Rob AriasOur Emeryville newswire is a roundup of local news stories and high-performing social media posts relevant to Emeryville residents.
In this post covering May 24-June 18, we share five stories including:
- NOCCS DOGue Show Fundraiser
- Gaza protesters target Maersk Emeryville office
- Latest Joey Rose mural at Honor Kitchen & Cocktails Property
- New Tenant at The Intersection UCB Grad-Student Housing Complex
- SYDA Foundation affiliated property at 55th & San Pablo Ave. Demolished
Protesters Target Emeryville Maersk Office Over Ongoing Gaza Conflict
The Emeryville office of the Maersk Corporation was the target of a recent Israel-Gaza conflict protest last week as part of an “international day of action.”
Maersk is a Danish shipping and logistics company founded in 1904 and is among the largest shipping companies in the world. Maersk is headquartered in Copenhagen with subsidiaries and offices across 130 countries and employ over 100,000 people worldwide as of 2023.
Their satellite Emeryville office is located at the Emery Crossing commercial property on 66th Street near the Greenway.
Protesters are accusing Maersk of sending U.S. military weaponry to Israel responsible for the death of Palestinians and for profiting off of this conflict.
Protesters placed tombstones with names of those killed in the conflict and props of bodies wrapped in bloodied white sheets.
A debate has raged over wether this conflict constitutes a “genocide” as many have asserted.
Artist Joey Rose Completes Latest Mural on Honor Property
Artist Joey Rose recently completed a new mural along the Greenway on the walls of the renovated building that is part of the Honor Kitchen & Cocktails property. The building needed extensive remodeling due to asbestos contamination.
The mural, titled “Nice Marmot” (a Big Lebowski reference), depicts a ferret on one side and a snake on the other surrounded by vibrant California Poppies.
The mural replaces part of Rose’s “Ascend” mural from 2018 that originally adorned the walls.
New mural by @JoeyRoseStudio at the Bay Cities Pyrotector building on 66th.#EvilleArt pic.twitter.com/93PFAOviTT
— The E’ville Eye News (@TheEvilleEye) May 12, 2023
In addition to these murals, Rose painted the Bay Cities Pyrotector mural on 66th street and helped spearhead the Sea Walls project in 2022 that brought 15 new murals across the city.
Meanwhile, the construction fences are down at Honor and we’re beginning to get a glimpse of the renovations that began in the early part of 2023.
These renovations will include a new covered patio with outdoor seating, a pizza oven, new bar, restrooms, fire-pits and upgraded kitchens.
The E’ville Eye is in contact with the proprietors of Honor and are hoping to report on their reopening whenever a date is solidified.
Optometry Clinic Groundbreaking at Intersection Student Housing Complex
A new tenant has been announced to occupy the ground floor retail space of the Intersection Grad Student Housing complex at 3800 San Pablo Avenue.
The building is best known for twice succumbing to a suspicious blaze between 2016 and 2017. It was finally completed in 2021 using modular construction.
When the project was first conceived over a decade ago, developers were hopeful of attracting a brewery or gym to help bring some pedestrian activity to the strip of San Pablo Ave.
The space will instead become a Satellite clinic for the UC Berkeley School of Optometry thanks to a $50 million donation by businessman/philanthropist Dr. Herbert Wertheim. An optometry center is likely not tops on the list of resident amenities that neighbors were hoping for, but an occupied space is not the worst outcome.
The school held a groundbreaking ceremony on June 3 with Berkeley Vision Dean John Flanagan and Chancellor Carol Christ on hand.
When completed in late 2025, the nearly 40K square foot campus will offer children’s eye care and vision health as well as expansion of their residency program and will feature clinical skills labs for students.
NOCCS Dog Show Community Fundraiser
The North Oakland Community Charter School, or “NOCCS,” is hosting a fundraiser on Saturday June 22nd from 11-4pm.
The event is the Third annual event put on by All about the Dogue proprietor Lena Swann.
Swann has a 4th grader who has attended NOCCS since kindergarten and is also the chair of NOCC’s FTO (Family Teacher Organization).
Proceeds from this fundraiser go toward supplemental events at NOCCS like Movie nights, field trips, school supplies, their annual back-pack drive, sports and other special programs.
“This is a way to help keep the buzz going during summer break and invite folks in the community who might not be parents but love their pets,” Swann added.
Tickets and contest entry are available online or you can make a contribution to NOCCS without attending.
SYDA Foundation Affiliated Property Demolition
Demolition of the neglected property on the corner of San Pablo Avenue and 55th street is near completion. Long ago, the vacant, tagged up building was a bustling cluster of small businesses but has lately has been subject to graffiti and squatting.
The last known use of the property was for a the Triumph the Church & Kingdom of God In Christ church.
A recent Oaklandside exposé by reporter Natalie Orenstein revealed that the SYDA Foundation (Siddha Yoga Dham Associates) and affiliated members own 30 properties in the neighborhood half of which are vacant.
No information have been communicated on what they plan to do with the increasingly valuable property.
Golden Gate Neighbors have been increasingly voicing their displeasure with the organization’s lack of transparency with the community and would like to see the many blighted properties activated or sold to someone with a plan to do so.
Complicating the matter is that property is in a trust controlled by SYDA agent and Emeryville attorney Janet Dobrovolny.
* This story has been corrected to clarify the indirect ownership of the property by SYDA affiliates and not the foundation *
