Oakland Focus News | Oakland News Online Blog

Ok, here's the Oakland Focus endorsement list for Election Day, today. The difference between Oakland Focus and Oakland Tribune is that the Tribune just stamped in the council incumbents, whereas we think it's time for change in some districts. - State Senate District 9: (Richmond and stretches south through Berkeley, Piedmont, Oakland and eastward to Castro Valley, Dublin, Livermore and the county line) This is termed-out Sen. Don Perata's district. Democrat nomination: Wilma Chan. - Assembly District 14: (Richmond, Berkeley and stretches eastward to Pleasant Hill, Lamorinda) Democratic nomination: Tony Thurmond. - Assembly District 18: (Dublin, portions of Pleasanton, Castro Valley, Hayward and Sa - Leandro) Democratic nomination: Mary Hayashi (I). - Alameda County Board of Supervisors, District 4: (East Oakland, Oakland Hills, Castro Valley, Ashland, Cherryland, Fairview and Dublin) Nate Miley (I) - Alameda County Board of Education District 3: John Bernard; District 2...

Here are the Oakland Tribune endorsements released today, election day: Oakland Tribune endorsements Article Created: 06/02/2008 01:38:10 PM PDT - State Senate District 9: (Richmond and stretches south through Berkeley, Piedmont, Oakland and eastward to Castro Valley, Dublin, Livermore and the county line) This is termed-out Sen. Don Perata's district. Democrat nomination: Wilma Chan. - Assembly District 14: (Richmond, Berkeley and stretches eastward to Pleasant Hill, Lamorinda) Democratic nomination: Tony Thurmond. - Assembly District 18: (Dublin, portions of Pleasanton, Castro Valley, Hayward and Sa - Leandro) Democratic nomination: Mary Hayashi (I). - Alameda County Board of Supervisors, District 4: (East Oakland, Oakland Hills, Castro Valley, Ashland, Cherryland, Fairview and Dublin) No Recommendation - Alameda County Board of Education District 3: John Bernard; District 2: Conchita Tucker - Alameda County Superior Court Judge: John Bernard OAKLAND - Oakland City Council Distri...

IT'S ELECTION DAY - GO VOTE We will have recaps late Tuesday and into Wednesday morning. And also a brief on who and what to vote for in local SF and Oakland races. ...That is all.

I saw today's Adams Point Yahoo Message Board email to me and this bit of news stuck out like a sore thumb: I don't have a lot of details, however, here's what I heard from my neighbor (who doesn't have internet) My neighbor, a young woman, was waiting for a ride from friends at @ midnight on Weds at the corner of Jayne & Lee. A foreign make car (Corolla?) drove up Lee from Vernon, turned onto Jayne and doubleparked. Two young men got out of the car and chased the young woman who tried to hide out in one of the apartment buildings on Lee. They caught her and took her purse at gunpoint, ran back to their car and drove away. My neighbor describes the attack as opportunistic--the guys in the car saw her and decided to relieve her of her cash, cards and keys. The assault and robbery have been reported to the police The good news: She's not hurt--just scared. The bad news: she lost her purse we have armed robbers cruising the neighborhood. Please be careful. and this...

Part II When we moved to Oakland and I was about 12, Dennis Richmond was "doing the news". Now, he's retired and will be missed as he's like a part of the Bay Area's furniture. This video above is from the night he signed off.

Patrick McCullough is an Oakland hero. In 2005, he stood up to attack by drug dealers -- a gang that he reported to Oakland police, but who were still at large at the time. In defending himself against the gang, Pat shot and wounded one of the gang members. Mr. McCullough was found to have been acting to defend himself, and thus the D.A. did not press charges. Pat is one who was and is trying to take back his neighborhood. The ultimate action is the one he's taking today: running for Oakland City Council. This blog post in an endorsement of an Oaklander who can and has made a difference. It's not a matter of being against the incumbent Jane Brunner, but for a remarkable and remarkably brave person in Pat McCullough. A person with a resolve and will to stay in Oakland and help make it better. Oakland Residents For Peaceful Neighborhoods tells McCullough's story: Patrick McCullough: Triumph of a Hero Patrick McCullough, the north Oakland resident who stood up ...

If one can get over the shake and compression issues with this video, it's worth listening to as it features the Oakland District Three candidates on Measure DD implementation (Measure DD raised and prioritized money for improvements around Lake Merritt) and has what is now a familar pattern: Hodge and Sullivan attacking, and with Greg Hodge giving a spirited explaination of how the Mayor and City Council inaction is to blame for Measure DD execution problems, with Nadel, the incumbent explaining that "We're working on it." To be fair to Nadel, it is a large undertaking and the law calls for public imput throughout the process. That alone makes it a complicated undertaking. This video's had only six views before I found it for a host of technical reasons that boil down to a lack of infrastructure and engineering knoweldge on Vsmoothe's part. That stat should change dramatically.