was shocked and stood there for a moment. The landlord laughed because he saw that it bothered me even though I tried to hide it. Are we going to address this or just use state law? How will the law be enforced? I actually think that people should see, first-hand, how the animals they eat are raised and killed. But I don’t eat chicken and wish he had done it somewhere else.

– Holly Rose, Alameda