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After attending the Mayor's Debate and meeting a friend in SF, I visited one of my favorite Oakland places Cafe Van Kleef last night, and seemed to wander into a rather sticky matter. Peter Van Kleef -- the energetic owner of the bar and music place -- had sat down with me to have a cocktail just after calming his wife. It seems they just saw the East Bay Express news, and it was posted in large print at the front entrance of the establishment. I hope they can work out something. Peter's got a great place and has worked hard to make it a fun venue. If you have a chance, pay a visit to 1621 Telegraph in Downtown Oakland. Here it is: The Party's Over? "Saloon guy" Peter Van Kleef fights for his bar's survival, while "lifelong Democrat" Bill McCammon fights to prove his partisan bona fides. By Will Harper Article Published Apr 19, 2006 Justin Page Take Out: Celeb Cachet — Jerry vs. Rocky Details Who / What: Peter Van Kleef Bill McCammon Peter Van Kl...

I learned that the Oakland African American Chamber of Commerce is having a mixer today at 6 PM at the Community Bank of The Bay, 1750 Broadway, downtown Oakland. Here's the board of directors: Oakland African-American Chamber of Commerce Executive Board Bishop Bob Jackson, Chairman Victoria Jones, Vice Chairman Merlin Edwards, Secretary Ralph Grant, Treasurer Ray Carlisle Board Members: C. Diane Howell, PhD Frank Tucker Carita Shanklin Walker Dr. Geoffrey Watson Harold Jones George Holland Robert C. Bobb, President Kelvin McCaskle, Executive Director

The "Oakland" Tribune's without Peggy Stinnett and Brenda Payton. The website reads, "no current entries." The paper itself is less than a blog; it's a collection of AP reports and stuff I can get on the police blotter. Only it's sports section has any sign of life. Other than that, it's a zombie paper. It wasn't always this way. When I was columnist for The Montclarion from 1993 to 1996, we had a friendly war with the Oakland Tribune to cover the Big People and The Big Stories. Today, the combination of The Internet and high newsprint costs have clobbered and hammered the size of news staffs such that what was once is no more. Oakland's now without any newspaper that covers what's really going on, leaving the politicians to do either good -- or ill -- without a watching eye. The only blog on cyberspace that comes close to filling this gap is the one you're reading and for a host of reasons that are hard to top and part of th...

Oakland teachers, district reach deal STRIKE IS CANCELED, BUT STUDENTS ARE STILL GIVEN THE DAY OFF By Kimberly S. Wetzel Knight Ridder A one-day Oakland teachers strike set for today has been called off after teachers and district officials announced a tentative contract agreement ending two years of labor unrest. The president of the teachers union, Ben Visnick, told KRON-TV on Wednesday night that today will remain a day off for students, but that teachers could come to school, with pay, for voluntary staff development exercises. He also said an afternoon rally for teachers was planned at an Oakland park. Among the sticking points finally resolved Wednesday night was a dispute over health care. In back-to-back news conferences Wednesday, the union and district had said significant progress was made during marathon talks that started Tuesday night and continued through late Wednesday. But both sides had braced for the worst, as the union announced it was moving forward with strike pla...

M. Joe Hunt wrote this interesting blog, which I've reprinted and linked to here. He also writes that De La Fuente suffers from AGS: Al Gore Syndrome! "“The enemy of your enemy is not always your friend” -unknown Having sat in the front row for many of the recent Oakland Mayoral Debates and Forums, I have begun to notice something in one of the candidates that has me very concerned for both his current campaign and the duration of his political career. While I concede that I am no doctor, I do fancy myself as a keen observer of body language, social mannerisms, verbal tendencies, and a little something people in the business refer to as “vibes”. And now having spent the last few months observing each one, listening as they each take turn after repetitive turn explaining how they see best fit to turn Oakland around I am convinced that Ignacio De La Fuente has become stricken with a condition I refer to as Al Gore Syndrome. Is it politically deadly? No. Is it potentially debili...

What's this man really afraid of? I wonder.

I just checked SBS' Oakland Focus stats and noticed that our old friends at the Oakland Mayor's office are back and in a big way! 10 page views from one visitor, and going through all of the Oakland Focus archives! Thanks for the traffic. We'll keep writing and I'm sure you'll keep giving us stuff to write about!