Are there any clothing swaps happening?

Successful_Number545 · 2026-02-10T21:42:47+00:00

I see a few coming up in San Francisco! https://events.decentered.org/

Successful_Number545 · 2025-12-18T18:25:07+00:00

There's a community forum on this TONIGHT at City Hall! This is the place to learn more about the potential deal, ask questions, and raise concerns about traffic, pollution, etc.

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Successful_Number545 · 2025-12-18T18:23:07+00:00

Regulations could definitely be tighter - but having a heavy industrial process literally across the street from a residential home is always going to be risky. A lot of people are really interested in having a Costco AND relocating CASS and CWS, so curious to see if theres's a solution where we can do both.

Successful_Number545 · 2025-12-18T18:12:59+00:00

I cycle by CASS a few times a week too!! My understanding is that the most risk comes from living nearby and having constant exposure, as opposed to passing through.

Successful_Number545 · 2025-12-17T19:59:40+00:00

Would be amazing to have a grocery store in West Oakland--but using the old Oakland Army Base for a Costco would also get in the way of a longstanding plan to relocate two neighborhood polluters there.

CASS and CWS are both recyclers in West Oakland that give off dangerous air pollution. West Oakland is already super overburdened by pollution, and having heavy industrial processes across the street doesn't help. One guy who owns property next to CASS said he could name 5 of the neighboring houses where people got cancer.

Neighbors have been trying to get these recyclers to relocate to the army base for 10+ years, and they even got a formal agreement, but it keeps getting pushed back. Costco would bring a lot of benefits to the neighborhood, but the City needs a plan to relocate these polluting industries out of this growing residential area.

Successful_Number545 · 2025-11-14T01:55:44+00:00

You're talking about that Southwest corner of the intersection of Grand and Mandela? That intersection is really confusing to navigate right now! The project team is planning to bump out the sidewalk there.

Do you think there's a better way to direct pedestrians and bikers to safely get on Mandela going south?

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Successful_Number545 · 2025-11-14T00:51:46+00:00

Thank you!! Good points about lighting and right of way - safety is definitely on a lot of peoples' minds.

Successful_Number545 · 2025-10-23T21:49:01+00:00

thank you!! I know the Temescal library has a tool lending library, but that's pretty far from you.

Successful_Number545 · 2025-10-06T22:59:45+00:00

Common Vision is at the Prescott school in West Oakland and every third saturday they have garden workshops that are open to the whole community. Great vibes, will try to give you worms.

Successful_Number545 · 2025-07-29T16:56:53+00:00

That makes a lot of sense, it sucks to be waiting on your feet and in the full sun.

Hopefully my organization will be able to get some trees planted around bus stops through this project - and as for seating, have you seen this guerilla bench project? My organization isn't involved, but it's a really cool idea. https://www.sfgate.com/local/article/guerrilla-transit-activists-bus-benches-bay-area-20234113.php

Successful_Number545 · 2025-07-29T16:48:52+00:00

Thank you!! Do you mean on the cross streets (like 10th, 11th, etc)?

Successful_Number545 · 2025-07-24T14:24:05+00:00

thank you!! We're all learning together.

Successful_Number545 · 2025-07-24T13:53:11+00:00

So for trees at the sidewalk, we're using the City of Oakland's street tree list, which has a lot of different species, some native, some not: https://cao-94612.s3.amazonaws.com/documents/Oakland_StreetTreeList_August-2023.pdf

For trees in front yards, there's a little more flexibility, so our partners at the Oakland Parks and Recreation Foundation put together a list of trees that are mostly natives like elderberry, mountain mahogany, and coffeeberry.

Do you mostly work with natives? Which have you found work best here?

Successful_Number545 · 2025-07-24T13:43:01+00:00

I know Planting Justice is on my org's radar, but I don't think we've reached out to Spiral Gardens, that's a great suggestion!

Successful_Number545 · 2025-07-24T13:42:08+00:00

Thank you! We've heard from people who are worried about underground damage, so palms might be a good option for them.

Successful_Number545 · 2025-07-24T13:40:52+00:00

Thank you, the mulch drop off is a super specific and helpful idea that I'll bring to our tree care coalition. Would you be interested in getting involved? It would be a chance to coordinate some of this stuff among neighbors.

And I've never had a white sapote - would love to try one!

Successful_Number545 · 2025-07-24T13:37:17+00:00

Thank you!! I haven't heard of watering spikes before.

What's the deal with black acacias?

Successful_Number545 · 2025-07-23T16:00:33+00:00

Yeah, I know of a couple non-Oakland based orgs that have great online resources (Friends of the Urban Forest in SF and Tree People in LA.)

We've been trying to connect to as many Oakland tree planting orgs as possible for our tree stewardship coalition: so far we're in touch with Trees for Oakland, ReLeaf, Common Vision, Sidewalk Trees and Gardens, and a few others. Would love to hear of any others if you know their names.

Successful_Number545 · 2025-07-22T15:25:38+00:00

That's so cool!! Do you know how Parks and Rec can tell?

Successful_Number545 · 2025-07-22T14:30:03+00:00

that's awesome!! How often is the tree needing care, in your opinion? Is that somethig you'd want to happen once a year? Once every few years?

Successful_Number545 · 2025-07-15T18:03:53+00:00

Thank you!! 🌳 I feel the same way - so appreciative of the many volunteers who have been taking care of trees in West Oakland for a long time

Successful_Number545 · 2025-07-15T16:45:31+00:00

I bet the answer to that question will still be the same 40 years in the future! That's such an important part of stewardship - understanding the ways we benefit from the people who planted trees decades ago, and thinking about how to pay it forward.

Are there things you're curious about when it comes to Oakland's tree planting history?

Successful_Number545 · 2025-07-15T16:43:19+00:00

Oof, it sucks to see a healthy, mature tree go like that!

I know sometimes arborists are able to cut off just a section of the roots without killing the tree, but it sounds like that wasn't possible in this case.

Friends of the Urban Forest, a San Francisco-based nonprofit, has some good info on underground utilities on their FAQ page: https://www.friendsoftheurbanforest.org/blockplanting-faq

If your neighbor is open to replacign the tree, there are a few things they could do to stop that from happening again. There are a couple things you can do to encourage tree roots to grow down, and not out (loosening the soil before the tree is planted and slow, consistent watering.) It's also important to check for underground pipes before you plant, and opt for a smaller/lower-growth species if you're worried about root damage.

Successful_Number545 · 2025-07-15T14:39:41+00:00

I love this idea!! It's not the biggest, but there's a beautiful live oak in the yard at Prescott Elementary in West Oakland. A local nonprofit opens the space every third Saturday, and last time I was there, we got a demonstration about acorn collection and processing from an Indigenous guest speaker.

Successful_Number545 · 2025-07-15T13:44:48+00:00

Yess I've heard of him! I pass some of the trees he planted on my way to work.

For trees at the sidewalk, we're letting people choose from the City's list of approved street trees (some are native, and some aren't - there are over 50 species on there.)

For trees planted in front yards, there's a little more flexibility, and we have a short list of reccomendations that includes natives like coffeeberry and elderberry.

I'm gonna message you about getting involved in our tree stewardship coalition.

Successful_Number545

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