Serving the neighborhoods from Fruitvale Avenue to Seminary Avenue and from Foothill Boulevard to Warren Freeway since 1989Volume 16 Number 2 March 2004

A Community Newspaper • P.O. Box 19046, Oakland, CA 94619 • (510) 287-2655

J. V. Armstrong, Vera Callendar, Amy Graybeal, Gloria Kinores, G. A. Peddle

You, too, can become a friend of the Metro. See page 2.

Your support helps keep the Metro alive! Become one of the Thousand Friends.

e, the CalvinSimmons Commu-nity, receive the

MacArthur Metro each month.This month we would liketo share with you thingsthat made the past yearextra special for us.

First, on December 13,33 honor-roll students wereinvited on a trip to AngelIsland. A generous grantfrom the Sierra Club madethe trip possible. Here’s howstudent Tommy Lu describedthe day:

“Going to Angel Islandwas a wonderful experience.I went to tons of differentplaces that day, and I did a

lot of things. I learned abouthow the immigrants weretreated and how they lived.Angel Island has many greatfeatures. For example, MountLivermore has a wonderfulview of places all around.And the immigration centerhas Chinese words carved allover the walls. I hope I cango there again someday.”

Later in December,students and parents visitedthe Monterey Bay Aquarium.Thanks for the great charterbus service we received fromMichael’s Charter Service!Students enjoyed the busride, watching movies on the

High Marks forCalvin Simmons

Tommy Lu on Calvin Simmons fieldtrip to Angel Island.

r. Maureen Dorsey, vet-erinarian and owner ofthe Oakland Veterinary

Hospital on MacArthur Boule-vard, wanted to be a veterinar-ian since junior high school.“When I was in seventh grade,I read a book about a womanveterinarian in England, but Ihad never even thought thata woman could be a veterinar-ian,” she says. Unfortunately,she was right. At the time,American veterinary collegeshad policies restricting accessby women. Only men wereallowed to study veterinarymedicine.

Dr. Dorsey was fascinatedby physiology and medicineand knew from an early agethat she wanted to work withanimals. “It seemed magicaland artistic and intuitive,” shesays. By the time she graduatedfrom high school, affirmativeaction was giving women andminorities greater access to op-portunities. Luckily for catsand dogs everywhere aroundthe Laurel District, Dr. Dorseygraduated with a degree inveterinary medicine from UC

Davis. In 1995, she purchasedthe Oakland Veterinary Hospi-tal and began caring for ourfour-legged friends.

While working with sickor wounded animals can some-times be frustrating, according cont inued on page 4

CO

URT

ESY

JEN

NY

RIEN

ZO

BY JE N N Y R I E N Z O , CO U N S E L O R , A N D TO M M Y LU, S T U D E N T

cont inued on page 2

to Dr. Dorsey, one of the bestthings about it is getting to do“pretty wonderful things withreally fascinating beings.” Yetshe admits it is tough when apet owner does not or cannot

Vet Also Cares for Community’s Ills

W

hen Oakland Com-munity Organiza-tions (OCO) held

its Election Forum in earlyFebruary, the recurrenttheme at the meeting ofabout 70 persons was thequestion of accountability.

“How will the city beaccountable?” one citizenasked Police Chief Wordand the panel, speakingon Measure R, the violence-reduction measure.

Then, in a discussionof Measure E, school-boardmember Dan Siegel ob-served of state-appointedschool administratorRandolph Ward, “I’mconcerned about Ward’slack of accountability;closing of five schoolswill save only 1.28 milliondollars per year.” ThenSiegel was himself asked,“How will you holdyourself accountable?”

Nate Miley, speakingfor health care MeasureA, responded to a similarquestion, saying that theBoard of Supervisorswould appoint an account-ability commission. EvenMeasure P, strong mayor,prompted an audiencemember to ask, “Account-ability is one of the mainpoints. Who monitors?”

Who is accountable? Ifound myself struck by thenumber of times that ques-tion was asked at the fo-rum. Because Election Dayis March 2 this year, by thetime this issue of the Metroreaches most readers,voting will be over. Yetwhatever the outcome ofthe election, the issues pre-sented by the ballot mea-sures still exist. As regardsthose issues and myriadothers, local, state, andnational, the question ofaccountability resonates.

B Y M A R Y A N N M I L L E R

DG

REG

NO

VA

K

A Question ofAccountability

B Y S H E I L A D ’ A M I C O

W

Dr. Maureen Dorsey with an uncooperative patient.

cont inued on page 5

The Metro in winter.

See page 6.

RIC

K LE

VY

www.macarthurmetro.org

2March 2004

HOT NUMBERSCITY OF OAKLAND AGENCIES

ABAT—the Alcoholic 777-8670Beverage Action Team

Graffiti hotline 238-4703

Abandoned cars 238-6030

O.P.D. Non-emergency 238-3333

Animal control 535-5602

Beat Health (drugs) 777-8630

Drug Hotline 238-DRUG

Noise Hotline: 238-6777(Oakland CEDA,property complaint line)

C.O.R.E. 238-6351(Citizens of OaklandRespond to Emergencies)

City Tree Unit 615-5850

Oaklanders Assistance 444-CITYCenter knows the answerto all problems with cityand other governmentalservices in Oakland.

PRIVATE AGENCIES

A Safe Place 536-7233(domestic violence)

Conciliation 763-2117Services of Oakland(neighborhood disputes)

Sentinel Fair Housing 836-2687(free landlord-tenantcounseling anddiscrimination investigation)

Managing EditorToni Locke

Associate EditorSheila D’Amico

Copy EditorsAnne Fox, Roussel Sargent

Finances/BookkeepingReuben Goldberg

Advertising ManagerBeverley Brown

Art DirectorAndreas Jones

Word ProcessingDavid Raich

PhotographyJody Berke, Clifford Stevenson

DistributionPeter Bond

MailingDiane Trost

CalendarKaty Murphy

Friends and Money HoneysMary Seastrand

�

Board of DirectorsSheila D’AmicoDouglas FergusonReuben GoldbergBettie GrandisonBrian HolmesRashaun Raymond

�

A special thanks to allresidents, associations, andmerchants for their support.

Also, a special thanks to allvolunteer writers, artists,photographers, and distributors.

Imagesetting by Green Graphics,Oakland, California, (510) 923-0000.Printing by Wesco Graphics, Inc.,Tracy, California, (209) 832-1000.

