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Halcyon Neighborhood Association E-News4/5/10

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

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Contents

1. New HalcyonNeighborhood.orgwebsite

2. Input Sought for Meetingwith Whole Foods, This Thursday, April 8

3 World Tai Chiand QiGong Day, Saturday, April 24, 2010, 10-11 a.m., Halcyon Commons

4. Crime Watch Focus: Requestfor Alternates to Attend SNCPC

5. Crime Watch Update: Assaulton Telegraph at Prince; Catalytic Converter Stolen, Essex at Wheeler

6. Chancellor’s CommunityPartnership Fund Grant Workshop, Wednesday, April 7, 5:30–7:30 p.m.

7. Disaster Prep “Do SomethingDay,” Saturday, April 24

8. HNA Planning Disaster PrepDrill on Sunday, May 23, 3–5 p.m.: Can You Help?

9. New Yellow Emperor CommunityAcupuncture Clinic on Shattuck between Prince & Woolsey

10. South Berkeley PlanningProcess Underway

11. The 2010 Census: BerkeleySites for Forms in Various Languages

12. AC Transit Route Changes:Links

13. Laundromat Permit Update:Link

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1. New HalcyonNeighborhood.org website

Prince Street neighbor BruceWicinas — one of the founders of HNA and a key organizer behind thecreation of Halcyon Commons — has started a new website for theneighborhood, which can be found at www.HalcyonNeighborhood.org.Still in its infancy, the website will evolve as we see what works best andwhat kind of information we’d like to store. If you have feedback or historicalmaterial to offer, please email halcyon92@gmail.com.

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2. Input Sought for Meeting with Whole Foods, ThisThursday, April 8

Several Halcyon neighbors and HNASteering Committee members have been meeting every few months with team leadersfrom Whole Foods Market to address issues of mutual concern and strengthen ourrelationship in taking care of our shared neighborhood. Ongoing issues we’vebeen addressing include parking issues, crime watch, graffiti removal, litterpickup, watering of street trees, reducing smoking on the Webster Streetapproach, traffic management, and more. Please email halcyon92@gmail.com by Wednesday, April7, if you have an issue or concern you’d like us to pass on in our regularmeeting this Thursday morning, April 8. (Please indicate whether you wish yourcomment to remain confidential or if it’s okay to pass on your contactinformation.)

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3. World Tai Chi and QiGong Day, Saturday,April 24, 2010, 10-11 a.m., Halcyon Commons

Instead of the regular tai chichih practice on fourth Sundays, this month we’ll be holding our free monthlytai chi chih practice on Saturday, April 24, at 10 a.m., joining a wave of taichi and qigong practitioners and healers around the world. Prince Streetneighbor Judith Schwartz will once again be facilitating, and she invites thosewho want to practice tai chi chih as well as others who wish to share theirhealing or energy work (without charge) to join us in the park to be part ofthis worldwide wave of healing energy and chi. (Regular fourth Sunday tai chichih practice in the park will resume May 23 at 11 a.m.)

World Tai Chi and QiGong Day,Sat. 4/24, 10–11 a.m.

Note: Rain cancels.

Halcyon Commons (Halcyon atPrince)

Facilitated by Prince Streetneighbor Judith Schwartz, 510-843-2062

www.judithschwartz.com[Editor’s Note:Judith also offers ongoing classes to teach the Tai Chi forms in her PrinceStreet gardens; you can contact her for more information.]

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4. Crime Watch Focus: Request for Alternates to AttendSNCPC

HNA Neighborhood Watch CoordinatorDawn Trygstad Rubin submitted the following update and request regarding theSNCPC:

Many of you know that HalcyonNeighborhood participates as the unofficial “sector 8” with the ShattuckNeighborhood Crime Prevention Council (SNCPC) in Oakland just south of us. DawnTrygstad Rubin, HNA Neighborhood Watch Coordinator, attends monthly meetingswith elected resident and business representatives from Oakland's Police Beat11 and their PSO (problem-solving officer from the police department) and theirneighborhood services liaison (from the Mayor’s office). She reports that itis consistently the most productive meeting she attends anywhere, withexcellent cooperation between residents, business owners, police, and citystaff working together to produce real results. The SNCPC has done proactivework with the Recreation Center at Bushrod Park, funded kids going to summercamps, closed drug houses, addressed nuisance issues, solved crimes, and more.

Twice each year the SNCPC hostspublic meetings where they invite all residents and business owners/employeesto gather. That means US TOO in the Halcyon Neighborhood. Last year there wasan excellent meeting focused on the (still-ongoing) war between gangs inOakland, Berkeley, and Richmond over drug issues. Last month the firstsemiannual meeting focused on issues related to marijuana — both legalfor medical purposes and illegal. Later this year in October (date TBD), thesecond semiannual meeting of the SNCPC will serve as the HNA annual crime watchmeeting; look for the announcement in this E-News as the time approaches.

Dawn is looking for HNA residentsto be alternates for our “sector 8” to attend the monthly meetings with herfrom time to time and to be alternates for the few times each year she isunable to attend. Please contact her at familyrubin@comcast.net or510-843-3793 for more information.

