East Bay Express October 28 2020

PANDEMIC TRICK-OR-TREATING P16 OAKLAND GIRL GOES GOOD P14 IZAKAYA ON THE MOVE P15

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OCTOBER 28-NOVEMBER 3, 2020

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EAST BAY EXPRESS

No Justice, Just Us

The federal government’s historic failure in responding to the pandemic left East Oakland hanging, and a second spike could be on the horizon P7

CONTENTS OPINION 3 NEWS 4 SEVEN DAYS 6 FEATURE 7 ARTS 10 MUSIC 14 WHAT THE FORK 15 CHRONIC TOWN 16 SAVAGE LOVE 17 ASTROLOGY 18

EAST BAY EXPRESS CEO/Executive Editor Dan Pulcrano

EDITORIAL

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OPINION

City of Alameda via Facebook

ROAD UNTRAVELED Development of housing in Alameda could take a new direction if voters decide to pass Measure Z.

Open Up, Alameda A

t East Bay For Everyone, we believe that anyone who wants to live in the Bay Area should be able to afford housing, and that we can build enough housing at the right density to make this a reality.

We’re committed to fighting onerous restrictions that cities have placed on building.

Alameda has arguably the most restrictive anti-development policy among East Bay cities. Passed in 1973, Measure A added a new amendment, Article 26, to the Alameda City Charter that banned the construction of multiunit housing. In 1991, a second Measure

A set the maximum density for one home per 2,000 square feet of area.

Article 26 is more insidious than most other building restrictions because it even prohibits Alameda City Council from changing the city’s zoning, which most cities allow.

This election season, we wholeheartedly endorse Measure Z, which will finally give Alameda a shot to repeal Article 26, after nearly 50 years of exclusionary, anti-housing restrictions. It has long been argued that Alameda’s unique attributes necessitate the extreme step of embedding land-use policy in the City Charter. But repealing

Article 26 will only be a first step in a lengthy process that will determine what Alameda looks like in the future, and the move will not result in immediate or drastic change.

Alameda’s beautiful and varied architecture, particularly its prized Victorians, will not suddenly be bulldozed after Measure Z. Alameda’s Historical Preservation Ordinance protects buildings deemed historically significant from being significantly altered without city review and approval, and Measure Z does not change the Historical Preservation Ordinance.

Liat Zavodivker and Josh Geyer are members of East Bay For Everyone.

Opinions are the authors’ own and do not necessarily reflect those of the East Bay Express.

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Measure Z would alter the island city’s charter to allow for more housing BY LIAT ZAVODIVKER AND JOSH GEYER

Measure Z opponents frequently raise concerns about traffic, citing the limited points of egress onto the island.

But anyone who drives to work in San Francisco knows that traffic congestion is a regional issue. The most significant traffic bottleneck on the island—the morning commute through the Webster tube—is due to the fact that Alameda drivers are queued up behind vehicles accessing the Bay Bridge from all over the East Bay and beyond.

Allowing more people to live in transitrich inner suburbs like Alameda will only help to alleviate our regional traffic gridlock for those with no choice but to drive into the city.

Lastly, there seems to be a visceral fear among some Alamedans that repealing Article 26 will throw open the gates to greedy developers who will obliterate their quaint neighborhoods in search of profit. This will not and cannot happen. Alameda’s current zoning is compliant with the density limits imposed by Article 26, and once the City Council is able to initiate zoning reform, it will take years of study and public consultation before any change is enacted. Even then, the fact remains that the new, smallscale multifamily housing that will be permitted post-Article 26 will have plenty of company in the many beautiful, unique apartments Alameda already has.

Article 26 has been part of the City Charter longer than most Alameda residents have been alive, but that doesn’t make it immutable. A lot has changed since it was adopted in 1973, including our understanding of the urgent need to reduce carbon emissions, as well as the ways that restrictions on multifamily housing can produce racially disparate effects.

Voting “Yes” on Measure Z won’t change Alameda overnight, but it will finally give Alamedans and their elected representatives the power to decide for themselves how best to add the new housing we all know is needed to create a better Alameda for everyone.

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NEWS

PROPERTY PROP An effort to reform the state’s historic limit on property taxes—passed in 1978 through Proposition 13—goes to voters.

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Touchy Tax

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Prop. 15 approaches the “third rail” of California politics BY JANICE BITTERS

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f Proposition 15 prevails at the ballot next month, that’s anyone’s guess.

Nonetheless, the measure to reform how property is taxed and money is distributed is the closest anyone’s gotten to touching the “third rail” of California politics— despite nearly 40 years of attempts.

Proposition 13, which passed in 1978, froze property tax assessments at purchase, allowing for small annual tax increases and ensuring that people—particularly those on

fixed incomes—wouldn’t be taxed out of their homes as property values soared. That made the law untouchable.

Prop. 13, however, also generously applied the tax break to nonresidential properties, from towering office buildings to golf courses. Prop.

15 would change that by mandating that commercial properties be assessed every three years and taxed at their current fair market value. The proposition, known as “Schools and Communities First,” would not change

how single-family houses, condos and apartment buildings are assessed.

Some critics, including Prop. 13 reform proponents, believe Prop.

15 contains a poison pill for the Bay Area: it would export money out of the region. Progressive voters who may be inclined to support Prop. 15 because they believe in property tax reform may not know that’s what they are voting for, said Jennifer Bestor, volunteer research director for the nonprofit Educate Our State.

“If you understand property tax allocation—and this [measure] came out of L.A., and those folks do—the way that it all falls out is actually they [Los Angeles] end up also being the biggest taker from the statewide school pot,” said Bestor, who was speaking on behalf of herself and not Educate Our State. “This whole thing is meant to extract money up here and ship it down there.”

Advocates for Prop. 15, known as Schools and Community First, say it’s not that simple.

While money will move between counties if the measure is approved, the distribution is meant to send money to the neediest schools and equalize education across California, which ranks 41st nationwide when it comes to K-12 per-student spending after adjusting for the cost of living, according to the California Budget and Policy Center.

Alex Stack, communications director for the Schools and Community First campaign, said in an interview that California “has created incredible wealth, and every single school in the state will benefit.” He added, “We are fine with ESL learners and foster kids and low-income students getting a bit more resources.”

Stack says that with Prop. 15, each

Regional

Regional in Nature

Acti

Activity Guide for those institutions comes as a pandemic-induced recession creates deficits for cities across the state and as schools try to embrace distanced learning with shrinking budgets.

Even the measure’s critics acknowledge that’s likely to make the proposition look even more appealing.

Advocates estimate that about 90 percent of the money generated

by Prop. 15 would be paid by 10 percent of the state’s largest companies, including Chevron and Disney. In the Bay Area, some of Silicon Valley’s large technology companies would likely find themselves with a bigger tax bill than they’re used to under Prop. 15.

Previous efforts to amend Proposition 13 have failed to gain momentum in large part because, as in national politics today, the two sides of the argument don’t seem to agree on the basic facts.

On one end of the spectrum, advocates say Proposition 13 is broken, arguing that it creates severe inequity across the state for all property owners, exacerbates the housing crisis and contributes to the under-funding of local school systems.

