HNA E-News: Work Party Saturday; Neighborhood Watch Meeting Sunday; etc.

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Halcyon Neighborhood Association E-Newsletter

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Items appearing in the HNA E-Newsletter are deemed to be of general interest to neighbors but do not necessarily reflect the views of Halcyon Neighborhood Association (HNA), its Steering Committee, or the Editor. The Editor's introductory comments express her personal viewpoint.

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1 Big Neighborhood Work Party, Saturday, Oct. 27, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.: Volunteers Needed!!!

2. Fall Neighborhood Watch Meeting, Sunday, Oct. 28, 6:30 to 8 p.m., Chochmat HaLev (Prince at Fulton)

3. Zoning Ordinance Amendments Related to Alcohol Sales Outlets, Weds. Nov. 14, 7:00 p.m.

4. Reward Offered in Homicide Cases at 63rd and King Streets & at University Avenue

* For Your Calendar: HNA Dates Scheduled for 2007/Early 2008

* Disaster Prep Supply Cache Wish List

* City of Berkeley: Useful Contact Information

* Halcyon Neighborhood Association's Guiding Principles

Editor's Introductory Note:

This is a big neighborhood weekend!

We're all set for a successful work party tomorrow with the help of student volunteers organized through Cal's Berkeley Project and delicious food donated by Whole Foods and coffee from Mokka cafe. If you can possibly join us, either before or after the anti-war rally in SF, or in between  soccer games and your other Saturday activities, please come by and lend a hand in this peaceful, community-building effort to enhance our shared surroundings (item 1). Even half an hour of your time can really make a difference, and it's satisfying for the students to see us neighbors caring enough to pitch in alongside them!

And no matter what your plans on Saturday, please do your best to come to our semi-annual Neighborhood Watch meeting Sunday (item 2). Having a big turnout sends a strong message to our elected officials and the City staff about our willingness to act as full partners in  improving neighborhood safety.

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

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1. Big Neighborhood Work Party, Saturday, Oct. 27, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.: Volunteers Needed!!!

Saturday, October 27, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Meet at Halcyon Commons (Halcyon at Prince)

We'll weed, mulch, and plant rain or shine (but paint only if dry)

Refreshments courtesy of Whole Foods Market

Coffee courtesy of Mokka (cafe at Telegraph and Dowling)

Flyers courtesy of Chochmat HaLev

* Weeding, Mulching, and Planting in Halcyon Commons and nearby landscaped barriers

* Painting Addresses on the Sidewalk to help make our neighborhood easier to navigate by police and emergency personnel

* Picking up Litter from Streets

* Removing Graffiti from as wide an area of our neighborhood as we can reach

Please come out for as long as you can spare (even half an hour makes a difference) to help with our big annual fall work party! Around 30 student volunteers (UC students plus some of their Willard Middle Shcool mentees) will be helping us out as part of Cal's Berkeley Project day, but in order to accomplish the most we can with this much-appreciated assistance from the Cal volunteers, we need plenty of neighbors present to provide guidance and lend a hand. Your help will make this day as successful as it can possibly be. THANK YOU!

We also need wheelbarrows and shovels for moving mulch. If you can loan yours for the day and deliver it to Halcyon Court prior to 9 a.m. Saturday morning, please reply to <halcyon92@gmail.com> (and be sure to label it with your address on masking tape so we can return it promptly when we're done).

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2. Fall Neighborhood Watch Meeting, Sunday, Oct. 28, 6:30 to 8 p.m., Chochmat HaLev (Prince at Fulton)

Please join your neighbors at our semi-annual neighborhood watch meeting (the spring meeting emphasizes emergency preparedness; the fall meeting emphasizes crime watch, though both are included each time). This is our big chance to network with our beat officers and city representatives and share our concerns about neighborhood safety. And the evening is especially timely given the recent upsurge in crime along the Berkeley-Oakland border.

The meeting will start promptly and be run tightly. You're welcome to come as early as 6 to help set up and to schmooze, and please plan on arriving at least a few minutes early to check in and get seated. The meeting proper will start promptly at 6:30 and end at 8, with time for individual follow-up with speakers from 8 to 8:30 while we clean up.

NOTE: Mayor Tom Bates and District 7 Councilmember Kriss Worthington have committed to showing up by 6:15 for 15 fifteen minutes to chat informally before the meeting starts promptly at 6:15. There will also be representatives from the Police Department and the City Manager's Office at the meeting itself, and District 3 Councilmember Max Anderson has also been invited.

The agenda includes:

        * Introduction of HNA leaders, City Councilmembers, and City Staff

        * Emergency Preparedness Update

        * Neighborhood Announcements & interest Polls

           (Potlucks, Safety Walks, Peace Gardens, Self-Defense Class in Park, Book Club, etc.)

        * Police Presentation

           (prevention, reporting, dispatch, possibly coordination with Oakland/BART, etc.)

        * Brainstorm/capture neighborhood concerns

 If you can help HNA Neighborhood Watch Coordinator Dawn Trygstad Rubin set up at 6 p.m. the evening of the 28th, please contact her at <familyrubin@comcast.net>.

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3. Zoning Ordinance Amendments Related to Alcohol Sales Outlets, Weds. Nov. 14, 7:00 p.m.

The City of Berkeley forwarded the following announcement:

Zoning Ordinance Amendments Related to Alcohol Sales Outlets

Zoning Ordinance Chapters 23C.04, 23B.68 (new), and 23E.16  The Planning Commission of the City of Berkeley will hold a public hearing on the above matter,  pursuant to Zoning Ordinance Section 23A.20.030, on Wednesday, November 14, 2007 at the  North Berkeley Senior Center, 1901 Hearst Ave. (at Martin Luther King, Jr. Way), Berkeley  (wheelchair accessible).  The meeting starts at 7:00 p.m. 

PROJECT DESCRIPTION: The proposed zoning amendments address three issues related  to alcohol uses:  (1) Abandonment of lawful non-conforming off-sale alcohol beverage sales outlets after  90 days of closure;   (2) Allowing private right of action against nuisances, including nuisance alcohol outlets;  and  (3) Providing the Zoning Adjustments Board greater flexibility when issuing a use permit  for a new alcohol sales use when there has been only one prior violation or complaint.   

LOCATION: Citywide. 

ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW STATUS: Exempt, CEQA Guidelines Section 15061(b)(3). 

PUBLIC COMMENT & FURTHER INFORMATION  Comments may be made verbally at the public hearing and in writing before the hearing. Those  wishing to speak at the hearing must submit a speaker card. Written comments or questions  concerning this project should be directed to:  Planning Commission   Fax: (510) 981-7490  Jordan Harrison, Secretary  E-mail: jharrison@ci.berkeley.ca.us  Land Use Planning Division  (510) 981-7410  2120 Milvia Street    Berkeley, CA 94704  To assure distribution to Commission members prior to the meeting, correspondence must be  received by 12:00 noon, seven (7) days before the meeting.  15 copies must be submitted of  any correspondence with more than ten (10) pages or any item submitted less than seven days  before the meeting. 

COMMUNICATION ACCESS  2120 Milvia Street, Berkeley, CA  94704    Tel: 510.981.7410    TDD: 510.981.7474    Fax: 510.981.7490  E-mail: planning@ci.berkeley.ca.us  To request a meeting agenda in large print, Braille, or on audiocassette, or to request a sign  language interpreter for the meeting, call (510) 981-7410 (voice) or 981-6903 (TDD). Notice of at  least five (5) business days will ensure availability. Agendas are also available on the Internet at:  www.ci.berkeley.ca.us.  Filename: G:\LANDUSE\Boards & Commissions\PC\Public Hearing Notices\20071114 Alcohol.doc

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4. Reward Offered in Homicide Cases at 63rd and King Streets & at University Avenue

The Berkeley Police Department forwarded the following announcement:

Reward Offered in Homicide Case, 63rd and King Streets
  Berkeley, California (Thursday, October 25, 2007) - The City of Berkeley is offering a $15,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the suspect or suspects responsible for the murder of Dwayne Murphy, 27, of Berkeley.

        On Saturday, September 22, 2007, at 3:30 p.m., the City of Berkeley Police Department (BPD) got 911 calls from several community members reporting shots being fired and a possible gunshot victim at 63rd and King Streets in south Berkeley. Officers found Murphy lying in the roadway suffering from numerous gunshot wounds. Berkeley Fire Department paramedics who transported Murphy from the scene pronounced him dead a short time later.

        BPD Homicide detectives are currently working on this investigation. The shooting death of Dwayne Murphy marked the fourth homicide of the year in the City of Berkeley.Detectives have closed three of the five homicides investigations in 2007, but are asking the community's help with the closure of the two remaining open investigations.

       

        June 8, 2007 12:30 p.m.: An employee of 1040 University Avenue, UA Homes, requested that BPD check the welfare of a tenant. Officers found Terrence Marlow Broadnax, 47, of Berkeley the victim of a homicide inside his apartment. Broadnax sustained blunt force trauma injuries and died as a result. A $15,000 reward is still being offered for information leading to the arrest and conviction of Broadnax's killer.

        Anyone who has any information on either of these cases is urged to call the BPD Homicide Detail at (510) 981-5741 (office) or (510) 981-5900. (Non-emergency 24-hour dispatch line).

