Skip to main content

Posts

Berkeley Mayor Tom Bates on Goals Moving Forward

In his only YouTube video -- he seems to have stopped making them since he got reelected -- Berkeley Mayor Tom Bates lays out his goals and objectives. This is the only video on his YouTube channel and that's a total shame. The video looks like it was created from his kitchen. Bad idea. Elected officials should make videos while they're walking, not sitting in a kitchen. Walk and talk to the camera, er, the people. It works better.

Oakland City Attorney John Russo: Firing of "Riders" Cops Upheld

From "OaklandRusso" On YouTube Firing of Riders Cops Upheld by Arbitrator 2/4/09 OAKLAND, CA City Attorney John Russo today announced the settlement of an 8-year legal battle with two former City of Oakland police officers who were fired for insubordination and multiple acts of police misconduct. Former officers Clarence Mabanag and Jude Siapno were fired in 2000 after they refused to cooperate with an Internal Affairs investigation of misconduct by four officers known as the Riders. Both Mabanag and Siapno filed grievances challenging their terminations. On November 13 of last year, Arbitrator Sara Adler issued an opinion denying the grievances and upholding the citys right to fire Mabanag and Siapno for insubordination. Following the arbitrators opinion, the two former officers signed a settlement, finalized last week, ending their grievances and civil complaints. Neither one will receive any money from the City of Oakland. Artistically it's a good start for ...

Jerry Brown Calls Gavin Newsom "Character" With City "In A Mess"

more at www.sfexaminer.com : “SAN FRANCISCO – In a thinly veiled shot at Mayor Gavin Newsom, former Oakland Mayor and California Attorney General Jerry Brown — who has said he is considering a run for governor in 2010 — said in a radio interview that there are “characters” traveling around the state campaigning for governor while their city is a mess. Speaking on KGO’s morning talk show Thursday, Brown’s comments appeared to refer to criticism that Newsom has been spending too much time traveling to town hall-style meetings across the state while missing budget talks at home." -- I'm wondering who's doing Gavin' PR, because he's not taking the offensive at all. Jerry's a master politician and is not a afraid to deliver a velvet glove punch.

Oscar Grant: Source: Autopsy Shows Crack Cocaine In Body

A well-placed source reported to me that BART Shooting victim Oscar Grant was found to have Crack Cocaine in his body, and planted through his buttocks. My source also accuses KTVU TV (Oakland, CA) News of delaying video release. My source is a long-time law enforcement official who has seen cases like this more often than not -- but this case given the video evidence, is different.  My source originally tipped me off to the extense of a third KTVU video of the Oscar Grant shooting by BART Police Officer Johannes Mesherle.   He said that  the video showed that another BART officer was clearly on Grant and beating him.  The source said that KTVU was withholding the video because they did not want to start a race-riot. The second tip regards the Crack Cocaine matter.  He claims that the autopsy, which is to be completed by March according, shows that the drugs were stuffed in his body via his buttocks.   My source holds that this is why -- he co...