Redwood Heights Neighborhood News

by Hugo Evans

Neighborhood and Fiscal Priorities — One Citizen's Opinion

When crime's high and you're strapped for cash, what's at the top of your priority list? Apparently, the City of Oakland is so flush with cash that using constituents' tax dollars to recondition for traffic a tiny creekside lane that has been closed to vehicles for eleven years and has offered as a safe respite for the community is at the top of the list.

Never mind the fact that we are in desperate need of modifications to the Redwood Rd./35^th Ave. corridor where there have been recent fatalities and countless crashes. These modifications can't be effectively addressed, in part because of financial constraints. Yet somehow Oakland has a magic pile of money to throw toward initiating traffic along Peralta Creek despite vehement opposition from the community.'

Neighbors like Oliver Stoss say, "In these very difficult fiscal time for Oakland, I am sure there are not many instances where residents ask the city or county NOT to do something that costs money." Shouldn't we be conserving every last dollar as the mortgage and gas crises are causing shortfalls in our local, state, and federal tax bases? One needs only to look at Vallejo's financial problems to see the results of poor fiscal management in a city.'

Oakland consistently ranks as one of the most unsafe cities in the U.S. The city's plan to prepare Rettig Ave. for traffic will increase crime in the community and further strain the limited police resources that are funded by our tax dollars. National studies repeatedly show that increased traffic directly correlates to increased crime in neighborhoods.'

Difficult times call for fiscal responsibility and restraint. The city should not waste our hard-earned tax money on projects that diminish public health and safety and ultimately require more tax dollars to fix.'

While it pains me to quote the words of Ronald Reagan, "Every once in a while, somebody has to get the bureaucracy by the neck and shake it loose and say 'stop what you're doing.'"

Residents and neighbors have formally requested not only to be notified but also to be included in ALL city meetings, discussions, and decisions about the future of Rettig Ave. If you would like to receive information about any future meetings, please contact Denise Davila at d2davila\@yahoo.com.'

As more information becomes available, we will share it with you.'