Leona Heights Neighborhood News

by Gordon Laverty

This month we start with recognition of the people who faithfully deliver the Metro in our neighborhood. We thank them, for without them many of us would not see the Metro. These folks are Stan Shepard, Lyn Ignatowski, Julie Williamson, and Gloria Soliz. Tell them "thank you" when you see them on their rounds. We in Leona Heights are especially appreciative of the fast response of the City of Oakland Public Works crew that put a yellow stripe down the middle of Mountain Boulevard between Belfast Avenue and Twitter Court. That line now defines the curves of the road, so that at night or in rain and fog, fewer passing vehicles will intrude on the parking area when our neighbors are backing out or are parked. Dating back from the 1850s, the Leona Heights area has provided mining and quarrying sites that brought economic and commercial benefit to our city. Much of Oakland's road construction is based on crushed rock from Leona-area quarries. And from the late 1800s until 1934, our area provided the sulfur ore in Leona rhyolite, which for a time provided most of the industrial sulfuric acid produced on the West Coast. These mines and quarries have a mixed history of blessing and complaint from residents as the area has become more residential. Next issue, we will develop some of the interesting historical points which at this moment bear upon the land use and development discussions of Oakland's citizens, developers, and elected officials.