Races that will be decided on November 7
Our Question
Our transportation needs are difficult to meet as we have a limited population that lives over an extended geography? How can AC Transit help the North Hills community and keep within the tight budget of the district?
Greg Harper
NO RESPONSE
Joyce Roy
Hearing that your community wants more service on the #6 bus line is like music to my ears. Increasing bus service would be one of my main goals as a director of AC Transit and first priority should be to increase service where people want and need it. I consider a frequency of less than 30 minutes equals no service at all. And it should be at least 15 minutes during commute hours.
It would seem that smaller buses would be more in scale with low-density areas along narrow roads but such routes also serve denser areas. Buses do come in small, medium & large so there could be a better fit that may offer better service with some economy. I think AC Transit also needs to look into some innovative as-needed service with vans that Portland, Oregon provides in low-density areas.
To make it possible for AC Transit to put more service out on the street, vote for Measure B, extension of the present 1/2-cent transportation sales tax. Voting for it is even more important for good transportation than voting for me. But please vote for both.
I would like to hear more from you on this or other transit issues. I can be reached at 655-7508 or thru my web site at www.joyceroy.org. Joyce Roy Candidate for Board of Directors, AC Transit, Ward II.
Our Question
Parking at our nearby BART Station, Rockridge, fills up around 7:30 AM and on-street parking places are almost non-existent after 8:30 AM. How do you propose to solve our parking problem?
Alan C. Johnson
NO RESPONSE
Roy Nakadegawa
To answer your question on Parking access to BART for me is a complex question in that as a professional engineer I take a comprehensive and holistic view and it would be difficult to answer in just two paragraphs. Here is an OpEd I wrote on parking which sent to CC Times about 2 weeks ago which somewhat relates my position on parking that I am sending as an attachment. In addition, I am attaching - a letter I sent to City of El Cerrito regarding a feeder transit service in lieu of parking and - a memo I sent to BART Board and staff on my recent trip to Portland who provided excellent access to their rail system.
In general, I strongly feel BART should charge at least $2 per day to offset the inequity of many lower income people in central cities who in order to use BART have to pay additional bus fare of about $2. With some of the parking revenue collected we could fund more feeder transit.
Our Question
Because our area was largely destroyed in the 1991 Oakland Hills Fire and is still in the process of being rebuilt, vegetation management and zoning/ planning issues are of great interest to us. Because we are in direct proximity to the Caldecott Tunnel, the proposed Fourth Bore is also an important issue for area residents
Although we are glad that we now have a fire station in our area, unsafe accumulations of vegetation in Claremont Canyon to the north, as well as poorly maintained City owned-properties within our area, are significant fire threats. Do you envision the City Council devoting more resources to vegetation management throughout the Oakland Hills?
Oakland is currently revising its Zoning and Design Review procedures. But only with the diligent application of good regulations can monster homes, drainage and erosion problems, and excessive development be prevented. Do you have any thoughts on how City Departments can be adequately staffed and encouraged to defend our neighborhoods and keep our hills and waterways healthy and attractive?
We have had numerous discussions about the proposed fourth bore of the Caldecott Tunnel. Construction would severely impact our area; the long-term affects on traffic congestion and urban sprawl are a cause for concern to many of us. Do you think an additional Tunnel bore would benefit Oakland?
Henry Chang, Jr.
In 1964, my family lost our Oakland hills home and family dog to an electrical fire that burned my two-year old house to the ground. My wife and I had four young children at the time, and I will never forget it. I understand firsthand the tragedy of losing a house to fire. There are ways in which the city and the community can work together to decrease the potential for another firestorm and preserve neighborhood character, and I will continue my work to devote the necessary resources to these efforts.
I supported the Creek preservation ordinance, and I support an increase in vegetation management and blight enforcement as ways that we can reduce the risk of fire. I am working with councilmember Jane Brunner to identify resources for this effort.
I established the Zoning and Design Review board two and a half years ago because current zoning and design review procedures for new homes need revision. We need to establish and enforce objective guidelines, such as floor area ratio and mass limitations, as well as view protection for established homes to protect neighborhood character.
I do not see the proposed fourth bore for the Caldecott Tunnel as a solution to traffic congestion. Alternative modes of transportation must be considered, and there must be an extensive environmental impact report before any further exploration. In the short term, I support an increase in local bus service to the hills.
Rebecca Kaplan
Thank you very much for sending me your newsletter, and inviting me to share my thoughts with your neighborhood association. I am running for the at-large seat on the Oakland city council in order to bring attentive, responsive government to the city of Oakland, and will continue to make myself available to community groups, both throughout the campaign and when I am in office.
I am the only candidate committed to serving full-time, without conflicts of interest, time or loyalty (since councilmembers receive a full-time salary, it is reasonable to expect this). I will bring to the city council my dedication, along with my education and training, including a Masters in Urban and Environmental Policy, a law degree from Stanford, and work experience in the Oakland office of the California State Assembly, the city of Cambridge Commission on the Status of Women, and legal work on issues of civil rights, labor, housing, and environmental law. I am eager to work together with NHPA to ensure the safety and quality of the neighborhood. In terms of the specific questions in your letter, the following are my positions:
- I oppose a fourth bore in the Caldecott Tunnel (it would negatively impact our environment and surrounding communities)
- I support substantial improvements in Oakland vegetation management to reduce fire threats, including replacing fire-prone non-native species, and increasing brush-abatement efforts
- I oppose run-away over-development, and believe that we should use strong design review and zoning regulations (including enforcement) to protect the neighborhood from fire damage, continued soil erosion, excess traffic, etc. I will work to make it clear to city staff that our priority is to protect the safety and integrity of existing neighborhoods, not to approve new developments at any cost
- By practicing fiscal responsibility, and avoiding costly business mistakes, we can provide sufficient funding to strengthen the above-mentioned programs without increasing our overall budget.
www.rebeccakaplan.org or rebeccak@igc.org or 510-653-5884
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