--
Quacker
Lake
PO Box
Oakland,
CA 94602-0009
Lake Merritt
Merritt Breakfast
Breakfast Club
Club
PO2709
Box -10468,
Oakland
CA 94610
Meeting every Thursday morning, 7:00 a.m. at the Garden Center, Lakeside Park, Oakland California
April 23, 2015
Edition 15-15
Our Beautiful & Sometimes Dangerous Hills
LIBBY, Capt.
United States Navy
Manager, Procurem
Bus. University of C
(510) 643 -1184 F
Res. 1715 Broadw
(510) 769-8002 A
Wife’s name - Jane
Judge John Sutter
Program Chair
Kurt Libby
Invocation
Speaker: Jerry Kent, EBRPD
Upcoming Events & Speaking Engagements
April 23: Jerry Kent, East Bay Regional Park District, Our Beautiful and Sometimes Dangerous Hills.
April 30: Rebecca Juzz Gorgeous, Topic: TBA
Tony Moglia, President; John Notch, Vice President; Patricia Wells, Secretary; Deanna Osterberg, Treasurer; Rob Stewart, Executive Director
Kurt Libby, Editor; Ace Reporters: Al Clancy, Lauren Clum, Myrna Dean, Dria Fearn, Aileen Frankel,
Larry Ginsburg, Terrie Kurrasch, Kurt Libby, Mike Miraglia, Suzanne Waligore, and Patricia Wells
LMBC CHARITABLE FOUNDATION, P.O.BOX 10468, OAKLAND, CA 94610
Part 1 Patrick Shannon
April 17th, 2015
What a warm and beautiful morning it was, our two legged feathered
friends were scarce to one’s eye and so were the little presents on the
lawn. What happened, I wondered?
Senior Vice President
Financial Advisor
One Kaiser Plaza, Suite 900
Oakland, CA 94612
510-891-5211
www.morganstanleyfa.com/patrick.shannon
[email protected]
© 2014 Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC. Member SIPC.
CRC908414 NY CS 7884865 04/14
I was a little late this morning and made it in by the skin of my teeth. I
was warmly greeted by Jim Bangert and Joe Guzman and proceeded
to the ticket table, with the ivories being tickled once again by George
“Jack London” Rowan and then I was welcomed by Inga Forline and Bill
Hardenstine who happily took my money.
President Tony Moglia, called the meeting to order at exactly 7:31 am
and called upon Lee Douglas to lead us in song, Joy Sommerville to
lead us in the pledge to our great Flag and then Lise Perlman for her
pearls of wisdom and thought.
Guests were then introduced: Paul Valva with Carey Williams, Eric
Braun with Al Sherman (a patient, oops I mean client).
CJ Hirschfield announced that Friday would be the busiest day of the
year at our dear Children’s Fairyland as the staff and volunteers will
be welcoming 2300+ kids for Head Start Day. 13 community groups
including volunteers from LMBC will be on hand for this very busy day
of hosting and helping these guests. Great Job!
Bob “Baseball” Rosen announce that the next A’s game will be on May
12, better order your tickets now if you don’t want to miss it. They’re
playing the Boston Red Sox, so it will be a wild one.
510-261-2990
Fax 510-261-6077
Steven Von Querner
EAST BAY BLUE PRINT & SUPPLY CO. INC.
1745 FOURTEENTH AVENUE, OAKLAND, CA 94606
www.eastbayblueprint.com
[email protected]
Geoff Kline reminded us of the death of President Abraham Lincoln on
this day 150 years ago, we had a moment of silence.
Paul Valva announced the Intercity Breakfast Club meeting with San
Francisco, Berkeley and San Leandro will be held on May 6th at the
Marine’s Memorial Club at 609 Sutter. Take Bart with President Tony,
drive, car pool or swim. The best Parking is at the Sutter/Stockton
garage, if you get there before 7 its only $1.00 an hour. Can’t beat
that for San Francisco, believe me. Please let Paul know if you will be
going so he can give a head count to the head counter in San Francisco.
Always a great event and adventure into the thick of the City.
President Tony Moglia announced that he won’t here next week and
the applause and cheers were overwhelming….only kidding Prez we
will miss you and see you the following week after your top secret
escapade. Tony postponed the Birthday and Anniversary celebrations
for two weeks, but generously gave a dollar a year for his 35th
anniversary to remind us all that is what we should be doing, thanks
Gumba!
President –Elect John Notch announced that we will have a special
horse program coming up and a special tribute to William Penn Mott,
former member co founder of the Club and Fairyland. Next week
Jerry West will be our speaker on East Bay Regional Parks, which he
retired from a few years ago. Should be a great presentation. John will
update us each week on upcoming programs, so sit on the edge of your
chair and be prepared because you will be quizzed on this when our
President returns.
