City of Oakland employees got a long Labor Day vacation

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According to a friend, City of Oakland employees got a real long Labor Day vacation.

First, the City was closed last Friday. Then we had the three day weekend holiday which was to end on Tuesday, but in the City of Oakland's case, employees were furloughed on Tuesday (and I know because I saw Councilmember Ignacio De La Fuente looking badass in sunglasses at the Lake Chalet's Patio for "Taco Tuesday") so that means most didn't come back to work until Wednesday - unless they happened to take that as a sick day.

The result: a full six days off.

Even with all of that rest, morale is still really low in all quarters. Why? Well, for starters to be furloughed means you don't get to work that day and you don't get paid. My friend thinks its a good way to save money, so no complaints there for that person, but it's not the same for some others.

The City of Oakland's massive deficit woes have directly impacted its labor force, used to the ability to clock-in overtime to make additions to the house or help their kids. All good things, so I'm not making fun of the situation, just pointing to one reason for the low energy in City Hall.

The unfortunate truth is it's hard to see where or when we get back to a fully operating city government. I for one don't think such government service cut backs are healthy because they impact areas like building inspection and the Oakland Rent Board, which needs to be more, not less, able to respond to complaints, which are certainly coming because of more and more Oakland landlord-tenant disputes borne of lost jobs and declining rental incomes.

But absent a growth in new businesses in heavy industry sectors and a massive fiscal stimulus grant, I can't see recovery any time soon.

And just wait until the commercial real estate recession becomes a near-depression. A that point, Oakland may have to reconsider bankruptcy.

I hope not. There's one possible solution: more redevelopment project areas to keep property tax revenue in Oakland, and filing a new lawsuit against the State of California regarding its own budget-balancing money grab actions.

Stay tuned.

Tila Tequila's questionable videos in Shawne Merriman case

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The latest news in the unfortunate story of the accused battery and assault charge on San Diego Linebacker Shawne Merriman by Tila Tequila is that Merriman claims he was trying to get Tequila, who's real name is Tila Nguyen, to avoid driving while intoxicated. This is just what I speculated in my video commentary:



Tila's lawyer disputes Merriman's claim, saying it's "spin" but does not offer an alternative explanation regarding what happened. Morever Tila herself now says she was not drinking, and that she's allergic to alcohol.

Really interesting...

But Stingaree nightclub owner James Brennan says that Tila was drinking Saturday night. Apparently Tila made the claim to an aversion to cocktails on her Twitter page but that specific tweet is now not to be found.

Also not to be found is any reason why Tila's suddenly covering up her tweets. Between these actions and her website message claiming she has multiple personalities, it seems there's more to this story than meets the eye.

I write that with great sadness because to accuse someone of assault is a serious charge that gives everyone pause: everyone either wants to or is compelled to run to the side of the assumed victim and attack the accused.

But what happened when it appears the assumed victim may be using how society responds to his or her advantage and wasn't really harmed at all?

It makes the public more skeptical of such claims and look more at the character of the accuser. This is where we are today, with even her "friends" leaving curious comments on her MySpace page and this YouTube video from her channel MissTilaTequila, which shows Tila talking about being at a Beverly Hills Mansion (posted August 4th, which was that Tuesday, my birthday, which means it was on August 2nd) and with the camera pointing to a champagne bottle set and saying "pimpin..Rose Chrystal Bottle popin livin it up on a Sunday"..



And in another video created this year and from her channel Tila claims she gets anxiety attacks when she goes out and tries not to because of that, just before she sings a song she wrote saying how she's a "little drunk and gonna get you high."



Okay! More questions.

If she's allergic to alcohol, why make such a video featuring it as a key part of the good life and focus on the champagne bottle not once but twice (she's controlling the camcorder). Why make another video rapping about being drunk?

(And check out the dog on the couch. The dog's reaction seems to be "Ho Hum. Nothing to see here; oh, what's up outside?" Too funny.)

Hey, I agree its the fun life but only in moderation, and I'm honest about how I enjoy the good life and do it with care. This is terrible, to say the least, and calls her latest claims into question.