We have learned today that the Major Conditional Use Permit application for a nightclub in the district has been removed from the agenda of the May 7th the Oakland City Planning Commission meeting. No explanation was given or is known to JLDA at this time. We'll keep you posted.

Labels: announcements, frontpage

A big thank you to everyone who showed up, cleaned, organized and supported our ninth annual neighborhood Trash Bash*. Around fifty people volunteered and picked, shoveled, and bashed their way through piles of trash from our streets filling the entire back of a City public works truck. Cigarette butts, broken bottles, weeds, litter, even parking tickets were among those items removed during the process. Afterwards Steve Sacks fired up the grill and helped us to burgers, and Polish sausages donated by his company Prime Smoked Mats. Chips, snacks and sides to go with them were donated by Word Ground Cafe and Sierra Deli.

Among the many volunteers was a strong contingent from Covenant House who worked hard with us and joined the BBQ afterwards - thanks guys! After the BBQ JLDA President Ben Delaney presented awards in recognition of service to the Jack London District community to Steve Sacks, Joanna Adler and Karl Augenstein.

We would particularly like to thank Winnie Anderson and her husband Paul for organizing the event this year, Gary Knecht for the use of his space at The Egghouse, Steve in his sixth year as BBQ Masterchef, Bernice for the use of her pickup, and all our donors and other volunteers who made the day possible and a great success. Thank you!

Some photos from the event are available at jlda.org/trashbash/trashbash9 and there will also be a write up in the May edition of JLDA Call - out soon!

* Just in case you are wondering what happened to Trash Bash 10 - well there was a little confusion about how many there had been before, yes we've had so many now we are losing count. But rest assured this is the ninth and next year will be the tenth. The good news is we'll be able to use those poster all over again!

Labels: announcements, frontpage, trashbash

The office of Councilmember Nancy Nadel has informed us that property owners in the JLD, who are either renting out their residential or commercial properties, are not eligible for permits. Enforcement of the permit plan will begin on May 15, 2008.

The letters and maps should be mailed out in the next week or so. The letter will explain the eligibility requirements and application process, and has been corrected to state that parking permits will be issued for “each vehicle owned, leased, or under the continuing custody of any person who can demonstrate that they are currently a resident, employee, business owner, or a representative of a neighborhood serving establishment within the JLD Designated Mixed Use Parking Permit (MUPP) Area. For employees, business owners must provide a list of employees, along with each employee’s current vehicle registration and driver’s license.

Everyone should just wait to receive the letter before they call the City with questions. The letter will likely provide all of the information necessary. The letter also specifies that questions should be directed to Marcela Pardo-Espinoza at (510) 986-2690.

Labels: announcements, frontpage, parking

Permit parking is now in the hands of City staff. JLDA's Parking and Transportation Committee provided the City with a mailing list last Friday and with comments on draft letters they intend to send to every address within the permit parking district. Within a week, you should look for a letter explaining how to get a permit, when signs will be installed, and when enforcement will begin. We have not seen the final letter, so we can't tell you exactly what it will say.

If you have questions during this start up period, the person to contact is Marisa Arrona, Policy Aide in the office of Councilmember Nancy J. Nadel. Marisa can be reached at 238-7031 or arronaM@oaklandnet.com.

Here are Marisa's notes on a meeting she had last Tuesday with staff responsible for implementing this program:

1. I will call (have already called) Gary Knecht to let him know that Francine incorporated his concerns/comments into the letter. I will ask Gary to email the database/list to Joe by Friday. Joe and Si will then “scan” the list to see if any glaring errors stand out – otherwise, Joe will email the database to Francine.
2. If Francine receives the database on Friday, she can begin the mailing process on Monday. It will take about 5 days to complete the mailing since a map will be included with each letter and the envelopes have to be stuffed.
3. If any JLD residents or business owners come into Francine’s office and say they did NOT receive a letter, Francine will confirm that his/her address is within the permit boundary and will then update the database to include that address and will notify Joe so he can update his list.
4. Dan and Kenneth will begin installing the signs on or about May 1st. The sign installation process will take 3-5 days. Eleven new poles will be installed, and the remaining 149 signs will be attached to existing poles or light stands.
5. Enforcement will begin on May 15th. Francine’s letter will state that “enforcement will begin on May 15th, and the sign installation will be completed in early May.”
6. Currently, Francine has 1100 permits to sell. She will order a few hundred more as back-ups.

Please check at the JLDA website for any late breaking news - we will also send it out to our email announcements list. And please provide feedback if you run into any problems.

Labels: announcements, frontpage, parking

JLDA is pleased to announce that the third print edition of its monthly newsletter "JLDA Call" is out now. Featured in this article are details of the new mixed used parking permit, and Trash Bash 10, our annual neighborhood cleanup event.

