Oakland Focus News | Oakland News Online Blog

And so ends an era of politics, fear, violence, and murder. Black Muslim Bakery in Oakland officially sold By Josh Richman, STAFF WRITER - OAKLAND TRIBUNE Article Last Updated: 11/30/2007 08:46:41 AM PST OAKLAND - A - U.S. Bankruptcy Court judge has approved the sale of the defunct Your Black Muslim Bakery's North Oakland headquarters for use as a nonprofit center serving people with AIDS and other critical illnesses. In a hearing Thursday afternoon, Judge Edward Jellen authorized court-appointed trustee Tevis Thompson to sell the property at 5832 San Pablo Ave. for $1,052,000 cash to NCK LLC, a partnership buying the property for Vital Life Services. The money will go toward satisfying the bankrupt bakery's creditors, including an investment fund holding the mortgage on the building, the Internal Revenue Service, and the state Franchise Tax Board, among others. Jellen also approved a back-up offer of $1,051,000 tendered by Paulette Arbuckle, a North Oakland woman whose real...

Looking for Uptown, Cafe VanKleef, Air Lounge, Luka's and other Oakland nightspots and eateries? You can find them all here! Now, Oakland Focus has a new widget on the right where you can see the location of restaurants and nightspots in downtown Oakland and around Lake Merritt. Give it a spin and tell your friends! And stay tuned for more Oakland-specific tools here!

This is from Wiretap Blog Save The Bubble The idea is pretty straight forward: An 8-foot bubble of private space should be required around anyone entering a reproductive health facility, including those that provide abortion care. Seems simple enough, right? Too bad nothing involving the word "abortion" is ever that simple. In fact, at a recent City Council meeting in Oakland, CA where this notion was proposed as an ordinance, the pro-life/anti-choice community showed up en mass to articulate why they were adamantly opposed to the city adopting this law. It went like this, people in favor of the "bubble ordinance" took turns at the podium recounting instances when demonstrators had pushed and assaulted clinic staff, blocked entrances to facilities, prohibited cars from entering clinic parking lots, and even videotaped and photographed patients as they entered clinic property. They turned the spotlight off of the abortion issue and onto public safety, explaining ...

Click To Play This interview was conducted in 2003, just as the effort to restore the Oakland Fox Theater had embarked anew. Here, Phil talks about the importance of the involvement of minority contractors in the restoration of the Fox Theater. He also talks about how he and others have worked to draw more retail, and how now-former Mayor Jerry Brown helped in drawing institutional dollars to Oakand. Chauncey Bailey was murdered earlier this year.

This article below is from KNTV San Francisco -- somehow the Oakland Tribune missed this. But at any rate, I wonder if the residents would feel that way if they had to pay for it? I think the survey may have been rigged to get a positive outcome. 64% Back A's Fremont Ballpark Proposal Researchers: Fremont 'Strongly Supports' A's Ballpark Village POSTED: 2:12 pm PST November 14, 2007 UPDATED: 3:53 pm PST November 14, 2007 FREMONT, Calif. -- Residents of Fremont strongly back a proposal for a new Oakland A's "ballpark village" project, according to results released by a research firm hired by the team. A's organization officials said they hired EMC Research to determine the public's reaction to the plan, released the results Wednesday. According to the telephone survey of Fremont residents, a strong majority supports a new ballbark village complex in the city. Sixty-two percent said they supported the project. Thirty-two percent said they were opp...

Cathedral near Lake Merritt could stimulate urban uplift By Rebecca Rosen Lum, Staff Writer - OAKLAND TRIBUNE OAKLAND - Light is the pivotal feature of the 110-foot high Cathedral of Christ the Light sanctuary. As the lakefront cathedral complex has taken shape, it has also generated plenty of heat. The cathedral itself has been compared to a nuclear reactor, a basket wrapped in glass, an architectural symphony and, in the words of Bishop Allen Vigneron, "A great soaring vault." Architectural merits aside, Oakland's business community says it is also helping to generate something the district needs: economic development. "I think it's an absolutely phenomenal project," said Joe Haraburda, director of the Oakland Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce. "It will become another landmark that people will visit and (will help them) come to appreciate Oakland for the diverse place it is. It will stimulate more interest in Oakland — yes, in development, too." W...

