Location Efficiency vs. Location, Location, Location

You hear a lot about "location, location, location" but given the challenging economic times a more relevant phrase would be “Location Efficiency.”

Recent articles such as “Long commutes make risky borrowers”, “Car dependent neighborhoods more at risk of foreclosures” and reports produced by organizations such as ULI, titled “Bay Area Burden: Examining the Costs and Impacts of Housing and Transportation on Bay Area Residents, Their Neighborhoods, and the Environment” and the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) all focus on the high risk of car-dependent and lack of transit options as differentiators.

With transportation costs representing a significant financial expenditure accounting for roughly 17% of the average American household's income, public policies are encouraging location efficient land use, infrastructure and transportation options.

In an attempt to better understand the affordability tradeoffs with housing and transportation, the MTC commissioned the Center for Neighborhood Technology to analyze regional variations in housing and transportation affordability based on location. The report summary, Bay Area Housing and Transportation Affordability: A Closer Look , illustrates how the location affects the affordability of both housing and transportation.

Improved and Expanded Transit Options

According to AC Transit, starting March 28th 2010, the Prescott-Oakland Point neighborhood will have improved and expanded bus services to augment the numerous transit options available. For example Bus Line 26 (which replaced Line 13) will be GPS enabled, have peak hour runtimes of 15 minutes apart, off peak 30 minutes apart, starting 5:56am ending 12.58am (westbound) and starting 5:22 am, ending 12:22 am (eastbound) from the 12th and wood street bus stop.

Line 26 connects commuters to four (MacArthur, West Oakland, Downtown Oakland and Lake Merritt) different BART stations providing access to Temescal Restaurants, Marcus Book Store, Emery-Go Round, East Bay Bridge Retail, Oakland City Hall, Oakland Chinatown, Old Oakland, Oakland Downtown, Oakland City Center, Oakland Chinatown, Laney College, Oakland Museum and Lake Merritt.

The Bus Line 31 (which replaces the Line 19) offers similar options with links to Emeryville Amtrak station, Emery Bay Public Market, Bay Street Center, East Bay Bridge Center, Emery-Go-Round, West Oakland BART, Jack London Gateway Center, 12th Street BART, Alameda Marina Center, College of Alameda.

Ease of Use

With AC Transit buses now GPS enabled, commuters will have the ability to see “real-time” connection times using the home computer, laptops and smart phones while providing more efficient use of both personal and business time and certainty in transit options.

The Prescott-Oakland Point neighborhood located on the Western periphery of Oakland, with its many transit options, is slowly becoming the unofficial epicenter of the Bay Area and proves the relevance of “Location Efficiency.”

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March 28th 2010 Oakland Marathon Traffic Advisory

Partial Road closures as noted

• 7th Street (W/B) from Market to Mandela Parkway – 8:00 a.m to 1 p.m.

• Mandela Pkwy (N/B) from 7th to 32nd – 8:00 a.m. to 1:15 p.m.

• 32nd St (E/B) from Mandela to Hannah – 8:00 a.m. to 1:15 p.m.

• Hannah (S/B) from 32nd St to 28th – 8:00 a.m. to 1:15 p.m.

• 28th St. (E/B) from Hannah to West – 8:10 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

[More]

Oakland Run Festival (March 27th-28th 2010)

Oakland Running Festival

If you are not participate as a runner or volunteer, grab your lawn chair and watch the Oakland Running Festival marathon and half marathon route which will enter the Prescott-Oakland Point neighborhood, after the 18th mile mark at 7th and Mandela Parkway, where runners make a right onto Market Street and enter West Oakland. Once again you pass a BART station with Mandela Transit Village, a mixed retail and residential development bordering the West Oakland BART station. This was one of the earliest neighborhoods in Oakland to be settled and in1869, West Oakland became the terminus of the transcontinental railroad.