From that position, the only option is to analyze the best fix— and fast.

But on the other side of the issue are those who say that Proposition 13 is not only not broken, but doing exactly what it is supposed to do: create consistency for government budget planning, allow all property owners to make investments with certainty and encourage businesses to stay in California.

In other words, if it isn’t broken, don’t fix it.

“It’s good for everybody to know what your taxes are going to be when you buy property,” said Susan Shelley, vice president of communications for the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association. “It’s true that people who bought many years ago have a lower tax assessment than their neighbors may, but everybody who buys has the certainty that they will not be taxed unexpectedly out of their property.” l

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school will be guaranteed at least $100 more per child annually than they are guaranteed today, marking a win for schools across the state.

Bestor says that after crunching the numbers, she’s not convinced that parents and school districts in the Bay Area will deem the proposition a win.

“When people feel like they're spending so much on the schools ... and then it doesn't get there, it ruins our civic faith in our schools,” she said.

The proposition promises to bring between $6.5 billion and $11.5 billion to schools, community colleges and local governments in coming years as properties are reassessed.

A “slim majority” of residents in the state lean toward a yes vote on Prop. 15, according to a midSeptember Public Policy Institute of California poll.

As has long been the case for property taxes, 40 percent would go to schools across the state, and 60 percent would fund other local government expenditures, like infrastructure, fire safety and homelessness initiatives.

While several Prop. 15 advocates said they didn’t know about the outflow of funds—suggesting that Bestor’s concern about uninformed voters may not be unfounded— each maintained that they supported the measure, irrespective of the spending plan.

Walter Wilson, a principal at the Minority Business Consortium, supports the measure but said in a recent interview that he didn’t know money raised in particular counties would remain there.

Even so, he said opponents have not shown that the measure will negatively impact businesses or communities, and he wants large companies to pitch in more. “The whole idea is that this is not the time to raise taxes on taxpayers, but this is the time to raise corporate taxes on corporations that have been getting away, for … 40 years, with billions of dollars in taxes that should have gone back to our communities and schools,” he said.

Indeed, the promise of new funding

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FBI OUT Oakland decided last week to end its relationship with the RBI’s with the Joint Terror Task Force.

Seven Days

Oakland breaks with FBI as killings skyrocket BY STEVEN TAVARES • Oakland is following San Francisco and Portland in ending its relationship with the Joint Terror Task Force, an intelligence gathering arm of the FBI. The City Council last week unanimously approved the termination of an agreement. The action had been recommended since last year by the city’s Privacy Advisory Commission. “We’re just asking you to defend Oakland values,” said Brian Hofer, a member of the Privacy Advisory Commission.

The council’s move does not preclude the FBI working with the Oakland Police Department, Hofer noted. “It would not prevent us from responding to a public safety threat,” he said. “It would not prohibit OPD with speaking with or sharing information with the FBI. It would not disturb the FBI’s mandatory duty to warn us of a public safety threat.”

Oakland business owners of Yemeni descent, many who live and work in West Oakland, have felt targeted in the past by the federal government.

• Wind gusts Monday were recorded as high as 58 mph at the Oakland International Airport and over 100 mph in the Sierras.

• Teachers unions across Alameda County have launched demands for on-site covid-19 testing, contact tracing, greater ventilation of classrooms and an online dashboard tracking outbreaks of the coronavirus.

• San Leandro police officers critically wounded a man suspected of pulling a gun on them. The shooting followed a traffic stop about two hours earlier Saturday night. The officer-involved shooting comes after a 33-year-old Black man was fatally shot by a San Leandro police officer last April.

• Killings in Oakland have increased by 38 percent over last year, including 51 unsolved murders, according to KRON. The uptick in homicides might be fueled by the pandemic, which began in March. Crime, overall, was down during the first quarter of this year. l

GROUND ZERO Data shows the infection rate per capita in East Oakland is higher than 4 percent in three zip codes.

Ride The Wave O

ur sense of shame is in short supply.

As of Tuesday, the coronavirus pandemic had killed more than 226,000 people across the United States, 17,000-plus in California and almost 1,750 here in the Bay Area. Of that amount, 461 people—or about 26 percent— resided in Alameda County. That local figure is nearly a hundred

more people than the number claimed by the virus in midSeptember. But finding out exactly who is dying in the East Bay, and where each person took that last breath, is more difficult to pinpoint.

Data compiled by Alameda County health officials show that the coronavirus has hit predominantly low-income communities of color in East Oakland harder than any

other place in the Bay Area. Maps that track infections in the 94601, 94621 and 94603 zip codes—starting in the Meadow Brook and Oak Tree neighborhoods and running south down the Interstate 880 corridor to the Coliseum and Brookfield—show a deep shade of blue that inspires none of the optimism one might hope for in a consequential election season.

Each of these East Oakland zip

codes is registering more than 4,300 positive cases per 100,000 residents, which is more than double most other parts of the county. By comparison, the next highest rate of positive tests in Alameda County can be found in two zip codes in Hayward, where 2,612 and 2,345 per 100,000 have tested positive. No other zip codes in the county >8 surpass an infection rate of

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Data shows the coronavirus pandemic has hit East Oakland communities of color harder than any other place in the Bay Area BY JOSH KOEHN

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VOTE OUT THE VIRUS The nation’s response to the coronavirus pandemic has been top of mind for many voters, especially those socially distancing while they wait in line.

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2 percent. The only place in the Bay Area area that comes close to the rate of cases seen in East Oakland is in San Francisco’s Bayview/HuntersPoint, also a traditionally Black neighborhood.

But how many people have died from coronavirus in East Oakland?

That’s a trickier question.

The county’s COVID-19 dashboard doesn’t list locations for deaths, but simply tracks them over time. State records show that about 30 percent of all deaths in the county—139 men and women— occurred in skilled nursing homes.

A public records request filed by the East Bay Express found that as of Tuesday, 65 people had been killed by the virus in the three East Oakland zip codes where infection

has run rampant, accounting for 14 percent of the county’s total dead. The county rates of covidrelated death among Black people (52 per 100,000) and Latinos (34.7 per 100,000), as expected, are disproportionately high.

But the extent of the problem in local coronavirus hot spots could be greater than even known. Alameda County health officials admit that the number of cases in the three mostimpacted East Oakland zip codes are likely higher due to an imbalance of testing rates in these places compared to high infection rates.

“I think that’s a problem and it’s a real problem we’ve been attempting to address with our testing program and where we’ve invested our own resources both financial resources

and efforts to bring other testing programs into play,” says Dr. Nicholas Moss, an infectious disease expert and Alameda County’s interim health officer. “It hasn’t been enough when you look at these maps to change the testing rate, though it’s not due to a lack of effort.”

At least not on the county’s part.

The most ludicrous aspect of the U.S. response to the pandemic, which perhaps rivals only Sweden in its refusal to mandate mitigation efforts in accordance with readily available science, has been the fact that since mid-March, county and state health departments have been leading the charge in issuing health orders and coordinating testing and tracing efforts. The result over the last seven months has

been a haphazard mashup of data dashboards in which counties are left to their own devices to conduct contact tracing while compiling information that can’t be easily cross-referenced.

