Oakland Focus News | Oakland News Online Blog

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.

Burma Resolution @ Oakland City Council , originally uploaded by jeffluger . I know this room intimately from working as former Mayor Elihu Harris' economic advisor. It's located within the Oakland City Council Chambers and is used by the various councilmembers for meetings. This meeting, featuring Oakland District Two City Councilmember Pat Kernighan, was held in April of this year and on the Burma Resolution matter, the city would take up the matter of expressing its concern for the Burmese impacted by the recent disaster there.

John Russo and Matt Gonzalez , originally uploaded by allaboutgeorge . John Russo's had a knack for stagging interesting and off-beat political functions and this is the best example. This was in 2006 when Russo was running for the open California Assembly seat against now-Assemblyman Sandre Swanson. Heres, Russo and former SF Supervisor and now running-mate with Ralph Nader Matt Gonzalez are at the Parkway Theater talking about the meeting of the movie Network. I was there, sitting over to the right -- you can't see me. Russo's running unopposed for City Attorney in 2008.

As we get closer to the weekend, we're going to have posts on who's endorsing whom. This one starts with the SF Bay Guardian, who took Nadel for District Three, and my good friend Oakland City Attorney John Russo, who's running unopposed, to name some of their choices. I will refrain from insulting those who pick a certain candidate I may favor, unlike some other bloggers. Its your thang, but I've got mine. Here's what the SF Bay Guardian wrote, in their own words: Oakland Races City Attorney JOHN RUSSO John Russo, who has made no secrets of his political ambition, failed in a bid to win the State Assembly seat for District 16 in 2006, and now he's running unopposed for reelection. Russo has voiced some pretty ridiculous sentiments: he told a magazine for landlords in May 2006 that he opposed all forms of rent control and was against laws requiring just cause for evictions. That's a horrible stand for a city attorney to take in a city with a huge popula...

Laura Kelly is a female Cal student, who, according to Chris Treadway over at the West County Times , has made more prize money than any woman in the history of the 'Jeopardy' show tv. All I can say is "Go Bears!"

Oakland Residents For Peaceful Neighborhood scores another news touchdown with this story on a riot that broke out at Fremont High School, and which gives an unflinching look at Oakland flatland school violence. Here's the story, as told by ORPN with a link back to their website for the rest of the story: Fremont High Students Riot in Foothill Blvd. A fight between two teenage women escalated into a mob that stopped traffic and attacked elderly bystanders. The brawl began around 12:30 p.m. just outside Fremont High School on Foothill Blvd. at 48th Street. A resident of a house on Foothill Blvd. saw a young man holding a clutch of hair. Soon men in tricked-out cars and on decorated bicycles equipped with boom boxes gathered and escalated the chaos. Traffic could not proceed while the mob occupied Foothill Blvd. One couple took an elderly lady into their vehicle in order to protect her from attack. She had been waiting for the bus. However, the bus driver soon closed his doors and r...

Did City of Oakland Cover Up A Toxic Problem At Robert's Tires? That is the question of the day and it's based on a webpage created by "Oakland Residents For Peaceful Neighborhoods" (ORPN) which claims that decades of oil and other toxic chemicals from the Robert's Tire establishment were not cleaned up at the High and MacArthur site, yet a five story senior housing development is being pushed to be approved to be built over it. ORPN writes that both the City of Oakland and the County of Alameda are forcing through approval of the development and they point a finger directly at Oakland City Council Person Jean Quan (District 4 - in photo) and Alameda County Supervisor Keith Carson. Knowing Keith Carson as I do, I don't think he knew of the environmental issue and was just supporting what he saw as much needed housing; but Councilmember Quan apparently did know of this problem and is cast as the "heavy" in this story. The developer at the center of...

Yes. Sean Sullivan still leads in our Oakland Focus Oakland City Council District Three race poll with 77 percent of the vote, compared with just over 11 percent for both Greg Hodge and Nancy Nadel. But look, only 35 people elected to take the poll. If I actually promote the poll and drive the numbers to about 200 people, then we've got something worth noting. Stay tuned.

preparing to dig in , originally uploaded by evanyevany . Camino On Grand - Evany's Take On The New Restaurant I happened to drive by a new restaurant called Camino on Grand Avenue, and much farther up the way than any eatery before it. Indeed, it was an accidental pass as I was driving back home with my Mom as passenger who was visiting from Georgia. I have to admit, it's a large and inviting look of a venue from the outside, and so I decided to look up some information on it online and found Evany's take. Now, I don't know her but it seems she lives in the 'hood. But she gives a great review of the place in her blog diary. Here's part of it: For those who share my fear of the “popping eyeball” sensation some cherry-related deserts offer, I can assure you that this is a sweet you can order without risk of off-putting mouth sensations! For that crumble was all sticky and gooey, and not at all pop. Another word to the wise: Don’t miss the jet-propelled ai...