Opinions expressed in the MacArthurMetro are those of the contributorsand do not necessarily reflect theviews held by the publication.©2004 by the MacArthur Metro,P.O. Box 19046, Oakland, CA 94619(510) 287-2655.

We welcome yournews and ads;

deadline the 15th.

Publication in thefirst week of each

month exceptJanuary and July.

ISSN 1091-1111

How to Reachthe Metro

WRITE US A LETTER. Sendyour comments to Lettersto the Editor, MacArthurMetro, P.O. Box 19046,Oakland, CA 94619.

GIVE US A CALL. Our voice-mail number is: 287-2655.

Letters may be edited forlength or clarity. Please in-clude name, address andphone number. We do notprint anonymous letters.

he death of JeannetteSherwin has leftOaklanders with mixed

feelings. The targets of herwitty, sharp criticism haveno doubt breathed a sigh ofrelief; her friends and readersknow her loss leaves a voidin Oakland’s body politic.

For Metro readers whodidn’t know Jeannette,I suggest a visit towww.oaklandnews.com.Take a cruise around thesite, and read what she had tocontribute to the community.Writers play a special role inour lives. They bring us thenews; they pen the words wehear in the theater and paintpictures for us in books. Goodwriters know how to find our

hearts, even when they writeabout things we’d rather notthink about. Jeannette wassuch a writer.

I know I am not alone inadmiring what she did forOakland. She kept ourelected officials and thecity’s bureaucrats on theirtoes. She pointed to issuesthat needed fixing and de-manded the city fix them.

Ten years ago, when I be-gan writing for the Metro asa real-estate writer, Jeannetteconverted me into the gadflyI am today. When I met her,she and I were writing forthe Montclarion. In 1994,when I took the position asthe paper’s real-estate editor,she was writing her column,“And Another Thing.”

She used to visit me inthe newsroom and encourageme in my neighborhoodactivism. She was delightedto learn that Metro editorToni Locke had converted mefrom a real-estate columnistto the “Junkyard Dog,” asthis column was once called.

I was in the Montclarionnewsroom when Scott Little

DennisEvanosky

Shenaniganson the Boulevard

Oakland Loses a Courageous Voicefired her. Little, whom thepaper’s owners, Chip andMary Brown, had hiredas their handler, calledJeannette into his office.A few minutes later,Jeannette stormed intothe newsroom for a tête-à-têtewith Montclarion editor SallySt. Lawrence.

Little made the mistakeof telling Jeannette what todo. Bad idea. Jeannette quit.I realized what an importantrole she played at the paperabout an hour later, whenSally walked out and neverreturned.

Management at theMontclarion took no interestin how Jeannette was de-scribing an Oakland politi-cian, but Sally had thecourage to come downon Jeannette’s side.

And Jeannette had thecourage to carry on, firstwith her newsletter, thenwith her groundbreakingWeb site. Hell hath no furylike Jeannette scorned. Shetook this fury and channeledit into Oakland News. Overthe years she has made

Oakland’s politicians payattention, she has forced thecity’s bureaucracy to at leasttry to do things properly.

We worked together overthe years on the NewsletterTask Force, a loose federationof neighborhood writers andeditors that she helped formand keep together. Occasion-ally, I got a call from her tohelp her resolve somethingin her personal life, a call fromone friend to another.

In the end, we were work-ing together to give the Metro’ssewer rehab stories a widervoice. She staunchly defendedwhat the Metro was doing andsaying. I was looking forwardto working with her to resolvethis issue; then I learned shewas gone.

I’d like to end this withthe traditional “rest in peace,Jeannette,” but I won’t, becauseI know she would not wantto rest in peace. I won’t besurprised to get to the nextworld and find that she startedwww.heavensnews.com. Godhelp God.

Goodbye, my friend.We will carry on.

drive to the aquarium. Here’sTommy Lu’s description:

“Going to Monterey BayAquarium again was wonder-ful. I saw fishes and other seaanimals everywhere I went.

Calvin SimmonsC O N T I N U E D F R O M P A G E 1

T

I saw and learned aboutmany fishes such as theweird-shaped head fish.It’s weird because whenthe male leader is dead, thebiggest and toughest femaleturns into a male. Eventhough Monterey is faraway, it’s worth it becauseit’s a wonderful place to go.”

Finally, as we prepared

for winter vacation and theseason of sharing, CalvinSimmons students and staffworked hard to donate over1,200 cans to the AlamedaCounty Food Bank. Over 12

Calvin Simmons honor students on Angel Island.Calvin Simmons’ very successful canned-food drive.

classes donated cans. Thewinning group donatedover 300 cans! The commu-nity demonstrated an out-standing show of sharingand caring.

CO

URT

ESY

JEN

NY

R IEN

ZO

CO

URT

ESY

JEN

NY

RIEN

ZO

March 2004

3

Inglés, Soccer,and Nostalgia

at Brookdale RecSpanish-English classes havestarted. Manager DanniGamidge scheduled theclasses Tuesday, from 4 to 6p.m., in response to requestsfrom Spanish-speaking chil-dren who want to practicetheir English in a relaxedsetting. The program is opento all age groups, and theschedule is flexible in caseanother day works better forthe participants. We can allhelp by spreading the wordin the community.

Spring soccer has alsobegun, and a craft specialistis at the center Thursday,from 4 to 5 p.m. The childrenhave been working in clay,but they will move on toother media, depending ontheir interests. The class isopen to fourth graders andolder. For information, dropin, or call 535-5632.

Early in February a groupof about 20 Brookdale alumniheld a reunion of the TeenClub of 1978. The 40-some-things—many with teenagersof their own—socialized,

B Y G O R D O N L A V E R T Y

remembered when, and enjoyedrefreshments. The event wasorganized by Jeffrey Taylor.

A Gym with a StageOakland Boys and Girls ClubExecutive Director Cal Stanleyhas his fingers crossed that theweather won’t get in the wayof the completion scheduledby midyear. At the same time,the club is planning to get theword out to neighborhoodchildren and their familiesand to hold a grand-openingreception.

When I mentioned that thegymnasium looks interesting

ith the looming clo-sure of John SwettSchool, alma mater

elementary school to manyof our Leona area children,it is appropriate to look ateducation history in ourneighborhood. While Oaklandbecame a city in 1852, andthe first school buildingwas presented to the city byHorace Carpentier in 1853,John Swett School was notfounded until 1926. This wasclose to the time the SyndicateRealty Company newspaperads trumpeted, “Own yourown chicken ranch in LeonaHeights,” and populationgrew as new homes werebuilt.

