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Pam Drake and Mike Gallo On Oakland Adult Ed Teacher Pay Raise Freeze

I ran into Pam Drake on Lakeshore and she introduced me to Mike Gallo. The result was this conversation on how the 26,000-student Oakland Unified School District's Adult Education program has not given their teachers -- including Drake and Gallo -- a pay raise in eight years, or since 2001.   Drake claims that the organization has a stockpile that it has amased but has used the money for costs other than giving better pay to its teachers; its spent the money, she claims, on supervisors and administrators and added teachers on "specal assignment" who are supposed to support the program but don;t.   In addition, according to Gallo, they had their health care benefits cut a few years ago. Drake says that when everyone else has a holiday, they get a day wihout pay, then tell the teachers that if the holiday is too long as it is for Christmas, then the teacher has to pay for health care because the program didn't pay the teacher enough money to pay for health c...

Sunday Movie In SF: "Medicine For Melancholy" At Embarcadero Theater

I just got an email regarding the screening of a new movie called "Medicine for Melancholy" which is tommorrow at 7:20 PM.  You can RSVP via their Facebook Page but here's some basic info: The Osiris Coalition and Citizen Hope are proud to sponsor a special screening of Medicine for Melancholy THIS SUNDAY AT 7:20pm at Landmark Embarcadero Cinemas. The crowd-pleasing love story set in San Francisco confronts the issue of race and identity in the wake of the African American exodus from San Francisco. Sunday March 8, 2009 @ 7:20pm DIRECTOR BARRY JENKINS WILL BE ON HAND FOR Q & A SESSION This film is getting incredible reviews and we have this awesome opportunity to support a San Francisco director and dialogue with him about his work. The film is set to show in San Francisco for one week only--but if it gets a great turnout this weekend, it could be here for longer. So even if you can't make our screening, please go out and see it this weekend.

Bar Lata and Adesso: Two Oakland Eateries To Open Next Week

More at Eater : “First, Bar Lata—the Oakland tapas bar from Daniel Olivella of B44—has pushed back its debut to next Wednesday. Elsewhere in Oaktown, Dopo spinoff Adesso continues to feel the frustration surrounding the liquor licensing red tape. Sources there are still unsure as to when exactly they'll open, but fingers are crossed for next week.” -- Eater reports that even in this economy, and with the opening of Side Bar three weeks ago on Grand Avenue, Oaklanders will have two more new gourmet places to much opening next week: Bar Lata on 4901 Telegraph, and Adesso on 4293 Piedmont Avenue. Can all of these businesses hold up by year's end? If so, then things aren't as bad as they seem.