I'm not sure I got the value of East Bay Express and Former Oakland Tribune Writer Robert Gammon's recent works on Oakland Council candidates Mario Juarez and Clinton Killian , except that both gossip works added nothing to the campaign race. Gammon spilled the beans on Juarez problems with the Boy Scouts as a youth and on Killian's financial issues, but to read it was like fingers against a blackboard. Annoying. I think everyone deserves a second chance and why that's not true for either Juarez or Killian is not clear to me, nor, I'll bet, can Gammon explain it. That written, Robert's still one hell of a researcher, that's for sure.

Sean Sullivan in West Oakland , originally uploaded by seansullivanforcitycouncil . Ok, this is a totally non-scientific poll that one finds on a blog like this one, and I will explain how I think it's not accurate, but it currently reports that of those who voted while visiting this blog, 73 percent selected Sean Sullivan to be the next Oakland City Council District Three Representative. Now the reason I don't think the poll is accurate and why I think the vote will be much closer than this is that first, many people who vote in District Three don't have blogs or in some cases a computer. Second, and because of the first reason, there are those who will just go and vote for the incumbent because they're too busy to learn of the positions of the candidates. Third, and this is a negative for Council Nadel, I think there's a wave of concern that not much is happening in District Three. Personally, I disagree with that take, but it's expressed by not a few peo...

This is the second part of a two-video movie on the debate between incumbent Councilmember Nancy Nadel, and challengers Greg Hodge, and Sean Sullivan

This is the first part of a two-video movie on the debate between incumbent Councilmember Nancy Nadel, and challengers Greg Hodge, and Sean Sullivan.

http://www.tagamivision.com - I'm presenting TagamiVision videos on my channel as part of our partnership with TagamiVision. This interview is with Brian Rogers and about his education program called "Expect Success."

http://www.tagamivision.com - I'm presenting TagamiVision videos on my channel as part of our partnership with TagamiVision. This interview is with Oakland City Council District Three Seat Candidate, Greg Hodge.

http://www.tagamivision.com - I'm presenting TagamiVision videos on my channel as part of our partnership with TagamiVision. This interview is with Oakland City Council At-Large Seat Candidate, Charlie Pine.

http://www.tagamivision.com - I'm presenting TagamiVision videos on my channel as part of our partnership with TagamiVision. This interview is with Oakland City Council At-Large Seat Candidate, Rebecca Kaplan.

http://www.tagamivision.com - I'm presenting TagamiVision videos on my channel as part of our partnership with TagamiVision. This interview is with Oakland City Council At-Large Seat Candidate, Kerry Hamill.

See also TagamiVision.com

I'm presenting TagamiVision videos on my YouTube channel as part of our partnership with TagamiVision. This interview is with Oakland City Council District Three Incumbent running for re-election, Nancy Nadel.

The office of Mario Juarez , the real estate business man running for the Oakland City Council District Five currently held by Council Prsident Ignacio De La Fuente, was vandelized. Someone took a hammer and smashed in each of the six windows and doors of the office Friday night at 10:30 PM. I talked to Juarez about this; he said he'd not seen anything like it outside of Mexico City. I also asked him if it was connected to the authors of the " Oakland City Crook " blog that takes every bit of bad news about him and presents it in one blog. I've never seen this happen in an election in Oakland. Sad. Regardless of his past, Juarez should be left alone.

I thank the SF Chronicle and John Diaz for the chance to write the essay this video is based on. I've been a supporter of Sen, Barack Obama for President for 17 months, and one large reason is that he's like me. We share the same August 4th birthday, and have walked similar paths of racial discovery. Both of us have carved out our niche as individuals able to walk in different circles and still be ourselves. That's not easy; it comes as those around you tell you what they think your "place" in life should be; it's no wonder that I felt violated by Rev. Jeremiah Wright's National Press Club speech, as much as Senator Obama did. Pastor Wright made me put on my Iron Man Suit again.