Golden State Warriors Jewish Heritage Night ad, 3/12
Have you heard of the Holocaust?
Is anyone else as outraged as we are about the “Jewish Heritage Night” ad placed by the Golden State Warriors in your last issue. At first look, we thought it was a joke. Come on! A long-bearded guy dancing on a barbecue. Can’t you see how blatantly anti-Semitic this appears? Is anyone at your paper paying attention to this? Have you heard of the Holocaust?
Kathleen and David Edwards, Oakland
“Though Oakland Is Up in Arms About It, Crime Is Actually Down,” Full Disclosure, 3/19
Clarifying our rent
In this week’s East Bay Express, there is a quote that is attributed to “a representative of Metrovision (sic) stating that the property charges $2.45 per square foot for retail space.” I would like to clarify that our ASKING rent for the retail space at Fruitvale Village is $1.75 per square foot NNN. The NNN charges are estimated at $0.70 per square foot per month. If you are not familiar with that term, NNN charges refer to the tenants’ pro rata share of real estate taxes, insurance, and common-area maintenance that encompasses a multitude of services provide by the landlord. To date, our most expensive deal was at $1.50 psf NNN with other deals falling between $1.25 PSF NNN, with the exception of Riveropolis which was pro bono to help build community and activate the space. I feel that you have misrepresented both myself and the project with your article. I would appreciate clarification and a correction to be issued as soon as possible. I also feel that if someone is calling from a newspaper for information, it is important to identify one’s self when contacting a source. Oh, and for the record, it is Metrovation, not Metrovision.
Linda Braz, Oakland
Robert Gammon responds
When I contacted one of your representatives, I asked what you “charged for space fronting East 12th Street in Fruitvale Village?” Your representative responded that your basic rate was $1.75 a square foot plus $0.70 a square foot for various other charges, and explained what some of those were. I then asked, “So the total is $2.45 a square foot? Your representative answered “yes,” so I used that figure in the article. I did not identify myself to your representative, because I was simply asking a question about your prices, and I wanted to know what your representatives tell the general public. I didn’t attempt to disguise my identity and would have revealed it had your representative asked. However, I regret misnaming your organization, and will correct the error.
“Rezoning Plan Benefits Pals of De La Fuente,” Full Disclosure, 3/12
Abolish the office
Robert Gammon’s article about Sheila Jordan, the Alameda County Superintendent of Schools, is just one more exposé about her management style. She is not unique among county superintendents of schools. Except in five counties where the county board of education hires the superintendent, all other counties, including Alameda, the person doesn’t have to have any skills or background in school finance or curriculum to run for office.
The main problem with an elected county superintendent is that that person acts independently from any oversight as exists when the superintendent is appointed by a board. There is an elected county board of education, but it has been emasculated over the years. In most cases, it is a rubber stamp for what ever the county superintendent proposes. In Alameda County, Jordan has succeeded to find friendly people to run for the county board of education and she even has contributed money to their campaigns. In turn, once seated, they have granted her a generous salary and fringe package. The Alameda County Grand Jury took note of this conflict of interest.
Jordan was at the heart of a test case to determine who is the final authority on the budget — now about $50 million — of the county office of education. In her first term, she did not control the majority of the board as she has done since 2002. The majority refused to approve Jordan’s proposed budget, because the salary provisions were too generous and not enough was allocated to students at the juvenile court schools. On advice of its legal counsel, the board revised her proposed budget and sent it to Superintendent of Public Instruction Delaine Eastin. Eastin — who, by the way, was a personal friend of Jordan and on her campaign committee — rejected the budget and told the board that it had to accept Jordan’s budget. To avoid lengthy lawsuits against Jordan and Eastin, the board finally adopted Jordan’s version. Ever since, the other elected county superintendents have followed that ruling. Complaints about this were also sent to the incumbent Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O’Connell and the local state legislators. They all declined to enter into the matter.