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For Your Calendar: HNA Dates Scheduled for 2007/Early 2008

Dates set as of  October 2007 (verify a couple weeks before event by checking HNA E-Newsletter):

Saturday, October 27, 9 a.m. - 3 p.m., Fall Mulching in Park & Neighborhood Work Party (including painting addresses on sidewalks) with help from Cal volunteers of Berkeley Project

Sunday, October 28,  6:30-8:00 p.m., Big Neighborhood Watch Community Meeting, Chochmat HaLev (Prince at Fulton)

December 2,  4:00-5:30 p.m., HNA Steering Committee Meeting (email <halcyon92@gmail.com> for location)

Sunday, January 13, 2008, 5:00-8:30 p.m., Post-Holiday Progressive Potluck, four locations TBD

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* Disaster Prep Supply Cache Wish List

HNA's Disaster Prep Supply Cache contains items intended to benefit the entire neighborhood in the event of disaster. You can help us have what we need on hand in two ways: (1) Make a tax-deductible financial contribution to Berkeley Partners for Parks (BPFP, our nonprofit fiscal sponsor), earmarked Halcyon Disaster Prep, which will go toward purchasing additional supplies, and mail or drop off to HNA Treasurer Susan Hunter, 3044 Halcyon Court, Berkeley, CA 94705. (2) Contribute any of the following items in-kind (supplies MUST be new or in GOOD condition):

Duct Tape (this is a versatile supply that allows us to improvise with common household items in the event of a disaster: lots needed!); Batteries (AA, C, D), regular & rechargeable; Battery Recharger for AA (LOTS of these needed!), C, D; Quality Walkie-Talkies with 8-mile range, 22 channels (i.e., Motorola Talkabout T5500 two-way radios); Axes; Crow Bars, Hard Hats; Other Tools for Search & Rescue; Head Lamps; Heavy-duty Flashlights; Bullhorn; Laptop Computer with rechargeable power supply & USB port; Flashcard (for storing neighborhood database to transfer to laptop); Sheets (freshly laundered or new; good for first aid); Blankets; First Aid Supplies; Gas Siphon (for extracting gas from cars to run generator); 5-Gallon Drums for long-term gas storage; Work Gloves; Large Camping Tents (with all parts!); Coleman or similar Gas or Propane Stove; Shelving for Shed; Two-Foot Lengths of 2x4s and 4x4s (good for cribbing and creating fulcrums for removing heavy objects during search & rescue operations).

Contact HNA Co-Chair and Cache Coordinator Nancy Carleton at <halcyon92@gmail.com> or 644-0172 to contribute supplies.

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* City of Berkeley: Useful Contact Information

Police

Police Emergency Number:  911 (from landline); 981-5911(from cell; preprogram with this number)

Police Nonemergency Number: 981-5900

Link to beat maps and a list of beat officers:

http://www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/police/department/beatinfo/beatlineup.html

In Halcyon neighborhood, west of Fulton is Beat 10, east of Fulton is Beat 9.

Link to crime stats:

Berkeley:  www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/police

Link to police bulletins:

http://www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/police/crimestats/policebulletins.html

Other City Departments:

Neighborhood Services Liaison Jim Hynes <jhynes@ci.berkeley.ca.us> 981-2493

Public Works Customer Service:  981-6620 (streets, sidewalks, graffiti, sewers, litter, storm drains, street lights)

Tree Trimming/Planting (Forestry)/Parks: 981-6660

Written Communication with City Council:

To comment to City Council, cut and paste the following email addresses:

City Clerk <clerk@ci.berkeley.ca.us>,

Mayor Tom Bates <Mayor@ci.berkeley.ca.us>,

Councilmember Linda Maio <LMaio@ci.berkeley.ca.us>,

Councilmember Darryl Moore <DMoore@ci.berkeley.ca.us>,

Councilmember Max Anderson <MAnderson@ci.berkeley.ca.us>,

Councilmember Dona Spring <DSpring@ci.berkeley.ca.us>,

Councilmember Laurie Capitelli <LCapitelli@ci.berkeley.ca.us>,

Councilmember Betty Olds <BOlds@ci.berkeley.ca.us>,

Councilmember Kriss Worthington <KWorthington@ci.berkeley.ca.us>,

Councilmember Gordon Wozniak <GWozniak@ci.berkeley.ca.us>

Representatives for Our Neighborhood:

Councilmember Max Anderson (District 3) 981-7130

West side of Wheeler Street to west (except for Woolsey between Wheeler and Shattuck)

Councilmember Kriss Worthington (District 7) 981-7170

East side of Wheeler to east (includes block of Woolsey from Wheeler to Shattuck)

Mayor Tom Bates 981-7100

Zoning Adjustments Board:

To comment to the Zoning Adjustments Board regarding projects on their calendar, email:

Zoning Adjustments Board <zab@ci.berkeley.ca.us>

(best to submit your comments 10 days prior to meeting for inclusion in the advance packet to board members, but late submissions will be distributed the evening of the meeting)

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* Halcyon Neighborhood Association's Guiding Principles

HNA is a community group dedicated to stewardship of the Halcyon Neighborhood in South Berkeley (bounded by Telegraph, Ashby, Adeline, and Woolsey). We encourage positive, proactive, partnership-oriented approaches to improving the well-being of our neighborhood, with an emphasis on the following goals:

• Community building (such as regular potlucks, special events in the park, mutual support among neighbors, and multiblock yard sales);
• Ongoing care of Halcyon Commons (a park conceived of and created by the neighbors who founded HNA) under the nonprofit umbrella provided by Berkeley Partners for Parks and in partnership with the City of Berkeley;
• Continued greening and care of the neighborhood (planting trees, cleaning litter off streets, graffiti removal, and helping maintain public landscaped features);
• Strengthening neighborhood watch (crime watch, community safety walks, emergency preparedness, and disaster supply cache);
• Networking with the larger Berkeley community (nearby neighborhood groups, neighborhood businesses, City staff, and elected officials);
• Sharing information and empowering residents to become proactive in addressing neighborhood needs and in expressing individual viewpoints regarding civic affairs (spreading news through meetings, flyers, and the HNA E-Newsletter, and providing contact information).

        To fulfill these goals, HNA provides a sanctuary from partisan politics so that neighbors with diverse viewpoints feel welcome to participate. Thus, HNA only takes stands on larger issues when there is near-unanimity among neighbors. By focusing on immediate local concerns, we find we can have a greater impact and get better results from the time we invest.

       Guided by these principles, HNA invites neighbors who are willing to work together in a spirit of partnership to participate at whatever level makes sense for them. Opportunities for serving on our volunteer Steering Committee and project-oriented committees are available to neighbors who are willing to roll up their sleeves and work together in a nonpartisan spirit. Neighbors are invited to step forward into leadership positions defined by the work they do in accordance with HNA's primary goals and guiding principles.

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The Halcyon Neighborhood Association E-Newsletter:  The HNA E-Newsletter forwards occasional crime-watch notices as well as items of general interest to neighbors in the Ashby/Telegraph/Woolsey/Adeline area of south Berkeley (HNA's borders), including announcements about community-building potlucks, greening projects, disaster preparedness meetings, and work parties in Halcyon Commons Park. If you're receiving this email, you probably either signed up at a neighborhood event or a neighbor 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 <halcyon92@gmail.com>. Feel free to pass the HNA E-Newsletter on to other neighbors you think might be interested.

To submit items for the newsletter:   Email unformatted content or links (no graphics or attachments) to HNA E-Newsletter Editor Nancy Carleton <halcyon92@gmail.com>. Crime-watch reports and news about neighbors (births, new jobs, announcements re home businesses) is especially welcome. Please note that due to the volunteer nature of the endeavor, the E-Newsletter does not typically include "letters to the editor" or "commentary," but will gladly include links to such items written by neighbors in the Ashby/Telegraph/Woolsey/Adeline area and published elsewhere (the Berkeley Daily Planet has a large section devoted to opinion).

HNA Halcyon Safety Walk Listserve:  For those who'd like to participate in night-time and daytime safety "dog" walks (dogs not required) to build community and serve as eyes on the street, please reply  to Halcyon Neighborhood Association <halcyon92@gmail.com> indicating your interest, and you will receive an invitation to join. For everyone's safety, be sure to include your full name, address, email, and phone.

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

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HNA E-News: Important neighborhood events this weekend: Sat. Work Party and Sunday Neighborhood Watch meeting, etc.

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Halcyon Neighborhood Association E-Newsletter

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Items appearing in the HNA E-Newsletter are deemed to be of general interest to neighbors but do not necessarily reflect the views of Halcyon Neighborhood Association (HNA), its Steering Committee, or the Editor. The Editor's introductory comments express her personal viewpoint.

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1 Big Neighborhood Work Party, Saturday, Oct. 27, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.: Volunteers Needed!!!

2. Fall Neighborhood Watch Meeting, Sunday, Oct. 28, 6:30 to 8 p.m., Chochmat HaLev (Prince at Fulton)

3. Berkeley Fire Department Responds to Southern California Fires

4.  HNA's Guiding Principles

5. "Memorial Service Held for Slain Berkeley Boy": Link to Daily Planet Article

6. Concert/Labyrinth Walk with Musician Margie Adam, Sunday, October 28, 4-6 p.m.

* For Your Calendar: HNA Dates Scheduled for 2007/Early 2008

* Disaster Prep Supply Cache Wish List

* City of Berkeley: Useful Contact Information

* Halcyon Neighborhood Association's Guiding Principles

Editor's Introductory Note:

Over the years, HNA has emphasized community-building events, greening projects, nighttime safety walks, and work parties over frequent meetings, but when we do have a meeting, such as the semi-annual Neighborhood Watch event this coming Sunday (see item 2), it's important that as many neighbors as possible show up so we can demonstrate a strong presence as we meet with the city officials who serve us. These meetings are always informative and are run tightly so we can cover a lot of ground. If you possibly can, please show up from 6:30 to 8:00 this Sunday (if you show up fifteen minutes early, at 6:15, you'll also have a chance to talk informally with Mayor Tom Bates and Councilmember Kriss Worthington beforehand). Your presence makes a difference!

