We are losing the Warriors, and the Athletics will build their own new stadium. We get many home games with the A's, but not many with the Raiders, and the owners constantly want something more from the city even though they haven't paid for changes already made to their stadium. Let them go elsewhere. We really can't afford them. Football teams are spoiled brats always wanting what cities can't afford. Let somebody else cater to these brats.
“Infrastructure is the platform that can slow us down and get us stuck, or speed us on our way.” -Rosabeth Moss Kanter, Move: putting America's infrastructure back in the lead
Here we are in the heart of an economic boom spurred by technology, yet we have fewer local transportation choices in downtown Oakland than we did in the 1940s when there were trains on Broadway and there were no freeways dissecting the city. Jack London Square sits cut off from the rest of Oakland by the noisy ugly wall that is Interstate 880. We need to re-connect downtown Oakland with the rest of Oakland with surface streets, greenways, and local trains: http://gs-horizons.blogspot.com/2015/11/imagine-train.html
A diverse independent local retail community not only delivers more tax revenue that stays within the community, but helps foster places where culture and ideas flourish (places like bookstores, movie theaters, clubs, small unique boutiques, pubs and cafes). We do not want a sea of chain stores in downtown Oakland. We need support for local businesses for the unique cultural diversity and values they provide. This is what will make our city thrive as a destination.
The downtown specific plan is being conducted by a Coral Gables-based consulting firm. Our planning director moved here from the East Coast just a few years ago. The group guiding the process is SPUR, an SF-based advocacy organization. It's hard for me to trust the process when it's being managed entirely by outsiders. Why couldn't an Oakland-based organization such as OCO be part of the public outreach process?
Gas-powered leaf-blowers are extremely noisy and disruptive. They also burn gas far less efficiently than cars, and blow large amounts of dust and dirt into the air, decreasing air quality. They merely blow debris around, onto neighbors' properties or into the street. Many cities have banned them, including Berkeley. The weed whackers have the same problems of noise and inefficient gas-burning.
PLAN DOWNTOWN OAKLAND – MAKE OAKLAND SENIOR FRIENDLY http://speakupoakland.org/projects/plan-downtown-oakland
10-14-15
PUBLIC SEATING AREAS ARE NOT SENIOR FRIENDLY AS SEATING IS TOO LOW FOR SENIORS.
Most times we have to plop down and the seats are much lower than we expect and we almost fall over backwards.
most times we have difficulty getting up and need help because the seating is so low. We could do this on our own if some seats were higher.
NOT SENIOR FRIENDLY This is true on BART trains, public bus stops, park areas benches, auditoriums, movie theaters, toilets, paratransit cars, etc. etc.
All seating should be marked for others to give up seats when required not only for handicap, but also for seniors like is done on the BART TRAINS.
INDEPENDENT SENIOR HOUSING: whether they put in large or small refrigerators on the floor, seniors can not reach the vegetable areas without falling over because they are simply TOO LOW and with high blood pressure seniors are apt to fall when bending down to access produce.
Some seating should be higher to accommodate not only small or large people but SENIORS as well.
Improve the quality of SENIOR SKILLED NURSING FACILITIES. Most are abysmal and no one from the city, it seems, checks on the quality of staff, food, maintenance, etc. The food quality is generally horrible and has not been updated as they are now in the schools. Why can’t seniors in these facilities have a MENU selection, instead of potatoes, morning, noon, and night. Why can’t we hire better licensed dieticians. The facilities are not adequately staffed with licensed qualified staff around the clock. Who oversees this from the city to ensure the county and the state are doing their jobs. My family has suffered in these facilities.
STREET SIGNS Ensure signage is large enough to be seen clearly by seniors and those with vision issues, whether walking or driving.
Ensure there are sufficient handicap zones around public buildings, theaters, museums, movie theaters. Improving biking facilities is fine, but think of the seniors as well.
Seniors have difficulty parking in the parking lots and getting to city services in Ogawa Plaza. Inadequate signs to direct you to the correct building. TOO MUCH WALKING. One always, it seems gets directed to the wrong building for services. For me, it’s a nightmare.
The best thing Oakland has is Seniors do not have to pay for parking. It is a lifesave for me in terms of money and in terms of walking. SENIOR HOTLINE have an automated senior hotline where seniors can leave messages for the City of Oakland. The automated tree directories are a mess and too often go no where.
Pedestrians, many of whom have no other option in getting around, must have at least equal respect to what bicyclists and motorists get. After all, they do pay taxes and they enhance efficiency of vehicle traffic by taking up so little space and emitting so little pollution. They are much less likely to cause fatal collisions with high-speed vehicles whose drivers/riders are flouting laws and/or driving/riding inattentively. To promote pedestrian transportation, Oakland legislators and administrators need to keep in mind that lumpy sidewalks and seriously deteriorated intersections cause serious injury and loss of life, and that improved enforcement of vehicle laws (in addition to better traffic-safety education) helps everyone.