PIEDMONT
Wildfire preparation is critical in the East Bay hills, and Piedmont’s Fire Department is encouraging property owners to to prepare their yards for the height of wildfire season as late summer and early fall approaches.
Protecting residential and commercial property primarily requires managing vegetation and maintaining defensible space by trimming trees and shrubs, clearing flammable yard materials and removing dead or dying vegetation. A printable checklist residents can use to prepare their property is available online at piedmont.ca.gov/yardchecklist.
Residents needing assistance to identify what needs to be done on their property can call the Piedmont Fire Department at 510-420-3030 to request an inspection. For information on wildfire evacuation and emergency alerting, visit piedmont.ca.gov/wildfire online.
Streamlined new housing proposals heading to City Council
Two proposals aimed at simplifying the process to create new housing in Piedmont that the Planning Commission was likely to approve by at a public hearing this week will head to the City Council for adoption.
Both proposals result from several years of public engagement and are part of the city’s effort to remove barriers to housing production and access for people of all income levels in Piedmont. The streamlined proposals include preapproved design plans for affordable accessory dwelling units (ADUs) and objective design standards for multifamily and mixed-use buildings that are already allowed by Piedmont’s zoning code.
New ADUs created with permit-ready designs would give applicants a head start on the permitting and development process. The multifamily objective design standards, if met by applicants, would pertain to developments in existing multifamily and mixed-use zones and do not change any existing regulations about density, height, minimum setbacks or parking.
— Lou Fancher, correspondent
OAKLAND
Red Oak Realty showing free film ‘Dungeons & Dragons’
Red Oak Realty will host its free Outdoor Cinema night this Saturday with a showing of the 2022 release “Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves.” The event in Oakland’s Montclair Village district will take place under the stars in the parking lot of Red Oak Reality at 6450 Moraga Ave.
The film will start after sunset, be projected on a 50-foot screen and feature free popcorn preshow DJ Bukue One starting at 7 p.m. Bring your own chair and grab snacks or dinner from one of the many establishments open in the neighborhood before the movie on this perfect night for dinner and a show. This year’s movie nights are the first showings since 2019, so get there early to secure a good seat and enjoy music before the show begins!
Montclair businesses came together to bring back this fun family tradition with sponsorships from the Montclair Village Association (MVA), Allstate Monique Thomas Agency, Crogan’s, CRUfit, Daughter Thai Kitchen, Farmstead Cheeses & Wines, Miette, Montclair Physical Therapy, Montclair Presbyterian Church, Montclair Sports Tennis & Pickleball, Oakland Orthodontics, Pelago, Redwood Pediatric Dentistry, SkinSpirit Montclair Village and Yellow Door Cafe.
— Nia Jacobs, MVA
Oaktoberfest Sept. 30-Oct. 1, order packages now available
Turning 16 this year, Oaktoberfest, Oakland’s two-day, family-friendly festival, will celebrate craft beer, music, art and Oakland in a big way! Spanning a full weekend of fun Sept. 30-Oct. 1, Oaktoberfest will offer an impressive main stage lineup with four additional stages of music and dance performances, roaming entertainment, hundreds of vendors, including an outdoor artisan vendor marketplace, a mouthwatering collection of food vendors, plus local kitchens offering traditional German-inspired cuisine.
For those 21 or older, the Bill Brand Memorial Biergarten will boasts more than 200 local craft brews from more than 50 breweries, making our event a destination for beer enthusiasts. Oaktoberfest will bring world-class beer to the Bavarian Beer Hall, serving steins of traditional German flavors and regional brew pub favorites along with table seating and traditional German dishes.
The event is free to attend, but the drinks and dining experience are not. For discounts, attendees can advance-order packages available now at oaktoberfest.org, where more festival information is also available.
— Jody Colley
Authors Newhouse, Dolich to discuss book at Montclair library
Explore the rich history and future of professional sports teams in Oakland with Dave Newhouse and Andy Dolich as they discuss their new book, “Goodbye, Oakland: Winning, Wanderlust and a Sports Town’s Fight for Survival” at 6:30 p.m. Aug. 23 in the Montclair branch of the Oakland Public Library.
Featuring numerous interviews with luminaries across the sports spectrum, the authors try to examine why the city with such a history of success (10 league championships across the National Football League, National Basketball Association and Major League Baseball) now finds itself on the cusp of losing its last professional team.
Oakland resident Newhouse was a longtime sports writer and columnist for The Oakland Tribune, a radio sports talk show host in San Francisco and is the author of 19 books. Dolich has worked over the course of five decades in the professional sports industry, including executive positions in MLB, the NBA and NFL He once served as the Oakland Athletics’ marketing vice president.
Copies of “Goodbye, Oakland” will be available for sale and signing, courtesy of Montclair bookstore A Great Good Place for Books. This event is free and being co-sponsored by the Oakland Public Library and Friends of Montclair Library (FML). For more information, call 510-482-7810 or visit montclairfriends.org. The Montclair library branch is at 1687 Mountain Blvd. in Oakland.
— FML
PIEDMONT
School district seeks volunteers as academic year begins
The Piedmont Unified School District’s academic year has begun, and registration is open for parents seeking to join parent groups and other support clubs. Parents, college-age students and other adult volunteers serve vital roles in a variety of ways at specific schools or in the district.
People affiliated with independent organizations who may not have children enrolled in the district can coordinate with parent groups on functions such as teacher grant programs, fundraising, education forums and more. Among the choices for parents are the Piedmont Asian-America Club, Piedmont Anti-Racism & Diversity Committee, Piedmont Education Foundation’s Parents Club, Piedmont Arts Fund and more.
For people new to Piedmont, the New Family Night school-community event will be on Friday this year at Piedmont Community Hall. The family-friendly social hour beginning at 5:30 p.m. offers light bites, free shaved ice and an opportunity to mingle with fellow community members and city and school district leaders.
Japan’s pianist Kasahara to perform arts center on Friday
On Friday, concert pianist and piano teacher Junko Kasahara will visit the intimate Piedmont Center for the Arts venue with a program including music by Claude Debussy and Maurice Ravel. The evening is a rare opportunity to hear Kasahara perform while she is on vacation in the Bay Area during a break from her teaching schedule in Japan at Osaka University and Kyoto Women’s University. The event is free, but reservations are appreciated and donations are welcome. A meet-the-artist reception will follow the performance.
See free movie under the stars on Friday at Piedmont Park
As area schools’ summer vacation wraps up, the period’s second-to-last family-friendly film presented by Piedmont’s Recreation Department is Pixar’s “Turning Red.” The film will be presented for free at Piedmont Park starting at 8 p.m. or dusk, whichever comes first on Friday.
The movie centers on Mei Lee a confident, 13-year-old Asian-American girl caught between being a dutiful daughter and adolescent chaos and a growing desire for independence. As her body, interests and relationships change, the stress causes her to change into a giant red panda.
Parents should note that the coming-of-age story is rated PG and contains material related to menstruation, sexuality and other subjects less suitable for young children. The animated movie received high marks from critics, but viewers cautioned that parental guidance is advised.
— Lou Fancher, correspondent
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