Agreed. In looking at how the requirements for serving on the planning commission changed with the council member appointment process that was implemented in 2009....mandated and balanced expertise went out the window.

I recently read where Council Member Schenirer has or is setting up a garden tool lending service in Oak Park. I applaud the concept. I lived in the bay area during the 80's and 90's working as an apprentice carpenter and advancing to being a lead foreman with a small to medium size framing company. I learned the skills that enabled me to build my own home in the hills above Berkeley and Oakland. Now why do I bring this up? The Berkeley City Library ran a tool lending library for the residients and property owners within the city limits of Berkeley. It was and still to this day is a immense asset to that community. Pete, the guy who ran it back then, was a jack-of-all-trades and a bottemless source of tips and techniques. It was also a community gathering place...waiting in line talking to others who had a project going on, comparing notes. etc. There were a lot of tools that went into the building of that house. I have been forever grateful for that resource In these days of economic challenges and people trying to save wherever they can...wouldn't it be great to expand upon Jay's program to that end? I was a skeptic when I was first introduced to it in Berkeley.Theft, vandalism, tools returned broken, etc just seemed too likely, Well, that was 1986, 25 years ago and it is still running strong today. Back then it was a sliding scale of 1-3 dollars per tool per day with a limit on how many tools you could borrow, well according to their website...it's now free...with a ten tool limit. http://www.berkeleypubliclibrary.org/about_the_library/neighborhood_branches/tool_lending_library/rules.php And ditto on that transit request!

I know its San Joaquin County but, Sandhill Crane viewing in the mid-fall....down at the Woodbridge Ecological Reserve along Peltier Road. The chorus of the cranes and other waterfowl along with the sunset are not to be missed! It's worth the 1/2 hour drive down I-5.

Yes and no...I remember it well from my running days when I lived in River Park and was going to CSUS. I had several 8+ mile loops that included McKinley Park and going by my Grandma's house off of 36th. The sidewalks were but one of many WPA projects. We actually have what is believed to be a WPA building in the center of Winn Park. The discussion came up during the DRPB hearings associated with the Winn Park improvements and Emergency Communications Building renovation around 2001-3. That being said, I think your idea has a lot of merit and fun to be had by more than just a few. Thanks Ellen :-)

http://livingnewdeal.berkeley.edu/map/view.php?&l=932 Project: McKinley Park WPA Sidewalk, Sacramento Categories: "Roads, highways, and bridges Location(s): Sacramento, CA 95816 (Sacramento WPA Sidewalks) Description: This WPA sidewalk stamp shows that the WPA worked in McKinley Park. Federal Agency: WPA Date Completed: 1940-00-00 Source Notes: http://fiveprime.org/hivemind/Tags/sidewalk,wpa Photographs McKinley Park WPA Sidewalk Stamp"