State officials have coordinated with counties on testing and signing off on reopenings, but California’s role has essentially been to act as a monitor and personal protective equipment facilitator. Meanwhile, Trump continues to claim victory in the face of nearly a quartermillion dead as his campaign hosts superspreader events and the Republican-led Senate prioritizes the appointment of a ultra-conservative Supreme Court judge over passing covid-relief and stimulus package.

The only reason the public

Berkeley, Emeryville and Piedmont, and even other parts of Oakland in which the outbreak has not registered to such a great extent. Why residents of the Oakland Hills have been given more tests per capita than East Oakland is a subject for debate.

Without a national plan for testing in place, higher-income communities have had greater access from the beginning. In some ways, according to local health officials, the issue of testing becomes a chicken-or-the-egg discussion on why people fall ill in a broken American health care system that insulates and remedies those who can afford better insurance.

“That is like a question for the ages, because the testing rates are driven by the consumer,” says Dr. Jocelyn Freeman Garrick, who serves as the deputy medical director of Alameda County Emergency Medical Services and is leading the county’s testing operations.

But as an emergency physician at Highland Hospital, Freeman Garrick has seen firsthand how systemic racism has largely created the structural barriers that stop people from getting adequate education and housing opportunities, and by extension health care treatment, which then bleeds over to “distrust among community members to come forward and be tested.”

In the first weeks of the pandemic and subsequent shelter-in-place orders, East Oakland zip codes were seeing infection rates as high as 30 percent among those tested, Freeman Garrick says, but that number has since dropped down to about 5 percent.

“I think the health department did a good job of prioritizing and allowing me in this role to focus on our vulnerable populations, so that we could try to address covid in an equitable way,” Freeman Garrick says.

County health officials have partnered with East Oakland clinics to do “community-based testing,” as well as with churches, but officials quickly found that they needed to get “community buy-in and partners in the community

HOUSE BLUES Health experts say the prolonged effect of staying indoors during the pandemic has led to an uptick in mental health crises.

to encourage testing,” Freeman Garrick says. “Our disenfranchised communities have distrust. We still have access issues.”

By the middle of October, about 4,400 people a day were being tested in Alameda County. Dr. Freeman Garrick hopes to ramp that up above 6,000 tests a day with an increase in mobile testing. This will require continued collaboration with clinics like Roots Community Health Center and walk-up testing at churches like Christian Tabernacle on Walnut Street.

“We have to be creative with this pandemic and use this to prepare for the future, because, unfortunately, with global warming and the pandemic — this is a sign of the future,” Freeman Garrick says.

“We can’t just rely on the federal government to respond to this disaster.

If we can be creative with publicprivate ventures, with better allocation of resources, we have to do that.”

Regardless of election outcomes, a second wave of the virus is expected to hit this winter, which could lead to less obvious—but just as dire— impacts on public health.

Freeman Garrick says county data shows the number of psychotic episodes and cases of depression have increased as people who live alone or with just one other person remain isolated, and parents and children continue to feel overwhelmed with remote school instruction.

“I’m concerned we’re not talking about that enough,” she says. “We’re talking a lot about testing and numbers and here’s where we are with deaths, but there are people who are living and (we’re not talking about) the impact of covid on them.”

Alameda County offers mental health services to those in crisis at the phone number 800.491.9099. More information can be found at acbhcs.org/crisisinformation.

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has gained even an opaque understanding of the crisis is thanks to medical experts, the media and counties, which, in partnership with public health systems, private hospitals, community health clinics, nonprofits and churches, have been given the Herculean task of coordinating a testing program on the fly. Parsing through the data, however, has been mostly left to doctors and journalists who have tracked the pandemic’s deadly toll, day by day, in a time-consuming process that was made difficult by design—in the sense that not having a federal plan means never having to admit the nation has failed.

It’s an uncomfortable conversation that most public health officials would rather not have.

“Look, there’s no question we would have loved to get more resources, earlier access to more testing supplies and more consistency around guidance, but that said we’re not going to wait around for everything to be perfect,” Moss says. “We’re going to take the resources that we do have and the resources that we do get and try to do the best for our county residents.

You know, I think, it’s not helpful for—it doesn’t help us get any more work done if we, sort of, complain about the shortcomings of the federal government.”

Perhaps, but a second spike is occurring across the nation—cases recently jumped to a new record of about 68,767 each day over a week-long period, according to Johns Hopkins University. As covid fatigue sets in among the public, and as the holiday gatherings and flu season concurrently approach, it’s worth questioning whether the situation in East Oakland and other heavily impacted areas will slide back and deteriorate while the world waits on a vaccine, which by most estimates won’t be widely distributed until a year from now.

The rate of testing per capita in East Oakland—more than eight months after the virus began its spread through Santa Clara County and spread like wildfire across the region—still severely trails places like

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ARTS & CULTURE

Photo Courtesy of InCA Productions

LEAD READ Book artist Peter Koch’s ‘Liber Ingus,’ featured in ‘The Book Makers,’ is made entirely of lead.

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Folio Focus

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East Bay Artists Re-Visit An Ancient Form in ‘The Book Makers’ BY DAEDALUS HOWELL

T

here are many books about filmmakers, but not a lot of films about bookmakers— specifically art bookmakers.

Filmmaker James Kennard’s feature documentary, The Book Makers, remedies this with aplomb.

Produced by Bay Area-based InCA Productions, the hour-long love letter to the printed book airs on PBS in the coming weeks. It also marks the feature documentary directorial debut of 31-year-old

filmmaker James Kennard, whose film, in part, asks the question, “What should books become in the digital age?”

“They say, anytime a technology goes out of date, it just becomes art,” says Kennard, who studied history at Oxford University before joining the family business (InCA Productions was founded in the ’80s by his father, lauded documentary filmmaker David Kennard).

The filmmaker interviewed a raft of artists, authors, collectors and historians who are preserving both the artistry and craft of bookmaking.

They include Bay Area luminaries Dave Eggers and Daniel Handler, a.k.a. Lemony Snicket. Also included are Berkeley-based artists fine-press printer Peter Koch—who made the 30-pound lead book pictured above—and artist Julie Chen, who re-invents the physical form of the book to enhance the reader’s tactile experience.

Another Bay Area personality who features prominently in The Book Makers is Oakland’s Mark Sarigianis, who sets out to print a limited run of Charles Bukowski’s cult novel Ham on Rye using the traditional metal type process that leaves absolutely no room for error.

The arc of his story is as beguiling as it is nerve-racking, and it begs

the question as to whether or not book-making in the Digital Age is a quixotic undertaking. Spoiler alert: It isn’t.

The film proves that digital isn’t the death knell for books so much as a herald of their emancipation as mere content-delivery systems.

Books aren’t just coexisting in harmony with a digital world, they’re actively redefining and reimagining what books can be.

This is proved by the sheer variety of books showcased at the CODEX Book Fair in San Francisco—a moment in the film that neatly binds its various stories together. Kennard acknowledges the narrative device with a laugh and admits, “Oldest trick in the book.”

“The Book Makers” airs on KQED WORLD at 8pm, Nov. 13 on KQED channel 9. thebookmakersfilm.com.

