HNA News: November 11 Berkeley Project Volunteer Day, Crime Watch, Disaster Prep, Election Info

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Halcyon Neighborhood Association E-Newsletter*

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1. Sat. November 11, 10:30-2:00, Volunteer Mulching & Neighborhood Cleanup with Help from Cal Students with the Berkeley Project

2. Disaster Supply Cache Shed Arrives!

3. Citywide Disaster Preparedness Exercise, Thurs. Nov. 30, 9-11 a.m.: Neighborhood Volunteers Needed

4. Crime Watch Report: Car Break-in on Wheeler Street

5. Election Information: District 7, Mayor's Race, and City Measures

6. Lost and Found: Watch found at Halcyon Commons Park

7. Labyrinth Community Peace Walk, Sun. Nov. 19, 3 p.m., Willard Middle School

8. Free Parrot of Prince Street: Neighbor's Article Featured in Chronicle

I've returned from a lovely two weeks in the Southwest, back to computer problems and an intense election season, so this has been the first chance I've had to send out an E-Newsletter.

Two bits of exciting neighborhood news: First, UC Berkeley students are starting an annual Berkeley Project Day. Citywide, over 1,000 will be volunteering to help with projects all around town. I was able to sign our neighborhood up for 40 of these volunteers. They will be helping with our annual mulching in Halcyon Commons Park and nearby landscaped features, as well as doing a trash pickup sweep through the entire neighborhood. But to make this day as effective as possible, we need some help from the neighborhood (see item 1 for more information).

Second bit of wonderful news: The first part of the Disaster Supply Cache won by our neighborhood has been delivered (see item 2 below)!

Finally, don't  forget to vote Tuesday (see links concerning the election in item 5)!

-Nancy Carleton, HNA Co-Chair and E-Newsletter Editor

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1. Sat. November 11, 10:30-2:00, Volunteer Mulching & Neighborhood Cleanup with Help from Cal Students with the Berkeley Project

Meet at 10:30 a.m. at Halcyon Commons Park (Halcyon Court at Prince Street) or join us at some point along the way.

Refreshments courtesy of Whole Foods Market.

Neighborhood volunteers and loan of supplies needed (see below)!

We'll be weeding thoroughly in Halcyon Commons Park and the three nearby landscaped islands/barriers (barriers at Webster near Whole Foods and on Prince near Deakin, and tree island on Halcyon), then mulching heavily in preparation for the winter months ("putting the park to bed," as we call it). Our 40 Cal volunteers from the Berkeley Project will also be helping with trash pickup throughout the wider neighborhood from Telegraph to Adeline and from Ashby to Woolsey. If we end up with the right supplies (we're waiting to hear what the City can provide), we will also be removing graffiti from signs, etc.

But to make this day as successful as possible, we need your help!

Please email Nancy Carleton <ngc2@mindspring.com> if you can loan a wheelbarrow, your blue recycle box (good for moving mulch), a shovel, rake, or some weeding tools for the day (be sure to label them with name and address, so we can return them to the right place).  Unless we have the right equipment, our volunteers won't be able to function efficiently. So please, please, please loan us what you can!

Also let Nancy know if you'd be willing to come for all or part of the event to manage volunteers and/or to work beside them. Neighborhood-student collaboration is a key goal of the Berkeley Project, so it's important for us to participate too. And in order to get the most out of our volunteer labor, we need folks to direct their attention to specific needs (for example, one crew will work to weed and clean up the problem spot at Fulton and Ashby if we have a neighbor who can direct their efforts). This is an exciting chance to make a big difference in our neighborhood in just half a day! Please help out.

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2. Disaster Supply Cache Shed Arrives!

This past Saturday morning, three  firefighters, including Deputy Chief Gil Dong, came by our neighborhood  to set up the shed that will hold the disaster supplies HNA won in the latest round of applications for a Disaster Supply Cache. It's at the end of the driveway at 3044 Halcyon across from the park -- feel free to stop by and  take a look! Next Saturday the firefighters will be back to stock it fully with equipment and supplies that will help save lives and treat people who are injured in the event of an earthquake or other disaster.

We will be holding regular drills to involve neighbors in practicing how to use these supplies effectively. Please see item 3 for information on our first opportunity. We hope having the shed will encourage even more people from our neighborhood to take the City's free emergency preparedness trainings and to get involved in our neighborhood's disaster prep plans.

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3. Citywide Disaster Preparedness Exercise, Thurs. Nov. 30, 9-11 a.m.: Neighborhood Volunteers Needed

The City of Berkeley will be holding a Disaster Preparedness Exercise, which they hope will include at least some of the neighborhoods with Disaster Supply Caches. This will be a chance to practice using the walkie-talkies that are coming with our cache. For Halcyon Neighborhood to participate, we need at least a couple of neighbors to volunteer to be present on Halcyon Court that morning. While it would be ideal to have some folks who have had some level of Disaster Preparedness training, you can participate even if you don't yet have the training. Please reply asap to Nancy Carleton <ngc2@mindspring.com> if you're free that morning and want to come. The Halcyon neighborhood will only be able to participate if we have at least a few people signed up soon!

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4. Crime Watch Report: Car Break-in on Wheeler Street

A Wheeler Street neighbor reports:

"Our car was broken into in front of our house on Wheeler St (between Woolsey and Prince) sometime between about 9 p.m. Saturday night and 5 p.m. Sunday afternoon. CDs, etc.,were stolen, everything rifled through."

