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In mid August, Ann Haley, who for six years was the head of the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum Authority staff, elected to step down.  My sources -- and there are several -- tell me that she was actually fired. There was no good reason for her dismissal, but it's well-known that Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum Authority Board Chairperson and Oakland City Council President Ignacio De La Fuente was not happy with her performance. But in fairness to Haley, the Authority's structure and placement of many matters in the hands of SMG, the stadium management organization that still remains un-supervised, gave her little real power.  Plus, it placeed her in the role of dealing with the whims and requests of the elected officials that seem to insist on maintaining a system that is unprofessional in it's operation in the view of this observer.   But to add insult to injury, many insiders are asking the question why would the Authority have -- of all people -- long-time Deborah

  On September 6, 2008 Alaska Governor Sarah Palin said that the taxpayers were paying too much for Freddie Mac and Fanny Mae, the mortgage loan companies bailed out by the Feds. Problem: taxpayers never did that.

I have it from a good unnamed source that the Oakland Raiders -- rumored by some to leave after the current lease expires in five years -- plan to remain in Oakland through 2016, when the original Raider bonds expire. The news comes as welcome on the day that Oakland opens a sold-out Coliseum and hosts the hated Denver Broncos. But the obvious question of if the Raiders retention will mean a new stadium is not settled. As the current Coliseum is vastly behind schedule for an upgrade and a mostly-privately-owned stadium could bring big bucks to the "Coliseum Redevelopment Area" surrounding the Complex, combined with corporate sponsorship, the targer appears to be an ungrade of the stadium. It's also clear that what I told GAP Founder and Oakland A's owned Don Fisher two years ago is coming to pass: the Fremont A's deal is a loser because of its design based on land-sales performance. While that scheme works in a great economy, it becomes more and more te

'A Soul Food Experience' is the name of the new restaurant that just opened in East Oakland. The area to which the restaurant opened is known to be somewhat drab . With a renovation plan of the neighborhood staring next year, it looks like A Soul Food Experience is getting a head start on bringing change and new flavor to the community. I found this article from the Oakland Tribune, you can read the full story below. Soul food the new flavor in East Oakland By Kamika Dunlap Oakland Tribune Article Last Updated: 09/07/2008 05:30:44 PM PDT OAKLAND — Rubie Daniels is looking to add a new flavor to East Oakland with the old delights of Southern-style African-American cuisine. Daniels is the owner of the recently opened A Soul Food Experience, which serves rib and chicken dinners, black-eyed peas, peach cobbler and other recipes that capture the culture and spirit of the black tradition. "This place is one of a kind," said Daniel, 68. "We're the bright spot in

This video was created at a rally for Barack Obama in Berkeley Thursday that drew 1,000 people. I asked Obama supporters why they backed Obama and what they thought about the GOP VP Candidate Sarah Palin.

You can read the original story here . But this is a very disturbing story for me. I found a follow up on the Oakland Tribune. Here's the follow up I read about tonight: Councilman to meet with officials about MacArthur hot spot By Kamika DunlapOakland Tribune Article Launched: 09/02/2008 04:54:24 PM PDT OAKLAND — The fatal shooting of 18-year-old Kennah Wilson and her unborn child Friday night in East Oakland has left many residents searching for answers. Councilmember Larry Reid (Elmhurst-East Oakland) plans to meet Thursday with officials from code enforcement, the city attorney's office, the Oakland Police Department and the redevelopment agency to address problems emanating from the 82nd Avenue and MacArthur Boulevard hot spot, where Wilson and her baby were killed. "We are trying to understand all this insanity going on," Reid said. "People want answers and they want to see something done." On Friday night, Reid went to the crime scene to talk with Wil