BEST OF THE EAST BAY 2021 EAST BAY EXPRESS

W

READERS POLL

VOTE ONLINE

eastbayexpress.com (mailed ballots will not be counted)

hat makes the East Bay the best place on Earth? Readers like you whose tastes and interests shape our one-of-kind local culture and commerce. You’re part of what makes this place special and we’re grateful for the insights you annually share in the East Bay Express’

A FEW ONLINE VOTING RULES:

annual Best Of contest, the longest running such contest in the area. Given the

• Complete at least 20 votes of the ballot for inclusion in the poll

challenges we’ve faced in 2020, this year’s Best Of is even more important to our

• Include your name and a daytime phone number

community. From the best burger joints, barber shops, dentists, brew pubs and everything in between, they all need your support and recognition right now.

Help us help them by sharing your favorites. Then leave it to the creative team at the East Bay Express to bundle it up into an experience that we hope will entertain, illuminate and remind us why we’re all here.

Some ground rules: While we continue to celebrate all things indie and local

• Ballots are confidential, but you may be called to confirm your vote • Only 20 ballots per IP address • East Bay Express staff members, contributors, advertisers and their families may vote • Deadline for online ballots is December 20, 2020

(no chains permitted), we’re allowing votes for businesses that began in the East Bay but have since expanded into other areas. The same goes for those that have been scooped up by larger companies—so long as you think they’re still cool.

Share what you love in the East Bay by Dec. 20, 2020, and celebrate the best

First Place Winners will be chosen Keep your votes to locally born businesses!

with the East Bay Express! —Editor

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FOOD & DRINK Best Bakery Best Bar Best Bartender

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Best Virtual Music Festival

Best BBQ Best Beer Label Best Local Whiskey Best Breakfast Best Brew Pub Best Brunch Best Burger Best Business Lunch Best Butcher Shop Best Cafe⁄Coffeehouse Best Caterer

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< FOOD & DRINK Best Cheese Shop Best Chef Best Chinese Best Chocolatier Best Cider Best Cocktails Best Covid Carry-Out Restaurant Best Covid Cocktails To-Go Best Covid Downtown Dining Best Craft Beer Selection Best Curbside Service Best Virtual Craft Beer Event Best Craft Canned Beer

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Best CSA (community supported agriculture)

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Best Children’s Educational Center

Best Microbrew

Best Children’s Indoor Sports Center

Best Middle Eastern

Best Children’s Museum

Best New Restaurant

Best Dog Obedience School

Best Outdoor Dining

Best Dog Park

Best Pet-Friendly Winery

Best Doggie Day Care

Best Pizza

Best Kennel

Best Ramen

Best Pet Boutique

Best Restaurant

Best Pet⁄Feed Store

Best Restaurant with a View

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Best Salads

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Best Toy Store

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Best Real Estate Agent⁄Firm

Best Sommelier Best Southern Food

Best Dining After 10pm

Best Spot to Dine Solo

Best Distillery

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Best Filipino

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Best Fried Chicken

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Best Wine Club

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Best Gin

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Best Local Winery

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Best Korean Best Latin American Best Local Coffee Roaster Best Locally Made Food Product Best Mediterranean Best Mexican⁄Taqueria

HOME IMPROVEMENT Best AC⁄Heating Service Best Appliance Store⁄Repair

Best Self-Storage Best Solar Supplier Best Tree Service Best Window Cleaners

Best Architect Best Carpet Cleaning Best Carpeting⁄Flooring

ROMANCE

Best Cleaning Service

Best Boutique Hotel

Best Consignment Furniture

Best Boudoir⁄Modern Lingerie Shop

Best Contractor (Commercial)

Best Couples Counseling

Best Contractor (Residential)

Best Erotica Store

Best Deck Builders

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Best Luxe Lingerie Shop

Best Electrician

Best Place for Singles to Meet

Best Emergency Preparedness Service

Best Romantic Dinner

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Best Sex Therapist

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Best Staycation

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FAMILY

Best Home Developer

Best Wedding Officiant

Best Home Improvement Store

Best Wedding Photographer

Best Animal Adoption Center

Best Interior Designer

Best Wedding Reception Venue

Best Animal Hospital

Best Kitchen⁄Bath Remodeler

Best Animal Rescue Group

Best Landscape Design Company

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Best Landscaper

BEAUTY, HEALTH & WELLNESS

Best Children’s Clothing Store

Best Mortgage Broker

Best Acupuncturist

Best Children’s Consignment Store

Best Moving & Storage

Best Alchohol⁄Drug

Best Indian

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Best Roofer

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Best Diner

Best Italian

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Best Micro Distillery

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< BEAUTY HEALTH & WELLNESS Rehabilitation Best Allergist Best Assisted Living Facility Best Barber Best Chiropractor Best Day Spa Best Dentist Best Dermatologist Best Endodontist Best ER Doctor Best Esthetic Dentist Best Eye Lash Extensions and⁄ or Brow Enhancements Best Family Practitioner Best Full-Service Beauty Salon Best General Practice Physician Best Hair Salon Best Health Care Clinic Best Heart Surgeon Best Holistic Herbal Shop Best Holistic Practitioner Best Home Health Care Provider Best Internal Medicine Physician Best Laser Surgery Center Best Lasik Eye Surgery Best Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) Best Local Hospital

Best Attorney—Labor & Employment

Best Physical Therapist

Best Attorney—Real Estate

Best Plastic Surgeon

Best Attorney—Trusts and Estates

Best Psychiatrist

Best Auto Dealer

Best Psychologist

Best Auto Detailing

Best Rehabilitation Center

Best Auto Glass Repair

Best Skin Care Spa

Best Auto Repair

Best Spa⁄Hot Tub Store

Best Local Bank—Business

Best Sports Medicine Specialist

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Best Tele-Health

Best BART Stop

Best Law Firm

Best Urgent Care Center

Best Body-Art⁄Piercing Place

Best Locally Made Retail Product

Best Waxing Studio

Best Bookstore—Newk

Best Mortuary

Best Wellness Retreat

Best Bookstore—Used

Best Motorcycle⁄Scooter Shop

Best Car Audio

Best Musical Instruments Store

Best Career⁄Life Coach

Best Natural Foods Store

Best Casino

Best New Retail Business

Best Chamber of Commerce

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Best Church

Best Optical Store

Best Clothing Alterations

Best Outdoor Haircut

Best Clothing Store—Men’s

Best Print Shop

Best Clothing Store—Women’s

Best Psychic

Best Costume⁄Festival Apparel Shop

Best Public Relations Firm

Best Co-Working Office Space

Best Record⁄CD Store

Best Covid Curbside Service

Best Recycling Center

Best Covid Mask Maker

Best Repair (Computer)

Best Credit Union

Best Repair (Phone)

Best Culinary Store

Best Resale Store

Best Retail Curbside Service

Best Resort & Spa

Best Digital Creative Services

Best RV Dealer

Best E-Commerce

Best Senior Living Facility

Best Ethnic Market

Best Shoe Repair

Best Event Production Services Company

Best Shoe Store

CANNABIS Best Attorney—Cannabis Best Cannabis Body Care Best Virtual Cannabis Event Best Cannabis Delivery Best Cannabis Label Best CBD Product Best Curbside Service Best Edibles Best Hydroponic Supply Store Best Dispensary Best Hemp Farm Best Pipe Shop Best Therapeutic Product