You should see the new issue available from Tuesday April 8th at Sierra Deli, World Ground Cafe and many other locations throughout the district. Or you can download your own copy to read, print and share - the latest copy is always available from this location: http://jlda.org/call/latest.pdf

Labels: announcements, call, frontpage

Your hardworking JLDA webmaster has just completed a makeover for the website - we hope you like the result. New features include a right hand column on every page containing a search feature, the JLD event calendar, and soon other useful information for users. There is also space for advertising by local businesses - all you have to do is donate and become a JLDA business supporter. We've also adopted the yellow and orange color scheme used in the Waterfront Warehouse District walking tour brochure and trashcan graphics. If you see any problems with the website please let us know via the feedback form.

Labels: announcements, frontpage

At the Jack London District Association board meeting it was unanimously decided to increase its board to eleven seats to allow all the candidates to hold a seat in 2008. Therefore we are pleased to announce that all of last years directors were re-elected, plus two new members - Alex Eagle and Bernice Straub. You can read all about the board of directors members on our information page JLDA.org/board

Although there are no vacant seats on the board now there is still plenty of opportunity to serve your community by volunteering to chair one of our advisory committees. In addition our monthly board meetings are open to all interested parties and dates, times and locations of meetings are posted on the JLDA calendar every month.

Labels: announcements, frontpage

MōNO restaurant, located at 247 Forth Street, opened for lunch on March 12th and will begin serving dinner on April 2nd.

Executive Chef Todd Wilson (former Chef de Cuisine at Asia SF and the Public) and wife Eloisa Castillo (Myth, Cortez) are the force behind MōNO Restaurant - a hip, neighborhood eatery that serves up globally inspired, locally sourced dishes. Chef Wilson's seasonal menu is highlighted by big, bold flavors and farm-fresh produce. Wilson has also created a special crudo list with raw inventions such as Day Boat Scallops with Tangerine Oil and Shaved Fennel or Hamachi with Blood Orange, Fresno Pepper, Maui Onions and Micro Cilantro. Specialty artisan cheeses will also be available and will come standard with crostini, organic honey, dried fruit and Marcona almonds.

Shuna Lydon (French Laundry, Bouchon, Citizen Cake) is consulting on the dessert menu and will offer her inspired offerings at lunch and dinner.

A 100-bottle wine list is comprised of boutique wines that are both food-friendly and comprehensive. The classics make a strong appearance (Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Cabernet) as do some less mainstream varietals such as Manto Negro, a red grape native to the Balearic Islands and Assyrtiko, a Greek white grape wine indigenous to the island of Santorini. There is a special focus given to half bottles as well as an artisanal and sparkling sake list.

The industrial but stylish space houses a horseshoe-shaped bar, cement pillars and a unique outdoor patio area that can be closed off for private groups with pull down window-paned garage style doors and soft, interior lighting. Stunning black and white photographic images by famed artist James Scott Geras flank the walls and a grouping of hanging, circular lamps suspend from the exposed ceiling.

Lunch is served Monday – Friday, 11:30am – 2:30pm; Dinner is Wednesday, Thursday & Sunday, 5:30pm – 9:30pm; Friday & Saturday, 5:30pm – 10:30pm. Call 510.834.0260, website - monorestaurant.com

Labels: announcements, frontpage

Zazoo's has voluntarily relinquished their cabaret permit and agreed to sign a memorandum of understanding outlining the events on the night of the shooting that lead the hearing in the first place, and the consequences to them of surrendering the permit. Zazoo's will no longer be able to hold any more cabaret (live music) events without obtaining a new permit from scratch which involves a public hearing with community and OPD input.

The news was welcomed by many living at Portobello condominium adjacent to Zazoo's as the cabaret events regularly brought noise and traffic problems to their parking lot on weekend nights. Several times now there have also been violent crimes in the vicinity of the restaurant including shootings, such as the triple shooting of 2/10/08.

Labels: announcements, crime, frontpage

Thanks to the cooperation of the City of Oakland the Oakland Crimespotting website has been able to return to active duty. Oakland Crimespotting provide a very simple to use and clear visualization of crimes throughout Oakland displayed on a map and filtered by date and crime type. They also provide email alerts and RSS feeds for crimes within a fixed radius of an address, useful for staying informed about crimes close to your home or place of work.

Labels: announcements, crime, frontpage

The map below shows in blue the streets where the new Jack London District Mixed Use Parking Permit will exempt holders from newly posted 4 hour parking limits (8am to 6pm Monday through Friday). Show in red are those streets where the permit will not exempt holders from posted 4 hour limits. Zoom into the map or view the larger version to see where 4 hour parking applies to both or one side of the street only.