Many of the homes in this area date back to the mid-1800’s and were built in the Victorian style, giving it its quaint look. It should be noted that African Americans have historically played an important role in Oakland and especially West Oakland. In the early 1900’s because of the importance of railroads, many porters lived here and the headquarters of their union, the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters, was located in this neighborhood. Then in the 1930s, Marcus Garvey's Universal Negro Improvement Association had its West Coast headquarters at 8th and Chester Streets. During the 1960’s, during the social turmoil of the time, the “Black Panthers” originated in this area. After years of decline, this neighborhood too has started to experience renewal, as new residential developments have sprung up and many of the Victorian homes have been remodeled to their former glory.

As you run along the Mandela Parkway, mile 19, some may recall that this was the site of the Cypress Freeway collapse, an elevated, double deck freeway that collapsed onto itself during the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake. Several people were killed despite heroic rescue efforts by West Oakland residents. The freeway was replaced by Mandela Parkway, a wide thoroughfare with a pedestrian path and greenway in its median, including a park commemorating the 1989 earthquake. It is lined with condominiums and new and established businesses.

The Oakland Running Festival website contains all the information you will need including volunteering.

Check out these videos of the course: Marathon Course and Half Marathon Course.

There is an interactive map that features the marathon, half-marathon, 5K routes and sponsoring restaurants.

The Oakland Running Festival Handbook can be found here

The average American will no longer exist...

The average American will no longer exist and the Prescott-Oakland Point neighborhood is no exception.

Since 2000, the Prescott-Oakland Point neighborhood has experience some amazing diversity. New residents from all continents - Africa, Antarctica, Asia, Australia, Europe, South America and other parts of North America now share the Prescott-Oakland Point neighborhood.

The 2010 census survey includes counting same sex couples, will validate what some residents already know, by providing local government a accurate accounting of the diversity we have experienced.  City services and others should take note.

Census History

The Constitution of the United States Article 1, section 2 ratified in 1789, mandated that an "actual Enumeration" of the nation's population be made at ten-year intervals anticipating geographic and demographic dynamism.

The intent of the census was to provide a snapshot of the nation and illustrate the issues most relevant.

The first census, which was more than just a head count but used to divide political representation, was taken in 1790, where enumerators asked for the name of the head of the family and number of persons in each household within specific categories.

The 1850 census included "social statistics" questions about taxes, schooling, crime, "pauperism" and also took censuses of industry, agriculture, and mortality.

The 2010 Census promises to be the shortest in history: 10 questions in 10 minutes. The questions will include: name, age, sex, date of birth, Hispanic origin, race, ethnicity, relationship (to the first name listed on the form), and housing tenure (whether a family owns or rents their home). Same-sex married couples will be counted for the first time.

The longer portion of the census was replaced by the once every five years American Community Survey which samples a small number of households across the country on a regular basis to obtain important data about the demographics of the country.

Global Positioning Systems

The Census Bureau will use Global Positioning Systems (GPS) to determine the exact geographic location of each housing unit which is critical to ensure that when they publish the census results for the entire country, broken down by various geographic areas ranging from states, counties, and cities, to census blocks, they accurately represent the data for the area.

Key Census Dates:

March 2010 — Census forms are mailed or delivered to households

April 2010 — National Census Day — use this day as a point of reference for mailing in your completed forms

April - July 2010 — Census takers visit households that did not return a form via mail

December 2010 — The Census Bureau delivers population information to the President for distribution

March 2011 — The Census Bureau completes delivery of redistricting data to states

Fines

I like most probably never thought of a fines associated with the census survey. So I thought I would provide some information for those living under the radar. The U.S. Census Bureau can impose fines for failing to answer the 2010 Census questions or for intentionally providing false information. According to Title 13, Section 221 (Census, Refusal or neglect to answer questions; false answers) of the United States Code, persons who fail or refuse to respond to the mail-back census form, or refuse to respond to a follow-up census taker can be fined up to $100. Persons who knowingly provide false information to the census can be fined up to $500.

Oakland LGBT Roundtable meeting - Monday, March 8th

Oakland LGBT Roundtable meeting

Monday, March 8, 2010 at Oakland City Hall ,

1 Frank Ogawa Plaza, Hearing Room 4 (2nd floor), at 5:30pm.

Topics will include:

- The Survey Committee will give an update about the status of the needs assessment survey.

