Leona Heights Neighborhood News

by Gordon Laverty

A local hazard (and potentially another La Conchita slide event) faces neighbors in the Leona/Oakmont districts. We note that the DeSilva/Gates operation to create over 450 living units at the Leona Quarry site continues without adequate city policing and developer good faith to control rain-period runoff discharges to Chimes Creek in excess of legal rules. For example, on January 3 the under-construction runoff-control basin discharge to Chimes Creek exceeded prescribed cubic-foot-per-second limits, resulting in high flow levels in the creek, further eroding the creek banks and endangering already exposed sewer lines. To our knowledge, prescribed dollar fines and adequate city action against the developers have not been exercised. If such events go on now, what can local people expect after the developer leaves and the only recourse is against the proposed homeowners' association? Our neighbors deserve better treatment, and now! Your letters of specific observations on this subject should be sent to the Oakland Public Works Department to document what is going on. On a more cheerful note, we applaud the City of Oakland's starting to asphalt-fill bad chuck holes marked on Leona Street. As soon as weather permits, the other marked spots on Leona should be corrected, as well as presently unmarked but vehicle-jarring chuckholes on McDonnell, Kuhnle, and Griffin Streets, and Mountain Boulevard between Leona Lodge and Seminary.