Another important opportunity to put some of your energy into making our neighborhood a better place is taking place Saturday, when we'll have both Cal students and Willard Middle School volunteering as part of the Berkeley Project. Working side by side with youth who are volunteering is an inspiring experience, and a little guidance from us neighbors will allow everyone to be as productive as possible. I know there are many ways to spend your Saturday, but if you can spare an hour or two, please let us know (see item 1). An added incentive is the delicious food being donated by Whole Foods Market, and coffee from Mokka cafe to help get you going when we first start out!

These are the final official HNA events of the year (though we'll be holding a Steering Committee meeting on Sunday, December 2, 4:00-5:30 if you'd like to help plan the outlines of our calendar for 2008).  I hope to see you at one or both of them!

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

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1. Big Neighborhood Work Party, Saturday, Oct. 27, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.: Volunteers Needed!!!

Saturday, October 27, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Meet at Halcyon Commons (Halcyon at Prince)

We'll weed, mulch, and plant rain or shine (but paint only if dry)

Refreshments courtesy of Whole Foods Market

Coffee courtesy of Mokka (cafe at Telegraph and Dowling)

Flyers courtesy of Chochmat HaLev

* Weeding, Mulching, and Planting in Halcyon Commons and nearby landscaped barriers

* Painting Addresses on the Sidewalk to help make our neighborhood easier to navigate by police and emergency personnel

* Picking up Litter from Streets

* Removing Graffiti from as wide an area of our neighborhood as we can reach

** Note **  We remain in need of  a few neighborhood crew leader volunteers to assist and supervise groups of student volunteers. Please contact Dawn Rubin to help with painting of neighborhood addresses & clean-up (843-6306, <familyrubin@comcast.net>) and/or John Steere to help with weeding, mulching, and planting (849-1969, <jsteere@igc.org>). Or you can respond by reply email to Nancy Carleton at <halcyon92@gmail.com>.

Please lend us a few hours to help with our big annual fall work party! Around 30 student volunteers (UC students plus some of their Willard Middle Shcool mentees) will be helping us out as part of Cal's Berkeley Project day, but in order to accomplish the most we can with this much-appreciated help from the Cal volunteers, we need plenty of neighbors present to provide guidance and lend a hand. If you can help for any or all of these two-hour shifts - 9 to 11, 11 to 1, 1 to 3 - please let us know by emailing <halcyon92@gmail.com> or calling the contacts listed above. We need your help to make this day as successful as it can possibly be. THANK YOU!

We also need wheelbarrows and shovels for moving mulch. If you can loan yours for the day, please reply to <halcyon92@gmail.com> (and be sure to label it with your address on masking tape so we can return it promptly when we're done).

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2. Fall Neighborhood Watch Meeting, Sunday, Oct. 28, 6:30 to 8 p.m., Chochmat HaLev (Prince at Fulton)

Please join your neighbors at our semi-annual neighborhood watch meeting (the spring meeting emphasizes emergency preparedness; the fall meeting emphasizes crime watch, though both are included each time). This is our big chance to network with our beat officers and city representatives and share our concerns about neighborhood safety. And the evening is especially timely given the recent upsurge in crime along the Berkeley-Oakland border.

The meeting will start promptly and be run tightly. You're welcome to come as early as 6 to help set up and to schmooze, and please plan on arriving at least a few minutes early to check in and get seated. The meeting proper will start promptly at 6:30 and end at 8, with time for individual follow-up with speakers from 8 to 8:30 while we clean up.

NOTE: Mayor Tom Bates and District 7 Councilmember Kriss Worthington have committed to showing up by 6:15 for 15 fifteen minutes to chat informally before the meeting starts promptly at 6:15. There will also be representatives from the Police Department and the City Manager's Office at the meeting itself, and District 3 Councilmember Max Anderson has also been invited.

The agenda includes:

        * Introduction of HNA leaders, City Councilmembers, and City Staff

        * Emergency Preparedness Update

        * Neighborhood Announcements & interest Polls

           (Potlucks, Safety Walks, Peace Gardens, Self-Defense Class in Park, Book Club, etc.)

        * Police Presentation

           (prevention, reporting, dispatch, possibly coordination with Oakland/BART, etc.)

        * Brainstorm/capture neighborhood concerns

 If you can help HNA Neighborhood Watch Coordinator Dawn Trygstad Rubin set up at 6 p.m. the evening of the 28th, please contact her at <familyrubin@comcast.net>.

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3. Berkeley Fire Department Responds to Southern California Fires

The City of Berkeley has put out the following press release:

http://www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/news/2007/10October/102307BFDinSoCal.html

        The Berkeley Fire Department, in response to mutual aid requests from Southern California, sent two engine companies and eight personnel to the Los Angeles County Area. The Department will maintain full staffing at all seven fire stations by recalling personnel to cover those sent to assist.
    "The City of Berkeley and Berkeley Fire Department empathize with what residents of Southern California are now facing, and we are committed to provide unprecedented support by sending these necessary resources," said Fire Chief Debra Pryor.

        Thirteen fires in seven different counties are threatening homes and commercial structures. Red flag conditions with Santa Ana winds are expected to last until 4 p.m. Wednesday, making firefighting efforts difficult and dangerous.

        Many of the fires that spread from Santa Barbara to San Diego and East to San Bernardino Counties are not expected to be contained until October 31. The fires have been fueled by drought conditions and Santa Ana winds recorded as high as 106 mph.
  The Bay Area was fortunate to receive more than an inch of rain during the past week, lessening the fire danger. Weather forecasts in the Bay Area call for warmer temperatures in the next several days, but with no red flag conditions.
      Sixteen years ago on October 20, 1991, the Berkeley-Oakland Firestorm occurred and resulted in the destruction of over 3,000 homes and 25 deaths.

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4.  HNA's Guiding Principles

Editor's Note: The previous E-News provided a link to a commentary in the Daily Planet concerning the principles that have guided HNA through its fifteen-year history, which were recently put into written form by HNA Co-Chairs Nancy Carleton and John Steere and HNA Neighborhood Watch Coordinator Dawn Trygstad Rubin ("HNA: Guiding Principles for a Collaborative Approach,"

http://www.berkeleydailyplanet.com/article.cfm?issue=10-12-07&storyID=28215). HNA Co-Chair John Steere asked that these principles be highlighted in the current issue of the E-News, in case anyone has feedback to offer on this draft (the principles will also be included as a placeholder in the E-News henceforth). If you have comments or suggestions, please email them to HNA at <halcyon92@gmail.com>.

HNA is a community group dedicated to stewardship of the Halcyon Neighborhood in South Berkeley (bounded by Telegraph, Ashby, Adeline, and Woolsey). We encourage positive, proactive, partnership-oriented approaches to improving the well-being of our neighborhood, with an emphasis on the following goals:

• Community building (such as regular potlucks, special events in the park, mutual support among neighbors, and multiblock yard sales);
• Ongoing care of Halcyon Commons (a park conceived of and created by the neighbors who founded HNA) under the nonprofit umbrella provided by Berkeley Partners for Parks and in partnership with the City of Berkeley;
• Continued greening and care of the neighborhood (planting trees, cleaning litter off streets, graffiti removal, and helping maintain public landscaped features);
• Strengthening neighborhood watch (crime watch, community safety walks, emergency preparedness, and disaster supply cache);
• Networking with the larger Berkeley community (nearby neighborhood groups, neighborhood businesses, City staff, and elected officials);
• Sharing information and empowering residents to become proactive in addressing neighborhood needs and in expressing individual viewpoints regarding civic affairs (spreading news through meetings, flyers, and the HNA E-Newsletter, and providing contact information).

        To fulfill these goals, HNA provides a sanctuary from partisan politics so that neighbors with diverse viewpoints feel welcome to participate. Thus, HNA only takes stands on larger issues when there is near-unanimity among neighbors. By focusing on immediate local concerns, we find we can have a greater impact and get better results from the time we invest.

       Guided by these principles, HNA invites neighbors who are willing to work together in a spirit of partnership to participate at whatever level makes sense for them. Opportunities for serving on our volunteer Steering Committee and project-oriented committees are available to neighbors who are willing to roll up their sleeves and work together in a nonpartisan spirit. Neighbors are invited to step forward into leadership positions defined by the work they do in accordance with HNA's primary goals and guiding principles.

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5. "Memorial Service Held for Slain Berkeley Boy": Link to Daily Planet Article

A recent Berkeley Daily Planet article describes the memorial held for Shattuck neighbor Amir Hassan:

http://www.berkeleydailyplanet.com/article.cfm?issue=10-23-07&storyID=28280

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6. Concert/Labyrinth Walk with Musician Margie Adam, Sunday, October 28, 4-6 p.m.

[Editor's Note: A number of Halcyon neighbors, including HNA Co-Chair Nancy Carleton, are involved with this project.]

Singer, songwriter, and pianist Margie Adam will bring her "PORTAL Experience" concert/labyrinth walk to Berkeley City Club, , 2315 Durant, Sunday, October 28, 4-6:30 p.m., to benefit the East Bay Labyrinth Project (EBLP). This intimate afternoon event will feature Margie's piano and vocal music, followed by a community walk on a 40-foot Chartres-style canvas labyrinth enveloped in large screen projections of Scotland's ancient Callanish Stones. Lauren Artress, author and labyrinth movement visionary, will be EBLP's special guest. The concert/walk launches EBLP's campaign to raise $100,000 to install a public and accessible labyrinth at the Berkeley Marina at a site approved by the Waterfront Commission and Berkeley City Council after an extensive public process. Tickets $25 advance; $30 door; $15 students. www.margieadam.com or (510) 526-7377.

