upcoming Oakland events

This week's events are brought to you by the letter B. There are birds, bikes and beer, along with some civic engagement about the budget. And Oakland Restaurant Week is still going until Sunday—lots of great deals at great restaurants around Oakland. Including, of course, B Restaurant and B-Side BBQ.

City Council / Redevelopment Agency meeting - tonight, Wednesday, January 25, 5:30pm. Meeting about cuts needed because of the elimination of redevelopment agencies. Amongst the programs that are slated to for cuts are the downtown Oakland walking tours, a wonderful program led by Annalee Allen. Also facing cutbacks are Children's Fairyland, Peralta Hacienda, and the Oakland Zoo.

Impact of a Recall - tonight, Wednesday, January 25, 6pm. The Oakland Tribune, the League of Women Voters of Oakland and the Robert C. Maynard Institute for Journalism Education are holding a public forum on the possible effects of a mayoral recall. At Nile Hall in Preservation Park.

Winter Bird-a-Thon for Kids - Saturday, January 28, 9:30am-12:30pm. Families are invited to participate in this day of birding and citizen-science! Naturalists will assist a bird walk around Lake Merritt to discover and count bird species such as ducks, cormorants and herons. For kids of all ages and their families. This free event is inspired by the Audubon traditions of the Christmas Bird Count and Great Backyard Bird Count. Please RSVP with Golden Gate Audubon: ggaseducation@gmail.com or 510-508-1388. more info. (free)

Oakland Museum White Elephant Sale preview - Sunday, January 29, 10am-4pm. Preview sale for the Oakland Museum annual fundraiser. ($15-$20)

Oakland Restaurant Week - January 20-29. Oakland has a ton of great restaurants, so why not support the local economy and eat well? Oakland Restaurant Week includes dozens of restaurants from Amba to Yoshi's, from B-Side BBQ to Faz, each featuring prix-fixe specials during the celebration.

looking further ahead:
Victorian Valentines at CSH - Saturday, February 4, 10:30am-12:30pm. Join Camron-Stanford House for the first of their new Decorative Arts Workshops and create Victorian-inspired works of art. ($20-$25, 12+)

Urban Geology Lecture with OHA - Thursday, February 9. Hear about Oakland's geology with the Oakland Heritage Alliance and Oakland geologist Andrew Alden of Oakland Geology. ($10-$15)

Oakland Urban Paths geology walk - Saturday, February 11. Explore Oakland's geology and urban walkways with Oakland geologist Andrew Alden of Oakland Geology. (free)

Tour de Bière 2012 - Sunday, February 12. Take a bicycle tour of breweries in Oakland and Berkeley, and raise money for the East Bay Bike Coalition. Limited tickets, so order quickly. ($25, 21+)

plus the usual events:
Piedmont Avenue Art Walk (3rd Thursday)
Art Murmur (1st Friday)
Saturday Art Stroll (Saturdays)
Mt. View Cemetery Tours (2nd and 4th Saturdays)