I was driving past this gas station in suburban Oakland, CA -- Emeryviile, CA - when I saw a gas price menu that just made me cringe. It had a highest price of $3.82. That's almost $4 per gallon. So I turned around and turned into the station to make this video for the CNN YouTube debates. Gotta see this menu!

This is great advice and direction if you wish to serve on Boards and Commissions in Oakland. (Scroll down for the list.) The City of Oakland has over forty Boards and Commissions on which more than four hundred citizens serve as members. The system of boards and commissions provides an opportunity for residents who have special experience, expertise, and interests to participate in the City's decision-making processes by advising the City Council on numerous issues. These groups provide a forum for greater community participation and input into local government to facilitate quality decisions. Although each City Board or Commission has a different purpose and function, all serve in an advisory capacity to the City Council by addressing community needs. Board members and commissioners perform an invaluable service in assisting the Council to fulfill its obligations to the citizens of Oakland. If you wish to serve on a Board or Commission, read more and download an application a...

Some who are against the Oak to Ninth project will claim this as a victory, but that's wrong. This doens't throw out the Oakland City Council's approval of the project, as reported elsewhere. Judge tosses Oak-to-Ninth impact report New development project write-up in works taking into account court's concerns By Kelly Rayburn, STAFF WRITER - OAKLAND TRIBUNE Article Last Updated: 11/21/2007 02:42:49 AM PST OAKLAND — Two sides are claiming victory this week after a Superior Court judge issued a ruling on two lawsuits that challenged Oakland's massive Oak-to-Ninth development project. The legal battle pitted the city and project developer Oakland Harbor Partners against the Coalition of Advocates for Lake Merritt and the Oakland Heritage Alliance over questions of whether the city adequately considered the impact the project will have on the surrounding environment. The two groups filed separate lawsuits. Judge Jo-Lynne Q. Lee ruled on them simultaneously Friday. I...

As it seems, more and more, cities and counties and states must take care of their roads, freeways, and right-of-ways, else they could be massively sued. City of Berkeley Responsible For Hole In Fence That Man Passed Through, Leading To His Death - Daily Californian After a man was killed by a train while trying to take a shortcut across the tracks Thursday, railroad investigators say the city of Berkeley was responsible for fixing a hole in the fence he intended to pass through. While walking and talking on his cell phone, Berkeley resident Scott Slaughter, 31, was fatally struck at 8:15 a.m. by a Chicago-bound Amtrak train just east of the Berkeley station under the University Avenue overpass. Instead of walking farther to a pedestrian crossing at Hearst Avenue, Slaughter attempted to cross two sets of tracks to pass through a hole cut in the fence on the other side, said officials at the Alameda County Coroner’s Office. “He was on his way to Truitt & White lumberyard, where...

Flawed Oak To Ninth Referendum Killed By City Attorney, But Lawsuit Challenge To Action Dropped In October of 2006, and pointing to a major flaw in a referendum to delay the controversial Oak to Ninth Development Project, Oakland City Attorney John Russo killed the petition drive. The reasons he gave at the time were: Here are the facts: • The City of Oakland is required, upon request, to provide a date-stamped, certified, hard-copy of any ordinance; • The Referendum Committee finally requested a certified, hard-copy of the ordinance on September 8 th –several weeks AFTER the signatures had been turned in; • The Referendum Committee claims they were told by the City Clerk’s office they could download the ordinance from the website, but cannot tell us who specifically gave them this direction; • The copy of the ordinance that the Referendum Committee used read “NOT ACCURATE –TO BE UPDATED” on the Table of Contents; • Even though one of the primary concerns for the Committee was a pote...

