Spot.us - Pitch: Oakland Police Blues

Visit Spot.us: “What's really wrong with OPD? The reported failings of the Oakland Police Department are serious and well-known. Cops lie to obtain search warrants. Brass assign detectives with known ties to the suspects they are investigating. On any given day, the department has an absentee rate of 30 percent. Morale is in the cellar. The current chief has taken a leave of absence, and from the outside, it's not clear who's running things at 445 7th Street.

By interviewing current and former Oakland police officers I hope to arrive at a deeper understanding of what ails OPD, what internal culture gives rise to the failings described above. This is not the sort of reporting that is likely to turn up evidence of concealed wrongdoing, but rather it seeks to shine a light on problems that are hiding in plain sight.”

-- Only $31.73 to go to raise money for Alex Gronke and The Oakbook to cover this story. It's part of a new website company called "Spot.us" where one can invest in the production of a news story. I found out about it via a contact at Twitter with David Cohn, who's "DigiDave" on Twitter.

Zennie62 On Seesmic.com

Happy Holidays! I'm Zennie Just saying 'hello' to the Seesmic Community! After months of thinking about doing it, I finally did it: contributed a video on Seesmic.com , Loic Lemur's video conversation venture, featuring my friend Cathy Brooks, who was one of his first staffers. I remember when Cathy was totting around a laptop showing Seesmic at work; that was last year, 2007 at a STIRR Founder Hacks Meetup! Wow, how time flies!

Oakland's Lake Merritt Trash and Pollution Problem

This gem of a video presents the trash and pollution problem around Oakland's Lake Merritt, and what people like Dr. Richard Bailey are doing about it.

Bailey explains that storm drains put trach into the Lake and says that we should ask if the drains are regularly cleaned to prevent this from happening.

For more information go to http://www.lakemerrittinsitute.org, or help Bailey clean the Lake!

Oakland City Attorney John Russo Interview: Obama, Prop 8

In this CBS5 video interview with Sherry Hu and Phil Matier, Oakland City Attorney John Russo talks about Barack Obama's victory in the November election and the matter of how Prop 8 passed.

Jamarcus Russell Effective - Raiders Beat Texans 27-16 - Inside Bay Area

More at Oakland Tribune: “The Raiders' all-around impressive 27-16 victory over the red-hot Houston Texans on Sunday had those who braved the cold and rain at the Coliseum roaring their approval and likely wondering if this was a one-game aberration or a harbinger of things to come.”

Richmond, Ca - 4 men sought in gang rape of lesbian

More in SFGate: “(12-20) 23:34 PST RICHMOND -- Police are offering a $10,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of four men who allegedly kidnapped and gang-raped for nearly an hour a 28-year-old Richmond woman, who was left naked when they fled in her car.”

Hangar One Vodka Macy's San Francisco Cocktail Event

I was a special guest of of Liza "The Wine Chic" Zimmerman at this Hangar One Holiday Cocktail Mixing event at Macy's SF and which introduced Hangar One Vodka and Mixologist Scott Beattie. Hangar One is made in Alameda, California