MONTCLARION: June 24, 2011

It’s shaping up to be the summer of discontent in Montclair. There are now 18 vacancies in the Village and no sign of a turnaround anytime soon.

It’s a source of frustration for many merchants, who feel landlords are demanding unreasonable rents in a tough business climate.

“I can no longer stand by and watch the destruction of fire around me,” says Teresa Bozikis, who owns Touch Salon & Gallery in Montclair. She’s submitted a list of Village vacancies to the city and has been instrumental in helping the Montclair Village Association craft a letter for merchants to use in negotiating “fair market rate” from landlords. Continue reading →

MONTCLARION: JUNE 17, 2011

It’s 4 p.m. and the kitchen phone is ringing. The phone rarely rings at our house anymore, unless it’s a telemarketer or my husband or kids.

“Mom,” says my son in a state of semi-panic. “MOM. I need my tassel and hat. I couldn’t find it this morning and now we’re lining up and I NEED my tassel and hat!” Yes, it’s graduation day, and you’ll have to excuse me for getting sentimental. My son is 18, and, despite all the signs of adulthood, there are still times when he needs me. Continue reading →

MONTCLARION: June 10, 2011

Crime is no laughing matter, except when you’ve got thieves so dumb they make the burglars in “Home Alone” look smart.

Take the case of the Alameda cabbie who was arrested last week for possession of stolen property. He probably would have cleaned up a little if he’d known the camera on the stolen Apple MacBook was recording him. The photos of the suspect sleeping by the MacBook and using it shirtless in bed are all over the Internet now. Call me crazy, but I’m guessing he would rather have a poster at the post office. Continue reading →

MONTCLARION: June 3, 2011
I did a dumb thing the other night and left my garage door open. Thankfully, my neighbor called to warn me.

The last time I did this a bandit broke in and ransacked the place. Sure, it was just a raccoon — and the only thing lost was a bag of Meow Mix — but it could have been a human predator, intent on committing a violent crime.

Throughout the hills there’s a growing concern about burglaries, robberies and assaults. And everyone — especially the bad guys — knows Oakland police are understaffed . Continue reading →

MONTCLARION: May 25, 2011

I’ll never forget that face — the way he looked at me with those puppy dog eyes. He was strong yet sensitive, guarded but hopeful. In many ways, we were made for each other, but ultimately he wanted more from a relationship than I could give.

Yes, I admit it. As much as I love a good dog, I’m a cat person. I’ve got an hour a day for a four-legged friend, and then I expect them to work. A year ago, a friend of mine needed a cat to keep the mice at bay on her rural property. I took her to adoption day at Oakland Animal Services. We looked at dozens of kitties; some calico, some with white boots and checkerboard noses, some solid black. She settled on a tabby that playfully pawed at her finger as she ran it across the cage. Continue reading →

MONTCLARION: May 20, 2011

My Oakland hills neighbors are a colorful bunch. One’s crafty, one’s flighty and one’s, quite frankly, a snake.

Thank goodness I’ve my new fauna guide to keep track of them.

The UC Botanical Gardens at Berkeley is unveiling its new, laminated field guide today, with original illustrations of 10 reptiles, five amphibians, 18 mammals, 61 birds and 21 insects — all living in the East Bay hills. Continue reading →