 

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For Your Calendar: HNA Dates Scheduled for 2007/Early 2008

Dates set as of  October 2007 (verify a couple weeks before event by checking HNA E-Newsletter):

Saturday, October 27, 9 a.m. - 3 p.m., Fall Mulching in Park & Neighborhood Work Party (including painting addresses on sidewalks) with help from Cal volunteers of Berkeley Project

Sunday, October 28,  6:30-8:00 p.m., Big Neighborhood Watch Community Meeting, Chochmat HaLev (Prince at Fulton)

December 2,  4:00-5:30 p.m., HNA Steering Committee Meeting (email <halcyon92@gmail.com> for location)

Sunday, January 13, 2008, 5:00-8:30 p.m., Post-Holiday Progressive Potluck, four locations TBD

* * * * * * * * * * * *

* Disaster Prep Supply Cache Wish List

HNA's Disaster Prep Supply Cache contains items intended to benefit the entire neighborhood in the event of disaster. You can help us have what we need on hand in two ways: (1) Make a tax-deductible financial contribution to Berkeley Partners for Parks (BPFP, our nonprofit fiscal sponsor), earmarked Halcyon Disaster Prep, which will go toward purchasing additional supplies, and mail or drop off to HNA Treasurer Susan Hunter, 3044 Halcyon Court, Berkeley, CA 94705. (2) Contribute any of the following items in-kind (supplies MUST be new or in GOOD condition):

Duct Tape (this is a versatile supply that allows us to improvise with common household items in the event of a disaster: lots needed!); Batteries (AA, C, D), regular & rechargeable; Battery Recharger for AA (LOTS of these needed!), C, D; Quality Walkie-Talkies with 8-mile range, 22 channels (i.e., Motorola Talkabout T5500 two-way radios); Axes; Crow Bars, Hard Hats; Other Tools for Search & Rescue; Head Lamps; Heavy-duty Flashlights; Bullhorn; Laptop Computer with rechargeable power supply & USB port; Flashcard (for storing neighborhood database to transfer to laptop); Sheets (freshly laundered or new; good for first aid); Blankets; First Aid Supplies; Gas Siphon (for extracting gas from cars to run generator); 5-Gallon Drums for long-term gas storage; Work Gloves; Large Camping Tents (with all parts!); Coleman or similar Gas or Propane Stove; Shelving for Shed; Two-Foot Lengths of 2x4s and 4x4s (good for cribbing and creating fulcrums for removing heavy objects during search & rescue operations).

Contact HNA Co-Chair and Cache Coordinator Nancy Carleton at <halcyon92@gmail.com> or 644-0172 to contribute supplies.

* * * * * * * * * * * *

* City of Berkeley: Useful Contact Information

Police

Police Emergency Number:  911 (from landline); 981-5911(from cell; preprogram with this number)

Police Nonemergency Number: 981-5900

Link to beat maps and a list of beat officers:

http://www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/police/department/beatinfo/beatlineup.html

In Halcyon neighborhood, west of Fulton is Beat 10, east of Fulton is Beat 9.

Link to crime stats:

Berkeley:  www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/police

Link to police bulletins:

http://www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/police/crimestats/policebulletins.html

Other City Departments:

Neighborhood Services Liaison Jim Hynes <jhynes@ci.berkeley.ca.us> 981-2493

Public Works Customer Service:  981-6620 (streets, sidewalks, graffiti, sewers, litter, storm drains, street lights)

Tree Trimming/Planting (Forestry)/Parks: 981-6660

Written Communication with City Council:

To comment to City Council, cut and paste the following email addresses:

City Clerk <clerk@ci.berkeley.ca.us>,

Mayor Tom Bates <Mayor@ci.berkeley.ca.us>,

Councilmember Linda Maio <LMaio@ci.berkeley.ca.us>,

Councilmember Darryl Moore <DMoore@ci.berkeley.ca.us>,

Councilmember Max Anderson <MAnderson@ci.berkeley.ca.us>,

Councilmember Dona Spring <DSpring@ci.berkeley.ca.us>,

Councilmember Laurie Capitelli <LCapitelli@ci.berkeley.ca.us>,

Councilmember Betty Olds <BOlds@ci.berkeley.ca.us>,

Councilmember Kriss Worthington <KWorthington@ci.berkeley.ca.us>,

Councilmember Gordon Wozniak <GWozniak@ci.berkeley.ca.us>

Representatives for Our Neighborhood:

Councilmember Max Anderson (District 3) 981-7130

West side of Wheeler Street to west (except for Woolsey between Wheeler and Shattuck)

Councilmember Kriss Worthington (District 7) 981-7170

East side of Wheeler to east (includes block of Woolsey from Wheeler to Shattuck)

Mayor Tom Bates 981-7100

Zoning Adjustments Board:

To comment to the Zoning Adjustments Board regarding projects on their calendar, email:

Zoning Adjustments Board <zab@ci.berkeley.ca.us>

(best to submit your comments 10 days prior to meeting for inclusion in the advance packet to board members, but late submissions will be distributed the evening of the meeting)

* * * * * * * * * * * *

* Halcyon Neighborhood Association's Guiding Principles

HNA is a community group dedicated to stewardship of the Halcyon Neighborhood in South Berkeley (bounded by Telegraph, Ashby, Adeline, and Woolsey). We encourage positive, proactive, partnership-oriented approaches to improving the well-being of our neighborhood, with an emphasis on the following goals:

• Community building (such as regular potlucks, special events in the park, mutual support among neighbors, and multiblock yard sales);
• Ongoing care of Halcyon Commons (a park conceived of and created by the neighbors who founded HNA) under the nonprofit umbrella provided by Berkeley Partners for Parks and in partnership with the City of Berkeley;
• Continued greening and care of the neighborhood (planting trees, cleaning litter off streets, graffiti removal, and helping maintain public landscaped features);
• Strengthening neighborhood watch (crime watch, community safety walks, emergency preparedness, and disaster supply cache);
• Networking with the larger Berkeley community (nearby neighborhood groups, neighborhood businesses, City staff, and elected officials);
• Sharing information and empowering residents to become proactive in addressing neighborhood needs and in expressing individual viewpoints regarding civic affairs (spreading news through meetings, flyers, and the HNA E-Newsletter, and providing contact information).

        To fulfill these goals, HNA provides a sanctuary from partisan politics so that neighbors with diverse viewpoints feel welcome to participate. Thus, HNA only takes stands on larger issues when there is near-unanimity among neighbors. By focusing on immediate local concerns, we find we can have a greater impact and get better results from the time we invest.

       Guided by these principles, HNA invites neighbors who are willing to work together in a spirit of partnership to participate at whatever level makes sense for them. Opportunities for serving on our volunteer Steering Committee and project-oriented committees are available to neighbors who are willing to roll up their sleeves and work together in a nonpartisan spirit. Neighbors are invited to step forward into leadership positions defined by the work they do in accordance with HNA's primary goals and guiding principles.

* * * * * * * * * * * *

The Halcyon Neighborhood Association E-Newsletter:  The HNA E-Newsletter forwards occasional crime-watch notices as well as items of general interest to neighbors in the Ashby/Telegraph/Woolsey/Adeline area of south Berkeley (HNA's borders), including announcements about community-building potlucks, greening projects, disaster preparedness meetings, and work parties in Halcyon Commons Park. If you're receiving this email, you probably either signed up at a neighborhood event or a neighbor 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 <halcyon92@gmail.com>. Feel free to pass the HNA E-Newsletter on to other neighbors you think might be interested.

To submit items for the newsletter:   Email unformatted content or links (no graphics or attachments) to HNA E-Newsletter Editor Nancy Carleton <halcyon92@gmail.com>. Crime-watch reports and news about neighbors (births, new jobs, announcements re home businesses) is especially welcome. Please note that due to the volunteer nature of the endeavor, the E-Newsletter does not typically include "letters to the editor" or "commentary," but will gladly include links to such items written by neighbors in the Ashby/Telegraph/Woolsey/Adeline area and published elsewhere (the Berkeley Daily Planet has a large section devoted to opinion).

HNA Halcyon Safety Walk Listserve:  For those who'd like to participate in night-time and daytime safety "dog" walks (dogs not required) to build community and serve as eyes on the street, please reply  to Halcyon Neighborhood Association <halcyon92@gmail.com> indicating your interest, and you will receive an invitation to join. For everyone's safety, be sure to include your full name, address, email, and phone.

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

* * * * * * * * * * * *

HNA E-News: Important Neighborhood events 10/27 & 10/28; HNA's Guiding Principles; Neighborhood Tragedy, etc.

* * * * * * * * * * * *

Halcyon Neighborhood Association E-Newsletter

* * * * * * * * * * * *

Items appearing in the HNA E-Newsletter are deemed to be of general interest to neighbors but do not necessarily reflect the views of Halcyon Neighborhood Association (HNA), its Steering Committee, or the Editor. The Editor's introductory comments express her personal viewpoint.

* * * * * * * * * * * *

1 Big Neighborhood Work Party, Saturday, Oct. 27, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.: Volunteers Needed!!!