- Oakland Pride committee will give an update on the developments of East Bay Pride.

- Presentation about the history Oakland's 1879 "Immoral Dress Code." And update on getting this 'cross dressing' law ended in 2010.

- Councilmember Kaplan's intern, Stephanie McLeod, will give a presentation about her trip to Washington DC's LGBT Community Center.

Contact Ada Chan at 510-238-7083, or Achan1@oaklandnet.com, if you have any questions about the roundtable.

∞

Hella Gay was already a pretty happening party when it moved to Oakland's Uptown Nightclub in August. Launched at the Ghost Town Gallery and transplanted briefly to the Continental Club, the monthly event generated a following primarily through word of mouth.

The first Hella Gay Live was held this psat Friday, March 5, at the New Parish (579 18th St., Oakland). It featured JD Samson, a multimedia artist and DJ from the electro-punk band Le Tigre. Supporting acts include J Boogie's Dubtronic Science and nerdcore rapper Juiceboxxx. Remember, you don't have to be gay to get down. Follow Hella Gay for their next event at http://www.hellagayoakland.com/

International Women’s Day - "Bringin' in Da Spirit"

The International Center for Traditional Childbearing in conjunction with Sacred Ways and Means; The Black Dot Artist Collective,Inc. presents

Documentary Film Showing of “Bringin' In Da Spirit”

You are invited to the showing of the 7 Award winning documentary film "Bringin' in Da Spirit" by director Rhonda Haynes. This evocative film narrated by Phylicia Rashad, presenting the history, challenges and triumphs of African-American midwives in America. The film will be moderated by Asatu Musunama Hall,CPM ICTC California State Representative, midwife and director of Sacred Grove Traditions

International Women’s Day

March 8, 2010

Time: 6:30pm-8pm (donation $3-$5)

Location: 1195 Pine St. W Oakland, CA 94607

For more information contact: sacredgrove7@gmail.com or khayastar@gmail.com

Prescott-Oakland Point Artist announce permanent installation

Prescott-Oakland Point Artist Gina Telcocci announces permanent installation

The San Francisco Arts Commission announced a new public artwork installation by Prescott-Oakland Point artist Gina Telcocci for the Potrero Branch Library, which opens on Saturday, March 6, 2010.

Gina Telcocci’s artwork incorporated local plants and other materials based the form of here and past here on the nut of a California Buckeye, a native tree that was an important resource for the Muwekma Ohlone Indian Tribe who once occupied the Potrero Hill area, will be suspended in the open atrium of the new renovated Potrero Hill Library located at 1616 20th Street & Connecticut in San Francisco.

“Gina Telcocci’s artwork encourages reflection on the unique cultural and natural history of Potrero Hill,” stated District 10 Supervisor Sophie Maxwell. “It is a beautiful work of art and a wonderful symbol for neighborhood.” For Gina website, click here.

On a different topic, we may be losing our Saturday mail delivery. Reading the article, I found some interesting information.

Moving the mail:

How much mail: 584 million pieces of mail were handled daily in 2009. That's down from 716 million per day in 2006.*

Payroll: Every two weeks, salary and benefits total $2.1 billion.

Vehicles operated: 218,684

Address changes: 43.8 million were processed last year.

Additions: 923,595 new delivery addresses were added to the mail system last year.

*Based on total volume of mail divided by the number of workdays in a year.

Fun facts

Transport: The post office moves mail on planes, trains, trucks, cars, boats, ferries, helicopters, subways, hovercraft, streetcars, bicycles, human feet and even mules. Those mules carry mail to Indians living at the bottom of the Grand Canyon. Because some of that mail is food, the post office at Peach Springs, Ariz., has freezers to store it until delivery.

Oldest post office (in the same building): Hinsdale, N.H., 1816.

Smallest post office: Ochopee, Fla., 8 feet, 4 inches by 7 feet, 3 inches.

Floating post office: Post boat J.W. Westcott delivers mail to ships passing in the Detroit River. The boat has its own ZIP code, 48222.

Longest rural route: Route 1, Fordsville, N.D., 176.5 miles daily to serve 174 mailboxes.