Moving to Berkeley or Oakland - Specific Advice?

[dyson]

Oakland area near Lakeshore is okay and around Lake Merritt.

Be prepared to drive out of town if you ever need ammo, there are no places that sell it really.

[BigPimping]

Our family moved to Piedmont in 1952, it is the only city in America completely surrounded by another city which in this case is Oakland.

My grandparents came to Piedmont in 1925. It was affordable then. Lower Piedmont, near Oakland ave is not great. Remember you are surrounded by Oakland and it is a 5 minute drive to a really messed up area very easily. In the years we lived there until 2000, our house was robbed and cleaned out twice. My grandmothers house on Crest Rd in the heart of Piedmont was the site of a home invasion robbery so savage that she eventually died of her injuries a week after the attack. This was in 1983. I have been a paramedic in that area since 1991. I moved my family away immediately when I got married. I will never live in that area of Oakland, Alameda, Piedmont again. Remember that criminals go to nice neighborhoods to steal nice things. The calls I ran in the alleged "nice" areas were disturbing and sometimes insane. Berkeley is no different. It has the highest crime rate of any UC campus. They don't call it "The Freak Show" for nothing. Full of homeless, mentally ill and other criminals. If you want safe, drive 15 minutes east to Orinda, Lafayette or Moraga. Don't do Oakland, Berkeley or Piedmont. Just don't.

[BigPimping]

Oakland area near Lakeshore is okay and around Lake Merritt.

Be prepared to drive out of town if you ever need ammo, there are no places that sell it really.

I would have to digress. The violence there is undeniable and constant. Ask any Oakland medic or OPD officer. I do lots of work by Lakeshore, 1st ave and Lakepark and Grand ave.

[velmingrafter]

I recommend you look for a place in the North Berkeley hills, lots of great neighborhoods. Oakland sucks, although there are some very nice areas. I grew up in Berkeley and went to high school in Oakland.

[JoshuaS]

Lived in Berkeley and got into guns while there
[QUOTE=lachesis;13641997]

Questions:

Do I need to obtain a HSC within 60 days?

No. You do not need an HSC

Can I own (and load my firearms with) hollow points? I know SF has some sort of law around this, but I couldn't find anything regarding Berkeley.

Yes. There is no ordinance against this. Berkeley has some laws about vendors and FFLs that are wacky, but not this

Do I legally have to unload and/or lock my guns up when I'm home? Not home? How about travelling into the state? Again, I know SF has a law regarding this, but I couldn't find anything regarding Berkeley.

No. If SF does, it is unconstitutional. But Berkeley does not.

However CA law requires that handguns be unloaded and in a locked container. That includes the trunk, but not the glove box. Rifles could be out in the open, unloaded, but need a locked container or locked on a gun rack in a school zone. But really, best not have it in sight.

How hard will it be for me to get ammo (JHPs and FMJs) shipped to me in Berkeley? Is it legal? Do many/most ammo dealers have a problem with it?

I ordered ammo online when I lived there. Two blocks from UC Berkeley!

Did not find any ordinance against it. Just some illegal ordiances about Saturdaynight special and similar bullcrap

How hard will it be for me to get transfers done for firearms I buy online?

Not hard. Did it only once. You would have to ask around to see what various FFLs charge.

Are there any other Berkeley-specific laws that I may have missed?

I searched the Berkeley and Alameda codes You could check them as well in case I missed anything.

http://library.municode.com/index.aspx?clientId=16425

http://codepublishing.com/ca/berkeley/

[TS77]

South and west Berkeley is Oakland light.
security in (relatively) cheaper Berkeley apartments is weak, cars go missing out of locked garages, and you'll probably end up getting a few bicycles, go cheap.

But those cities have tons to offer in food, entertainment, natural beauty, enjoy, just don't get nice things ;-)

[P5Ret]

Our family moved to Piedmont in 1952, it is the only city in America completely surrounded by another city which in this case is Oakland.

