CORONAVIRUS UPDATE
Like all of you we’ve been anxiously awaiting the latest news and hoping for a swift resolution. For the time being KONO staff is working from home per Alameda County advisory, and StreetPlus operations have been temporarily suspended. April’s Oakland First Fridays has also been postponed, and we will make an announcement on May when more information is available.
Our Area Oakland Police Captain, Chris Bolton, has informed KONO that they are staffing to have more officers available for response, patrol, and calls and have continued to prioritize patrols and security checks during peak hours. You can email him directly at CBolton@oaklandca.gov or contact KONO if you have any concerns or questions.
Many KONO businesses are still open, albeit under various restrictions. We encourage everyone to support the small businesses in our district and elsewhere that are being so heavily impacted.
If you have any questions, comments or concerns please email them to us and we will get back to you as soon as we can. In the meantime, stay well. We’re a strong community and we will get through this together.
Here are some helpful resources:
City of Oakland Business and Worker Resources
City of Oakland Business Assistance Center
Centers for Disease Control Coronavirus Information Page
California Labor and Workforce Development Resources for Employers and Workers
Oakland at Risk Match: Connecting people at high risk from COVID-19 with others willing to help them
Alameda County Crisis Support Services: Text SAFE to 20121 or call 510-420-2460
Visit Oakland’s March 17 statement on the coronavirus and Oakland
KONO: SHOP, DINE, ENJOY
The KONO District is a unique and interesting neighborhood in a town full of interesting neighborhoods. It is center to businesses serving the Korean-American, Somalian and Eritrean communities (among others). Here you’ll find small mom-and-pop shops, old-school and cutting edge restaurants and bars, an array of galleries and more. We’re home to the Sutter Health Alta Bates-Summit Medical Center and more housing and businesses are on the way!
Click to view
KONO 2017 Management District Plan and
Engineers Report
STREET AMBASSADORS
KONO contracts with StreetPlus to provide a team of street ambassadors in the district . They work to keep the corridor clean of trash and graffiti, and engage with passersby to ensure a safe district.
StreetPlus has a long track record from New York to Los Angeles, hiring the best ambassadors with a passion for their communities and an understanding of the importance of making positive impacts daily.
In baby blue uniform shirts, the ambassadors will be easy to spot and are there to help.
PROJECTS
Oakland First Fridays is Oakland's monthly celebration of arts, culture, food and community. It happens on the first Friday of the month on Telegraph Avenue from West Grand to 27th Street. It draws up to 30,000 people from Oakland and the surrounding area to celebrate our community. Over the years it has served as an incubator for many Oakland artists and small businesses, a driver of economic growth in KONO and the rest of downtown, as documented in this report on its economic impact, and a major factor in Oakland’s resurgence as an arts destination (evidenced by the fact that Oakland is the only North American destination in National Geographic’s Places to Visit 2019 cited for its culture.
litter receptacle mosaics
KONO received a grant from the Flieshhacker Foundation to place mosaic art on the litter containers in the district. Mosaics on the trash cans are a great way to beautify the district and the project has been a success in local areas such as Temescal, Montclair, and Old Oakland. Artist, Juan Lopez, has completed 5 litter containers. This local artist has been working with tile for 25 years and is invested in community transformation especially with his work on trashcans. He often creates the mosaics with a nature scene and wildlife which is refreshing in a concrete, urban environment and symbolizes an evolving neighborhood. As he says, “I’m turning a trashcan, which is normally an eyesore into something beautiful for everyone…I’m transforming trash into treasure.” Beautifying the trashcans elevates the artistic presence of the neighborhood and fosters pride in the district. They are representative of KONO’s renaissance and emergence of the arts, culture and environmental consciousness. KONO recently received a $5,000 grant from Flieshhacker Foundation to create more mosaic cans in the neighborhood. Contact us if you would like to sponsor a mosaic art can (510) 343-5439.
Utility Box Art Project
See interviews with the artists and work in progress, in this video produced by Laney College Digital Media Club. Go on a self-guided tour of the Art Boxes with our neighborhood map. A big thanks to all the artists: Fulani Carter, Eddie Colla, Jack Eastgate, Stevan Guiterrez, Lisa Hoffman, Dave Young Kim & Stephanie Leung, Joanne Ludwig, Pancho Peskador, David Polka,Lynne-Rachel Altman, Momoko Sudo, Ashia Tymous, and Desi Wome. KONO has recently invited some of the artists back to refresh the art.
New Trees
In addition to the 83 trees KONO planted in 2013, the Sierra Club planted 12 new Brandywine maple trees on 25th Street on Saturday, making an immediate difference in the look and feel of the block. They intend to plant more trees along the south side of the block in the fall. They also planted 4 new trees on 29th St. These trees were paid for by a grant from CAL FIRE. KONO was able to connect Sierra Club with volunteers from Embrace Church to help with the planting.
NOSH neighborhood guide:
Oakland’s KoNo district
Taking KONO to the Next Level of Cleanliness and Care!
Art Murmur
Adopt a Spot near your home, business or property and make things more beautiful by regularly:
• picking up trash
• scraping stickers
• weeding the tree plots
• removing graffiti
• sweeping up the cigarette butts
We will give you a flyer with your name or your business name on it proclaiming your participation in the AdoptaSpot Program. You can post it in your window to show off your pride in taking care of the neighborhood. KONO would like to offer a HUGE thank you to Phat Matz BBQ for stepping up and Adopting their Spot at 3415 Telegraph Ave.
To register and get your supplies today contact Shari Godinez at (510) 343-5439 or shari@koreatownnorthgate.org .