I wish I would have known that everyone was gathering at Geoffery's Inner Circle downtown for this event. I'm sure it was quite a site, and definetly one for the history books. I was at home. The heat that the day brought Oakland had myself and all of my neighbors with their windows open, television sets turned up and tuned into Barack Obamas acceptance speech. And that, for me, sent shivers up my spine. We are all a witness to history. The Oakland Tribune's full story below: Oakland abuzz over Barack Obama nomination Sees Obama as bringer of change and symbol of overcoming racism Angela Woodall Oakland Tribune Article Launched: 08/28/2008 10:30:23 PM PDT "I accept your nomination as president of the United States." Those few words from Barack Obama, who made history Thursday as the first African-American presidential nominee of a major political party, sent shivers up spines and drove the audience gathered at Geoffrey's Inner Circle in downtown Oakland to its

Not only are we facing chances of fires starting but the air quality in these times are poor. Everyone is encouraged to SPARE THE AIR, and use public transportation. The full story by the Oakland Tribune is below: By William Brand, Staff Writer Article Last Updated: 08/27/2008 10:46:10 AM PDT Red flag fire warning for East Bay hills today It's a familiar story this time of year of the Bay Area. The combination of hot winds blowing out of the Central Valley, rising temperatures and bone dry conditions has caused the National Weather Service to issue a Red Flag fire warning today. The fire-danger warning is for the Diablo Range and the North Bay and East Bay Hills, especially the southernmost East Bay hills near San Jose, the Weather Service said. Temperatures are expected to hit 102 degrees in Livermore and Concord this afternoon; even next to the bay, Oakland can expect 90 degrees. Tomorrow's going to be even warmer, up to 104 in the Concord - Pleasanton-Livermore corridor and

Don't forget to set a day (or 3) aside this weekend for the annual Art and Soul Festival in Oakland. Between 60 national recording artists performing, to an array of authentic food from all over the globe, your time and money will be well spent. There's dancers expressing themselves from their soul through their performances, and there is plenty of games and activities for the children. Simply put there's a plethera of Art to create, view, and buy in the heart of downtown Oakland. The festivities start August 30 - September 1, starting at noon - 6pm every day. I've included a promotional video on the Art and Soul Festival I found on Youtube by Comcast. If you're intrested in watching it, click here.

With $48 million of Oakland reserves gone, and over $21 million unaccounted for, it looks like Oakland will have a rough September. We have our key players; former City Manager Robert Bobb teaming up with Mayor Ron Dellums, City Administrator Deborah Edgerly, City Councilwoman Jean Quan and Mayor's Cheif of Staff David Chai all trying to uncover the mystery of the missing millions, and are working together to present a new budget for the City of Oakland. This could mean tough times up ahead. Read the whole story by Matier and Ross SF Gate : Oakland's finances appear to be far worse than suspected. Former City Manager Robert Bobb, who has parachuted into town at the request of Mayor Ron Dellums to try to sort out the fiscal mess, has discovered that Oakland's reserves have been drawn down by as much as $48 million in the past year, and accounting for most of the missing funds hasn't been easy. Just last year, Bobb said, the city reported a reserve of between $60 million

Looks like there is more violence this week in Oakland. One killed, seven wounded in Oakland shootings Article Last Updated: 08/23/2008 10:27:12 AM PDT FROM STAFF REPORTS OAKLAND — A woman was shot to death and seven other people wounded by gunfire in different incidents in a three-hour period early today in East Oakland, police said. Police said it was too early to say if any of the incidents were related, but early indications were that they were not. In the fatal shooting, a woman was found about 3:51 a.m. today lying on the sidewalk in the 2200 block of 90th Avenue at Dowling Street. She was taken to Highland Hospital where she died at 4:25 a.m. Police believe the victim is 52 and lives in the area. But she had not been positively identified this morning. Sgt. George Phillips said police have no witnesses, motive or suspects in the killing. The slaying was Oakland's 90th homicide of the year. Last year at this time there were 87 homicides. Details about the non-fatal shooti

In the ongoing drama that is Oaklsnd City Hall, we have the old news that the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is now taking a look -- a deep look -- at charges of nepotism and favoritism at Oakland City Hall. If you want to see the supoena sent to City Attorney John Russo, click here. But I'm not surprised because about two months ago or so the Chronicle's Chip Johnson himself said to me that he thought the FBI should be involved in this matter. That was a long time before his article came out , but the FBI seems to follow the path set by Johnson, who was not quiet or secretive of his dislike for now-Former Oakland City Administrator Edgerly's approach. That I now state publicly has bothered me because it came to a point where I could not tell if Chip's work was personal or professional. I suppose the best columnists do their most outstanding work angry, but there were times I belived it was a little much. Still, the end result -- a total analysis of w

I found this video on Oakland City Attorney John Russo's Law Corps.