Geoff Kline and Kyle Milligan and one other member (was it Ed Rorke,
Billy Wilkes or Joy Sommerville…can’t remember, sorry) took care of the
awards “give away”. What a job they did along with a few jokes from the
master Geoff Kline. I had to correct him on one of his statements. Not all
people have their heart until they die. My original heart died 13 years ago
when I received my new one… oh so lucky me!
Marcia Weske won the Phantom’s bottle of wine.
1-800-404-2388
Lee Douglas won the Phantom’s other bottle of wine
“WE’RE THE BETTS”
Aileen Frankel won Bob Hamilton’s puzzle
Effelgreen
John Notch won Carole Agnello’s wine
Endorses his better half
For all your real estate needs
Joe Guzman won Zack Griffin’s wine
Carole Agnello won Aileen Frankel’s plant
Martha Shin
Larry Ginsburg won Councilman Abel Guillen’s golf balls
Realtor
East Bay Southeby’s International Realty
510-384-0762
DRE Lic. #00821697
It was then time to turn the meeting over to the chair for the day, Aileen
Frankel, to introduce our guest speaker Councilman Abel Guillen.
CONTEMPORARY
PHOTOGRAPHER
With that I relinquished my duty of further writing and sat back to relax
and enjoy
Ciao!
Wm. W. Wilkes
MM
Weddings
Portraits
(510)534-0559
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E A S T B A Y B L UE PR i N T
0
HP Latex Ink Banners come
in all colors yet they are the
greenest outdoor banners
you can buy!!
www.eastbayblueprint.com
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Jim Bangert, Glenn Voyles , and
February 14: We Love
Bill Hardenstine at Childrens Fairy
land Head Start Day.
WE MAKE BANNERS
0
Corporate Office
1721 Webster St
Oakland, CA 94612
Oakland! Annalee Allen
featured in a book by local
Anne and Annalee enjoying a
friendly
artist, moment
Heidi Wyckoff.
Steven Douglas, CPP
O:510-444-7412
from many local groups and a silent auction of
F: 510-452-3654
[email protected]
www.douglasparking.com
PERALTA
Community College District
William (Bill ) Riley, Ed.D.
President, Board of Trustees
Joyce and our speaker, Abe Guillen
C.J. imploring us to go
forth and do good.
333 E.8th St.,Chancellor’s Office
Oakland, CA 94606
Phone: (510) 466-5303
Cell: (510) 390-1623
[email protected]
0
Part 2 SORENSEN PROPERTIES
Apartment Rentals
6114 La Salle Avenue, #107
Oakland, Ca 94611
(510) 339-9584
Fax (510)339-2099
Leo Sorensen
President
This space
available
call Rob Stewart
[email protected]
J. BRUCE BRADY
Brady - Harbord - Payne
INSURANCE BROKERS
LIC. # 0410103
3608 GRAND AVE.
(510)444-5645
OAKLAND, CA 94610
FAX(510)452-0363
[email protected]
CARL WEST ANDERSON
PRESIDING JUSTICE (RETIRED)
CALIFORNIA COURT OF APPEAL
15 SOTELO AVENUE
PIEDMONT,CA 94611 AMERICAN ARBITRATION ASSOC.
(510) 420-8642
(415) 981-3901
FAX(510)420-8643
ALTERNATI VE ADJUDICATION
[email protected]
(510)465-0400
April 17th, 2015
Aileen Frankel began by asking us to notice the wonderful views
today with the clear air resulting from the recent winds. Aileen
also cautioned us that winds can spread fires. Aileen then
introduced Oakland’s new City Councilmember for District 2,
Abel Guillen. Prior to his election to the Oakland City Council
in 2014, Guillen had been a Trustee for the Peralta Community
College District for eight years. He had also been a vice-president
of a public consulting firm. Guillen grew up in the Mission
District of SF and attended local schools, eventually earning his
undergraduate and Masters in Public Policy degrees from UC
Berkeley (Go Bears!). Guillen spoke to us about “How I got here”…
He participated in the SF Boys Club (“before girls were included”)
and said that the experience helped him learn how to build
success. Guillen related that the motto at the time was “Better
to Build Boys and to Mend Men.” He learned about the benefits
of public service while attending Cal and participated in student
government. He is the first person in his family to graduate from
college. Guillen first ran for State Assembly and lost “by 1,000 votes”. He
was then recruited to run for the Oakland City Council. Guillen
related humorously that “I have been in office for 100 days and
haven’t gotten fired yet.” His committee assignments include
Rules, Finance & Management and others. Guillen said he
has been learning “How to get things done.” Relating the City’s
financial status, Guillen said that “While we are in an upswing, we
have a budget deficit of $18,000,000 this year and a likely one
next year of $19,000,000.” Public funds are approved for projects
such as those around Lake Merritt, but money is not set aside for
ongoing maintenance said Guillen.