Though many childrenlived close enough to walkto John Swett, some weredriven in parent carpoolsarranged by mothers whotook turns driving in an erawhen most mothers stayed athome to care for the children.Some of those drivers laugha lot when they meet andrecount the stories of thosedays “back in the 1900s.”

In 1956, the enlargement ofJohn Swett School was dedi-cated in the form the building

has now. Traditions devel-oped over the years, such asthe annual Halloween Paradethrough the schoolyard andthe cakewalk game in theauditorium, where luckyfolks could win cakes in agamelike atmosphere.

Discussing such memorieswill be a part of the hoped-for John Swett Reunion forStudents and Parents at anunspecified time, but beforethe close of school this year.

Call Marge at 531-4860if you would like to be onthe committee to arrangethe reunion.

Research for last month’sMetro article on Leona Lodgealso provided the tidbit thatearly in the life of John SwettSchool, in 1926-27, there wason the campus an outbuildingthen used for youth activities,among them Boy Scout Troop99 (the present Troop 339)meetings. When the youthactivities were driven from thebuilding to permit creation ofone more classroom, LorenzoHarrington, Homer Mather,and others were so incensedthat they organized the effortthat eventually resulted in thecreation of Leona Lodge.

Yes indeed, local historycan be intertwined andexciting.

Altenheim and LincolnCourt Another Step CloserIn late January, the Commu-nity and Economic Develop-ment Committee of the Oak-land City Council approvedstaff recommendations forcity housing funds for boththe Altenheim and LincolnCourt, based on applicationsthat Citizens Housing andDomus Development submit-ted last fall. The items wentto the full council on February17 for final approval.

Another communitymeeting on Lincoln Court isexpected later this month.The exact date, time, andlocation will be posted inDimond Library as well ason the message board atwww.dimondnews.org. Thepurpose of the meeting willbe to gather more input onthe design of this project,which is proposed for theformer Hillcrest Motel site.The latest preliminary plansinclude enclosed parking onthe first floor for 35 cars (in-stead of an underground ga-rage for 45), with an entranceon MacArthur Blvd.; com-mercial space at the corner ofMacArthur Blvd. and LincolnAve., possibly for seniorhealth services; and 80 single-bedroom units on the top twostories. Applications for statefunds will be due in April.

Just in Time for Spring—Business Is Blooming

The Dimond survey is work-ing. A Dimond resident hasexpressed interest in openinga pet-food store that may alsooffer grooming. Dimond ParkGrill, which should be a greatsit-down family restaurant,is expected to open soon inthe former Star Donut shop.Moreover, with a new tenantin that location, the propertyowners will be improving thefaçade for the entire building,which also includes Cybelle’sPizza and Jackson Hewitt.

The former Milroc/Carib-bean Kitchen has caught theeye of an Oakland residentwith a green thumb, who isexploring the idea of openingHealing Gardens, whichwould provide the homegardener with plants andherb seeds such as gold-enseal, ginseng, and valerian.In addition, the store wouldsell common fruit and veg-etable plants such as tomato,garlic, and cucumber.

Glass on the Spot, in theformer Americo Lock andGlass shop on Dimond Ave.between MacArthur Blvd.and the 580 freeway, hasdemonstrated its nice workwith a charming façade im-provement.

Finally, you may haveheard about the fire in earlyFebruary at Full Moon Sea-food House. Fortunately,the fire, the cause of which

Dimond Neighborhood NewsB Y H O A N G L E B A N H

B Y A D E L L E F O L E Y

from the street, I learnedthat the facility is a gymand performance center,complete with a stage. Andit looks even more impres-sive from inside, even as awork in progress.

Happy Birthday, Dr. SeussChildren’s Librarian SharonSenser has been on the jobonly two months, but herpresence is already visible.Preschoolers are invited toStorytime every Tuesday,at 10:30 a.m. And the branchis celebrating Dr. Seuss’s

was electrical, was quicklycontained and damaged onlythe rear of the building androof. The restaurant will re-open in about three months.

Friends Raise Fundsfor Dimond Library

The Friends of DimondLibrary would like to thankthose who have bought usedbooks to help support thelibrary’s book collection aswell as its summer youthprograms and computer pro-grams. New Friends are wel-come to the next meeting onApril 17, at 11:30 a.m., on thesecond floor of the library.

Time for DIA BoardNominations

The next Dimond Improve-ment Association meetingwill be March 3, at 7:30 p.m.,on the second floor ofDimond Library. Nomina-tions for the board, includingofficers, will take place, aswell as committee updateson streetscape and businessdevelopment and reports onother neighborhood happen-ings. Elections will take placeat the following month’smeeting, on April 7.

Sequoia School NewsFor some neighborhoodentertainment on a Fridaynight, head over to SequoiaElementary School for theSequoia Dads’ Club 15th

cont inued on page 4

cont inued on page 4

Leona HeightsNeighborhood News

High Street Neighborhood News

W

The Oakland Boys and Girls Club gym—a work in progress.

CO

URT

ESY

CA

LVES

TER

STA

NLE

Y

LAUREL HARDWARE4024 MacArthur 530-1966

Open M-F 8-8, Sat 9-6

With this coupon.Limit one coupon per customer. Not valid

with any other offer. Coupon expires 3/31/04.

SCREEN REPAIR

10% OffSEASON DISCOUNT

Aluminum Screen • Fiberglass Screen

Contact Andyor Matt forfree price quote

Help Your Metro Get AroundAsk for a bundle of 25 or 50 papers to deliver door-to-door, once a month. Peter Bond, distribution manager,will bring them to you. You can then say to yourself:1. I have strengthened the safety net of neighborhood friendship.2. I have exercised and burned calories.3. I have a hearty appetite for my next meal.

Contact Peter Bond: e-mail, bpbond@aol.com; phone,530-0427. Do it, and take credit!

Tue.-Sat. 12-5:30pm4004 MacArthur Blvd

510-482-5921Email:

KomodoToyz@aol.com

Making a difference, just a little bit at a time

Toys & H

obbies • Making a difference, just a little bit at a tim

e • La

Dolce

Vita ••

Toys

& H

obbi

es •

La

Dol

ceV

ita •

Mak

ing

a di

ffer

ence

, ju

st a

litt

le b

it at

a t

ime

CustomerAppreciation DaySaturday, March 27th

~Yu-Gi-Oh Master

TournamentSaturday, March 20th

4March 2004

The Bestof BothWorlds

PauletteAvery,

R.N., M.S.N.,I.B.C.L.C.

