District 5 NewsletterSupervisor Keith CarsonSpring 2008

1221 Oak St.,Ste. 536Oakland, CA 94612

Tel. 510-272-6695Fax 510-271-5151 dist5@acgov.org

The District 5 e-newsletter is designed to keep the residents ofAlameda County’s Fifth District informed about importantissues in our communities. The Fifth District includes thecities of Albany, Berkeley, Emeryville, Piedmont, and portionsof Oakland, namely West Oakland, North Oakland,Rockridge, the Fruitvale District, and the Dimond District.

Contact me with your feedback by e-mailing dist5@acgov.orgor by calling (510) 272-6695.

Earth Day reminds me that being environmen-tally friendly or green hasn’t always been in

the forefront of people’s minds. The first EarthDay was in 1970 and started as a nationwidegrassroots demonstration on behalf of the envi-ronment and had the participation of millions ofpeople and thousands of schools and communi-ties. As a result of Earth Day the United StatesEnvironmental Protection Agency was created to

work for a cleaner, healthier environ-ment for the American People. NowEarth Day is an international event and

provides a good time for people worldwide tothink about their own impact on the earth andtake part in personal and community projects.

Right now everywhere we look there is informa-tion about climate change protecting our envi-ronment and being green, and business has seen

Is your Child Ready forKindergarten?

The first day of learning is not when chil-dren enter a kindergarten class in the

beginning of the school year but it happenson a daily basis. For example, eating a meal,driving in a car or even going to the park.Research has shown that ninety percent of achild’s brain develops before the age of 5.

Going Green on a Budget

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PPaarroollee RReeaalliiggnnmmeenntt This Is Not the Way to Do It

Budget deliberations are in full swing inSacramento, and there is no shortage of

“realignment” proposals designed to assist theState in closing their gapping $14.5 billion budg-et deficit. The Parole Realignment proposed bythe Legislative Analysts Office (LAO) is somewhatperplexing. The LAO is known for her politicallyindependent and fiscally sound judgment, yetthis proposal has a questionable funding stream

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a market full of consumers ready to buy their wayto a smaller carbon footprint. With all of themarketing of green lifestyles and green products,people that live on a budget can sometimes feelleft out and that greening their life just isn’t anoption. But, being green doesn’thave to cost a lot of money.

Some of the greenest things aperson can do to their life are freeor cost very little. For examplewalking instead of driving on shorttrips, saving your grocery bags andreusing them or bringing yourown, drinking tap water instead ofbottled and of course recycling.Another great way to be green that is cost effectiveis making your own cleaning supplies; it’s muchhealthier for people, pets and the water supplyand uses things most people already have athome. For example, baking soda is great forscrubbing and if mixed with white vinegar orlemon it fizzes which speeds up the cleaning

time. White vinegar is a disinfectant and breaksup dirt; don’t use red wine vinegar or apple cidervinegar, it may stain. Lemons cut grease, olive oilespecially the cheaper ones picks up dirt and pol-ishes wood. Instead of paper towels save oldtowels or wash cloths to clean with and old toothbrushes are great for scrubbing. If you have spacefor a composting bin, recycling your own food

scraps and plant debris is greatway to keep things out of thelandfill; and if you don’t havespace you can still recycle foodscraps with worm compostingin a compact bin. As anAlameda County resident you’reeligible for discounted top ofthe line bins from the AlamedaCounty Waste Management

Authority. For more information and to get yourbin visit www.stopwaste.org.

In addition to greening yourself, a free andgreat way to green our community is to partici-pate in earth friendly community service projects.For a listing of events please check our communi-ty calendar at www.acgov.org/board/district5.

District 5 Newsletter — Spring 2008 Page 2

Going Green on a Budget …Continued from Page 1

Some of the greenestthings a person can doto their life are free or

cost very little.

That is why it is critical that children are pre-pared for education as early as the day they areborn.

School readiness means making sure chil-dren are emotionally and physically healthy forschool. The role of parents, caregivers and chil-dren’s first teachers is crucial to a child’s devel-opment. Each person involved in a young per-son’s life should have an active role in what achild learns on a daily basis, increasing the pos-sibility that it will remain with them duringtheir educational years and beyond. Below aresome things that you can to help prepare your

child for an exciting learning experience: • Taking your child to the doctor for general

health care checkups, including oral, visionand hearing check ups

• Ensuring your child receives all requiredimmunizations

• Enrolling your child in a quality pre-schoolprogram

• Reading to your child on a daily basis, rou-tine trips to the library for story time and toborrow books

• Helping your child to read and write theirfirst and last name

• Assist them with indentifying the first tenletters in the alphabet

Is your Child Ready for Kindergarten? …Continued from Page 1

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and would pit local governments against eachother; I cannot support the proposal in its format the time of writing.

