Archive for March, 2008
Priorities
Nestled amidst the bill-ratification this and the ordinance-amending that of this week’s City Council agenda is an item that may provide an interesting insight into the collection of souls who sit on the council: A discussion of the council’s priorities for the next year or two.
A few pages after the boilerplate about directing the city’s [...]
The next big thing
Once, in the not-so-distant past, the terrorists were our biggest enemy. But now, there’s a bigger, badder enemy on the horizon: Nature. According to an article in the Sun on Thursday, we can expect San Francisco Bay to rise over the next 92 years or so, swallowing much of the coast that surrounds it and [...]
Going private?
Sounds like private school applications are up this year, possibly due in part to the uncertainty around the public schools.
Most of the additional applications at Saint Philip Neri School are due to the impending closure of Saint Barnabas School, the school’s Truus French says. But French says that a handful have come from folks whose [...]
Bits and pieces, bits and pieces
After last week’s horrific display of my lack of facility with the English language (see “Errata”), I’ve decided to stick with the discount words. And so I bring you all the dust bunnies that have collected in my brain over the last week, in a feature that, at least this time around, will be called [...]
Done, with dignity
Well, it looks like one little development saga out on the base is finally set to resolve itself: Developers expect to break ground on 39 apartments for low-income residents on a corner of the former Fleet and Industrial Supply Center in May or June.
Dubbed Shinsei Gardens (“shinsei” is Japanese for, among other things, “dignity”), the [...]
Take me out to the …
If you’re thinking about heading out to any of the Giants’ exhibition games later this week, you can skip the Bay Bridge hassle: The Alameda/Oakland ferry is offering direct service to the games. For Thursday and Friday’s games against Seattle and Oakland, the ferry leaves the Main Street stop at 6:15 p.m. and gets to [...]
Comment: Our fair share
For as long as I can remember, one of my sister-in-law’s favorite topics of conversation has been the evils of Proposition 13. When she’d get into one of her frequent monologues on the topic, I’d politely nod my head and flee at the earliest opportunity. We pay twice what you do in property taxes, I [...]
Sign, sign, everywhere a sign?
As most of you probably already know, supporters of Measure H, which would increase the temporary parcel tax we pay for schools, kicked off their campaign Tuesday afternoon by putting teachers, parents and students in garbage cans along Park and Webster streets. In the runup to Tuesday’s event, they handed out lawn signs and garbage [...]
Errata!
I gather up a lot of tidbits over the course of reporting this blog for you, dear readers. So when I’ve gathered up enough little nuggets o’ gold to fill an entire post, you get Errata. Without further ado:
*Alameda High superteacher and local education issues expert Rob Siltanen is claiming his own spot in the [...]
Alameda, minus the military
In a series on military enlistment in the Oakland Tribune/Contra Costa Times this week, Alameda figured … not very prominently at all. The city was home to just 27 new recruits in 2006, according to data gathered by the paper, placing it in the middle of the pack among Bay Area cities. Back in 1990, [...]
Plans for Park Street – And How to Get All Your Alameda News at Once
About three dozen people traded away half their Saturday this past weekend for pastries, coffee and the opportunity to lay out their personal vision for Auto Row during a design confab at the new main library.
There was a lot of talk about trees, sidewalks, mixed-use development and water stuff. I focused in on the shopping.
“Somebody [...]