Best Marriage Family Therapist (MFT)

Best Midwife Best Nail Services Best Nutritionist Best OB⁄Gyn Best Oncologist Best Ophthalmologist Best Oral Surgeon Best Optometrist Best Orthodontist Best Orthopedic Surgeon Best Pediatrician Best Pharmacy

EVERYDAY Best Accountant Best Ad Agency Best Antique Shop Best Art Supply Store Best Attorney—Bankruptcy Best Attorney—Business Best Attorney—Civil Best Attorney—Criminal Best Attorney—Divorce Best Attorney—Family Law Best Attorney—Intellectual Property

Best Fabric Store Best Financial Advisor Best Framing Shop Best Gift Shop Best Green Business

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Best Spiritual Leader Best Tire Shop Best Transportation Best Vape Shop Best Vintage Clothing Store

Best Grocery Store Best Home Audio Best Insurance Agent Best Jewelry Repair Best Jewelry Store

THE END...

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13

MUSIC

Photo by Pete Rosos

SOOTHSAYER Valerie Troutt channels the voices of the ancestors in her new album, ‘The Oakland Girl.’

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Valerie Trout explores her roots in ‘Oakland Girl’ BY J. POET

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V

alerie Troutt’s just released album, The Oakland Girl, is a luminous work with an international scope. Every track on the record resonates with the sounds of music from Africa, Cuba and North and South America. The arrangements have elements of the blues, soul, R&B, rock, rap, jazz, Gospel, electronic music, pop and much more. She brings these diverse elements together with an effortless virtuosity.

“Oilystaircase,” the opening song, pulls you right into her distinctive worldview. A jazzy zooming bass line, Latin percussion and sharp fills from a traditional drum kit introduce her sprightly vocal improvisations.

The melody and phrasing suggest a traditional African ceremony, driven

along by multi-tracked harmonies with a Gospel feel.

“I am of African descent,” Troutt said from her parent’s home in San Pablo. “When I sing, I’m often channeling sounds that are remnants of a language coming from deep inside of me. I hope it reminds people there is a whole world out there, lands we can all connect to through sound. It’s what comes out of me naturally, when I improvise. The spirit voices of our ancestors sing through me.”

The title track is an excursion into the smoky nightlife of the East Bay. It features Gospel harmonies and a piano interlude composed by Robert Glasper, another artist who loves to scramble genres. “I was in New York, going to The New School for a degree

in Jazz Vocal Performance. I was at the piano, in a rehearsal room, working on ‘Oakland Girl.’ He stopped in and asked what I was playing. I showed him a few passages. He told me to scoot over and we played it together.

He liked the way it moved from 4/4 to 6/8 and offered a few suggestions I incorporated into the piece.”

Troutt was in New York continuing the musical journey she started in Oakland. “My father sang in The Chain Reaction,” she recalled. “They had a hit called ‘Lady in Red.’ My mother is a visual artist and pastor. I grew up singing in church and joined the ministry at the Love Center Church, under the leadership of the late Bishop Walter L. Hawkins. (His brother Edwin had a hit with an arrangement of ‘Oh Happy Day.’) It was a community of singers, writers, philosophers, dancers and artists. It was humbling, being surrounded by such powerful people.

“I started playing piano early, but I was shy. My father bought me a Casio keyboard and I’d sit in the closet to play.

He got me a tape recorder and I began layering up my vocals. By the time I was at Berkeley High, I was teaching

myself to produce, putting my voice on top of keyboard tracks. When I played them for my folks they went: ‘Woah!’”

The next stop was The Oakland Youth Choir. She played the group her home recordings and they added them to their repertoire. “I realized I was a songwriter. I moved to DC to attend Howard University, then on to New York.”

In New York, she recorded a version of The Oakland Girl album that was never released. She returned to the Bay Area, joined Linda Tillery’s Cultural Heritage Choir, landed an artistic residency at San Francisco’s Red Poppy Art House and put out her first album, The Sound of Peace.

When Steven Lugerner at Slow and Steady Records heard it, he asked her if she had another record the label could release.

“I decided to give him The Oakland Girl,” Troutt said. She already had the record ready to go. “I’ve been playing those songs at gigs and people have been loving them. A while back, I called everyone that played on the first version, 20 years ago. Some were in LA, some in New York. They all agreed to do it again. We had a rehearsal, a live date at Yoshi’s, then went into the studio. We recorded it in one eight hour session, live, with very little overdubbing. We just had fun. I don't think music has to be perfect. I like working in the moment.”

The Oakland Girl was going to be released on CD, but the pandemic put everything on hold for the time being. Meanwhile, Troutt is busy writing songs, teaching and staying politically active.

“I never sleep,” she says laughing.

“I’m a spiritual person, learning how to stay in my body and feed my soul, but as a freelance musician, I’m driven to create, create, create. I love mixing genres, pulling from different stages of my life for inspiration. I’m eager to find new spaces to visit, places I can be artistically free and not have to worry about the rent and all that. I haven’t reached my best self yet, but I can see she’s coming.”

The Oakland Girl is available digitally at valerietroutt.bandcamp.com/ releases. For more information visit valerietrouttprojects.com/home.

WHAT THE FORK

Shutterstock

SANDO CLAUSE Yoshika Hedberg and chef Asuka Uchida changed up Fish & Bird Sousaku Izakaya’s menu early in the pandemic by adding sandwiches, which include ebi katsu.

Pro Boxers

Fish & Bird Sousaku Izakaya BY JEFFREY EDALATPOUR menu. Gauging the changed landscape, Hedberg figured out that people wanted comfort food. “Asian people favor rice boxes, whereas Americans, or people who grew up in Western countries, tend to get burgers and sandwiches,” she says.

The new menu, for a new age, brings those rice and bread cultures together. In the place of delicately plated oysters or filet mignon, Fish & Bird now serves rice boxes with various proteins and sandos (i.e.

Japanese sandwiches and burgers).

Before making these changes, an entire day of takeaway might have only tallied up to $250. That wasn’t going to sustain the restaurant. The takeaway business at Fish & Bird has

Fish & Bird Sousaku Izakaya, open 4:30– 9pm Monday, Thursday and Friday, noon to 9pm Saturday and Sunday. 2451 Shattuck Ave., Berkeley. 510.705.1539. fishbirdizakaya.com.

E A S T B AY E X P R E S S . C O M | O C T O B E R 2 8 - N O V E M B E R 3 , 2 0 2 0

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oshika Hedberg says it’s really difficult to put Izakaya into takeaway boxes. “When we initially opened, we weren’t planning on doing bento,” she explains.

But at the start of 2020, Fish & Bird Sousaku Izakaya’s soft opening lasted just six weeks before the restaurant temporarily closed. The current menu is a pronounced departure from the initial vision Hedberg, who co-owns the restaurant with chef Asuka Uchida, had when opening in downtown Berkeley.

Early in the pandemic, Hedberg was savvy enough to drive around different East Bay neighborhoods.

