Oakland Focus News | Oakland News Online Blog

More at Zennie62.com | Follow me on Twitter! | Get my widget! | Visit YouTube | Visit UShow.com A few weeks back I took a hard look at the proposals for the redevelopment of the Oakland Army Base and concluded that given the weaknesses of both, AMB/CCG (AMB Partners with California Commercial Investments) lacking really good cash flow analysis, and Federal Oakland Associates not having as much fiscal firepower but a complete proposal, and the racial split between them, that the two groups be combined. Well, two days later I received a rather curious phone call from someone who said "Zennie, for the purpose of this call, I can't tell you who I am, but I read your column and have some information for you. I'm going to send it to the San Francisco Chronicle Oakland office for you." Well, the person who called didn't even leave his phone number for me to call, let alone meet him " on the bottom level of an underground garage just over the Key Br

Tagami's Fox Project Team Takes a Bow , originally uploaded by kwikway . This was but one of the many great scenes at this terrific event!  The Oakland Fox construction team is on the stage of the building they brought back to life with Phil Tagami of California Commercial Investments introducing them.  Congrats to all including Tagami, Jeff Chew of the Community and Economic Development Agency, The Friends of The Oakand Fox Theater, and our videos -- lots of material -- will start here on Sunday.    The Gala was a complete blast. 

More at Oakland Tribune : “Oakland's Fox Theater, the 81-year-old grand dame of a movie palace, born at the start of Hollywood's Golden Age, is back in business. The downtown theater, closed since 1970, will host a $250-a-ticket reopening gala at 7 tonight (the show is sold out). Then on Friday, the venue will swing open its doors to the general public as it presents legendary SoCal punk band Social Distortion in concert. Thirteen other shows already have been booked for the Fox, including Michael Franti and Spearhead on Saturday, Modest Mouse on Feb. 22 and B.B. King on April 16. The musical acts will be only part of the draw for concertgoers. Some will come out of curiosity, for the chance to finally see the result of the $75 million restoration project. What they'll see should surpass all expectations, a theater that arguably is as grand and gorgeous as any in the nation. "Everyone who has put their blood, sweat and tears into this project can feel so proud in what

On Monday, Oakland Developer and friend Phil Tagami, who you can find out more about with a click here or to the right where his photo is, was on KQED's Forum on Monday.  It was an outstanding peformance, although Phil can be a bit combative at times, but that's Phil. What's most important is he was able to talk about how Oakland can achieve a possible future as a great city, and how people can and should get involved in the process.  You can hear the show below:

More at SFGate.com : “(12-25) 16:54 PST -- It's difficult to say what is more remarkable about the hallucinogenic interior of the Fox Oakland Theater: the Moorish details that flood the ceilings and walls, or the fact it survived decades of neglect. "It's a wonderful glimpse of the past," said Kurt Schindler, a principal of the Berkeley architecture firm ELS. "These picture palaces were about glitz. They were designed to take you into another era, offering fantasy and escape." Schindler's firm is one of many consultants that had a hand in bringing the Fox back to life. It reopens Feb. 5 - a little more than 80 years after its premiere and 43 years after the theater last was used with any sort of regularity.”

The Oakland Fox Theater has rested dormant for over 30 years until California Commericial Investments and Phil Tagami worked with the City of Oakland to restore this architectural gem.   All of the work will come to an end when the Fox Theater opens on February 5th 2009.  You can be part of the party with a contribution of anywhere from $35 to $25,000, which you can do starting with a click here:   Contribute to the Oakland Fox .  

I finally got the chance to edit, compress, and upload this boat ride I took with my friend Phil Tagami on August 31st of this year. Phil's a real estate developer and managing partner of California Commercial Investments / California Commercial Group.  He also has his own video show here called "Tagami Vision." He successfully redeveloped the Oakland Rotunda, in downtown Oakland, CA, and is now working on the recreation of the Oakland Fox Theater. Listen to this video because Phil gives a great view of the economic state of development not just in Oakland, but in the United States. Also, keep in mind this video was before the election and just after John Edwards annouced that he had been in an affair. Tagami supported Edwards, but later and through the election threw his support to now President-Elect Barack Obama.