View Larger Map

Labels: frontpage, maps, parking

The Oakland City Council, on December 18, 2007, adopted Ordinance 12847 C.M.S., adding Chapter 10.45 of the Oakland Municipal Code, entitled "Interim Mixed-Use Permit Parking Program for the Jack London District." With this action, the City created a temporary, three-year preferential parking program (Program) for the Jack London District (JLD), which will be administered by the City's Parking Division.

Permits will be sold by the Division to residents, employees and employers in this area for $150 from April, 2008 to June, 2009, entitling the bearer to park at a specially marked street-side parking space, between the hours of 8a.m. to 6p.m. when a space is available. The permit program regulates approximately 1,000 parking spaces inside the approved boundaries; without a permit, the public is allowed to park at these spaces for four hours, after which they will be issued a ticket.

On February 19, 2008, the City Council will introduce the following legislation to implement the new permit parking program:

1. An Ordinance creating fees in the Master Fee Schedule of $150 for the parking permits in the first year of the Program.
2. An Ordinance amending Oakland Municipal Code Section 10.54.050, establishing the boundaries and the locations of limited parking signs of the temporary, three-year preferential parking permit program, in the area bounded by Embarcadero to Fifth Street, and from Brush Street to Oak Street.

A chart of the exact streets where permit parking will be implemented is listed separately on our parking page.

The City Council meeting on February 19, 2008 will begin at 7 pm. The Agenda for that meeting will be published on the City's website on Friday, February 8, 2008. You can access the calendar and Agenda on-line.

The two Ordinances will then be scheduled for the Second Reading (Final Adoption) on March 4, 2008.

Labels: announcements, frontpage, parking

We have simplified the process to make a donation (tax deductible!) and become a JLDA supporter. Just visit the web site and click the "Donate" button on the left hand side which will take you to our supporter sign-up page. Select the supporter type, fill in any additional amount you wish to donate and then click the "Pay Now" button at the bottom of the page to pay by credit card or using PayPal.

For more information on supporter benefits see our supporter information page.

Labels: announcements, frontpage

Cocina Poblana Oakland, brings a new restaurant to Jack London Square serving "phenomenal Mexican cuisine with an extensive tequila bar". The opened their doors this week at 499 Embarcadero - at the foot of Washington and Embarcadero in the space formerly occupied by SFO Pizzeria. This is the third restaurant opened by Cocina Poblana, some of you may have already visited their other locations in Emeryville and San Francisco. With an established reputation, spacious bar and dining area plus outside seating for the summer this is a welcome addition to our dining options in the district.

As of January 21st their opening hours will be Monday - Friday 8am - 10am Espresso Bar and Fresh Baked pasteries, followed by Lunch from 10am - 3pm. Dinner will commence nightly at 5:00pm, and will close at 10pm Sunday - Thursday, and at midnight on Friday and Saturday. They will be serving Brunch on Satrudays and Sundays starting at 8am - 3pm, with Lunch starting at 10am - 3pm. Reservations are available on OpenTable, or by phone 510.451.4700

Welcome to the Jack London District Cocina Poblana!

Labels: announcements, frontpage

JLDA is deeply saddened to report that our Vice-President Steve Jimenez, died in his sleep Sunday, December 30th. Steve joined the JLDA Board of Directors in November 2006 and also lead the Growth & Development Committee.

Steve's good deeds weren't limited to JLDA, he was also on the Board of the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of Alameda County and a co-founder and Director of the Oakland Rainbow Chamber of Commerce and Labor. He was a Partner at the law firm Adelson, Testan, Brundo, & Jimenez and has lived in Oakland almost five years. For those that knew Steve, one of his friends has set up an online memorial where you can find photos and stories about his life.

Steve is survived by his mother Marian and his three children - Dylan (16) Clayton (14), and Courtney (13). Our condolences go to Marian, Dylan, Clayton, and Courtney. Steve was a great joy to have at meetings and made an important contribution to our community, we will all miss him.

Labels: announcements, frontpage

For those of you using Facebook there is now a new way to interact online with your Jack London District neighbors - you can join the Facebook group "Jack London District" by visiting its homepage at http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=6675381438

The group is not affiliated with JLDA as such but is for "Residents, workers and fans of the Jack London District in Oakland, California. Jack London District is the area south of the Nimitz (880) freeway - between the Oakland-Alameda Estuary and between Adeline and the Lake Merritt Channel"

Labels: frontpage, resources

We now have a page dedicated to grocery shopping information, both in an around the district. It also gives details of how we are hoping to attract a new grocery store operator to the district to serve our needs. We have one potential site, and even a grocery chain that is open new neighborhood serving stores in California - sounds like a perfect match? Well only if they know about our area and think there is a demand for a store. You can help suggest other locations and operators and perhaps we can make something happen!

See "Jack London District Grocery Shopping Information" to find out more.

Labels: frontpage, living