I saw this terrible bit of information today: Suspected West Oakland gang member slain in East Oakland FROM STAFF REPORTS Article Last Updated: 08/20/2008 04:32:05 PM PDT OAKLAND — A reputed member of West Oakland's Acorn drug gang died early Wednesday from gunshot wounds sustained Tuesday night in East Oakland, police said.. He was identified as Jonathan Gonzalez, 21, whose street name was "Redbone," police said. A 34-year-old man who said he was Gonzalez's cousin was also wounded. His name was not released and police were not sure if he lived in Oakland or Emeryville. The shooting happened about 9:53 p.m. Tuesday at a housing project in the 1200 block of 65th Avenue. The older man was able to tell police he and Gonzalez were walking back from a store when they were confronted by a man with a gun who began shooting at them. Both men were hit several times by gunfire. Gonzalez died from his wounds at 2:29 a.m. Wednesday at Highland Hospital. The othe

This is the first video kicking off our coverage of the Democratic National Convention and events leading up to it. This one was a $2,300 a plate fundraiser for Barack Obama at the Fairmont Hotel in San Francisco, CA, Sunday August 17th, 2008. As part of the event, an Obama Rally was held outside of the hotel. Two, perhaps three people with bullhorns were leading the crowd in "Obama" cheers, and one I recognized. Christine Pelosi, daughter of Speaker Nancy Pelosi and the author of the well-received book " Campaign Boot Camp " a guide to successful campaigning, as well as a California Superdelegate supporting Senator Barack Obama. I asked Christine about having Hillary's name placed in nomination and she skillfully ducked the question as only she can do. Instead, she said she was looking forward to the voting process, and reminds us that she's been a delegate since 1996. Then Christine informed me that the California Delegation will have its

A hairline crack was found in the Oakland BART Y train track Thursday night, which caused a long delay.

The familiar, long time home of Oakland Kosher Foods at 3419 Lakeshore Ave suffered a fire two weeks ago, causing about $30,000 of damage. " Jewish and Breaking News " Reports: The Shabbat afternoon fire at Oakland Kosher Foods two weeks ago caused more damage than was initially estimated, co-owner Yuval Atias said this week. The Oakland Fire Department originally estimated the damage at $30,000, but it’s a great deal higher than that with a lot of repairs in the offing, Atias said. “We’re trying really hard to finish two weeks before Rosh Hashanah,” Atias said. “So that would put it around Sept. 10 or 15, somewhere in there.” Rosh Hashanah begins at sundown Sept. 29. While repairs are being made, Oakland Kosher Foods is storing meat and other products in a San Leandro warehouse, but also offering delivery. Some meat-cutting, as well as catering preparation, will be done in the kosher kitchen at Beth Jacob Congregation, which is located about a mile from the damage

Congresswoman Barbara Lee has a history of firsts and of standing up by herself to stand for a cause or a point. This is one example : The International AIDS Conference has a history of welcoming world leaders, including presidents and kings, greeting delegates and saluting "them" for their efforts to eradicate HIV. Year after year, one elected official has bypassed the flashing lights and cameras of the opening ceremony and joined the ranks as one of "us," contributing energetically as a presenter, moderator, spokesperson and HIV visionary all week. Once again, Representative Barbara Lee (D-CA) is the sole member of the U.S. Congress to attend the International AIDS Conference. On Tuesday, I caught up with Rep. Lee to learn how her involvement builds progressive momentum globally and in the U.S. "I saw that there was a void when I when to Congress so I started participating to get a good handle on what strategies and what policies the United States shou