Comments on: Trying, and failing, to do something good http://www.abetteroakland.com/trying-and-failing-to-do-something-good/2008-04-16 The Continuing Story of a City Fri, 06 Jan 2012 21:06:35 +0000 hourly 1 By: Max Allstadt http://www.abetteroakland.com/trying-and-failing-to-do-something-good/2008-04-16#comment-1058 Max Allstadt Fri, 18 Apr 2008 00:52:50 +0000 http://www.abetteroakland.com/trying-and-failing-to-do-something-good/2008-04-16#comment-1058 FYI, planning called me. They intend to begin their work/live research NEXT WEEK. I've been told to expect calls. Whether the project will get shelved by political forces before it's done is another question. I'm pretty convinced that staff will be motivated to do this, I see it as an interesting job for them, tricky and unboring. I'm hoping the fun of it will be an asset to moving it along. FYI, planning called me. They intend to begin their work/live research NEXT WEEK. I’ve been told to expect calls. Whether the project will get shelved by political forces before it’s done is another question. I’m pretty convinced that staff will be motivated to do this, I see it as an interesting job for them, tricky and unboring. I’m hoping the fun of it will be an asset to moving it along.

]]> By: Jessica http://www.abetteroakland.com/trying-and-failing-to-do-something-good/2008-04-16#comment-1049 Jessica Thu, 17 Apr 2008 21:54:08 +0000 http://www.abetteroakland.com/trying-and-failing-to-do-something-good/2008-04-16#comment-1049 Here's a question: If you can do community service for traffic violations, how hard can it be to incorporate tickets? Is it just a city versus county thing? Here’s a question: If you can do community service for traffic violations, how hard can it be to incorporate tickets? Is it just a city versus county thing?

]]> By: Max Allstadt http://www.abetteroakland.com/trying-and-failing-to-do-something-good/2008-04-16#comment-1046 Max Allstadt Thu, 17 Apr 2008 17:19:22 +0000 http://www.abetteroakland.com/trying-and-failing-to-do-something-good/2008-04-16#comment-1046 Parking tickets are such a regressive tax. With the class schism in this town, there's no reason not to let people work them off. Our meter costs aren't that high, but these new machines are annoying in that you can't add to your recently purchased receipt, only come back when it's expired. You cant change your mind and decide you want two hours when you just bought 30 minutes. Also, I think to combat the regressive taxation effects of tickets, anybody with a car registered to an address in the city of Piedmont should pay triple for parking tickets. They make three times as much as oaklanders, their homes are worth three times as much, if not more. Seems like progressive taxation to me to make them pay triple fines on everything. Besides, what are they gonna do, not park on piedmont ave? Yeah right. Parking tickets are such a regressive tax. With the class schism in this town, there’s no reason not to let people work them off.

Our meter costs aren’t that high, but these new machines are annoying in that you can’t add to your recently purchased receipt, only come back when it’s expired. You cant change your mind and decide you want two hours when you just bought 30 minutes.

Also, I think to combat the regressive taxation effects of tickets, anybody with a car registered to an address in the city of Piedmont should pay triple for parking tickets. They make three times as much as oaklanders, their homes are worth three times as much, if not more. Seems like progressive taxation to me to make them pay triple fines on everything. Besides, what are they gonna do, not park on piedmont ave? Yeah right.