To Your Health

s many of you knowfrom reading my col-umns, I believe in and

use alternative or complemen-tary health practices in additionto seeking conventional West-ern medical care. Last year Ishared with you my positiveexperience with an acupunctur-ist and Chinese herbalist, andfor many years I have benefitedfrom the care of a body workerskilled in a variety of treatmentsfrom hypnosis and reflexologyto cranio-sacral therapy.

I am far from alone independing on alternative healthcare. According to Newsweek,Americans make 600 millionalternative health care visitseach year and spend $30 billiondoing so. Clearly, traditionalWestern medicine is failingto meet all of our health-careneeds, despite its many suc-cesses and all of its technicaladvances.

With this in mind, I washappy to hear a recent radiointerview with Dr. LarryAltshuler, author of a booktitled Balanced Healing: Combin-ing Modern Medicine with Safeand Effective Alternative Thera-pies. Although I haven’t readthe book yet, I feel comfortablerecommending it to anyoneinterested in finding what Dr.Altshuler refers to as “the bestof both worlds” in health care.

Here’s a quote from Dr.Altshuler about why he wrotethis book:

“Day after day for 26 years,I’ve treated chronic pain andchronic diseases. In my earlyyears of practice, I was oftenfrustrated, as were my patients,because for many of them con-ventional treatments aloneeither helped only a minimalamount or didn’t help at all.‘You’ll just have to learn tolive with your disease,’ is whatthe doctors, myself included,would have to tell theirpatients. But there was hopefor them in another medicalworld—the alternative medi-cine world. Now patients stillcome in with suffering and frus-tration, but most go out withhope and much better health.They told me I should write abook and help others with myBalanced Healing approach. Ihope my book will do just that.”

In addition to being boardcertified in Internal Medicine,Dr. Altshuler has advancedtraining in Chinese herbalmedicine, acupuncture, nutri-tion, Qi Gong, and mind-bodymedicine. Like ChristianeNorthrup and Andrew Weil,two other doctors whom Ilike and respect, Dr. Altshulerdoesn’t try to convince us thateither conventional or alterna-tive medicine is superior.Instead, he shows us how tomake the most of the safe andeffective treatments from eachmodality. I look forward toreading his book and will tellyou more about it when I do.

On a related subject, Dr.Andrew Weil’s February SelfHealing newsletter reports onresearch into the effectivenessof acupuncture. It has beenfound effective and safe inthe treatment of addictions,cardiovascular disease, infertil-ity, mental health disorders,nausea, respiratory conditions,and stroke rehabilitation. Addi-tionally, an expert panel of theNational Institutes of Healthhas found acupuncture effec-tive in relieving postoperativedental pain as well as findingit acceptable as an adjunct oralternative treatment for condi-tions that include fibromyalgia,headache, menstrual cramps,tennis elbow, carpal tunnelsyndrome, low back pain, andosteoarthritis. If you decide togive acupuncture a try, be sureto choose a qualified practitio-ner. (See the October 2003 issueof the Metro for an article onMetro-area acupuncturist Dr.Alex Feng.)

Zicam Alert: Now on adifferent topic, I’d like to cau-tion you about the use of thecold remedy Zicam that I haverecommended in this columnmore than once. I recentlylearned that a study done inColorado has found that thenasal form of Zicam has causedsome users to lose their senseof smell. I have yet to locate thestudy to get more information,but in the meantime I suggestyou choose one of the oralforms of this medication. —————————————Paulette Avery is a registerednurse and a freelance writerwho specializes in health issues.

B Y P E T E R B O N D

Dear readers: This writer doessearch for individuals andbusinesses worthy of inclusion inthis column, but he relies mostlyon input from others. So, pleasee-mail your ideas for Onions& Orchids to bpbond@aol.com.

Orchids to TomVanDemark, of the City ofOakland Pedestrian SafetyProject, whose minigrantproject awarded thousandsof pedometers throughoutthe city, several hundred ofwhich were awarded to theLaurel/Redwood HeightsNeighborhood Crime Preven-tion Council (NCPC). Thesewill be distributed to eightlocal schools by NCPC ChairBobbie Bond and will be usedat the discretion of the schoolsfor education projects.

Orchids to the recipientsof 2004 District 4 “Local HeroAwards,” who received, alongwith commendations fromJean Quan, District 4 Council-member, authority to designatea specific monetary amountfrom the District’s CapitalImprovement Funds to a com-munity improvement projectin District 4 or for a project ofcitywide significance. Theseindividuals and groups aretireless volunteers well deserv-ing of accolades.

Orchids to JanHetherington and the MaxwellPark NCPC and others, includ-ing Jane Stallman, SuzanneDuPont, and Colette Simons,for beginning and continuingthe cleaning and planting andotherwise improving thenarrow strip next to the 580freeway adjacent to Walgreensand the area behind Walgreens.

Periodically this year we willreview past “Onions” for currentstatus. The following concernstwo past “Onions”:

Onions to Caltrans fortheir continuing inability tomonitor and clean up the messon their property on the HighSt. off-ramp from eastboundHwy. 580, both along the free-way wall and at the end of theoff-ramp on the right. The on-ramp at Coolidge is even worse.

Onions to the ownersof the old Exxon Gas Stationproperty on 35th Avenue atQuigley (across from the free-way on- and off-ramps), BNYWestern Trust Compound, andR. J. Dold. They were awardedan “Onion” last year because ofthe weed and litter infestation.This property, not adequatelyfenced, is now becoming van-dalized with graffiti and graffititags.

birthday with refreshmentsand readings of his books forfirst and second graders, onTuesday, March 2, from 3:30to 5 p.m.

On Monday, March 8, theBranch will host a receptionto honor the nursery schoolprogram that was held in thebasement of the library from1972 to 1999. Former teachersRuth Rentz and Juanta Hag-bers will be on hand from5 to 6:30 p.m., along withparents and children whoparticipated in the program.The public is welcome, anda photo collage of 25 years ofpreschool will be on display.

If you are reading thisbefore the March 2 primaryelection, you can ensurethe future of your library byvoting Yes on Proposition Q.