Well, I've not checked it out, yet, but OaklandGoods has . I'm writing about the report that the new Franklin Square Wine Bar's open for business. It was started by the founders of Luka's next door -- well accross the street (Broadway) -- and from what my friends tell me, it's quite nice. Franklin Square Wine Bar, 2212 broadway, 510.251.0100

Although it's one year -- actually less than that -- away, the website for the Fox Theater is now live and operational. It's an informative publication at http://www.oaklandfox.com and shows how the "Fox Theater Restoration Project", under the direction of California Commercial Group and Phil Tagami, is coming along toward its October 2008 completion. Visit the site, and donate to the construction effort . When you do, this is what you get... $250 Friend of the Oakland Fox: 2 Grand Opening Gala Tickets $500 First Nighter: 4 Grand Opening Gala Tickets $1,000 Key Grip: 8 Grand Opening Gala Tickets, Lobby Recognition Plaque and more! $2,500 Best Boy: 8 Grand Opening Gala Tickets, Tile on the Fox Walkway of Stars and more! $5,000 Stage Manager: Reserved Table at Opening Night Gala, VIP Access for 4 guests and more! $10,000 Promoter: Your Name or Logo on the Promoter Banner, 2 Tickets to exclusive Green Room Reception and more! $25,000 Headliner: Your ...

While this Oakland Tribune report explains how the East Bay -- which includes Oakland -- has a declining hate crimes rate, this article in the San Francisco Examiner points to a finding that San Francisco, while seeing a declining rate as well, as a statistic higher than that for any city in California. Drop in East Bay hate crimes defies trend By Matthias Gafni, STAFF WRITER - OAKLAND TRIBUNE Article Last Updated: 11/20/2007 08:26:24 AM PST Despite a jump of nearly 8 percent in hate crime incidents nationwide last year, the East Bay continued to see a downward trend, according to the FBI's hate crime report released Monday. Contra Costa and Alameda counties have seen their combined hate crime numbers drop 36 percent since 2002, according to the statistics. Hate crimes have dropped each of those years, with a five-year low of 53 last year. The release of the 2006 hate crime statistics comes as two East Contra Costa agencies continue to investigate two high-profile alleged hate...

According to the Newsletter of Ron Dellums, Lenore Anderson's the Mayor's newest public safety diretor. This is what the Mayor's Office reported on November 16th 2007: Per the recommendations of the Public Safety Task Force, Mayor Dellums appointed Lenore Anderson as public safety director. Lenore job will be to implement the mayor's public safety vision - a vision that incorporates Prevention, Intervention, Enforcement and Sustainability strategies to bring peace to Oakland communities. Since joining the mayor's office, she has been working to expand the number of officers on the street to the current city-mandated ceiling, while partnering with community organizations to provide intensive intervention and prevention options for Oakland. "Public safety is my Administration's top priority," said Mayor Dellums. "Lenore Anderson is an Oakland resident who understands what our city is facing and knows how to get things done." Anderson lives ...

This news comes from the same Newsletter by Mayor Ron Dellums as the other post below. I don't know anything of value about either appointee. Margaret Gordon' a long time player in West Oakland, so I guess that's some information of value, eh? Mayor Dellums' two Port Commission appointments were overwhelmingly approved by the Oakland City Council this month. "Both Margaret Gordon and Victor Uno embody my sincere interest in addressing the critical and wide-ranging issues facing our City's port," said Mayor Dellums. Over the last decade, Gordon, a West Oakland resident, has become a strong public health and environmental advocate for her community, meanwhile gaining regional and statewide respect for her knowledge of the issues. Victor Uno, brings to the Port Commission an extensive labor background, as he is currently a National Board Member for the Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance, AFL-CIO, and the Business Manager for the International Brothe...

I got this note from the Newsletter of Ron Dellums via email. This is part of the Mayor's Office' push to get it's message and work properly communicated to Oaklanders. OAKLAND - Mayor Dellums joined city leadership, community groups, and tenant families to announce a major victory when a settlement was reached to preserve 50 affordable housing units at the Pacific Renaissance development in Chinatown, as well as facilitating the development of at least 50 new low-income housing units in the same community. "The affordable housing need of the Chinatown community greatly outstrips the current housing stock. With the growing numbers of families and seniors overburdened by rent, it was imperative for me to resolve the Pacific Renaissance litigation in a way that would optimize the number of new affordable housing units in Chinatown to provide stable, quality, and affordable housing," he stated.

Well, this was one Cal - USC game I expected us, Cal, to win. We came up on the back-end of a 24-17 score to a team we should have beat. But as much as people will talk about the game, they'll talk about the rain more. That was perhaps a one-in-a-lifetime experience to be at a Cal-USC game where the rain not only played a role on the field, but off. It was everywhere. Fortunately, I had my umbrella and stood and walked the entire time. That's more than I could say for a lot of people, who undoubtedly have colds by now. Watch "the rain come down."