]]> By: Joanna http://www.abetteroakland.com/trying-and-failing-to-do-something-good/2008-04-16#comment-1045 Joanna Thu, 17 Apr 2008 17:06:41 +0000 http://www.abetteroakland.com/trying-and-failing-to-do-something-good/2008-04-16#comment-1045 I can't believe that the issue of community service for paying off your parking tickets is still being batted around. If so many other cities can do it, why not Oakland? And why hasn't staff truly looked at how other cities handle it? This came up when I was on the Parking Task Force and it was a joke. It seems they left a lot out last night... as usual, unprepared. Like how many tickets are never collected? Like how they send unpaid tickets to a collection agency and only get half the money? Rather than never collect, wouldn't it be better if someone could work off the tickets and not get buried further in a debt situation? For some, they don't care if they keep getting tickets because it's not likely that they'll ever lose their car. Some people have tickets hoarded up worth more than the car anyway. There's no shortage of trash on the streets no matter how many Earth Day clean-ups we do. Why not get people out on the streets every weekend cleaning. And if the seniors are well enough to drive and get a parking ticket, then let's let them work at an after school program helping teachers, if not doing clean-up. What I was told is that the real issue is that our City Manager wants the cash for the general fund, but my point is that you can't get blood out of a turnip. And how hard can it be to prove that someone is eligible to do a work program? The rich are either going to pay the ticket or do the clean-up. Would that be so horrible? And maybe if they made the amount of hours needed to work considerable, people would think twice before getting a ticket. Oh, but I'm also for reducing the parking meter costs. I wish our general fund weren't so dependent on these funds, because I think it hurts in other ways like bringing business to Oakland. I can’t believe that the issue of community service for paying off your parking tickets is still being batted around. If so many other cities can do it, why not Oakland? And why hasn’t staff truly looked at how other cities handle it? This came up when I was on the Parking Task Force and it was a joke. It seems they left a lot out last night… as usual, unprepared.

Like how many tickets are never collected? Like how they send unpaid tickets to a collection agency and only get half the money? Rather than never collect, wouldn’t it be better if someone could work off the tickets and not get buried further in a debt situation? For some, they don’t care if they keep getting tickets because it’s not likely that they’ll ever lose their car. Some people have tickets hoarded up worth more than the car anyway.

There’s no shortage of trash on the streets no matter how many Earth Day clean-ups we do. Why not get people out on the streets every weekend cleaning.

And if the seniors are well enough to drive and get a parking ticket, then let’s let them work at an after school program helping teachers, if not doing clean-up.

What I was told is that the real issue is that our City Manager wants the cash for the general fund, but my point is that you can’t get blood out of a turnip. And how hard can it be to prove that someone is eligible to do a work program? The rich are either going to pay the ticket or do the clean-up. Would that be so horrible? And maybe if they made the amount of hours needed to work considerable, people would think twice before getting a ticket.

Oh, but I’m also for reducing the parking meter costs. I wish our general fund weren’t so dependent on these funds, because I think it hurts in other ways like bringing business to Oakland.

]]> By: Mercedes Corbell http://www.abetteroakland.com/trying-and-failing-to-do-something-good/2008-04-16#comment-1044 Mercedes Corbell Thu, 17 Apr 2008 14:21:02 +0000 http://www.abetteroakland.com/trying-and-failing-to-do-something-good/2008-04-16#comment-1044 I agree completely with your portrayal of Nadel and Quan as two council people "who are consistently the least concerned with implementation". And in my opinion it's a huge understatement. It's classic that Quansupports a proposal that will COST the city money and feels that we will get "$50,000 of SOCIAL VALUE" out of spending 100k. Truly amazing. How does she arrive at that accounting? And how does she do it in a deficit environment. Perhaps the same way that she is approaching the city's mismanagement of its budget- by supporting another tax- the LADD. It's time that the city of Oakland take a look at the waste being exposed by the city auditor and make a project out of solving some of those problems. And NO ON LADD, btw, as no audit has been done on what's happening with the current budget for the items (lighting etc) in question. I agree completely with your portrayal of Nadel and Quan as two council people “who are consistently the least concerned with implementation”. And in my opinion it’s a huge understatement. It’s classic that Quansupports a proposal that will COST the city money and feels that we will get “$50,000 of SOCIAL VALUE” out of spending 100k. Truly amazing. How does she arrive at that accounting? And how does she do it in a deficit environment. Perhaps the same way that she is approaching the city’s mismanagement of its budget- by supporting another tax- the LADD. It’s time that the city of Oakland take a look at the waste being exposed by the city auditor and make a project out of solving some of those problems. And NO ON LADD, btw, as no audit has been done on what’s happening with the current budget for the items (lighting etc) in question.