A layer of frostCovering the lush green lawnCatches the sunlight

—————————————Adelle Foley can be reached atjasfoley@aol.com.

A

BREAKFAST LUNCHALL DAY 11AM-2:30PM

Tuesday-Sunday 7:30am-2:30pm (Closed Mon)

3719 MacArthur Blvd (across from the KFC) • 482-2200

High Street NewsC O N T I N U E D F R O M P A G E 3

Dimond NewsC O N T I N U E D F R O M P A G E 3

Annual Variety Show, onMarch 19, at 7 p.m. (To learnmore about the Dads’ Club,go to www.geocities.com/dadzclub.)

Sequoia principal KathyMaloney is pleased to an-nounce that the school’sAcademic Proficiency Index(API) rose 38 points last year.Additionally, the after-schoolprogram has expanded toprovide even more studentswith resources to succeedacademically. Sequoia iscurrently enrolling studentsfor kindergarten and wel-comes parents and childrento visit the lovely campus at3730 Lincoln Ave. For moreinformation, call the schoolat 879-1510. —————————————Hoang can be reached athbanh@lmi.net.

Jim Gardner Construction Inc.FOUNDATIONS • DRAINAGE

RETAINING WALLSEARTHQUAKE RETROFIT

510 •655-3409www.jimgardnerconstruction.com

Since 1980 • Lic.# 444635

“THE STRUCTURAL SPECIALIST”

afford to care for a pet andthen gets angry when the care-takers do not work for free.

One of the biggest chal-lenges Dr. Dorsey faces isthe cost of animal care. “Newgraduate veterinarians spendthe same time in college asphysicians but earn less thana city councilperson,” she says.Yet for all its challenges, it isclear that Dr. Dorsey has foundher true calling.

Given how busy she is, itis amazing that Dr. Dorsey stillfinds time to mentor children.She visits Oakland classroomsto share stories about what it islike to be a veterinarian. In herwaiting room, there is a three-ring notebook filled with lettersfrom children. Many talk abouthow Dr. Dorsey inspired themto want to care for animalssome day. “One never knowshow much influence one canhave on a kid, but I just wantthem to know that caring foranimals is another field ofwork to consider,” she says.

Some children have takenher words to heart, and Dr.Dorsey credits one of her class-room visits with bringing her“a really super staff member.”Dr. Dorsey credits her staff fortheir hard work and team ap-proach. “It’s important to havelike-minded people working to-gether to do the job,” she says.

But it’s not only pets that

Dr. Dorsey nurtures and caresfor. She also fights for the in-tegrity of her neighborhood.As an Oakland resident since1990 and a member of theLaurel Merchants’ Associa-tion, she is committed tomaking her community abetter place. As she says,“If one doesn’t get involvedin civic matters, then onedoesn’t get to complain.”

But her staff can’t reallycomplain, either. As a formerstand-up comic, Dr. Dorseyis skilled at keeping a grin oneveryone’s face. “Now, I justlimit my comedy improv tomy exam-room banter,” Dr.Dorsey says.

Find out more aboutDr. Dorsey, Dr. Hart, andthe other terrific staff at theOakland Veterinary Hospitalat www.oaklandvet.com,or call them at 530-1353.

Caring VetC O N T I N U E D F R O M P A G E 1

The Contractors’ Rental Center Commercial Accounts Welcome

Builders • Roofers • Painters • PlumbersLandscapers • Masons • Janitors

WE REPAIR & SERVICE POWER TOOLS

Ryder Truck Rentals • Open 7 Days2969 MacArthur Blvd • 482-5545

March 2004

5

METROCLASSIFIED ADS

INSTRUCTION

RENTALS

Mendoc ino coas t co t tage :Charming, furnished, 1BR plus liv-ing room sofabed, fireplace fullyequipped kitchen, $90/night(three-night minimum), $550/week. (510) 482-5577.

Room For Rent. Single student—nopets. Private home near Mills,Merritt & Patten Campuses. Call530.6003.

Professional office suites forlease. Refurbished, janitorial,parking, utilities included, squarefootage 380-1170 for $800 up.510.289.0200.

Interior Painting. Jacob Hart,530-6247. Lic.#705262.

African-American manicurist,located in the Laurel District,specializing in manicures, pedi-cures w/paraffin wax treatments,sculptured nails, silk and fiberglasswraps. Over 15 years experienceand service in this area. Call (510)482-3229 for appointment.

Fast, neat interior painting bywoman, 534-9772.

Your local fiduciary. SuccessorTrustee, Executor, Conservator ofestate, SS or VA payee. Trustwor-thy, knowledgeable, I can do it allor provide crucial help. ElizabethCallaway Trust Services. 530-1720.

Affordable local licensed therapist.Individual, couple, family and childtherapy for the Metro/Oaklandcommunity. Everyone needs helpsometimes. Supportive; practical;sliding scale. Helen MontgomeryLockwood MFCC #27283, (510)874-4722.

Licensed marriage and child thera-pist. Life transitions should be anopportunity for new challenges andexciting changes. Counseling/Psy-chotherapy may help facilitate thattransition. Please call LawrenceFoster, M.S. (LMFT #29517), 261-7167 (Maxwell Park Area).

S.I. Computers. Repairs/Upgrades/Retail. Hablamos Español. 510-530-0204, 2710 MacArthur Blvd,Oakland, www.sicomputers.net

Psychotherapy. Individual, Family,Child, English, Spanish, SlidingScale, Free Initial ConsultationAvailable. Dora Grisetti MA. MFTI44065. 510.869.2600.

SERVICES

Bernice & Joe Playschool. Fornearly 25 years, play-based learn-ing in our earthquake retrofittedhome-like center near Mills Col-lege. The park-like quarter-acresetting has pine and fruit trees,vegetable garden, redwood play-house, 20-foot sailboat, two-storywooden rocket ship, outdoor artand block rooms. Curriculum in-cludes pre-reading, pre-math en-richment, field trips, F.I.T. gymnas-tics, music and Spanish lessons.Emphasis put on socialization, ver-balization. Sibling, discount. Lunch,snacks provided. Ages 2 to 5years. License #010214258. Bro-chure. (510) 638-3529.

Saxophone & Piano. Play musicfor the joy of it! Have fun learningjazz, blues, improvisation. Patient,supportive teacher. Ages 10 & up.Speciality: Adult beginners. Eva436-0504.