County offices of education might be on their way out of existence. Many studies have come to the conclusion that they are archaic and that their duties could well be done more efficiently by ten regions instead of 58 county offices of education. The Governor’s California Performance Review made suggestions to save about $55 billion by eliminating many state commissions and boards, among them they cited the 58 county offices of education, which alone have a budget of over $4 billion. This is coincidentally about the same amount that the governor wants to cut from education. The prestigious, nonpartisan Little Hoover Commission also recommend their deletion. The governor’s “Committee on Education Excellence,” just issued on March 14, 2008, has said the same thing.
County offices of education in seven sparsely populated counties are useful because they run all the schools in the county absent local school districts. But Alameda and the other counties have local school districts and only conduct juvenile court schools and other specialized centers that could just as well be done by a local school district. County superintendents also are supposed to oversee the budgets of local school districts; but as Gammon has pointed out, they have not had a very good record. It has been suggested that that oversight role and other functions could better be done by auditors.
Ernest Avellar, former member Alameda County Board of Education, Hayward
“The Kleercut Boycott: Outcome Undetermined,” News, 3/19
Rice doesn’t Boycott
This story states that Rice University is listed on the Greenpeace web site as an institution that has boycotted Kimberly-Clark products. In 2006, some Rice students alerted our purchasing department about products that were cheaper and less harmful to the environment. Our purchasers substituted these products for the 5 percent that had been Kimberly-Clark Kleenex, but there is no official prohibition of buying Kimberly-Clark products for use on campus. Rice does not endorse products nor boycott them.
B.J. Almond, Director of News and Media Relations, Rice University, Houston
“Lush Plates of Meat,” Food and Drink, 3/5
Bring back Birdsall
How nice to see John Birdsall’s byline again in the review for restaurant Canchola!
For the last several months the critiques seem to have been written by persons who knew little or nothing about restaurants, ethnic dining, or food at all. The appraisals have been simple, poorly executed, and uninformed and the restaurant choices — where’s the adventure?!? Boring!
Restaurant Peony — probably one of the most predictable, uninteresting, salty, cold, and mushy Cantonese dim sums in the Bay Area, ho-hum! Or, O Chamé — so incredibly mediocre and pretentious. Come on — this is the East Bay, not Nob Hill!
Birdsall, though, doesn’t hesitate to wander into the depths of the East Bay and seek out small, affordable, out-of-the-way places that may be the kingdom of a excellent non-English-speaking chef. He plows through the depths of the menu and shares his discoveries of the luscious, the dreadful, the juicy, the authentic, and the absurd.
Get him back or at least, get some food writers who like to eat!
It’s a pleasure to read his column rather than someone’s inane evaluation of a supermarket take-out counter.
Shenoa Robinson, Oakland
“Hong Kong Dishes Served with Panache,” Dining Review, 2/27
It’s who you know
Too bad, Matthew. I’ve been to Peony several times … but always in the company of several Chinese colleagues who know the good things to order. I’ve been delighted and never disappointed. Even their egg custard tarts are good, something I don’t even consider at other dim sum restaurants.
Sue Yascolt, Oakland
“A Japanese Approach to Mediterranean,” Food and Drink, 3/12
Thanks for the nudge
I’d like to thank you all at East Bay Express for the kind review. I typically see reviews as “a kick in the a—”. This one was an encouraging nudge. I appreciate the kind words and only hope that I can continue to please. Special thanks to the photographer. He was extremely considerate and efficient.
David Vardy, Chef/Co-owner, O Chamé, Berkeley
“James Anthony, Better Than Never,” Local Licks, 3/12
What a thrill
Imagine my surprise when I picked up my customary copy of East Bay Express on my way into Peet’s on Fruitvale and opened it to the CD reviews page and discovered you had reviewed my CD. What a thrill. Thank you so much. I can’t tell you how many people I’ve heard from since your review came out. Several people relistened to the project and said, “He is so right!” I just wanted to let you know how much I appreciate you taking the time to listen and write about my record. I’ve begun working on tracks for the second CD, and you helped provide even more impetus to continue on.