[Crime-Watch Tip from the Editor: Car break-ins often come in waves. I've heard anecdotally about a car break-in on Webster Street too (without details being passed on). We can make an immediate difference by being mindful of the following: To prevent your car from being a likely target, do not leave anything of potential value in sight (i.e., cell phones, jackets, backpacks, etc.) Remind your neighbors to be careful not to leave valuables in sight. This really does make a difference, particularly if the majority of people in the neighborhood put this principle into practice.]

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5. Election Information: District 7, Mayor's Race, and City Measures

The District 7 Council race to elect the councilmember for the part of our neighborhood from the east side of Wheeler street up to Telegraph (and including Woolsey all the way to Shattuck) is one of the tightest races in the city, and has received a great deal of  attention lately due to one of the candidates spending more money than has ever before been spent in a Council race. In addition, the Chamber of Commerce is getting heat for spending tens of thousands of dollars in last-minute hit pieces on Measure J as well as on Councilmembers Spring and Worthington. See the links below for more information.

"Chamber of Commerce Spends Big Bucks to Stop Landmarks Update"

http://www.berkeleydailyplanet.com/article.cfm?issue=10-31-06&storyID=25444

"Other Campaign Efforts Dwarfed by Chamber PAC"

http://www.berkeleydailyplanet.com/article.cfm?issue=10-31-06&storyID=25445

"Money Talks In Berkeley City Council Campaigns"

http://www.berkeleydailyplanet.com/article.cfm?issue=10-31-06&storyID=25447

"Candidates Outraged by Chamber Hit Pieces"

http://www.berkeleydailyplanet.com/article.cfm?issue=10-31-06&storyID=25448

"More Last Minute Chamber Mailers Hit Mailboxes"

http://www.berkeleydailyplanet.com/article.cfm?issue=11-03-06&storyID=25500

"Rally Slams Chamber PAC's 'Big Lies' "

http://www.berkeleydailyplanet.com/article.cfm?issue=11-03-06&storyID=25496

"Political Hit Pieces" [jpg's of the most egregious hit pieces this election season]

http://www.berkeleydailyplanet.com/controversy/index.cfm

Daily Cal links of interest on District 7 and Mayoral races:

"Candidates Tailor Race to Students" [District 7 race]

http://www.dailycal.org/sharticle.php?id=22128

"Development Issues Feature Strongly in Mayoral Race"

http://www.dailycal.org/sharticle.php?id=22161

Oakland Tribune articles of interest:

"District 7 Race Spotlights Telegraph Avenue Problems"

http://www.insidebayarea.com/localnews/ci_4546559

"Runner, planner, professor try to unseat Berkeley mayor"

http://www.insidebayarea.com/search/ci_4509986

District 7 Council candidates have the following websites with information pertaining to their records, positions, and endorsers:

http://www.GeorgeBeier.com

http://www.KrissWorthington.com

http://www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/council7 [Councilmember Worthington's City of Berkeley page]

Mayoral candidates have the following websites:

http://www.tombates.org

http://www.zeldaformayor.com

[couldn't find links for the other two candidates in the race: Christian Pecaut and Zachary RunningWolf]

The City of Berkeley has information on all of the candidates running for various offices, as well as on the local measures on the ballot. You can view candidate statements and ballot arguments concerning the measures, as well as the campaign finance statements from each candidate and committee to see where their money is coming from and what their expenditures have been (with reports through 10/21 in addition to reports on late donations of $100 or more since 10/21) at:

http://www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/elections

The Berkeley Daily Planet has been running extensive election coverage. It's worth checking out their website to see the many commentaries, news articles, and letters to the editor on the various candidates and measures published over the past month:

http://www.berkeleydailyplanet.com

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6. Lost and Found: Watch found at Halcyon Commons Park

A neighbor from Webster Street asked me to announce that she'd found a watch left in Halcyon Commons Park. Please email Nancy Carleton <ngc2@mindspring.com> with a description of the watch, and it will be returned to you.

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7. Labyrinth Community Peace Walk, Sun. Nov. 19, 3 p.m., Willard Middle School

Community Labyrinth Peace Walk at 3 p.m., Willard Middle School (Telegraph Ave. between Derby & Stuart, Berkeley). Everyone welcome. Wheelchair accessible. Rain cancels. Contact  info@eastbaylabyrinthproject.org, 526-7377.

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8. Free Parrot of Prince Street: Neighbor's Article Featured in Chronicle

Prince Street neighbor Marilyn Pon had an article featured in the Chronicle in late October:

"Winnie the parrot's new name fits the bill: Decadelong bird visitor is a fussy eater, jealous too" (by Marily Pon)

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2006/10/28/HOGE5LVT981.DTL&hw=Marilyn+Pon+parrot&sn=001&sc=1000

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The Halcyon Neighborhood Association E-Newsletter:  The HNA E-Newsletter forwards occasional crime watch notices as well as announcements about events of interest to neighbors in the Ashby/Telegraph/Woolsey/Adeline area of south Berkeley, including community-building potlucks, greening projects, disaster preparedness meetings, and work parties in Halcyon Commons Park. If you're receiving this email, either you signed up at a neighborhood event or a neighbor may have forwarded it to you. Please note that to prevent spam, HNA always uses bcc and does not share your email address with third parties. If you wish to be removed from this list, please reply to HNA Co-Chair Nancy Carleton/Halcyon Neighborhood Association <ngc2@mindspring.com>. Please feel free to pass the HNA E-Newsletter on to other neighbors you think might be interested.

HNA Listserve:  If you would like to receive messages (and participate in discussions) on the HNA Listserve, please reply to Halcyon Neighborhood Association <ngc2@mindspring.com> indicating your interest, and you will receive an invitation to join.

HNA Blog:  If you would like to view previous newsletters online (and comment via a blog format), please visit http://halcyoncourt.blogspot.com/

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