She remembers seeing lines at pizza and burger places and decided they would have to modify the Izakaya’s

improved since then, but outdoor dining—depending on the air quality—has been a boost.

“We also have home meal kits for nabe, or hot pot dishes,” Hedberg says. Uchida, with her sous chef Shin Okamoto, precut the meat and vegetables for customers to assemble and cook the ingredients at home.

Hedberg admits the menu is different from what they planned on, but she and the chefs had a pre-pandemic discussion about the possibility of making sandos and rice or noodle dishes at some point in the restaurant’s future. This pandemic interlude gave them a chance to try out new dishes while also maintaining an extensive bar program featuring sake, shochu and craft cocktails, which are all available to go. Additionally, they partnered with Minoru Miyazaki, a local Japanese pastry chef.

Pâtissier Minoru was a customer of chef Uchida’s when Uchida worked at B-Dama in Oakland. He and his wife subsequently became friends with the Fish & Bird team. They helped them

open the restaurant in January. “When we were doing indoor dining, we were making a lot of ice cream,” Hedberg says. But ice cream doesn’t travel well in a to-go container. Minoru suggested he could bake a cake for them. It sold so well they’ve continued to order from him every week.

Although indoor dining has officially resumed in Alameda County, Fish & Bird is putting that option on hold for now. “This is a chef-driven restaurant and if my chefs get sick, this business isn’t relevant,” Hedberg says. They’re in the middle of an ongoing process, weighing what’s most important: their personal health or the future of the business. Just as she did at the start of the pandemic, Hedberg has decided to watch what happens at other restaurants—in case indoor dining causes a Covid-19 surge in the Bay Area.

Hedberg notes that when the restaurant opened, most of their customers were older. That entire demographic has disappeared since March and won’t likely return anytime soon. She believes older customers are being careful to protect themselves by staying in. “It’s great to get younger customers, too, but we do miss them,” Hedberg says. And at 25 percent capacity—the county limit on indoor dining—Fish & Bird can only seat 20 people. The risk doesn’t feel worth the reward at this point.

“We have sanitizer everywhere, on all the tables, and paper towel dispensers,” Hedberg says. “We wear masks and have face shields.” But that doesn’t mean the customer-facing wait staff is immune from transmission.

There are unspoken but not explicit or agreed upon rules of etiquette for dining out during Covid-19. The obvious example is when to take off and put back on your mask. Is between bites too extreme? Or every time a server returns to the table? For now, takeaway still seems like the less stressful choice when we’re all craving comfort food and Minoru’s Basque cheesecakes.

15

CHRONIC TOWN

Shutterstock

SWEET SURPRISE Studies have found that no one is giving away expensive cannabis edibles to kids on Halloween.

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Treat Tricks

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Beware annual warnings of pot-infused Halloween candies BY DAN MITCHELL

E

ven by local TV news standards, an October 2017 report from WNCN-TV of Charlotte, N.C., stood out as ludicrous. “It’s a treat packing a powerful trick,” warned reporter Brandon Goldner, employing the portentous tone perfected by the fake reporters on The Daily Show.

He was referring to cannabis-infused candies, which, he declared with no supporting evidence, were presenting “a nightmare for state drug enforcement agents” who worried that evildoers were going to sneak the evil treats into kids’ bags on Halloween.

“The colorful packaging, the flavors,

they mask the potent ingredient that’s found within,” Goldner said.

That potent ingredient was CBD, a component of the cannabis plant that doesn’t produce a high, but does have potential health benefits. Goldner did at least make the distinction between CBD and THC, the part of the plant that does produce a high. But he warned that CBD “is known to give users a relaxing feeling.”

Oh, no. Not relaxing.

People involved in cannabis have been laughing at this kind of stuff since the ’30s, when scare movies like Reefer Madness came out. That’s why it takes a

lot for a news report like the one from WNCN-TV to get widespread attention among them, but this one made the cut and it got lots of laughs.

Despite Goldner reporting that the candies in question didn’t contain CBD, the online headline for the story was: “Authorities tracking candies that could get kids high.”

The report presented no evidence of authorities tracking anything and it didn’t present any evidence of anyone ever giving out CBD candies to kids on Halloween, much less ones containing THC. It also didn’t answer why anyone would do that, because it makes no sense.

But that hasn’t stopped local TV news droids from using legal weed as the basis for such stories pretty much every year around Halloween. They even do it during the offseason, such as when ABC30 Action News in Fresno reported on a “drug bust” in June of last year. A few sleazoids were caught selling unlicensed edibles and vapes in their clothing shop. The station

referred to the products as “narcotics” and “processed marijuana,” and the clothes shop as a “front” for this operation, in which the cops seized a couple of pounds of weed.

But Halloween is prime time for scary stories like this, and it’s not just the media’s fault. The WNCN report had all the earmarks of a rewritten press release from law enforcement, which issues such warnings as a way to appear to be “tough on crime,” even in states where cannabis is legal for medicinal or recreational use.

That’s most of the country now.

It’s usually simple for law enforcement to find an easily manipulated media outlet to play along, often local TV news.

“Watch out for cannabis candies this Halloween,” cautioned an NBC affiliate in Medford, Oregon.

But it’s not just in small markets.

“Officials Warn About Marijuana Candy Ahead Of Halloween,” warned the CBS-owned local station in New York City. Moral panic is a reliable ratings-booster.

This year seems to be light on the scare stories, probably thanks to the pandemic, which is severely curtailing trick-or-treating. But it also seems like the tide might be turning. In recent years, many news outlets have actually done their job and examined the issue, finding that not only is the feat of tainted candy overblown, it’s entirely baseless. WBNS in Columbus, Ohio asked: “Are children getting marijuana gummies for Halloween?” The station’s answer: “Absolutely not.”

Stories of tainted Halloween treats have floated around for decades. Every kid has heard the urban myth about apples containing razor blades. A 1993 study determined that the number of kids reportedly being hurt or poisoned stood at exactly zero. Since then, nobody’s reported any such incidents, at least none that can be found in a thorough search of the news.

Someone sneaking a cannabis edible into a kid’s Halloween bag seems like the least likely possibility, if for no other reason than this: One of the CBD products shown on the screen in the WNCN story costs $30 per package. That’s a pricey way to secretly relax an unwitting child. l

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’ve been with my partner for a year and a half and have been long distance from the start and she’s working towards moving closer to me in a more permanent way. But I’m worried about the sex as I feel a lack of desire for her. I believe it could be my newfound awareness of “patriarchal gaze.” I used to enjoy kink, but I no longer consider it sexy.

Loving care has replaced dirty games and I feel wrong now if I try to watch porn and I no longer enjoy touching myself because I cannot get off without thinking in sexist ways. I’m feeling pretty confused. Although I love my partner in a very special and deep way, it’s confusing.