Classified RatesThe rate for classified ads is $.50per word. Discounted pricesavailable for five- and ten-issuefrequencies. Please type or writeyour copy clearly and mail itwith your check to The MacArthurMetro, P.O. Box 19406, Oak-land, 94619. Deadline is the15th of the month. For classified-ad frequency discounts anddisplay-ad information, pleasecontact Beverley Brown at287-2655, fax: 531-6629.

It’s time for Curves. And now there’sone right in your neighborhood.Curves is thirty-minute fitness,commonsense weight loss and thesupport you need to do both. Callus today and discover what over twomillion women already know: thatat Curves, your dreams are our goals.

It’s time to becomethe woman you want to be.

The power to amaze yourself.

*Offer based on first visit enrollment, minimum 12 mo. c. d. program; new members only. Valid only at participating locations. Not valid with any other offer.

©2003 C

urves International

NOW OPEN IN

The Dimond District

(510) 531-53003483 Champion St.

@ Fruitvale & MacArthurOver 7,500 locations to serve you.

First 100 Members

66%Off *

Service Fee

www.baycurves.com

MacArthur and High—what’s coming to this corner?

JOD

Y BE

RKE

The question has such aneasy answer in a democracy.Who is accountable? We are.Or more accurately, each ofus can answer, “I am.” Demoskratis, the people rule. Ruleimplies responsibility, and re-sponsibility implies account-ability. If something is goingwrong, I am responsible;I will be held accountable,

if not today, then by posterity.Many Metro readers take thisresponsibility seriously andwork to save creeks, preserveneighborhoods, improveschools, help libraries,encourage business growth,feed the hungry.

They are working to endviolence, too. For example,Calvin Simmons is one ofseven schools participating inSafe Passages’ Middle SchoolStrategy. This Strategy includesalternatives to suspension,

Second Step violence-preven-tion curriculum, increasedparental involvement,after-school activities, casemanagement, and mentalhealth services. DirectorJosefina Alvarado-Mena saysthe Safe Passages Mission isa collaboration among “thecity of Oakland, the schooldistrict, Alameda County,and the East Bay CommunityFoundation to work with thecommunity to improve the

cont inued on page 7

AccountabilityC O N T I N U E D F R O M P A G E 1

6March 2004

Calendar of Community Events

B Y K A T Y M U R P H Y , C O O R D I N A T O R

The MacArthur Metro calendar welcomes a range of listings. Weemphasize community meetings and actions that address neighbor-hood concerns, and cultural events that enrich our surroundings.

To have your event listed, please contact Katy Murphy no later thanthe 12th of the preceding month at kmmurphy@hotmail.com or 534-5330. Please include the word “Metro” in the subject line of e-mail.

March 2004Friends of Melrose Library: Monday, March 1, 6 p.m., MelroseBranch Library, Foothill and 48th Ave.

Mills College Songlines Series: Symposia on Sound, Nature,Technology, and Performance: Monday, March 1, 7:30 p.m.,Ensemble Room, Mills College, 5000 MacArthur Blvd. GuitaristJohn Schneider, with Garry Eisler, performs rarely heard worksby Harry Partch. For more information, contact the Center forContemporary Music, 430-2331.

Writing Workshop: Tuesdays, March 2 and 16, 6 to 8 p.m., LaurelBook Store, 4100 MacArthur Blvd. With Marnie Webb, drop-insupport and critique group for serious-minded writers.

Dr. Suess’s Birthday Celebration: Tuesday, March 2, 3:30 to 5p.m., Melrose Branch Library, Foothill and 48th. Call 535-5623for information.

Councilmember Jean Quan, District 4, Office Hours: Dimond:Wednesdays, 3 to 5 p.m., Oakland Police Substation, Safeway,3550 Fruitvale Ave. Laurel: Thursdays, 4 to 6 p.m., and Saturdays,10 a.m. to noon, 4173 MacArthur Blvd., 2nd floor.

Multicultural Fair: Saturday, March 6, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., RedwoodHeights Elementary School Auditorium, 4401 39th Ave. Worldcrafts, music, entertainment, and food prepared by parents. Entryfree; small fee for food.

Open Mic Poetry Night: Sunday, March 7, 7 p.m., St. Cuthbert’sEpiscopal Church, 7900 Mountain Boulevard. Everyone is welcometo poetry night the first Sunday of every month, and anyone mayparticipate. Share your own work, or read a poem that you love.

Maxwell Park NCPC: Wednesday, March 10, 7 to 8:30 p.m.,Mills College, 5000 MacArthur at Pierson. Please check in at maingate for meeting location. Call 534-4978 for information.

Reception for Artists of Laurel Elementary: Saturday, March 13,1 p.m., Laurel Bookstore, 4100 MacArthur Blvd. Artwork will bedisplayed at businesses throughout the Laurel District for two weeks;coordinated by art teacher Susan Walton.

Maxwell Park Community Mural Project: Sunday, March 14, 3p.m., World Ground Coffee Shop, 3726 MacArthur Blvd. Workto create a Community Mural on the wall across from Walgreens.

She Speaks: Wednesday, March 17, 7 p.m., Laurel Bookstore,4100 MacArthur Blvd. Women-only open mic poetry and prosereading, to encourage a supportive, safe, creative environmentfor women in all their diversity.

Melrose/High Hopes NCPC (beat 27X): Thursday, March 18,7 p.m., Horace Mann School, Congress and Ignacio.

Family Science Workshop—Space Tomatoes: Saturday, March 27,10 to 11:30 a.m., Chabot Space & Science Center, 10000 SkylineBlvd. Learn about NASA’s Seeds In Space Project and set up yourown experiment. Take your seeds home to observe. Nonmembers:$20 adults, $10 youth; members: $10 adults, $5 youth.

Bret harte Work Day: Saturday, April 3, 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.,Parents, students and community members come together for schoolclean up and beautification projects. Kids earn credit. Breakfastand lunch provided. call 879-2068 for information.

A Call to Photographers—Casino Slide CompetitionSlides of your favorite Oakland building or landscape wanted for a new musical comedy:

Casino, by Judith Offer and Joyce Whitelaw coming in May to the Glenview Performing Arts Center.Prizes of $50 each for the two chosen.

Send your photo developed as a slide, with your name and address, to:Alan Templeton

Glenview Performing Arts Center1318 Glenfield Ave. Oakland, CA 94602

Deadline April 1. Check Web site after April 5 for decision (www.glenviewpac.com).If your slide is used, you get free attendance to the preview of Casino on April 29.