2. Fall Neighborhood Watch Meeting, Sunday, Oct. 28, 6:30 to 8 p.m., Chochmat HaLev (Prince at Fulton)

3. HNA: Guiding Principles for a Collaborative Approach (link to Daily Planet Commentary)

4. Neighborhood Tragedy: Nine-Year-Old Amir Hassan of Shattuck Ave. Found Dead

5. LeConte Neighborhood Association Meeting, Thursday, October 18, 7:30-9 p.m.

6. Crime Watch Tips from LeConte Neighborhood Association President Karl Reeh

7. Downtown Area Plan Advisory Committee's Community Workshop, Saturday, October 20, 10 a.m., Plus Online Workshop

* For Your Calendar: HNA Dates Scheduled for 2007/Early 2008

* Disaster Prep Supply Cache Wish List

* City of Berkeley: Useful Contact Information

* Halcyon Neighborhood Association's Guiding Principles

Editor's Introductory Note:

I'm pulling this edition together with a sense of sadness at the death of one of our young neighbors, Amir Hassan (see item 4). Though I never met Amir, I have gotten a sense of him through some of the interviews I've heard of those who did. As a letter sent out by the principal to Emerson School families said, "We are a strong community, and we will work to take care of one another in this time of grief."

Creating a strong community is a core principle of HNA, and I encourage you to follow the link in item 3 to read a commentary written by HNA Co-Chair John Steere, HNA Neighborhood Watch Coordinator Dawn Trysgad Rubin, and me about the evolution of HNA's Guiding Principles (which are now printed at the end of each E-News) and what our collaborative approach has to offer. I also encourage you to participate in two very important upcoming neighborhood events - our big neighborhood work party on Saturday, October 27 (see item 1), which is a lovely way to connect with some of the idealistic young people attending Cal, and our fall neighborhood watch meeting on Sunday, October 28 (item 2), which will give us a chance to strategize about neighborhood safety. Your participation is what allows our neighborhood group to strengthen the sense of community even more.

This time around, we're a bit shorthanded on flyer distributors to promote these two events since a couple of our regulars are unable to help out due to travel and other life changes. Flyers will be ready to go out sometime next week and can be distributed any time over the subsequent week. If you'd be willing to cover a stretch of our neighborhood (not necessarily your own block, but one within a few blocks of you), please use reply email to <halcyon92@gmail.com> and let us know at your earliest convenience. We particularly need a few more ongoing delivery folks. Each stretch takes just  half an hour, and flyers go out approximately six times during a year (the one after this will go out in early January). This is a relatively easy way to pitch in and make a difference, and to ensure that we communicate we neighbors who haven't yet signed up for the E-News or who don't have Internet access.

Finally, I'd like to extend a special thank-you to Neal Rubin, who recently took the time to run, and then empty the gasoline out of, our neighborhood Disaster Supply Cache generator, keeping its inner workings from clogging up. He's also volunteered to build some shelves in the cache shed to help us better organize the supplies. Thank you, Neal!

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

* * * * * * * * * * * *

1. Big Neighborhood Work Party, Saturday, Oct. 27, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.: Volunteers Needed!!!

Saturday, October 27, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Meet at Halcyon Commons (Halcyon at Prince)

We'll weed, mulch, and plant rain or shine (but paint only if dry)

Refreshments courtesy of Whole Foods Market

Coffee courtesy of Mokka (cafe at Telegraph and Dowling)

Flyers courtesy of Chochmat HaLev

* Weeding, Mulching, and Planting in Halcyon Commons and nearby landscaped barriers

* Painting Addresses on the Sidewalk to help make our neighborhood easier to navigate by police and emergency personnel

* Picking up Litter from Streets

* Removing Graffiti from as wide an area of our neighborhood as we can reach

** Note **  We are badly in need of 4-6 neighborhood crew leader volunteers to assist and supervise groups of student volunteers. Please contact Dawn Rubin to help with painting of neighborhood addresses & clean-up (843-6306, <familyrubin@comcast.net>) and/or John Steere to help with weeding, mulching, and planting (849-1969, <jsteere@igc.org>). Or you can respond by reply email to Nancy Carleton at <halcyon92@gmail.com>.

Please spend a few hours helping us with our big annual fall work party! Around 30 student volunteers will be helping us out as part of Cal's Berkeley Project day, but in order to accomplish the most we can with this much-appreciated help from the Cal volunteers, we need plenty of neighbors present to provide guidance and lend a hand. If you can help for any or all of these two-hour shifts - 9 to 11, 11 to 1, 1 to 3 - please let us know by emailing <halcyon92@gmail.com> or calling the contacts listed above. We need your help to make this day as successful as it can possibly be. THANK YOU!

We also need wheelbarrows and shovels for moving mulch. If you can loan yours for the day, please reply to <halcyon92@gmail.com> (and be sure to label it with your address on masking tape so we can return it promptly when we're done).

* * * * * * * * * * * *

2. Fall Neighborhood Watch Meeting, Sunday, Oct. 28, 6:30 to 8 p.m., Chochmat HaLev (Prince at Fulton)

Please join your neighbors at our semi-annual neighborhood watch meeting (the spring meeting emphasizes emergency preparedness; the fall meeting emphasizes crime watch, though both are included each time). This is our big chance to network with our beat officers and city representatives and share our concerns about neighborhood safety. And the evening is especially timely given the recent upsurge in crime along the Berkeley-Oakland border.

The meeting will start promptly and be run tightly. You're welcome to come as early as 6 to help set up and to schmooze, and please plan on arriving at least a few minutes early to check in and get seated. The meeting proper will start promptly at 6:30 and end at 8, with time for individual follow-up with speakers from 8 to 8:30 while we clean up.

The agenda includes:

        * Introduction of HNA leaders, City Councilmembers, and City Staff

        * Emergency Preparedness Update

        * Neighborhood Announcements & interest Polls

           (Potlucks, Safety Walks, Peace Gardens, Self-Defense Class in Park, Book Club, etc.)

        * Police Presentation

           (prevention, reporting, dispatch, possibly coordination with Oakland/BART, etc.)

        * Brainstorm/capture neighborhood concerns

 If you can help HNA Neighborhood Watch Coordinator Dawn Trygstad Rubin set up at 6 p.m. the evening of the 28th, please contact her at <familyrubin@comcast.net>.

* * * * * * * * * * * *

3. HNA: Guiding Principles for a Collaborative Approach (link to Daily Planet Commentary)

On the occasion of Halcyon Neighborhood Association's 15th Anniversary this fall, HNA Co-Chairs Nancy Carleton and John Steere, along with HNA Neighborhood Watch Coordinator Dawn Trygstad Rubin, submitted a commentary piece to the Berkeley Daily Planet, which can be found at the following link:

"HNA: Guiding Principles for a Collaborative Approach"

http://www.berkeleydailyplanet.com/article.cfm?issue=10-12-07&storyID=28215

* * * * * * * * * * * *

4. Neighborhood Tragedy: Nine-Year-Old Amir Hassan of 3011 Shattuck Ave. Found Dead

[Editor's Note: As many neighbors, particularly those with children attending Emerson School, have already heard,  a nine-year-old neighbor named Amir Hassan of  3011 Shattuck Avenue (near Ashby) was found dead on Wednesday morning, October 10. Whatever the circumstances of his death turn out to be, this is certainly a tragedy: for a young life cut short, for the boy's family and loved ones, for his classmates and teachers, for the police investigating the case, and for the surrounding community. Many neighbors have been leaving flowers and statements of condolence near Amir's residence. I'm sure I speak for many when I say that our thoughts and prayers are with all concerned. -NC]

The following statement to the press released by Sergeant Mary Kusmiss of the Berkeley Police Department's Community Services Bureau yesterday read in part:

We appreciate your understanding with respect to what details may be compromising to our investigation in the pursuit of the best truth and a possible arrest.

What is new is that the autopsy is now complete. Detectives have just left to re-interview the mother based on information they have gathered through their investigative efforts and items of evidentiary value that were seized during the search warrant. The mother is still at a local hospital.

Detectives have not ruled her out as a suspect in her son's death. They are focusing their investigative energy on her. . . .

[And from this morning:] Detectives re interviewed the mom last night for the second time. We are hoping to wrap this up later today. If that is the possible, we will have a media conference . . . .

Sgt. MC Kusmiss
Berkeley Police Department
Community Services Bureau Supervisor/PIO
(510)981-5881 Tues-Fri 9-7

MKusmiss@ci.berkeley.ca.us

The following are links to recent newspaper and video accounts of the death and investigation:

http://www.berkeleydailyplanet.com/article.cfm?issue=10-12-07&storyID=28195

http://www.berkeleydailyplanet.com/article.cfm?issue=10-12-07&storyID=28196

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/10/12/BAESSOJ3J.DTL

http://www.dailycal.org/sharticle.php?id=26393

http://www.dailycal.org/sharticle.php?id=26367

http://cbs5.com/video/?id=27537@kpix.dayport.com

http://cbs5.com/video/?id=27529@kpix.dayport.com

* * * * * * * * * * * *

5. LeConte Neighborhood Association Meeting, Thursday, October 18, 7:30-9 p.m.

[Editor's Note: HNA's boundaries overlap with LNA's in the area south of Ashby, and our groups have always enjoyed a cooperative relationship. While HNA doesn't take stands on controversial issues, LNA provides a forum for neighbors who would like to express their opinions on many of the issues affecting South Berkeley and the city as a whole, in addition to its long-term work on neighborhood watch and other efforts shared by HNA. The E-News passes on information on LNA's meeting whenever possible, though this does not imply an endorsement of all of its stands.]

Karl Reeh, LNA president, forwarded the following announcement:

The LeConte Neighborhood Association will meet Thursday, October 18 from 7:30 to 9  p.m. The location will be the LeConte School Cafetorium, entrance from Russell Street. Agenda topics will include BRT, local zoning issues, and nominations for next year's Board of Directors.

Karl Reeh, President, LNA

<karlreeh@aol.com>

 843-2602.

