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October DIA Newsletter

All Dimond residents are invited to attend the meetings of the DIA Board.

Will the DIA Reorganize?
By Janet Broughton
At several recent meetings, the DIA Board has discussed the possibility of reorganizing the Association. These discussions were triggered by the resignation of our co-chairs, Tim Chapman and Ann Nomura (each for personal reasons). Our corporation by-laws require us to have a chair or two co-chairs, but no one has expressed willingness to do the job, and at present we are leaderless.

It has also been some months since the DIA hosted a general-interest theme meeting; we have instead had monthly "Open Board Meetings." Enthusiasm for organizing and attending meetings seems to be dwindling, along with interest in chairing the group as it is currently organized.

In other ways, the Association is functioning smoothly: several of the Working Groups are very active; the T-shirt sales are booming; our downtown is (literally) blooming; and our web site is flourishing.

Discussions about reorganization have not yet led us to consensus, and we cannot violate our by-laws indefinitely. Any suggestions? Please pass them along by e-mailing dia@dimondnews.org. Please indicate if you want your message posted on the Dimond site message board.

Dimond Safety Issues
By Greg Ross
Recently, there was a rather quiet but significant drug bust in the Dimond district, one that has led to a reduction in drug activities.

The owner of an established business along the MacArthur corridor was arrested without incident, and the change has made the neighbors feel much safer.

If you want more details, come to the Neighborhood Crime Prevention Council meetings, which are held on the fourth Monday of each month at 7:30 pm in the Dimond Library. The Beat 22x community police officer speaks at most every meeting.

I am emphasizing that this bust was uneventful and that the person selling the drugs was (relatively speaking) low-key in his activities, because I want to talk about the phenomenon known as "event-driven participation."

If there had been a shoot-out, the next NCPC meeting would have been packed, full house, standing room only, and a concerned citizen or two would have been offering suggestions on how to make Beat 22x safer for us all.

Those suggestions are much appreciated, but the next month, after the initial concern wanes, the same 5 to 10 people who come almost every month will be left to struggle with the ongoing issues in Beat 22x.

Don't wait until your neighbor's house has been burglarized, or your friend has been mugged or someone sticks a gun in your face to participate in your NCPC.

One of the NCPC's goals is to organize 22x neighborhood by neighborhood, but we don't ever seem to have enough people to get that job done.

One last issue. Since the traffic flow on Lincoln Ave. has changed due to stop signs and red lights, some neighbors on Laguna (parallel to Lincoln) have noted an increase in traffic with the usual increase in speeding. This is one issue we will discuss at the next NCPC meeting.

To close with some good news: armed robberies in 22x are down, due to excellent police work and help from the community.

Greg Ross is the contact person for the DIA Safety Working Group. He and Peggy Lucas are the co-chairs of the Beat 22X Neighborhood Crime Prevention Council.

Chang, Kaplan at Candidates' Night
Councilmember Henry Chang will be facing challenger Rebecca Kaplan in a run-off election this November for the position of Councilmember at Large.

Dimond residents have a chance to hear Chang and Kaplan at a Candidates' Night hosted by a local block association. The Sheffield Avenue Neighborhood Association will present the two candidates at a meeting to which we are all invited.

Did you know?
In 1770, a party of Spanish explorers crossed Sausal Creek. Father Juan Crespi was one of this group; impressed by the redwood forests that towered over the creek, he named it Arroyo del Bosque, or Stream of the Woods.-- Lisa Owens-Viani The Sausal Creek Watershed

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