OPEN EVERYDAY6:30AM-9PM

3726 MacArthur Blvdin the Laurel482-2933

order online:www.worldgrounds.com

Fair Trade,Organic Coffees

ScrumptiousPanini & Salads

Fresh FruitSmoothies

Now serving

Now servingDraft

MicroBrews& Organic Wine

by the Glass

DraftMicroBrews

& Organic Wineby the Glass

Jackton Levy of Redwood Heightsin Minneapolis, Minnesota.

A project of the Maxwell Park NCPC

RIC

K LE

VY

THE METRO GETS AROUND

March 2004

7

Roussel SargentJacob & Linda Hart

Knud DanildJoan Dark

Deborah CooperElaine Lyford-Nojima &

Dana NojimaRochelle Wald &

Sara WynneRussell Bruno &

Susanne LeaWilson Riles &

Patricia St. OngeCheri Ivey

Karen Marie SchroederHamachi

Richard WeinsteinLydia Palmin &

Tom DaleyRichard Cowan

Bonnie HenriquezJeff Kelley & Hung Liu

Dolphin WaletzkyWilliam & Susan

BagnellLeslie Bialik & Gene Tucci

John Elk lllLisa Ruhland &Michael CowanCarolyn Vallerga

Shoshana &David Finacom

UrsulaEduardo P. García

Celeste BurtonKathy & Phil CaskeyAndretta I. R. Fowler

Marcia Henry &Gary Delgado

Mr. & Mrs.Greg Fredericks

Richard & Nancy BankerDimond Improvement

AssociationDoug Ferguson

Phillip Wong & Lisa LemusNancy MeyerLaura Stern

Michael FerroMary Lee Peterson

John CoffeyDiane Earl McCan

David Vahlstrom/LaurelHardware

The Metro acknowledges contri-butions of $50 or more by listingyour name or business as a MoneyHoney for 10 issues. You keepour paper alive and well.

MONEYHONEYS

COREC O N T I N U E D F R O M P A G E 8

Most Metro readersare aware by now that therehas been a recent changein the leadership of thePublic Works Agency.Ms. Claudette Ford is out.Mr. Raul Godinez is in.

Columns in our paper byDennis Evanosky, based oninformation from neighborAndrew Vincent, about theproblems with the sewerrehab in our area may havehelped bring in a new headof the Public Works Agency.We hope that Mr. Godinez

By Toni Locke

will close the gap betweenthe official specifications forreconstruction—that city en-gineers hide behind—and ac-tual performance on the job.

This gap found no place inthe report of the consultantshired by City Attorney Russoto investigate complaints.They talked by phone topeople who complained, butthey seem not to have lookedinto the flaws in the work thatgave rise to said complaints.We are happy that no corrup-tion in the bidding process

Rainwater drains into a manhole in our recently“rehabbed” sewer system. The 8" pipe in the centeris a replaced sewer main. Rainwater pours in fromthe hole at the left side of the pipe (see arrow). Crewshave been trying to patch the leak with Burkplugerepair cement. If the rehab work had been com-pleted using type V sewer grout and activated oa-kum, following the contract specifications and plans,these rainwater leaks would not be occurring.

was found. We hope thatin the next phase of theinvestigation, engineeringconsultants will go down intomanholes where Andes Con-struction has completed work.They will find that the prob-lem of ground water in thesystem is not fixed.

The city needs a soundsewer system. Honest report-ing of observed facts aboutthe work in progress willcontinue to be our goal.We are watching every moveand hoping for the best.

Sewage enters a manhole from a bypassed dropconnection (the upper pipe). The water in the lowerpipe is likely rainwater from holes and gaps in the“rehabbed” sewer system. The upper pipe is forinspection and maintenance only. Sewage shouldenter the manhole from the lower pipe.

SHEI

LA D

’AM

ICO➷

SHEI

L A D

’AM

ICO

emergencies. The next classwill be Tuesday, March23, from 7 to 9 p.m., at theFire Department Office ofEmergency Services, 1605Martin Luther King, Jr. Way,in downtown Oakland.

Please call CORE at238-6351, or e-mailcore@oaklandnet.com, toset up a group training orto reserve your space in theMarch 23 class. Your bestprotection is preparation.Help make your neighbor-hood safer for everyone.

CORE is a program of theOakland Fire Department Of-fice of Emergency Services.

Serving your neighborhoodfor over 25 years with30 professional Real Estate Agents

• If you are thinking of selling, we offer free property evaluation.• If you are thinking of buying, we offer many 1st time buyer loan

programs with down payments as low as $500.• If you are thinking of renting, call us for a list of rentals.• If you are tired of managing your property, call us for professional

property management.Lynn A. Worthington, Broker

5942 MacArthur Boulevard • 510-562-8600

Seven Generations Consulting

Patricia St. OngePO Box 9921

Oakland, CA 94613

phone 510.530.2448 fax 510.530.2728

pstonge@pacbell.netwww.seven-generations.net

Celebrating 20 Years in Oakland!

PRESCHOOL, PLUS ALL-DAY CARE!

• Serving Infants through Five-Year-Olds• Diapers, Home-cooked meals, Naps and Nurturing Included• 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m., Year-round Care• Play-based Developmental Program Supporting Growth at Each Age• Building children with Self esteem. Confidence and Social Competence

AOCS The Association of Children’s Services3021 Brookdale Avenue (near Coolidge)Oakland • 261-1076

quality of life for children andfamilies in Oakland.”

Alvarado-Mena notesthat suspensions from schoolhave been identified as aprimary risk factor for futurecriminal activity. In the 2002-2003 school year, suspensionsfor violence at the sevenSafe Passages schools “de-creased by 43 percent fromthe previous year,” whileschools without the fullstrategy dropped only eightpercent. A fact sheet forSafe Passages indicates that“nearly 60 percent of youthsuspensions for violenceoccur in middle school, andthese suspensions are shownto be clear indicators offuture violent behavior.”

Safe Passages also workswith early childhood andelementary-school-age chil-dren in schools throughoutOakland to prevent violenceand to counter the effectsof domestic violence.