Unless you count Broadmoor which is completely surrounded by Daly City.

[odysseus]

I believe there are only 3 apartment buildings in Piedmont totaling less than 30units. The average length of tenancy is probably 15 years.
Entry level 2 bedroom house will be about $3k.

Correct, and correct. Also there are not that a lot of 2 bedroom homes in Piedmont, less so that are for rent.

My grandparents came to Piedmont in 1925. It was affordable then. Lower Piedmont, near Oakland ave is not great. Remember you are surrounded by Oakland and it is a 5 minute drive to a really messed up area very easily. In the years we lived there until 2000, our house was robbed and cleaned out twice. My grandmothers house on Crest Rd in the heart of Piedmont was the site of a home invasion robbery so savage that she eventually died of her injuries a week after the attack. This was in 1983. I have been a paramedic in that area since 1991. I moved my family away immediately when I got married. I will never live in that area of Oakland, Alameda, Piedmont again. Remember that criminals go to nice neighborhoods to steal nice things. The calls I ran in the alleged "nice" areas were disturbing and sometimes insane. Berkeley is no different. It has the highest crime rate of any UC campus. They don't call it "The Freak Show" for nothing. Full of homeless, mentally ill and other criminals. If you want safe, drive 15 minutes east to Orinda, Lafayette or Moraga. Don't do Oakland, Berkeley or Piedmont. Just don't.

I am sorry to hear of this, and the incident especially for its time, is extraordinarily rare. However yes, Piedmont rests around urban Oakland, though not all of it bad (i.e. Montclair/Rockridge). Yet as with any large metro, crime goes looking where they think people have items to steal.

[battleship]

Move to Arizona and commute, it will be worth it.

BigPimping has the right idea if you can find something affordable.

Though traveling across that bridge every day to S.F. is going to get old real quick.

[Alan Block]

Rockridge is nice, not violent and a huge variety of restaurants. North Berkekey hills are very expensive and merges into kensington which is equally so which merges into El Cerito which you might call a pig sty.

[peabe]

If you've ever lived in a bigger city and want to keep living in a city environment, expect the same. Don't be stupid, keep your eyes peeled. Be smart and follow your gut.

If you've never lived in a city, are used to the burbs/small town/country, and prefer that environment. Don't move to either.


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[highpower]

I was born in Oakland, moved away many years ago and would never go back. The last time I was there, I saw a dude get shot in front of a theater while I was waiting at a red light.

If you are the type that likes what a big city has to offer in the way of entertainment and dining, then I guess you will have to put up with the (big) negatives. I now commute 65 miles so I don't have to live in the PRC and I would suggest that if you move to a 'burb that has a BART station the commute won't be so bad. I hate thieves and I wish that the PRC would see the light and let you defend your property with deadly force like you can in Texas.

[jakejuan]

I have worked in Berkeley for 23 years. The whole area is a s***hole. As far as Oakland, even the cops are scared or don't care.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pvTEBYgGjvk.
Shows what happens when even the cops feel a city isn't worth fighting for. If you can afford to live in Berkeley you can live on the other side of the tunnel.
Remember, even if you live in one of the nicer areas of Berkeley or Oakland (there are quite a few "nice" areas), you still have to interact with the local talent, grocery stores, home improvement stores , day to day stuff. You get it. Right?

[hks95134]

I've lived in the Berkeley Hills, east side of town, and that is nice.

You still have a lot of thieves from Oakland coming into Berkeley as predators.

Lots of college kids live in Berkeley, which keeps most of the riff raff out.

West Berkeley is riff raff and ghetto though, as is central downtown Berkeley.

I have travelled through Oakland, and stopped there on business and to deal with the State of Calif at their Berkeley office building.

Oakland is a very dangerous town.

[dunndeal]

Unless you count Broadmoor which is completely surrounded by Daly City.

Broadmoor is not an incorporated city, Piedmont is. It has its own police and fire departments, its own school district. It does, however, use the Oakland Municipal Court system.