Oakland Focus News | Oakland News Online Blog

UPDATE: According to sources, "Norma" was an employee who was released for a reason that the Juarez staff would not explain. Moreover, neither Mario Juarez nor any of his staffers would confirm or deny the information given to this blogger. It's alleged that she falsified documents in a way that would have been damaging to Juarez business at the time in 2008. Other sources claim that "Norma" had a cozy relationship with Oakland Councilmember Ignacio De La Fuente - not sex cozy. Moreover, her email turned up only once in an Internet search - in this blog 2008 entry. One rule that I have learned in politics and life is to first, clean up whatever mess you've made before you do anything else. Second, pay your dues. We all make mistakes but we also must admit to them, and then work to clean them up. That rule is especially true for Mario Juarez, who's running for the Oakland City Council District Five seat currently held by Ignacio De La Fuente.

I am in New York City for the NFL Draft. As part of our partnership with KRON TV Channel 4, San Francisco, we created these video interviews of Oakland Raiders First Round Pick Darren McFadden. You can see more of our coverage at http://kron2008nfldraft.com Agent Ian Greengross On The Thursday Before the Draft talks about character and the chance of a holdout should the Raiders draft McFadden. Agent Greengross after the Raiders pick McFadden and McFadden Press Conference Darren McFadden Interview after press conference

OK, since the latest baseball drama involves my favorite player, the talented-yet-oh-so-egotistical Frank Thomas, I feel obliged to write a plea to the Oakland A's in his defense. That was a good year in 2006, Oakland. Remember it? Remember going to the playoffs, the bobbleheads, and roaring, packed stadium? The Oakland A's were serious contenders, and part of that had to do with the seasoned leadership of Frank Thomas. I know, much has been made of his diva antics this past weekend, but he was genial in Oakland, and his experience helped make that team what it was: playoff-worthy contenders. The A's should make the best of an unforeseen series of fortuitous coincidences. The Mariners and Angels are not as dominant as people expected them to be, yet the A's have far surpassed anyone's expectations; and now Thomas is available, and without denting Oakland's wallet, would probably play anywhere so that he has a chance to rectify his career. Take advantage o

This is a 20 minute movie on the dramatic event that was the convention held in Oakland, CA to elect delegates to represent the 9th Congressional District in Oakland and Barack Obama. It drew 2,000 people. If you live in Oakland and are politically involved, you're going to see someone you know in this video. It was really a kind of homecoming for people in Oakland politics and of course Oaklanders who have been involved with the Obama campaign. I thank the people in the video from Peralta Community College District Chancellor Elihu Harris to my friends, all of whom are in the movie and listed, and the delegate winners in this movie who are just some of the Oaklanders that will represent Barack Obama at the Democratic National Convention, Jennifer Pae, Fred Feller , Mark Friedman, Ayelet Waldman , and Darlene Brooks. The estimate of 2,000 people was my own and came from first, eyeballing the event, second from figuring that of 101 candidates, each had perhaps 10 people aver

The San Francisco 49ers are good for San Francisco; they bring pride to the City and its residents. It wouldn't make any sense to take the 49ers out of San Francisco. The team's owners need to seriously consider and then reconsider what the team brings to the City and its neighborhoods, especially the neighborhoods around the stadium. Lennar Corporation's proposed new 49ers' stadium is a good thing for the residents of Bayview Hunters Point because it will bring with it 6500 new housing units, which means help for local small businesses, and a beautified, improved neighborhood. The 49ers are as much a City tradition as the Golden Gate Bridge and Fisherman's Wharf. Keep the stadium in SF!

This bit of news from the SF Chronicle focuses on the Oakland Food Scene: Switching bait: Oakland's Pearl Oyster Bar & Restaurant (5634 College Ave., near Shafter) closed on April 7, but according to manager Micaela Gardner it's hardly the end for the Rockridge seafood house. After a few weeks' transition and a light remodel, Pearl will become Water Lounge, a raw bar, under Pearl owner Rick Tyler and much of the rest of the current management team. With luck, the opening date will be around May 19, Gardner says. Late hours and a full bar will be two of the attractions, as will a menu of mostly uncooked seafood. According to Gardner, that will allow for a smaller staff than Pearl's. "I'll have my pick of the litter," she says. Pearl opened in 2004 with Mark Lusardi as chef. When Lusardi left, Jonathan Luce, who had been in the kitchen since the opening, took over. Luce left in June and is now chef de cuisine at the newly opened Bellanico (4238 Park Blvd

In San Francisco, the second annual International African Marketplace (IAM) brought music, dance, food, art and crafts of the African Diaspora to the Bayview-Hunters Point district on three consecutive weekends in September. The IAM ran from 12 to 5 p.m. on September 15-16, 22-23 and 29-30 at the Bayview Opera House located at 4705 Third Street at Oakdale Avenue, easily accessible from the MUNI "T" line. Admission was free. The IAM is a celebratory series of events and activities of cultural diversity representing the African Diaspora and its cultural influences worldwide. It serves as a venue for all cultures of the African Diaspora and as a rallying point for coordinating resources in the African-American business, social service and art communities. It further serves as a cultural destination for tourists and residents. By presenting global goods and wares of the African Diaspora, local vendors will recreate a cultural destination venue within the Bayview-Hunters Point co