Jim Allio aka James Anthony, Oakland
Miscellaneous Letters
Save our neighborhood from the recycling center
We need your help! Our neighborhood is being destroyed by the operation of a new recycling center — Paper Rush at 849 49th Avenue. The following forwarded correspondence details the problems and our attempts to get the city of Oakland to address these issues. The big question is how did Paper Rush get zoning approval and a use permit without a truck loading area or customer/employee parking? Why wasn’t the traffic impact on this narrow high-density business street considered before they were allowed to operate? The issue of the impact of recycling centers on the neighborhoods they operate in needs to be addressed by the Oakland Planning Commission. We are aware that Council Member De La Fuente’s office is already dealing with the problems created by the recycling center on 45th Avenue. Aaron Metals’ problems with their neighbors were recently highlighted in an East Bay Express article.
When and who in the city of Oakland is going to address the problems created by these businesses? No other city allows this to happen. To speak specifically to the issue of recycling centers attracting the homeless shopping cart brigades, we need to take an example from how the city dealt with liquor stores and loitering. Only by making business owners responsible for how their customers behave in the neighborhoods in which they operate will result in a satisfactory solution.
We would like to see a copy of Paper Rush’s zoning application and use permit. This is our fourth round of trying to make contact with someone within CEDA and we have yet to receive a response. We are hopeful that this correspondence is reaching a level of personnel who will take an active interest in helping us.
Patrick MacIntyre, Blue Sky Bio-Fuels, Inc., Oakland
How the city of Berkeley just lost my money
Today I was accosted, confronted, and yelled at by a parking “enforcer” at the Walgreens store on Adeline. I am not a resident of Berkeley and just started working in the city two weeks ago. I parked at Walgreens not knowing it was forbidden to park there and go to Berkeley Bowl to get my lunch. The day before I did the exact same thing, but instead made a purchase at Walgreens as well. I didn’t know I was supposed to look up and see a sign about their parking rules and fines and went about my business. I shop at Walgreens in my own town, and myself and my family have shopped at and filled prescriptions at Walgreens for over fifty years. The last thing I expected was to be accosted in the parking lot by a so-called enforcer. It scared me to death. She banged on my window, pointed down to the device she locked on my wheel and ordered me to pay $60 cash or get my car towed. This being Berkeley, I thought it was a scam or panhandler and got out to tell her I was not giving money to a stranger who didn’t look like a cop or anything else and demanded to know what this was about. Again, she accosted me, holding up a badge that any fool could make and has, demanding money. When I realized this scam was for real I was appalled. In effect, the city of Berkeley is doing panhandling and even worse extortion, allowing people to accost and frighten customers and extort money. No warning, no nothing. Either pay $60 cash or get your car towed.
Welcome to the city of Berkeley, right. Fortunately the manager of Walgreens gave me my money back. But as I explained to him, Walgreens has now lost over fifty years of business and two generations of customers, as I will not spend my money at any Walgreens ever again. Berkeley Bowl just lost my money as well. And guess what? When my economic stimulus money arrives soon, do you think I’m going to spend a dime of it in the city of Berkeley? Absolutely not. This is how the city treats people, hardworking people? Yes, there are signs high up in that parking lot. But having spent fifty years shopping in Walgreens I never knew I had to put glasses on, look up, and worry about a parking enforcer and having $60 cash on me. It is immoral and disgusting what the city of Berkeley is doing and it’s no wonder businesses are packing up and leaving. These are Nazi tactics, plain and simple. It is extortion! Walgreens and the city of Berkeley, you should be ashamed of yourselves. My family and I will not be spending any of our money in the city of Berkeley. Not our banking, not our grocery shopping, not our clothes shopping, nor entertainment or dining out. Congratulations! Way to welcome people and their money to your city!
Peggy McCormick, Alameda
Corrections
An item in the March 19 Full Disclosure misidentified the name of a company that rents commercial property in the Fruitvale Village on behalf of the Unity Council. The company is Metrovation — not Metrovision.
In Matthew Green’s profile of Jóse González (“The Minstrel of Melancholy,” March 26), he mistakenly stated that the song “Teardrop” was written by the songwriter. It’s actually a cover of a song by Massive Attack.
