Parking?

Of all the problems that Oakland has, now we have a parking crisis?

What does one say? This parking crisis is one of our own making. It is hard to stay respectful and polite when our members of city council do something so short sighted.

It is not just the 50 cents an hour; it is not just the extra hours until 8 PM; it is not just the higher ticket prices. It is the feeling that “gotchya” and anything-goes-for-a-buck is the way they feel. That is what gets most under the skin.

They sometimes call us shoppers, sometimes call us residents, some time call us taxpayers, but the sure do not treat us like citizens. They treat us like someone to milk because the get away with it.

Most of our council did not run in a contested race to get their job. All but one of the council members represents a district that has nothing to do with where the people of Oakland live, except to make sure that some of those who live in the hills live in each district. But how do they get so out of touch with what it is like to live and work here?

A friend was telling me yesterday that a customer who got a ticket while in her café came back into the café and told her that she will never come back again. The café owner is in no way responsible for Oakland parking policies, but the anger and frustration of the client was very understandable. We who run businesses in Oakland get to hear how angry the citizens who get caught in the trap feel.

Parking tickets were never a very friendly way to raise funds. The way Oakland does it is something of a trap. It is set up to make it hard on the driver and increase the opportunities to ticket rather than collect parking fees.

When fees and tickets are as aggressive as ours have become, well people notice and they do not care much about the explanations. No one likes to get tricked and cheated. To get one of these tickets is to feel robbed and violated. A 75$ surcharge for a cup of coffee is reason enough to not come to Oakland in the first place. If you live in Oakland and have gotten into your car, $75 is reason enough to drive out of Oakland to a place you can park your car without running the gauntlet. Somewhere like Emeryville, Berkeley or San Leandro for example.

We know this “gotchya” feeling already. Oakland council found it in their hearts to stick it to landlords for damaged sidewalks and then do it again if there is a lawsuit. Is that different from how the credit card companies do their best to send bills out as late as possible and up your interested rate for a few hours past due? Newer home and business owners get to pay higher taxes than the old big money under Prop 13 tax “reform”. Yeah we all know the sound of “gotchya”

Now Oakland has made parking your car in our city have that same sound.

March Mega Meeting! Thursday March 26th!

Join us for our next general organizing meeting.

Proposed Agenda Thursday 3.26.09 7pm

• Welcoming and Orienting new Members
  
• Upcoming Election Preparation (special election)
  
• Recruitment Strategies and Plans
• Division of Tasks for Green Videos 2 "Voting in Oakland"
• Other Items proposed Attendees

Come and be apart of building a grass roots organization!

Located at 530 Lake Park Ave, Oakland, CA 94610-2732

Environmentalism in Oakland - Make Oakland Bikeable!

Broadway - It's broad enough for all of us!

Want to build a community where walking and bicycling is safe and convenient for everyone? Walk Oakland, Bike Oakland (aka WOBO) is advocating for on-the-ground improvements that will enable and encourage more Oakland residents to walk and bike safely around The Town, and improve neighborhood quality of life. Our goal for 2008 is to instigate implementation of bike lanes on Broadway, a project that's already in the Bicycle Master Plan and just needs some public pressure to get that paint on the pavement!

The Oakland Green Party has endorsed the Bike Lanes on Broadway campaign, which fits into the CA Greens platform goal of "Social Justice and Livable Communities".
Some specifics on why Oakland needs to stripe the streets include:

• Broadway & 27th Street was the 3rd most likely intersection for bicycle-car collisions from 2000-2004. There currently is no safe, convenient way for bicyclists to travel between North Oakland and downtown.

• An Environmental Impact Report and feasibility study have already been completed for the project, meaning the only task remaining is to put paint on the pavement.

• Fulfilling this component of the Bicycle Master Plan would create a continuous bike route nearly FIVE MILES LONG, a great resource for cyclists of all persuasions.

You can help get bike lanes on Broadway, Webster, and Franklin to complete this bike route and keep Oakland moving in a bike-friendly direction.
Here's how:

• Ask the City Council to get this project done! Contact:
  Jane Brunner (District 1), jbrunner@oaklandnet.com
  Patricia Kernighan (District 2), pkernighan@oaklandnet.com
  Nancy Nadel (District 3), nnadel@oaklandnet.com

• Visit WOBO's website for more information at www.walkoaklandbikeoakland.org

• Come to the next WOBO volunteers meeting, Tuesday, March 24 at 6:30pm.
  Location TBA, call 269-4034 or email info@walkoaklandbikeoakland.org for details.

Next Meeting Feb. 26th

Please join us for our next general organizing meeting.

Proposed Agenda 2.26.09 7pm

• Welcoming and Orienting new Members
  
• Upcoming Election Preparation
  
• Recruitment Strategies and Plans
• Division of Tasks for Green Videos 2 "Who Votes in Oakland and What needs to Change."
• Other Items proposed Attendees

Come and be apart of building a grass roots organization!

Located at 530 Lake Park Ave, Oakland, CA 94610-2732

New Website!

We are working on a redesigned website. Coming soon.
Any suggestions, please email, oaklandgreens@gmail.com.

We are on Facebook and Myspace

Facebook page
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=45699879022

Myspace page
http://www.myspace.com/oaklandgreens

Youtube page
http://www.youtube.com/oaklandgreens

Yahoo Groups (listserve and forum)
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/oaklandgreens/

Connect with us.

Oakland Green Party Meeting January

Hey folks!
The Oakland Greens, will be meeting this Thursday, 22nd of January, 7pm, at our regular location, Grand Lake Neighborhood Center (clip for map). The address is 530 Lake Park (Between the Grand Lake Theater and Lakeshore Ave.) There is some street parking and free parking under the 580 freeway.

The proposed Agenda is as follows:

• Introductions
• Updates and Reports (Oscar Grant, Gaza, Oak to 9th, etc)
  
• Recruitment Efforts
• Future Campaigns and Election Preparation
• Next Steps and Closing
  

We welcome new members and people who have come before. We are turning a new leave and expanding in 2009. We are recruiting, registering and taking action. Please join us in making these goals successful. Hope to see you there.