The Oakland school board finally got partial control of its schools back from the state after five years, and promptly squandered renewed public hopefulness by hiring an interim superintendent in closed session, without consulting with teachers or the public. Ms. Roberta Mayor, a former member of the Fiscal Management and Assistance Team, was responsible for briefing State Schools Superintendent Jack O'Connell on Oakland's financial progress over the last five years, and its readiness to take back control of its school system. She is now the one-year interim superintendent of Oakland schools, with an annual salary of $250,000. Ms. Mayor's salary, factored in with the cost of the new internal auditor that she will be choosing, will cost the city nearly $400,000 for one year. If the Oakland school board is concerned with cleansing its image and renewing public trust after declaring bankruptcy five years ago, it should start by directly involving the community with its

I must admit, when I talked to the hypnotist on the phone, I was rather skeptical; however,after reading The Secret and trying to visualize a more positive life, I threw caution to the wind and decided to make an appointment to be hypnotized into not smoking. The hypnotist made sense. Habits were stored in the unconscious mind, which had been fighting with the conscious mind for supremacy of my body for over half of my life. It all started with my delinquent high school boyfriend, who used to cut school with his friends under the bridge and smoke Marlboro reds. Their impending expulsion made them even cooler in my eyes. This was my chance to rebel; for the straight A, good girl to shock the bad boys by taking a puff. That initial puff lasted for 18 years, coming back with greater force every time I tried to quit and push it away. Hypnosis directly addresses the habit-holding unconscious part of your brain, and uses vivid visualizing techniques to turn those neur

The Detroit Tigers are in last place in the AL Central, with a record of 1 and 8. The LA Dodgers are in the penultimate place in the NL West, at 4 and 5. For those who predicted a dismal year for major league baseball after last year's steroid scandal, time to concede defeat. Baseball is back... with a vengeance. It's kinda nice to have the game back in the limelight. It's baseball for baseball's sake once again, and the standings so far prove it. The Yankees and Red Sox are tied for second in the AL East, leaving a refreshing sense of parity in their usual place atop the division. Baltimore may not be able to hang on all year, but at least they are making it interesting. Baseball may not contain any of the sordid tabloid scandals of 2007, but it contains athletes and competition once again. It's good to have it back.

Not to put too much pressure on her, but Sarah Ann Hayes is going to be the next big thing in female bodybuilding. I met her at Gold's Gym where shes' being trained by my friends Rick and Kelly Dobbins in Oakland, CA, but she lives in Minnesota. If you want to be trained by Rick and Kelly, contact them at rickdobbins@gmail.com

Just days after ousting Coach Ben Braun, the Cal Athletics program is successfully negotiating for former Stanford Cardinal Head Coach and Golden State Warriors Head Coach Mike Montgomery to come to Cal to coach the Men's Basketball program, according to ESPN. When this deal's offically done, it will be a great shot in the arm to a program that needs one. After five years of success, Braun had totally flatlined at Cal; Montgomery brings his amazing record at Stanford accross the Bay to Cal. Mike Montgomery posted a 393-167 record with 12 NCAA tournament appearances in his 18 seasons at Stanford, making him the school's winningest men's basketball coach. Stay tuned.

The San Francisco Bay Area Interactive Group or "SF-BIG" asked me to make this video of their "Reach" event held March 20th, 2008 at the St. Regis Hotel in San Francisco. The topic was on what ad firms look for in digital ad talent and what advantage -- if any -- San Francisco has as a center of digital media. The panelists included Melinda Mettler (Academy of Art School of Advertising), Alyson Hyder (Avenue A | Razorfish); Bernie Albers (Federated Media); and David Greenwald, (i2iplacement). In all it was a great event and the breakfast was terrific.

At the California State Democratic Convention, Oakland-resident Tony West took time to talk with me in this video about the fight for Superdelegates and the Rev. Wright issue and the Obama campaign's position on both from his perspective as Northern California Finance Chair and Field Director.

In another example of Oakland's chronic crime problem we have what seems to be an Old West story of many shootings in a very short period of time Four shot in Oakland in less than three hours Police unsure if incidents linked or gang-related Oakland Trubune Article Created: 04/01/2008 02:40:32 AM PDT OAKLAND — Four males were injured during a spate of shootings that happened Monday afternoon within less than three hours of one another. None were seriously injured, but police did not release the their names. "We'd definitely like to take the shooters off the street before something really bad happens," Sgt. Gregg Dutton said. In the first incident, an adult man and juvenile male were wounded in a drive-by shooting at 4:12 p.m. on the 1500 block of 23rd Avenue. Both were in stable condition late Monday afternoon. The second shooting happened at 5:35 p.m. on the 2700 block of East 10th Street. A teenage male riding a bicycle was shot in the abdomen by a gunman who fled o

http://zennie2005.blogspot.com/2008/04/president-bill-clinton-hugged-by-hot.html - President Bill Clinton came to the California State Democratic Convention on Sunday, March 30th to give a speech in support of his wife, Senator Hillary Clinton as she works to add more Superdelegates to her side. After an excellent speech, President Clinton came down to the floor to greet the crowd. As I went over to get a video of his action, and as he made his way toward where I was standing, a Blonde woman bulled past me and got to a place where she was right in front of him and proceeded to give him a hard, long (considering the time), and passionate hug. I have no idea who she was as by the time she did this, I was being pushed by a growing crowd of people behind me who were trying to get closer to Clinton. It was a wild scene. But the whole sight of the Blonde made me think of the Monica Lewinsky matter. Not because of the hug -- I am sure that happens a lot -- but the way she hugge