I got into a conversation with this person (who didn't want to be named) on Oakland and politics, when she started talking about why she supports Senator Mike Gravel for President. This was so frankly unusual -- because so many people mention Obama or Clinton or Giuliani or Ron Paul -- that I asked her if I could get her to talk on camera. She agreed and this was the result.

Governor declares state of emergency Coast Guard scrutinized for response time, investigation continues By Kristin Bender and William Brand STAFF WRITERS - Oakland Tribune Article Last Updated: 11/10/2007 02:37:05 AM PST IMPACT TO BE FELT FOR YEARS Oil spoils plans for weekend As the governor declared a state of emergency Friday that will bring state money to oil spill cleanup efforts, hundreds of crews and a hefty amount of oil-skimming equipment had soaked up about 30 percent of the oil that gushed into the San Francisco Bay on Wednesday. As cleanup of the 58,000-gallon oil spill in the Bay continued full-bore, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger came to Fort Mason and signeda proclamation of a state of emergency. This allows the state to deploy emergency personnel and equipment and gives officials the right to tap into a state trust fund to ensure that resources are being used to expedite the cleanup, Schwarzenegger said. Officials estimated that roughly 17,500 gallons of bunker fuel oil had...

As I was leaving a visit to the then-new Oakland headquarters of Obama for America, I literally ran into Alameda County Supervisor Keith Carson. He was kind enough to stop and talk with me on camera about the presidential campaign, Barack Obama and the youth vote, and his issues of concern.

Since the new Whole Foods opened on 27th and Harrison, it seemed to me that there were fewer people at the Lake Merritt Farmers Market. On Saturday, I decided to take camera in hand and ask the vendors for their views. What I learned is that overall vendors feel it's too early to tell, but off camera two people said "Yes." But two others, also off camera, said it may be a seasonal development. One other person said that the Whole Foods was too far away to have an impact on the Farmers Market.

Oakland- Bay Area Women In Black v. SF Voice For Israel - Grand Avenue War Part One Part Two Each Saturday morning on the corner of Grand Avenue and Lake Park, and in front of the historic Grand Lake Theater, two groups stage a protest against U.S policies in Iraq and The Mid East, and against each other. I titled this "Oakland Culture War" because that's really what it is. Two groups of people who -- even though some may not live in Oakland -- picked this corner in Oakland to protest, and who have such differing views on The Mid East, they have agreed to stand away from each other, on opposite sides of the street to avoid arguing. After walking by these groups and saying nothing -- like everyone else -- I decided to take camcorder in hand and get information. The video contains some very interesting information, particularly by SF Voice for Israel. What was also of note, and comes out in the video, is how the Bay Area Women Against War seem afraid to talk to ...

Phil Tagami Hosts Bill Clinton According to the Oakland Tribune, Bill Clinton is the featured guest of a cocktail reception thrown by Phil Tagami , Managing Partner of California Commercial Group, and to be held at The Rounda this evening. The details from the Trib are below... Former President Bill Clinton will headline a cocktail reception tomorrow night at the Rotunda Building in downtown Oakland’s Frank Ogawa Plaza to raise funds for the presidential campaign of his wife, U.S. Sen. Hillary Clinton , D-NY. It’s $500 a head, or $2,300 to get into the VIP reception starting half an hour before the 7 p.m. main event. The event’s co-chairs include Clear Channel Outdoor executive and noted Democratic politico Michael Colbruno ; Oakland Mayor Ron Dellums ; attorney Kenneth Katzoff ; state Senate President Pro Tem Don Perata , D-Oakland; Assemblyman Sandre Swanson , D-Oakland; and developer Phil Tagami . And among the hosts for the evening are Oakland City Council P...

Novometro.com | Novometro On Uptown Night Club Reopening Novometro's VSmoothe -- whatever the hell that means -- is back with a review of the reopened Uptown Night Club near the corner of Telegraph and Thomas Berkeley. It's good to see the establishment alive again. Perhaps the new management will focus on concerts and live performers.