As you were winding down your work day a few Thursdays ago, you might have noticed a familiar face arriving. Yep. That was her. Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf, on an evening visit to Temescal Works. She’d dropped by for a conversation with members of the East Bay Animal PAC, a volunteer-run, nonprofit organization that does very much what its name suggests: it supports animal-friendly candidates and legislation while working to educate a range of public officials about issues related to animal welfare. One of our Temescal Works team members, Tim Anderson, is a co-founder of the group.
The Sept. 20 meeting was an opportunity for enlightening back-and-forth that focused on options for strengthening services and protections for Oakland’s vulnerable animal residents. PAC members submitted written questions. Mayor Schaaf responded. And the conversation progressed from there.
Among the notable bits of news to emerge is that the mayor is pushing to support the Oakland Animal shelter through a public-private partnership with a local non-profit. The goal is to beef up staffing while increasing a range of resources that the shelter relies on.
After the conversation with the mayor, PAC members stayed on to hold their 2018 endorsement meeting. Candidates in city council races from Berkeley, Oakland and Alameda gave presentations to the PAC, and the membership voted to endorse candidates based on those presentations.
You get the picture. It wasn’t just another night at Temescal Works. But it was indicative of our broader ambitions. In addition to being a neighborhood co-working space, we also want to be a community resource and gathering place for all kinds of events: book readings, wine tastings, corporate trainings, private parties and on. If you have an event you’d like to hold here, or thoughts on the kind of gatherings you’d like to see, please let us know. We’d love to hear your input.