]]> By: Mike Hardy http://www.abetteroakland.com/trying-and-failing-to-do-something-good/2008-04-16#comment-1043 Mike Hardy Thu, 17 Apr 2008 04:02:29 +0000 http://www.abetteroakland.com/trying-and-failing-to-do-something-good/2008-04-16#comment-1043 Just some fan mail since you work so hard and I just sit here and read it quietly. Keep it up! This is great reporting. Just some fan mail since you work so hard and I just sit here and read it quietly. Keep it up! This is great reporting.

]]> By: Max Allstadt http://www.abetteroakland.com/trying-and-failing-to-do-something-good/2008-04-16#comment-1041 Max Allstadt Thu, 17 Apr 2008 02:22:29 +0000 http://www.abetteroakland.com/trying-and-failing-to-do-something-good/2008-04-16#comment-1041 Maybe so. The resolution specifies September, but no date. It explicitly directs staff to undertake the study. Perhaps when industry doesn't flood into West Oakland as a result of the "certainty" that's allegedly being created in the real estate market, we'll see political will shift. It was depressing to see your idea mired in gobbledygook. A totally fair scheme lost to details. Got anything for us on the obnoxious shout-down of consent to search. Maybe so. The resolution specifies September, but no date. It explicitly directs staff to undertake the study. Perhaps when industry doesn’t flood into West Oakland as a result of the “certainty” that’s allegedly being created in the real estate market, we’ll see political will shift.

It was depressing to see your idea mired in gobbledygook. A totally fair scheme lost to details.

Got anything for us on the obnoxious shout-down of consent to search.

]]> By: V Smoothe http://www.abetteroakland.com/trying-and-failing-to-do-something-good/2008-04-16#comment-1039 V Smoothe Thu, 17 Apr 2008 01:11:52 +0000 http://www.abetteroakland.com/trying-and-failing-to-do-something-good/2008-04-16#comment-1039 Well, yeah, there will be no new conversions until they make a rule saying otherwise, which will theoretically be in 6-8 months. Looking at the city's track record in terms of returning with things like this on time, I would say that it's <i>highly unlikely</i> we will see this work/live recommendations within a year, and honestly, I wouldn't be surprised if they never appeared. There's no political will to create them, and there is a significant number of influential people who do not want to see any hybrid uses - saying that recommendations will appear later, after study, is a convenient way of putting the issue of indefinitely. Well, yeah, there will be no new conversions until they make a rule saying otherwise, which will theoretically be in 6-8 months. Looking at the city’s track record in terms of returning with things like this on time, I would say that it’s highly unlikely we will see this work/live recommendations within a year, and honestly, I wouldn’t be surprised if they never appeared. There’s no political will to create them, and there is a significant number of influential people who do not want to see any hybrid uses – saying that recommendations will appear later, after study, is a convenient way of putting the issue of indefinitely.

]]> By: Max Allstadt http://www.abetteroakland.com/trying-and-failing-to-do-something-good/2008-04-16#comment-1037 Max Allstadt Thu, 17 Apr 2008 00:07:50 +0000 http://www.abetteroakland.com/trying-and-failing-to-do-something-good/2008-04-16#comment-1037 To clarify, V... Eric Angstadt and the City Attorney explained to me that the no new conversions only applies while staff is conducting it's study. In 6-8 months, staff will have recommendations that should create various types of work/live hybrid uses that are appropriate in industrial areas, are useful for artists, artisans and musicians, and which will be safeguarded against sneaky conversion to lifestyle condos. Depending on who's on the council then, we will have more or less leeway to create useful hybrid space. 6-8 months could be actually a year, but with the market where it is right now, that's kind of moot. To clarify, V…

Eric Angstadt and the City Attorney explained to me that the no new conversions only applies while staff is conducting it’s study.

In 6-8 months, staff will have recommendations that should create various types of work/live hybrid uses that are appropriate in industrial areas, are useful for artists, artisans and musicians, and which will be safeguarded against sneaky conversion to lifestyle condos. Depending on who’s on the council then, we will have more or less leeway to create useful hybrid space. 6-8 months could be actually a year, but with the market where it is right now, that’s kind of moot.

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