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5. Crime Watch Update: Assault on Telegraph at Prince;Catalytic Converter Stolen, Essex at Wheeler

HNA Crime Watch Coordinator DawnTrygstad Rubin, who attended the recent Bateman Neighborhood Association crimewatch meeting, passed on the following information:

“There was a disturbing report. Alady was assaulted Friday [March 19]. She was outside the church (Prince andTelegraph), and a man was screaming obscenities. She asked him to stop and heattacked her pretty violently. A man walking on the other side of the streetcame to her rescue and the attacker fled. I didn’t get a good description— I think she said he was Caucasian and probably in his late twenties.”

An Essex Street neighbor submittedthe following report:

“Catalytic converter sawed off andstolen from my 4runner overnight Monday, March 22, on Essex at Wheeler Street.. . . At Ron’s Berkeley Muffler they told us someone called in 15 minutes laterfrom around the corner with the same problem. They said it takes two guys abouttwo minutes to do the damage. Some people are in for $1,000 damage. It ‘only’cost us $425.”

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6. Chancellor’s Community Partnership Fund GrantWorkshop, Wednesday, April 7, 5:30–7:30 p.m.

New collaborations sought forChancellor's Community Partnership Fund

Grant Workshop on Wednesday, April7, 5:30 – 7:30 p.m. at the

North Berkeley Senior Center (1901Hearst Avenue at Martin Luther King Jr. Way)

The Chancellor's CommunityPartnership Fund at the University of California, Berkeley, is now acceptinggrant applications for its 2010-11 grant cycle. The fund will distribute$225,000 in grants this year to support projects and programs that link UCBerkeley faculty, staff, and students with residents and community-basedorganizations to improve the quality of life in Berkeley. The fund will host aworkshop for interested applicants as well as potential community or universitypartners on April 7th.

Chancellor’s Community PartnershipFund

UC Berkeley Office of LocalGovernment and Community Relations

510-643-5299

calpartnershipfund@berkeley.edu

communityrelations.berkeley.edu

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7. Disaster Prep “Do Something Day,” Saturday, April 24

The Berkeley Disaster PrepNeighborhoods Network (“the Network”) is sponsoring Saturday, April 24, as a dayfor each family and individual to take at least one small step in increasingtheir level of disaster preparedness. See Berkeleydailyplanet.com.

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8. HNA Planning Disaster Prep Drill on Sunday, May 23,3–5 p.m.: Can You Help?

HNA is planning a disasterpreparedness drill on Sunday, May 23rd, with all interested neighborsencouraged to attend! In order to make the drill as useful as possible,Neighborhood Watch Coordinator Dawn Trygstad Rubin would appreciate someassistance with the planning and preparation for the drill. Please email halcyon92@gmail.com if you’d be willingto help.

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9. Yellow Emperor Community Acupuncture Clinic Opens onShattuck between Prince & Woolsey

[Editor’s note: I’m always glad topass on the word about new businesses in the neighborhood. This one recentlyheld an open house and several neighbors passed on the word.]

Yellow Emperor CommunityAcupuncture Clinic

3111 Shattuck Ave. (between Prince& Woolsey)

Berkeley 94705

510-227-4028

www.yellowemperorclinic.com

yellowemperorclinic@gmail.com

Hours: Tuesday–Friday: 3- 7p.m.

Saturday: 10 a.m. – 2 p.m.

Sunday: 12 p.m. – 4 p.m.

Regular treatments $20-40 slidingscale

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10. South Berkeley Planning Process Underway

Editor’s note: While HNA’s GuidingPrinciples preclude us from getting involved in lobbying on potentiallycontroversially topics, we do our best to let neighbors know about Cityplanning that may affect our neighborhood. Neighbors interested in current planningtaking place over the coming months (“the South Berkeley Community Project”)may wish to consult www.cityofberkeley.info/uploadedFiles

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11. The 2010 Census: Berkeley Sites for Forms in VariousLanguages

Editor’s note: It’s Census time,and for our city and county to receive the full federal funding to which we’reentitled, everyone needs to be counted! If you misplaced your census form orneed one in a language other than English, here are some places with blankquestionnaires.

Be Counted Only Sites in Berkeley(no questionnaire assistance but can pick up blank questionnaires in English,Spanish, Chinese, Korean, Vietnamese and Russian):

Berkeley Public Library-WestBranch, 1125 University

Berkeley Free Clinic, 2339 Durant

Downtown Berkeley Library, 2090Kittredge

City of Berkeley - CustomerService Center, 1947 Center St.

Mi Tierra, 2082 San Pablo

Berkeley Public Library-SouthBranch, 1901 Russell St.

Over 60/Lifelong, 3260 Sacramento

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12. AC Transit Route Changes: Links

berkeleydailyplanet.com

actransit.org

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13. Laundromat Permit Update: Link

Editor’s note: A link for those ofyou who’ve been following the laundromat permitting issue.

berkeleydailyplanet.com