To join LeConte Chat go to:

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/lecontechat/

* * * * * * * * * * * *

6. Crime Watch Tips from LeConte Neighborhood Association President Karl Reeh

Karl Reeh, President of LNA, who's also on the Board of the Berkeley Safe Neighborhood Council (BSNC), circulated the following useful crime watch tips on the LeConte Chat list:

For several years now, the 2200 Block of Stuart has encouraged residents to keep their porch lights on all night, utilizing compact florescence bulbs to reduce energy needs. Likewise, Berkeley Police officers have continued to recommend that inside lamps be left on and/or connected to a timer at night. Both these actions make our streets safer by indicating that people are home and possibly awake. More home lights enhance the available street lighting.

Having gates and/or motion-activated lights in side yards is also a good idea.

I'd like to throw in one more tip: Carry a flashlight when you walk, and use it. A strong beam of light not only helps prevent falls but provides other advantages in emergency situations. LED pocket lights are available.

Cheers, and Happy Halloween!
Karl Reeh,

President, LeConte Neighborhood Association

* * * * * * * * * * * *

7. Downtown Area Plan Advisory Committee's Community Workshop, Saturday, October 20, 10 a.m., Plus Online Workshop

City Staff are circulating the following announcement:

The Downtown Area Plan Advisory Committee (DAPAC) invites you to DAPAC's third Community Workshop and to in DAPAC's On-Line Workshop. The Workshop's format strives to maximize opportunities for public comment on draft goals and policies -- or on any other issue that you might be concerned about.

View draft goals and policies, and related reports, at:

(http://www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/planning/landuse/dap/reports.htm)

COMMUNITY WORKSHOP

When: Saturday, October 20, 10 .m.-1 p.m.

Where: Berkeley High School Library, Allston at Milvia
Comments received will be delivered to DAPAC and discussed on October 29.

ONLINE WORKSHOP

Comments can also be made online through a yahoo chat group

[Editor's Note: Email Matt Taecker for an invitation to join; the link provided would not give access without membership.]

Comments received by October 24 will be delivered to DAPAC and discussed on October 29.

Note: to avoid violating the Brown Act, DAPAC, Commission and Councilmembers may not comment online. Staff will not be participating directly. If you

have questions for Staff, please direct them to mtaecker@ci.berkeley.ca.us.

Matt Taecker AICP,  510-981-7487

* * * * * * * * * * * *

For Your Calendar: HNA Dates Scheduled for 2007/Early 2008

Dates set as of  October 2007 (verify a couple weeks before event by checking HNA E-Newsletter):

Saturday, October 27, 9 a.m. - 3 p.m., Fall Mulching in Park & Neighborhood Work Party (including painting addresses on sidewalks) with help from Cal volunteers of Berkeley Project

Sunday, October 28,  6:30-8:00 p.m., Big Neighborhood Watch Community Meeting, Chochmat HaLev (Prince at Fulton)

Sunday, January 13, 2008, 5:00-8:30 p.m., Post-Holiday Progressive Potluck, four locations TBD

* * * * * * * * * * * *

* Disaster Prep Supply Cache Wish List

HNA's Disaster Prep Supply Cache contains items intended to benefit the entire neighborhood in the event of disaster. You can help us have what we need on hand in two ways: (1) Make a tax-deductible financial contribution to Berkeley Partners for Parks (BPFP, our nonprofit fiscal sponsor), earmarked Halcyon Disaster Prep, which will go toward purchasing additional supplies, and mail or drop off to HNA Treasurer Susan Hunter, 3044 Halcyon Court, Berkeley, CA 94705. (2) Contribute any of the following items in-kind (supplies MUST be new or in GOOD condition):

Duct Tape (this is a versatile supply that allows us to improvise with common household items in the event of a disaster: lots needed!); Batteries (AA, C, D), regular & rechargeable; Battery Recharger for AA (LOTS of these needed!), C, D; Quality Walkie-Talkies with 8-mile range, 22 channels (i.e., Motorola Talkabout T5500 two-way radios); Axes; Crow Bars, Hard Hats; Other Tools for Search & Rescue; Head Lamps; Heavy-duty Flashlights; Bullhorn; Laptop Computer with rechargeable power supply & USB port; Flashcard (for storing neighborhood database to transfer to laptop); Sheets (freshly laundered or new; good for first aid); Blankets; First Aid Supplies; Gas Siphon (for extracting gas from cars to run generator); 5-Gallon Drums for long-term gas storage; Work Gloves; Large Camping Tents (with all parts!); Coleman or similar Gas or Propane Stove; Shelving for Shed; Two-Foot Lengths of 2x4s and 4x4s (good for cribbing and creating fulcrums for removing heavy objects during search & rescue operations).

Contact HNA Co-Chair and Cache Coordinator Nancy Carleton at <halcyon92@gmail.com> or 644-0172 to contribute supplies.

* * * * * * * * * * * *

* City of Berkeley: Useful Contact Information

Police

Police Emergency Number:  911 (from landline); 981-5911(from cell; preprogram with this number)

Police Nonemergency Number: 981-5900

Link to beat maps and a list of beat officers:

http://www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/police/department/beatinfo/beatlineup.html

In Halcyon neighborhood, west of Fulton is Beat 10, east of Fulton is Beat 9.

Link to crime stats:

Berkeley:  www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/police

Link to police bulletins:

http://www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/police/crimestats/policebulletins.html

Other City Departments:

Neighborhood Services Liaison Jim Hynes <jhynes@ci.berkeley.ca.us> 981-2493

Public Works Customer Service: 644-6620 (streets, sidewalks, graffiti, sewers, litter, storm drains, street lights)

Tree Trimming/Planting (Forestry/)/Parks: 981-6660

Written Communication with City Council:

To comment to City Council, cut and paste the following email addresses:

City Clerk <clerk@ci.berkeley.ca.us>,

Mayor Tom Bates <Mayor@ci.berkeley.ca.us>,

Councilmember Linda Maio <LMaio@ci.berkeley.ca.us>,

Councilmember Darryl Moore <DMoore@ci.berkeley.ca.us>,

Councilmember Max Anderson <MAnderson@ci.berkeley.ca.us>,

Councilmember Dona Spring <DSpring@ci.berkeley.ca.us>,

Councilmember Laurie Capitelli <LCapitelli@ci.berkeley.ca.us>,

Councilmember Betty Olds <BOlds@ci.berkeley.ca.us>,

Councilmember Kriss Worthington <KWorthington@ci.berkeley.ca.us>,

Councilmember Gordon Wozniak <GWozniak@ci.berkeley.ca.us>

Representatives for Our Neighborhood:

Councilmember Max Anderson (District 3) 981-7130

West side of Wheeler Street to west (except for Woolsey between Wheeler and Shattuck)

Councilmember Kriss Worthington (District 7) 981-7170

East side of Wheeler to east (includes block of Woolsey from Wheeler to Shattuck)

Mayor Tom Bates 981-7100

Zoning Adjustments Board:

To comment to the Zoning Adjustments Board regarding projects on their calendar, email:

Zoning Adjustments Board <zab@ci.berkeley.ca.us>

(best to submit your comments 10 days prior to meeting for inclusion in the advance packet to board members, but late submissions will be distributed the evening of the meeting)

* * * * * * * * * * * *

* Halcyon Neighborhood Association's Guiding Principles

HNA is a community group dedicated to stewardship of the Halcyon Neighborhood in South Berkeley (bounded by Telegraph, Ashby, Adeline, and Woolsey). We encourage positive, proactive, partnership-oriented approaches to improving the well-being of our neighborhood, with an emphasis on the following goals:

• Community building (such as regular potlucks, special events in the park, mutual support among neighbors, and multiblock yard sales);
• Ongoing care of Halcyon Commons (a park conceived of and created by the neighbors who founded HNA) under the nonprofit umbrella provided by Berkeley Partners for Parks and in partnership with the City of Berkeley;
• Continued greening and care of the neighborhood (planting trees, cleaning litter off streets, graffiti removal, and helping maintain public landscaped features);
• Strengthening neighborhood watch (crime watch, community safety walks, emergency preparedness, and disaster supply cache);
• Networking with the larger Berkeley community (nearby neighborhood groups, neighborhood businesses, City staff, and elected officials);
• Sharing information and empowering residents to become proactive in addressing neighborhood needs and in expressing individual viewpoints regarding civic affairs (spreading news through meetings, flyers, and the HNA E-Newsletter, and providing contact information).

        To fulfill these goals, HNA provides a sanctuary from partisan politics so that neighbors with diverse viewpoints feel welcome to participate. Thus, HNA only takes stands on larger issues when there is near-unanimity among neighbors. By focusing on immediate local concerns, we find we can have a greater impact and get better results from the time we invest.

       Guided by these principles, HNA invites neighbors who are willing to work together in a spirit of partnership to participate at whatever level makes sense for them. Opportunities for serving on our volunteer Steering Committee and project-oriented committees are available to neighbors who are willing to roll up their sleeves and work together in a nonpartisan spirit. Neighbors are invited to step forward into leadership positions defined by the work they do in accordance with HNA's primary goals and guiding principles.

* * * * * * * * * * * *

The Halcyon Neighborhood Association E-Newsletter:  The HNA E-Newsletter forwards occasional crime-watch notices as well as items of general interest to neighbors in the Ashby/Telegraph/Woolsey/Adeline area of south Berkeley (HNA's borders), including announcements about community-building potlucks, greening projects, disaster preparedness meetings, and work parties in Halcyon Commons Park. If you're receiving this email, you probably either signed up at a neighborhood event or a neighbor 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 <halcyon92@gmail.com>. Feel free to pass the HNA E-Newsletter on to other neighbors you think might be interested.