—STILL HORNY DEEP DOWN SOMEWHERE

mail@savagelove.com. Follow Dan on Twitter @FakeDanSavage. On the Lovecast, Emily Bazelon from Slate's Political Gabfest. www.savagelovecast.com

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There’s nothing wrong with objectifying someone who wants to be objectified by you and there’s nothing wrong with being objectified by someone you want to be objectified by. (That’s what you mean by the “patriarchal gaze,” right?) In addition to being three-dimensional human beings with wants, needs, agency and autonomy, we are also physical objects, SHDDS, and sometimes we want to be appreciated for the objects we are. (Or the objects we also are.) So long as the person you’re objectifying—the person on the receiving end of your gaze—enjoys receiving that kind of attention from you and vice-versa, there’s nothing wrong with it. To gaze at someone who desires your gaze, to touch them and play dirty games with them, isn’t inherently sexist or dehumanizing— so long as it’s consensual and mutually pleasurable, which I realize it all too often isn’t, particularly for women. But we shouldn’t let assholes (mostly men) who can make people (mostly women) feel unsafe or uncomfortable with a look ruin what isn’t just enjoyable when consensual, but affirming and at times transcendently pleasurable.

To be perfectly frank, SHDDS, I’m concerned about your relationship. If you feel so awful about your sexual desires and sexual history that you’re incapable of enjoying sex anymore, and those awful feelings entered your life at roughly the same time your partner did … maybe your partner is part of the problem. If you were moving away from power games and toward something else, I wouldn’t see a problem. But you aren’t opening up to something new in this relationship, you’re shutting down. Even if your partner hasn’t said or done anything to make you feel ashamed of your sexual desires or history, I’m not sure she’s right for you.

17

ROB BREZSNY FREE WILL ASTROLOGY Week of October 28

ARIES (March 21-April 19):

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22):

Reed Galen is an American political consultant who has worked long and hard for conservative causes. But in next week’s election, he opposes conservative Donald Trump, whom he regards as an authoritarian tyrant. He writes, “Democracy is on the ballot. It’s a binary choice between good/bad, honorable/dishonorable, healthy/sick, forward/ backward. There has been nothing like this in our lifetimes.” If you’ve read my words for awhile, you know I’m a connoisseur of ambiguity and uncertainty. I try to see all sides of every story. But now I’m departing from my tradition: I agree with Reed Galen’s assessment. The American electorate really does face a binary choice between good and bad. I also suspect, Aries, that you may be dealing with a binary choice in your personal life. Don’t underestimate how important it is that you side with the forces of good.

“Feeling too much is a hell of a lot better than feeling nothing,” declares Libran author Nora Roberts. I trust you will see the wisdom of that perspective in the coming weeks. On the downside, there might be some prickly, disorienting feelings arriving along with the rich flood of splendor. But I’m convinced that most of the surge will be interesting, invigorating, and restorative—although it may take awhile for the full effects to ripen. And even the prickly, disorienting stuff may ultimately turn out to be unexpectedly nurturing for your soul.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Taurus politician Dan Coats has belonged to the conservative Republican Party all his adult life. He served in the U.S. Congress for 24 years, and later as President Donald Trump’s Director of National Intelligence. Since leaving that office, Coats has criticized his ex-boss. He has said, “Trump doesn’t know the difference between the truth and a lie.” In accordance with astrological omens, I urge you to be fiercely non-Trump-like in the coming weeks. It’s crucial to the welfare of you and yours that you tell the whole truth.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Many stories that were popular long ago are still studied today. One example is the ancient Greek myth of Orpheus and Eurydice, originally told during the first century BC. Another is Homer’s epic tale the Odyssey, which harkens back to the sixth century BC. I have no problem with learning from old tales like these. It’s important to know how people of previous eras experienced life. But for you in the coming months, I think it will be crucial to find and tell new stories—tales that illuminate the unique circumstances that you are living through right now.

CANCER (June 21-July 22):

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I’m surprised when I hear that fans of Donald Trump enjoy my horoscopes. My political views, which are deeply aligned with my spiritual philosophy, have always been very progressive. And I’ve never hidden that fact. How can someone who appreciates my ideas also like Trump, a vile bully who has unleashed enormous cruelty and chaos?

If you yourself are a Trump fan, I understand that after reading the preceding words, you may never read my words again. But I need to follow my own astrological advice for us Cancerians, which is: Be bold and clear in expressing your devotion to the ideals you hold precious. For me that means supporting Joe Biden, an imperfect candidate who will nevertheless be a far more compassionate and intelligent and fair-minded leader than Trump.

18

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Dionysus was the ancient Greek god of drunkenness and ecstasy and madness. His followers were inclined to immerse themselves in those states. Yet as historian Robert Parker points out, Dionysus himself “was seldom drunk, seldom mad.” His relationship with his consort Ariadne was “dignified and restrained,” and “smiling tranquility” was his common mood. I recommend that in the coming weeks you act more like Dionysus than his followers—no matter how unruly the world around you may become. The rest of us need you to be a bastion of calmness and strength.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Virgo military expert Jim Mattis enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps when he was 19 years old. Forty-three years later, having been a Marine all his adult life and a general for six years, he retired. Later, he served under President Donald Trump as the U.S. Secretary of Defense. After leaving that position, Mattis testified that Trump was “dangerous” and “unfit,” adding that Trump “has no moral compass.” Be inspired by Mattis, Virgo. Do your part to resist the harmful and unethical actions of powerful people who affect you.

Be extra strong and clear in standing up for integrity.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Scorpio politician Joe Biden wasn’t my first choice for President of the United States. During the selection process, I championed his opponents Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders. But now I support Biden wholeheartedly. He has several policies I don’t agree with, but on the other hand I know it’s critical that we Americans ensure he replaces the appalling, corrupt, incompetent Trump. In the coming days, I advise you Scorpios to also consider the value of wise and pragmatic compromise in your own sphere. Don’t allow a longing for impossible perfection to derail your commitment to doing what’s right.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): The United States has suffered terribly from COVID-19.

Of all the world’s countries, it has had more cases and more deaths. Why? One major reason is President Donald Trump. He has consistently downplayed the seriousness of the disease, has advocated many unscientific cures and has been lax and erratic in supporting the therapeutic measures that virtually all epidemiological experts have recommended. It’s no exaggeration to assert that Americans will reduce their coronavirus misery by electing Joe Biden as president. In this spirit, and in accordance with astrological omens, I invite you to meditate on how you could reduce any and all of your own personal suffering. The time is right. Be ingenious!

Be proactive!

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): “By my love and hope I beseech you,” pleaded philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche. “Do not cast away the hero in your soul! Hold holy your highest hope!” That’s always good advice, but it’s extra crucial for you now. You will generate good fortune for yourself by being in close connection with the part of you that is bravest and wisest. The people whose lives you touch will have a special need for you to express the vitalizing power of intelligent hopefulness.

More than maybe ever before, you will be inspired to cultivate your heroic qualities.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): I’ve been writing my horoscope column for a long time, and it has evolved dramatically. One aspect that hasn't changed is that every four years, I’ve endorsed a candidate for the president of my home country, the United States. Another unchanging aspect is that I regularly reveal my progressive views about political matters. Some people who have only recently discovered my writing express dismay about this. “I don’t want politics with my horoscopes!” they complain. But the fact is, politics have permeated my horoscopes since the beginning. Now I urge you to do what I just did, Aquarius, but in your own sphere: If there are people who are not clear about who you really are, educate them.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): “The worse the state of the world grows, the more intensely I try for inner perfection and power,” wrote Piscean author Anais Nin during World War II. “I fight for a small world of humanity and tenderness.” I encourage you to adopt that perspective for the rest of 2020. It’s an excellent time to respond boldly to the outer chaos by building up your inner beauty. I also suggest this addition to Nin’s formula: Call on your resourceful compassion to bolster the resilience of your closest allies.