THE PROPOSAL: The LAO’s Parole Realignmentis a response to the Governor’s ill conceived earlyrelease of non-violent prisoners which providedno additional funds to local government for thedirect and essential supportive services to assistthe clients with their needs. In short if ParoleRealignment is implanted over 71,000 people willbe released from State prison and placed oncounty probation in counties across the state. Atthe heart of the proposal is the theory that localgovernment and those in the community aremore vested in the success of formerly incarcerat-ed people that are re-entering our communities;and that those at the local level and closest to theissues should have flexibility in implementingprogramming. Philosophically the LAO is cor-rect, but the structure of this proposal is ques-tionable. In the current form, there are threefunding streams, siphoning $188 million inproperty tax dollars from waste and water enter-prise special districts, shifting 6% ($178 million)of Proposition 172 sales tax dollars from cities to

counties and redirecting $130 million in VehicleLicense Fee (VLF) dollars from the DMV to coun-ties. This is a recipe for disaster, which wouldresult in local governments fighting with eachother over crumbs. There are other challenges.The population is called “non-violent” yet if theyare on parole they are most likely highly in needof drug and alcohol and other mental healthservices. The proposal does not provide fundingfor expanding capacity in these areas.

Most Probation Departments, includingAlameda County feel that they can do a better jobthan the State in helping formerly incarceratedpeople in their efforts to become contributors toour communities, if they are given the properresources. While the LAO does estimate localgovernment would be given slightly more moneythan the State spends on these services under thisproposal, many fear the proposed blend of fundsis a house of cards. The solution to our budgetdeficit is not the continuous “shell game” theGovernor and unfortunately now the LAO seemsto suggest we continue to play. We don’t have aspending problem as the Governor asserts, wehave a revenue problem and an archaic tax/fund-ing structure which needs to be addressed. Aslong as short sighted solutions are proposed forlong term problems the people of California willcontinue to pay the price.

District 5 Newsletter — Spring 2008 Page 3

PPaarroollee RReeaalliiggnnmmeenntt …Continued from Page 1

• Teach them how to count to ten and recog-nize the numbers by site

• Name and recognize the basic colors• Teach them self help skills (brushing their

teeth, toilet needs, how to call 911 in anemergency situation)

Understanding that learning does not only hap-pen in the classroom is a significant part of howchildren will succeed academically. As youbegin to look forward to summer, incorporate

learning in your daily routines so that your chil-dren, grandchildren or even neighbors are pre-pared to be successful in school. The Kindergarten enrollment process hasalready begun. For information on Kindergartenenrollment contact your local school district: n Albany Unified School District 510-558-3776n Berkeley Unified School District 510-644-

6504n Emery Unified School District 510-601-4907n Oakland Unified School District 510-879-811n Piedmont Unified School District 510-594-

2600

Is your Child Ready for Kindergarten? …Continued from Page 2

District 5 Newsletter — Spring 2008

If you want to receive our e-Newsletter on a regular basis, please sign up on our

website: www.acgov.org/board/district5

Internship Opportunity

The Fifth Supervisorial District offers internship opportunities for col-lege and high school students year round. Our internships provide

individuals with a chance to learn how the Board of Supervisors createspublic policy and become involved with Alameda County services suchas: health care, social services, public protection, youth, the environmentand other public policy issues. In addition, working in the District 5office gives individuals a chance to see how county government functionsand the connections with federal, state and other local levels of govern-ment.

The internship provides valuable experience that employers look forand presents an opportunity to network with some of Alameda County’skey decision makers including elected officials, community and businessleaders.

Some of the duties include but are not limited to: constituent outreachand problem solving, attend meetings on various issues, data entry, issueresearch, writing letters and commendations, and a variety of other tasksconsistent with a political environment.

Individuals interested in applying for an internship with the FifthSupervisorial District should submit a cover letter and resume to:

Irmina SanchezOffice Manager

Supervisor Keith Carson’s office1221 Oak Street, Suite 536

Oakland, CA 94612 510-272-6687 phone

510-271-5151 faxEmail: mina.sanchez@acgov.org