To submit items for the newsletter:   Email unformatted content or links (no graphics or attachments) to HNA E-Newsletter Editor Nancy Carleton <halcyon92@gmail.com>. Crime-watch reports and news about neighbors (births, new jobs, announcements re home businesses) is especially welcome. Please note that due to the volunteer nature of the endeavor, the E-Newsletter does not typically include "letters to the editor" or "commentary," but will gladly include links to such items written by neighbors in the Ashby/Telegraph/Woolsey/Adeline area and published elsewhere (the Berkeley Daily Planet has a large section devoted to opinion).

HNA Halcyon Safety Walk Listserve:  For those who'd like to participate in night-time and daytime safety "dog" walks (dogs not required) to build community and serve as eyes on the street, please reply  to Halcyon Neighborhood Association <halcyon92@gmail.com> indicating your interest, and you will receive an invitation to join. For everyone's safety, be sure to include your full name, address, email, and phone.

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

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HNA E-News: Thank You; Proclamation Honoring HNA; Upcoming Events; Crime Watch; etc.

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Halcyon Neighborhood Association E-Newsletter

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Items appearing in the HNA E-Newsletter are deemed to be of general interest to neighbors but do not necessarily reflect the views of Halcyon Neighborhood Association (HNA), its Steering Committee, or the Editor. The Editor's introductory comments express her personal viewpoint.

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1. A Big Thank-You to All Who Helped with HNA's 15th Anniversary Celebration!

2. City of Berkeley Proclamation in Honor of the 15th Anniversary of Halcyon Neighborhood Association

3. Big Neighborhood Work Party, Saturday, Oct. 27, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.: Volunteers Needed

4. Fall Neighborhood Watch Meeting, Sunday, Oct. 28, 6:30 to 8 p.m., Chochmat HaLev (Prince at Fulton)

5. Crime Watch Report: Bike Stolen from Basement on Ashby Avenue

6. Crime Watch Report: Car Break-in on Emerson Street

7. Concert/Labyrinth Walk with musician Margie Adam, Sunday, October 28, 4-6 p.m.

8. Large Gray Cat Missing from 2900 Block of Fulton

* For Your Calendar: HNA Dates Scheduled for 2007/Early 2008

* Disaster Prep Supply Cache Wish List

* City of Berkeley: Useful Contact Information

* Halcyon Neighborhood Association's Guiding Principles

Editor's Introductory Note:

Thanks to all who made last Sunday's party in the park such a success (see item 1). And a personal thank-you for the birthday greetings and the delicious birthday cake arranged by Susan Hunter! It was the perfect way to round out my birthday celebration surrounded by community.

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

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1. A Big Thank-You to All Who Helped with HNA's 15th Anniversary Celebration!

HNA Co-Chair John Steere, the lead organizer for last Sunday's 15th Anniversary Celebration, submitted the following:

Dear all:

 

What  wonderful and truly memorable celebration we had of our neighborhood Sunday night!!! Thank you, Peter, of the Zazous, for your fab performance and, thank you, Dan, of Rodeo Victory as well. Your groups really helped to animate and make the party so festive and fun; not to mention the host of hula hoops that showed up and folks were dancing with. . . . Kriss, THANK YOU for loaning your chairs and tables and especially for organizing the City proclamation [see item 2] to pay tribute to the collaborative work of Halcyon Neighborhood Association to steward our place and create community. It was a fitting demonstration that this has occurred that almost 150 neighbors came and brought a great feast with them and that so many stayed well past dark to talk and dine and dance.

 

Many thanks, too to those of you who helped at the event - to Dawn, Carolyn, and Tory for  being crew for the event - to set the stage for the gathering. It turned out to be fine performance, so to speak. And thanks to Nick and Whole Foods for their ongoing in-kind support of our events and work parties. Please pass along my appreciation, Nick, to Kelly for coming to represent the store last night.

 

Cheers,

 John

And from HNA Neighborhood Watch Coordinator Dawn Trygstad Rubin:

Thank you, John, for doing the lion's share of the organizing and to everyone who made this event so successful.  It was a great event - the most fun we've ever had,  I think.  The music was amazing, the proclamation appreciated, the food fabulous, the attendance impressive, and the neighbors charming.

Thank goodness we had scheduled this before the recent crime wave.  When we all know each other, and remember how much we like each other, it's easier to do more together on the "work" issues of maintaining the park and neighborhood watch (crime prevention and reporting, emergency preparedness).

Ciao,
Dawn

Editor's Note: Thanks as well to all who helped distribute flyers letting people know about the event - and to Chochmat HaLev for donating the photocopying!

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2. City of Berkeley Proclamation in Honor of the 15th Anniversary of Halcyon Neighborhood Association

The following Proclamation honoring HNA was read at the event last Sunday, and signed copies were presented to the individuals named. Thanks to Councilmember Kriss Worthington for sponsoring the Proclamation, and to the Mayor and all the rest of the City Council who supported and signed it!

WHEREAS, in 1992, the desire to create a park in what was then a parking lot led to the birth of Halcyon Neighborhood Association (HNA); and

WHEREAS, a core group of neighborhood leaders - Nancy Carleton, Susan Hunter, Michael Lamb, John Steere, and Bruce Wicinas - formed a Steering Committee to give birth to HNA, which organized more than one hundred community volunteers to design and create Halcyon Commons through a collaborative City-neighborhood partnership; and
 

WHEREAS, subsequent leaders, including HNA Neighborhood Watch Coordinator Dawn Rubin, Halcyon  Safety "Dog" Walk Founder Pamela Dameron, and Halcyon Community Potluck Coordinator Tory Finn, have joined HNA Co-Chairs John Steere and Nancy Carleton and a variety of Steering Committee members to keep HNA vital and active for fifteen years;

WHEREAS, HNA has consistently practiced a nonpartisan approach to neighborhood organizing that has encouraged participation from hundreds of neighbors across Berkeley's political spectrum, making possible exemplary community building, disaster preparedness, crime watch, greening, and information-sharing efforts, including the often-emulated HNA E-News; and

WHEREAS, HNA has thus served as a model for other neighborhood and greening efforts in the City of  Berkeley through positively organized community collaboration and partnership,
 
NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Berkeley City Council gratefully acknowledges

Halcyon Neighborhood Association on its Fifteenth Anniversary and the neighbors who created

and have sustained it through the years, for their extraordinary service on behalf of building community and improving quality of life in this South Berkeley neighborhood.

Signed by Mayor Tom Bates, Councilmember Linda Maio, Councilmember Darryl Moore, Councilmember Max Anderson, Councilmember Dona Spring, Councilmember Laurie Capitelli, Councilmember Betty Olds, Councilmember Kriss Worthington, and Councilmember Gordon Wozniak

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3. Big Neighborhood Work Party, Saturday, Oct. 27, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.: Volunteers Needed

Saturday, October 27, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., Meet at Halcyon Commons (Halcyon at Prince)

Refreshments courtesy of Whole Foods Market

Weeding, Mulching, and Planting in Halcyon Commons and nearby landscaped barriers

Painting Addresses on the Sidewalk to help make our neighborhood easier to navigate by police and emergency personnel

Picking up Litter from Streets and Removing Graffiti from as wide an area of our neighborhood as we can reach that day

Please mark your calendars now to spend a few hours helping us with our big annual fall work party. Around 30 student volunteers will be helping us out as part of Cal's Berkeley Project day.

In order to accomplish the most we can with this much-appreciated help from the Cal volunteers, we need plenty of neighbors on hand to provide guidance. If you can help for any or all of these two-hour shifts -- 9 to 11, 11 to 1, 1 to 3 -- please let us know by emailing <halcyon92@gmail.com>. We need your help to make this day as successful as it can possibly be. THANK YOU!

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4. Fall Neighborhood Watch Meeting, Sunday, Oct. 28, 6:30 to 8 p.m., Chochmat HaLev (Prince at Fulton)

Please mark your calendar now for our semi-annual neighborhood watch meeting (the spring meeting emphasizes emergency preparedness; the fall meeting emphasizes crime watch, though both are included each time). This is our big chance to network with our beat officers and city reprentatives and share our concerns about neighborhood safety. More on the agenda in the next E-News! And the evening is especially timely given the recent upsurge in crime along the Berkeley-Oakland border.

If you can help HNA Neighborhood Watch Coordinator Dawn Trygstad Rubin set up at 6 p.m. the evening of the 28th, please contact her at <familyrubin@comcast.net>.

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5. Crime Watch Report: Bike Stolen from Basement on Ashby Avenue

An Ashby Avenue neighbor reports:

"A bike was stolen out of the basement of our house on Ashby Ave, within the last two weeks.  I was out of town and hadn't used the bike since 9/16, so not sure when it happened, but may have been the night of 9/28 because the basement was left unlocked for a period of time.  It doesn't appear that anything else was stolen (e.g., there areother bikes that are stored there). It was a 17" blue Giant Mtn. bike, like new condition, with a rack on the back & disc brakes.  If by chance anyone happens to spot it, please contact me." [Editor's Note: Email your reply to <halcyon92@gmail.com> and we will forward your message to the neighbor in question.]

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6. Crime Watch Report: Car Break-in on Emerson Street

An Emerson Street neighbor reports:

"My neighbor has informed me that her boyfriend's truck (which was parked out front in my carport) was broken into Tuesday early morning (10/2) at 5:45 a.m. The thief also made an attempt to get into another car (which he keyed up and messed up pretty badly) when my neighbor heard noise below and yelled at him out the window  - he took off quickly and jumped into a silver car and drove off. He was an African American male. The incident was reported to the police.  We live on Emerson St. near Wheeler."

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7. Concert/Labyrinth Walk with musician Margie Adam, Sunday, October 28, 4-6 p.m.

[Editor's Note: A number of Halcyon neighbors, including HNA Co-Chair Nancy Carleton, are involved with this project.]