Homework: To read more of my views on the U.S. election, go here: bit.ly/voteforlifeandlove

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT - File No: 573360

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NOTICE OF PETITION TO ADMINISTER ESTATE OF BRIAN THOMAS MOORE CASE NO. RP20074425 CASE NO. RP20074425 To all heirs, beneficiaries, creditors, contingent creditors, and persons who may otherwise be interested in the will or estate, or both, of: BRIAN THOMAS MOORE.

A PETITION FOR PROBATE has been filed by BRETT E. MOORE in the Superior Court of California, County of ALAMEDA. THE PETITION FOR PROBATE requests that BRETT E. MOORE be appointed as personal representative to administer the estate of the decedent.

THE PETITION requests authority to administer the estate under the Independent Administration of Estates Act. (This authority will allow the personal representative to take many actions without obtaining court approval. Before taking certain very important actions, however, the personal representative will be required to give notice to interested persons unless they have waived notice or consented to the proposed action.) The independent administration authority will be granted unless an interested person files an objection to the petition and shows good cause why the court should not grant the authority.

A HEARING on the petition will be held on November 3, 2020 at 2:00 P.M in Dept. 201, 2120 MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR. WAY, BERKELEY, CA 94704, BERKELY COURTHOUSE. THE COURT REQUIRES ALL PARTIES WHO WISH TO ATTEND THE HEARING ON THE ABOVE DATE AND TIME, INCLUDING THOSE WHO WISH TO STATE OBJECTIONS, TO APPEAR BY AUDIO OR VIDEO TECHNOLOGY. THE PARTIES SHOULD CONSULT THE COURT’S WEBSITE FOR THE SPECIFIC TELEPHONIC AND VIDEO APPLICATIONS AVAILABLE. THE PARTIES MAY ALSO CONTACT THE PROBATE CLERK IN THE RESPECTIVE DEPARTMENT FOR INFORMATION CONCERNING REMOTE APPEARANCES. PARTIES SHOULD BE PRESENT AT LEAST FIVE (5) MINUTES BEFORE THE SCHEDULED HEARING TIME.

Attention: VIAGRA and CIALIS USERS!

IF YOU OBJECT to the granting of the petition, you should appear at the hearing and state your objections or file written objections with the court before the hearing. Your appearance may be in person or by your attorney.

HEARING AIDS!!

IF YOU ARE A CREDITOR or contingent creditor of the decedent, you must file your claim with the court and mail a copy to the personal representative appointed by the court within the later of either (1) four months from the date of first issuance of letters to a general personal representative, as defined in section 58(b) of the California Probate Code, or (2) 60 days from the date of mailing or personal delivery to you of a notice under section 9052 of the California Probate Code. Other California statutes and legal authority may affect your rights as a creditor. You may want to consult with an attorney knowledgeable in California law.

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LEGAL NOTICES FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT - File No: 573071

The following individual(s) are doing business: IT’S A BREEZE MOVING & ESTATE LIQUIDATION: 3830 HUNTINGTON STREET, OAKLAND, CA 94619, PO BOX 20195 PIEDMONT, CA 94620 is hereby registered by the following owner(s): BREEZE CARLILE, 3830 HUNTINGTON STREET, OAKLAND, CA 94619. This business is being conducted by AN INDIVIDUAL. Registrant will begin transacting business under the fictitious business name(s) listed herein. This statement was filed with the County Clerk-Recorder of ALAMEDA COUNTY on SEPTEMBER 17, 2020.

(Publication Dates: October 14, 21, 28, November 4 of 2020).

THE PETITION FOR PROBATE requests that CHARLES WILSON be appointed as personal representative to administer the estate of the decedent.

THE PETITION requests authority to administer the estate under the Independent Administration of Estates Act. (This authority will allow the personal representative to take many actions without obtaining court approval. Before taking certain very important actions, however, the personal representative will be required to give notice to interested persons unless they have waived notice or consented to the proposed action.)

The independent administration authority will be granted unless an interested person files an objection to the petition and shows good cause why the court should not grant the authority.

A HEARING on the petition will be held on November 18, 2020 at 2:00 P.M in Dept. 201, 2120 MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR. WAY, BERKELEY, CA 94704, BERKELY COURTHOUSE. IF YOU OBJECT to the granting of the petition, you should appear at the hearing and state your objections or file written objections with the court before the hearing. Your appearance may be in person or by your attorney.

IF YOU ARE A CREDITOR or contingent creditor of the decedent, you must file your claim with the court and mail a copy to the personal representative appointed by the court within the later of either (1) four months from the date of first issuance of letters to a general personal representative, as defined in section 58(b) of the California Probate Code, or (2) 60 days from the date of mailing or personal delivery to you of a notice under section 9052 of the California Probate Code. Other California statutes and legal authority may affect your rights as a creditor. You may want to consult with an attorney knowledgeable in California law.

YOU MAY EXAMINE the file kept by the court. If you are a person interested in the estate, you may file with the court a Request for Special Notice (form DE-154) of the filing of an inventory and appraisal of estate assets or of any petition or account as provided in Probate Code section 1250. A Request for Special Notice form is available from the court clerk.

Attorney for petitioner: SAMUEL L. POOLER, ESQ. 212 9TH STREET, SUITE 315 OAKLAND, CA 94607 Telephone: 510-879-4560 (Publication Dates October 28, 4, 11 2020)

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YOU MAY EXAMINE the file kept by the court. If you are a person interested in the estate, you may file with the court a Request for Special Notice (form DE-154) of the filing of an inventory and appraisal of estate assets or of any petition or account as provided in Probate Code section 1250. A Request for Special Notice form is available from the court clerk.

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Attorney for petitioner: MICHAEL L. MAGASINN, ESQ. 2945 TOWNSGATE ROAD, SUITE 200 WESTLAKE VILLAGE, CA 91361

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NOTICE OF PETITION TO ADMINISTER ESTATE OF BRIAN JEAN TURNER CASE NO. RP20076081 To all heirs, beneficiaries, creditors, contingent creditors, and persons who may otherwise be interested in the will or estate, or both, of: BRIAN JEAN TURNER.

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The following individual(s) are doing business: MAIN’S WORLD OF XPRESSIONS, INDELIBLE DANCE EXPRESSIONS, 7 MOSS AVE. UNIT 7A, OAKLAND, CA 94610 is hereby registered by the following owner(s): ALISA C. HUNTER, 7 MOSS AVE. UNIT 7A, OAKLAND, CA 94610 . This business is being conducted by AN INDIVIDUAL. Registrant will begin transacting business under the fictitious business name(s) listed herein. This statement was filed with the County Clerk-Recorder of ALAMEDA COUNTY on SEPTEMBER 30, 2020. (Publication Dates: October 21, 28, November 4, 11 of 2020).

A PETITION FOR PROBATE has been filed by CHARLES WILSON in the Superior Court of California, County of ALAMEDA.

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