Making clear the importance of public safety, Guillen said “We
need to send a message to local businesses and residents that
--public safety is important. 35 recently graduated from the Police
Academy. I want to have police walking and riding bicycles
around the lake and in our local communities. This is how trust is
developed between citizens and their public safety officers.” Regarding infrastructure Guillen commented “Major potholes are
embarrassing when we try to lure new businesses to Oakland.” He also said that “We have good laws but need to enforce them.” An example is the abandoned homes that are taken over by
“squatters” and turned into havens for crime. Guillen acknowledged that “Rents are high; we have 4% vacancy
rate and we need more housing at all price levels.” He said that
the 12th Street Remainder Parcel (created by Measure DD) will
result in a high density residential tower that is planned. This
project should generate $700,000 in annual property taxes. Hopefully some of this money can be used to maintain property
and projects around Lake Merritt. Guillen sadly said that the Henry J. Kaiser Center has been
dormant for many years and that refurbishing this building is
required. A Request For Proposal (“RFP”) has been issued
so the City can move ahead to make this asset again
valuable to our community. Regarding working with his colleagues on the City Council,
Guillen confirmed “The City Council is really trying to work
together and I am excited to be part of that team. I am
open to new ideas.”
Q&A: It was suggested that getting things through the
Building Department at the City is challenging. What can
be done to fix this difficulty? Guillen confirmed that he is
aware of this challenge. He mentioned the new restaurant
Shakewell on Grand and the last minute notice by the City
that there was an issue with the entrance. The owner then
found that resolving the concern raised by the City resulted
in “a moving target”. Guillen said that predictability needs
to be part of the permitting process so that the target does
not keep moving. (Note from your Quacker scribe: this is a
management issue and not a money issue.) Homeless encampments? Guillen said it is a challenging
situation, particularly since some of the homeless do not
want any services while others would benefit from them. Retired Judge David Lee said he saw the movie
MacFarland and recommended it to everyone as it relates
the story told to us today by Abel Guillen about his own life. Guillen said that early in his career in public consulting, he
had a project in the town of MacFarland; “It is just like what
you see in the movie.” CJ asked what can be done about the risk of open BBQ’s
at the Lake? Guillen is asking the police to communicate
safety issues to visitors until new rules are put in place
regarding this item. Other concerns are DJ’s playing
extremely loud music around the Lake, disturbing local
neighbors. Why do we see no police in the Oakland Hills? This
question brought a laugh from the audience as many of us
who live in the hills know we do not benefit from the police
services paid for in our property taxes. Guillen said that
increasing the size of the OPD would be the best way to
distribute services. He did not comment on the obvious fact
that the OPD needs to be spending resources where most
of the dangerous crimes are occurring. He did say that the
attrition rate is very high at the OPD, particularly for officers
with less than five years in the department. They are trying
to learn why after making such a huge investment in these
officers, we are losing them.
Marcia Myers Weske
REALTOR®
CALBRE LIC. #01841873
510.339.0400/323
CELL: 510.853.1483
[email protected]
GRUBBCO.COM
This Space Available
Call Rob Stewart
Ginsburg Financial Advisors, Inc.
Larry P. Ginsburg, CFP
Certified Financial Planner
6201 Medau Place, Suite 101- Oakland, Ca 94611
Phone:(510) 339-3933 Fax:(510) 339-1611
Email: [email protected]
Personal Financial Planning & Investment Management
“Helping You Shape Your Financial Future Since 1981”
The Entertainer
Visit
jacklondonclub.com
“Jack London” George Rowan
(510) 712-9698
What about the potential parking implications of the 12th Street Reclaimed Parcel proposed project? It seems
like perhaps too few parking places will be part of that project. Guillen said that he would look into this
question. He also commented that 140,000 jobs have been created with only 7,000 housing units. Billy Wilkes then delivered Abel Guillen the LMBC new member application so we can have him as a member
of our club. Billy asked “What about the A’s and Raiders”? Guillen responded with “How about those
Warriors!” He then said that the City and County have done all they can to plan for a Coliseum City project to
retain the A’s. Guillen confirmed that “The owners of the A’s have not told the City that they want to stay here.” Guillen did say that the Raiders have told the City that they want to stay. Guillen than commented that “I don’t
think that we can spend public money supporting sports teams.” This comment is certainly financially prudent
given the compelling needs of our city in so many other areas. The LMBC members in attendance benefitted from hearing from our new City Councilmember this morning. We all hope that Mr. Guillen and his colleagues on the City Council will move our city forward and attain the
effective progress that our citizens so deserve.
LPGCFP
About our Speaker...
OUR BEAUTIFUL AND SOMETIMES HAZARDOUS HILLS
When the first settlers arrived, the East Bay hills were mostly open grassland with fringes of trees in swales and along
riparian valleys. In the early 1900s, Frank Havens and Borax Smith forested the hills with eucalyptus and Monterey pine
for residential development and timber plantations? What became of their dreams and plans, and how do we deal with
aging wildland/urban forests in an era of dense development, drought, changing climate, and wildfire risks?
Jerry Kent, retired as Assistant General Manager after a 41-year career with the East Bay Regional Park
District. A history lover, he has collected maps and photographs and researched many aspects of East Bay
nature and history.