Singer, songwriter, and pianist Margie Adam will bring her "PORTAL Experience" concert/labyrinth walk to Berkeley City Club, , 2315 Durant, Sunday, October 28, 4-6:30 p.m., to benefit the East Bay Labyrinth Project (EBLP). This intimate afternoon event will feature Margie's piano and vocal music, followed by a community walk on a 40-foot Chartres-style canvas labyrinth enveloped in large screen projections of Scotland's ancient Callanish Stones. Lauren Artress, author and labyrinth movement visionary, will be EBLP's special guest. The concert/walk launches EBLP's campaign to raise $100,000 to install a public and accessible labyrinth at the Berkeley Marina at a site approved by the Waterfront Commission and Berkeley City Council after an extensive public process. Tickets $25 advance; $30 door; $15 students. www.margieadam.com or (510)526-7377.

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8. Large Gray Cat Missing from 2900 Block of Fulton

A Fulton Street neighbor from just across Ashby sends the following notice:

Hello Neighbors: We seem to have lost our cat. His name is Koshi, and he is a large [dark] gray cat who spends his days scheming ways to get outside. Wednesday (10/3) was the first night he did not come home, and we are getting a little worried (especially as he does not have claws (rescued him that way)). He is pretty big and normally very friendly. We checked the shelter this afternoon and no luck. We fear he might have trapped himself somewhere. So if anyone hears a 'meow' from an odd place, we would appreciate if you gave a quick look. We've posted a few sheets up around the neighborhood with his picture. [Editor's Note: The picture is up in the bulletin board in Halcyon Commons.]

Thanks, Shadrach & Rhyen

503-679-6670; 503-998-2016

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For Your Calendar: HNA Dates Scheduled for 2007/Early 2008

Dates set as of  October 2007 (verify a couple weeks before event by checking HNA E-Newsletter):

Saturday, October 27, 9 a.m. - 3 p.m., Fall Mulching in Park & Neighborhood Work Party (including painting addresses on sidewalks) with help from Cal volunteers of Berkeley Project

Sunday, October 28,  6:30-8:00 p.m., Big Neighborhood Watch Community Meeting, Chochmat HaLev (Prince at Fulton)

Sunday, January 13, 2008, 5:00-8:30 p.m., Post-Holiday Progressive Potluck, four locations TBD

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* Disaster Prep Supply Cache Wish List

HNA's Disaster Prep Supply Cache contains items intended to benefit the entire neighborhood in the event of disaster. You can help us have what we need on hand in two ways: (1) Make a tax-deductible financial contribution to Berkeley Partners for Parks (BPFP, our nonprofit fiscal sponsor), earmarked Halcyon Disaster Prep, which will go toward purchasing additional supplies, and mail or drop off to HNA Treasurer Susan Hunter, 3044 Halcyon Court, Berkeley, CA 94705. (2) Contribute any of the following items in-kind (supplies MUST be new or in GOOD condition):

Duct Tape (this is a versatile supply that allows us to improvise with common household items in the event of a disaster: lots needed!); Batteries (AA, C, D), regular & rechargeable; Battery Recharger for AA, C, D; Quality Walkie-Talkies with 8-mile range, 22 channels (i.e., Motorola Talkabout T5500 two-way radios); Axes; Crow Bars, Hard Hats; Other Tools for Search & Rescue; Head Lamps; Heavy-duty Flashlights; Bullhorn; Laptop Computer with rechargeable power supply & USB port; Flashcard (for storing neighborhood database to transfer to laptop); Sheets (freshly laundered or new; good for first aid); Blankets; First Aid Supplies; Gas Siphon (for extracting gas from cars to run generator); 5-Gallon Drums for long-term gas storage; Work Gloves; Large Camping Tents (with all parts!); Coleman or similar Gas or Propane Stove; Shelving for Shed; Two-Foot Lengths of 2x4s and 4x4s (good for cribbing and creating fulcrums for removing heavy objects during search & rescue operations).

Contact HNA Co-Chair and Cache Coordinator Nancy Carleton at <halcyon92@gmail.com> or 644-0172 to contribute supplies.

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* City of Berkeley: Useful Contact Information

Police

Police Emergency Number:  911 (from landline); 981-5911(from cell; preprogram with this number)

Police Nonemergency Number: 981-5900

Link to beat maps and a list of beat officers:

http://www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/police/department/beatinfo/beatlineup.html

In Halcyon neighborhood, west of Fulton is Beat 10, east of Fulton is Beat 9.

Link to crime stats:

Berkeley:  www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/police

Link to police bulletins:

http://www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/police/crimestats/policebulletins.html

Other City Departments:

Neighborhood Services Liaison Jim Hynes <jhynes@ci.berkeley.ca.us> 981-2493

Public Works Customer Service: 644-6620 (streets, sidewalks, graffiti, sewers, litter, storm drains, street lights)

Tree Trimming/Planting (Forestry/)/Parks: 981-6660

Written Communication with City Council:

To comment to City Council, cut and paste the following email addresses:

City Clerk <clerk@ci.berkeley.ca.us>,

Mayor Tom Bates <Mayor@ci.berkeley.ca.us>,

Councilmember Linda Maio <LMaio@ci.berkeley.ca.us>,

Councilmember Darryl Moore <DMoore@ci.berkeley.ca.us>,

Councilmember Max Anderson <MAnderson@ci.berkeley.ca.us>,

Councilmember Dona Spring <DSpring@ci.berkeley.ca.us>,

Councilmember Laurie Capitelli <LCapitelli@ci.berkeley.ca.us>,

Councilmember Betty Olds <BOlds@ci.berkeley.ca.us>,

Councilmember Kriss Worthington <KWorthington@ci.berkeley.ca.us>,

Councilmember Gordon Wozniak <GWozniak@ci.berkeley.ca.us>

Representatives for Our Neighborhood:

Councilmember Max Anderson (District 3) 981-7130

West side of Wheeler Street to west (except for Woolsey between Wheeler and Shattuck)

Councilmember Kriss Worthington (District 7) 981-7170

East side of Wheeler to east (includes block of Woolsey from Wheeler to Shattuck)

Mayor Tom Bates 981-7100

Zoning Adjustments Board:

To comment to the Zoning Adjustments Board regarding projects on their calendar, email:

Zoning Adjustments Board <zab@ci.berkeley.ca.us>

(best to submit your comments 10 days prior to meeting for inclusion in the advance packet to board members, but late submissions will be distributed the evening of the meeting)

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* Halcyon Neighborhood Association's Guiding Principles

HNA is a community group dedicated to stewardship of the Halcyon Neighborhood in South Berkeley (bounded by Telegraph, Ashby, Adeline, and Woolsey). We encourage positive, proactive, partnership-oriented approaches to improving the well-being of our neighborhood, with an emphasis on the following goals:

• Community building (such as regular potlucks, special events in the park, mutual support among neighbors, and multiblock yard sales);
• Ongoing care of Halcyon Commons (a park conceived of and created by the neighbors who founded HNA) under the nonprofit umbrella provided by Berkeley Partners for Parks and in partnership with the City of Berkeley;
• Continued greening and care of the neighborhood (planting trees, cleaning litter off streets, graffiti removal, and helping maintain public landscaped features);
• Strengthening neighborhood watch (crime watch, community safety walks, emergency preparedness, and disaster supply cache);
• Networking with the larger Berkeley community (nearby neighborhood groups, neighborhood businesses, City staff, and elected officials);
• Sharing information and empowering residents to become proactive in addressing neighborhood needs and in expressing individual viewpoints regarding civic affairs (spreading news through meetings, flyers, and the HNA E-Newsletter, and providing contact information).

        To fulfill these goals, HNA provides a sanctuary from partisan politics so that neighbors with diverse viewpoints feel welcome to participate. Thus, HNA only takes stands on larger issues when there is near-unanimity among neighbors. By focusing on immediate local concerns, we find we can have a greater impact and get better results from the time we invest.

       Guided by these principles, HNA invites neighbors who are willing to work together in a spirit of partnership to participate at whatever level makes sense for them. Opportunities for serving on our volunteer Steering Committee and project-oriented committees are available to neighbors who are willing to roll up their sleeves and work together in a nonpartisan spirit. Neighbors are invited to step forward into leadership positions defined by the work they do in accordance with HNA's primary goals and guiding principles.

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The Halcyon Neighborhood Association E-Newsletter:  The HNA E-Newsletter forwards occasional crime-watch notices as well as items of general interest to neighbors in the Ashby/Telegraph/Woolsey/Adeline area of south Berkeley (HNA's borders), including announcements about community-building potlucks, greening projects, disaster preparedness meetings, and work parties in Halcyon Commons Park. If you're receiving this email, you probably either signed up at a neighborhood event or a neighbor 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 <halcyon92@gmail.com>. Feel free to pass the HNA E-Newsletter on to other neighbors you think might be interested.

To submit items for the newsletter:   Email unformatted content or links (no graphics or attachments) to HNA E-Newsletter Editor Nancy Carleton <halcyon92@gmail.com>. Crime-watch reports and news about neighbors (births, new jobs, announcements re home businesses) is especially welcome. Please note that due to the volunteer nature of the endeavor, the E-Newsletter does not typically include "letters to the editor" or "commentary," but will gladly include links to such items written by neighbors in the Ashby/Telegraph/Woolsey/Adeline area and published elsewhere (the Berkeley Daily Planet has a large section devoted to opinion).

HNA Halcyon Safety Walk Listserve:  For those who'd like to participate in night-time and daytime safety "dog" walks (dogs not required) to build community and serve as eyes on the street, please reply  to Halcyon Neighborhood Association <halcyon92@gmail.com> indicating your interest, and you will receive an invitation to join. For everyone's safety, be sure to include your full name, address, email, and phone.

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

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