The prevention ofdomestic violence is oneissue where addressing thequestion of accountabilityhas led to significant changes.As a former director of ashelter and a lawyer whohas represented batteredwomen, I know that once thequestion was asked, “Whois accountable?”, solutionsstarted to come into focus.Who is accountable? The per-son doing the violence. Whydoes he do it? Because he canget away with it. Why can heget away with it? Because welet him. Why do we let him?Because we aren’t holdingourselves accountable.

We can go through thatwith our societal violence,too, or with any of the issuesmentioned. Why are morethan 100 persons killed inour city each year? Whydoes someone throw threeplastic bags of garbage onthe banks of CourtlandCreek? Why are ourhardworking neighborswithout health care? Whyis a library we worked sohard to restore threatenedwith cut-back hours? Whyis a local school being closed?Why is anyone hungry inOakland? Who is account-able? Demos kratis.

You can find outmore about Safe Passageson the Web atwww.safepassages.org.

AccountabilityC O N T I N U E D F R O M P A G E 5

www.EBRELO.com(East Bay Relocation Center)

• Specializing in Laurel, Maxwell Park, LeonaHeights & Redwood Heights

• A Full Range of Relocation Services Available• ONE-ON-ONE CONSULTATION Available

for First Time Buyers, Sellers & Investors.“I Will Sell Your HomeWithin 60 Days

Or I’ll Pay You $3000”(Call to find out more.

Some Term s & Conditions apply.)

RE/MAX East Bay Hills2070 Mountain Blvd., Oakland

James S. Shin 510-759-2265

8March 2004

See your State Farm Agent:Jain Williams

4222 MacArthur Blvd.(510) 530-3222

Auto • Home • Life • HealthState Farm Insurance CompaniesHome Offices: Bloomington, Illinois

Like a good neighbor,State Farm is there.®

STATE FARM

INSURANCE®

Auto

Life Fire

Nature’s BountyFresh from

Farm & Sea ...We cook fresh fish & poultry

to order, while you wait!Monday-Saturday 10am-7pm

510.482.1255Telephone Orders Accepted

4014 MacArthur Blvd.

LAFRANCHI’SLIQUORS

Fine Wine& Spirits

Domestic &Imported

BeerImported

Cigars

Open 7 Days!Sun.-Thurs. 8am-Midnight

Fri. & Sat. 8am-2am.

35th & MacArthur482-8208

E D E NCustom Framing

� S A L E �All Custom Frames

20% offStandard Size Frames

Low as $15HOURS: Mon-Fri 9:30–6:00

Sat 10:00–5:00; Sunday Closed

2569 MacArthur Blvd.

Oakland

510-530-3795

Open 7 Days

Fantastic Mexican FoodTacos • Burritos • Menudo on weekends

3411 High Street, Oakland • 510.532.2560

DOROTHY OKAMOTO

Optometrist

3714 MacArthur BoulevardOakland 530-2330

Over 20 years in the Laurel District

Family owned since 1933.

“Come on Down”

Discover

For Your Healthy Life Style!

Conveniently located at3033 MacArthur Blvd.

Oakland • 482-3848Open 7 days a week

Mon-Sat 8:30am - 6:30pmSun 9:00am - 5:30pm

FREE PARKING

Your Natural Food Marketplace

Hwy 13 Redwood Exit

580 West toFruitvale/Coolidge Ave

580 East to35th AveExitH

igh

St

35th

Ave

Fru

itval

e A

ve

Hwy 580

3033 MacArthur Blvd

�

��

�

ORGANIC PRODUCE

NUTRITIONAL CONSULTANTON DUTY

WHOLE GRAIN BAKERY

HUNDREDS OF BULK HERBS,SPICES, GRAINS, FLOURS

Everything You Needfor a Meal!

•FRESH & ORGANICPRODUCE

•FRESH FISH Daily•ORGANIC POULTRY•FRESH GOURMET

BREADS•FINE FOOD DELICACIES

Free Parking

OPEN 7 DAYSMonday-Saturday 9am-8pm

Sunday 9am-7pm

482-817835th & MacArthur

—MARKET PLACE—

Now Open 7Days a Week

Shines by Vern(Vern is a Disabled Veteran)

Tues-Sat 9-5510.531.9700

Lincoln Square Barber Salon4100 Redwood Road, Oakland

re you prepared toprotect yourself, yourfamily, and your home

in the event of an earthquake,fire, flood, act of terrorism,or other emergency? Do yourealize that you and yourneighbors may be on yourown for 24 to 72 hours aftera major emergency? Are youready to learn or enhanceyour emergency-preparednessskills to help yourself andyour neighbors?

CORE (Citizens of Oak-land Respond to Emergencies)offers a free training programfor Oakland residents thatteaches self-reliance skills andhelps neighborhoods establishresponse teams to take care of

CORE Offers Emergency-Preparedness Training

the neighborhood untilprofessional emergencypersonnel arrive.

CORE offers two types of training. If you have an or-ganized group or can recruitten to 15 neighbors, CORE in-structors will conduct Homeand Family Preparedness andNeighbor Preparedness andResponse Teams training ina home, library, church, orcommunity center in yourneighborhood. Or an indi-vidual can take the COREPersonal Preparedness andResponse training class. Thisis basic emergency prepared-ness in which you will learnhow to prepare for and re-spond to earthquakes, fires,severe weather, and chemical

B Y C O R E S T A F F

A

Lease Wong presides over Yu-gi-oh tournament at Komodo Toys in the Laurel. The next tournamentwill be on Saturday, March 20th.

DO

UG

LAS

FERG

USO

N

con t inued on page 7

ZHI DAO GUANTHE TAOIST CENTERDr. Alex Feng LAc, PhD, OMD

3824 MacArthur Boulevard, Oakland510-336-0129www.thetaoistcenter.com

T AO I S M C L A S S a n d M E D I TAT I O N :Last Friday of every month at 7pm (Mar. 26; Apr. 30;May 28; June 25) Free and Open to the Public

S TA RT I N G A P RI L 1 S T: T A I C H I C H I Hclasses with Valerie Smith on Thursdays.

• TRADITIONAL CHINESE MEDICINE with “One of theTen Best Complementary Medicine Practitioners in the East Bay”(San Francisco Focus Magazine)

• Classes in CHINESE MARTIAL ARTS: Yang and Chen styletai chi; tai ji weapons and spear

• CHINESE CALLIGRAPHY and art brush painting

• TAOISM classes and meditations

• BODYWORK • YOGA • QI GONG • FENG SHUI

The Taoist Center offers—