Oakland Focus News | Oakland News Online Blog

In the really fast changing world of  Online Reputation Management  getting a number one search ranking on Google's nothing to ignore, regardless of how long it lasts or how long it took to get there.   Right now, as of this writing, my  YouTube video  on our Online Reputation Management services is ranked #1 in a search for "Online Reputation Management" on Google out of about 1.6 million results.   For more information, click here  !

Patricia Dedekian of the Friends Of The Oakland Fox talks about how the effort to revive the Fox Theater took shape and the basic problems she hopes to solve, namely bring the building to code standards and how the very reopening of the facility will help raise money for it.  She also talks about moving the Oakland School for The Arts into the Oakland Fox Theater.  This video was created in January, but with just over 300 views as of this writing, has not been seen by many.  Give it a look because it's very informative.  

As the day of February 5th -- the day the Oakland Fox Theater is to reopen -- moves closer, some Oaklanders are not as excited about that day as others.  Some long time residents are upset that the actual 3,000 seat theater will be no more -- that's right. The Fox will not be the large theater playhouse some have wanted.   "It's not what I expected it to be" said one long time Oakland community insider "and some wonder if it will take business away from the Paramount Theater."  Well, one consideration here is that the Fox will be managed by the same group of people that control the Paramount now.  But that doesn't automatically take away from the economic issue at all.  It seems that with the Fox's overall size potential, the foundation for building live theater in Oakland again was set, but with only a 500 person capacity,  one would think the Fox' long-held size advantage was taken away.   Which really leads to the question: is that part of

The Oakland Fox Theater has rested dormant for over 30 years until California Commericial Investments and Phil Tagami worked with the City of Oakland to restore this architectural gem.   All of the work will come to an end when the Fox Theater opens on February 5th 2009.  You can be part of the party with a contribution of anywhere from $35 to $25,000, which you can do starting with a click here:   Contribute to the Oakland Fox .  

Tony West, who I've gotten to know over the last two years of volunteering for the Obama campaign, and Van Jones, who I actually met for the first time at a party hosted by Aimee Allison, are both featured in today's Oakland Tribune as possible future members of President-Elect Barack Obama's Cabinet.  Here are two videos I made of interviews I conducted with both Tony West and Van Jones  : Tony West: Van Jones:

 In the wake of the horrible Mumbai, India terrorist attacks we have had conversations on the role of Radical Islam. But forgetten is the fact that the terrorists are not rich, they're poor.  

In a kind of retrospective, Oakland Tribune reporter Josh Richman looks back on California Senator Don Perata's record and sorts them into the good and the bad.  He give Perata praise for standing up to Governior Schwartzenegger, and pans for Perata's way of handling campaign cash, but those aren't the only actions Richman points to.  You've got to read the rest here:   Click Trib  .  

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If you watch KTVU, you may remember the woman who anchored the Saturday evening news, Sara Sidner. Well, she's now on CNN and doing a fantastic job covering a dangerous story: The India Terrorist attacks. Click here to read more .

'Tis the season again for holiday shopping, and the hottest holiday gifts will be found at The Crucible's Gifty Holiday Art Sale, this December 13-14th. This is probably the Bay Area's most unusual shopping experience, where you'll find fabulous handcrafted holiday gifts while experiencing art in action in The Crucible's vast West Oakland studio. read more | digg story

Tennessee has reached an agreement with former Oakland Raiders coach Lane Kiffin to take over as the Volunteers' next coach, with an announcement planned for Monday, barring any snags, according to multiple sources. read more | digg story

An Alameda County judge has thrown out a lawsuit contesting the election to the county's Republican Central Committee of a handful of supporters of libertarian Ron Paul, a former presidential candidate. lameda County Superior Court Judge Frank Roesch rejected a lawsuit by committee Chairman Paul Cummings of Oakland seeking to overturn the elect... read more | digg story

Chris Young of the Northern California staff of Obama for America gives a speech in Berkeley, Ca, September 4th 2008. Then I talk with Young about the campaign to that date, and a then-new new threat, GOP VP Candidate Governor Sarah Palin

Happy Thanksgiving. But its not one for the people who are being held hostage in Mumbai, India. Mumbai, the "Bollywood" capital of India, was attacked by a terrorist group called the Deccan Mujahedeen. I've read and listened to many accounts of what the terrorist's motivations are, but they're targeting American and British people. I don't care what their reasons are, we've got to save those being terrorized and get our Americans home. But doing this calls for covert, not overt action, else more will die. In the 21st Century, why can't we send in troops dressed and trained in the customs of the area, have them quickly blend in, then disable the terrorists and get our folks home? It's not something anyone has to know about. That's the old America. Why not a way of doing this that works. We've got to get Americans to safety.

On the heels of my blog post on why I think Don Perata would lose if he ran for Mayor of Oakland, I had a great conversation with friends who disagreed with me and believed that Perata would win.  I introduced my logic, which is just that because it's not tied to any personal feelings about Perata -- I like him and always have going back to 1993 -- but a pure, cold look at the Oakland electorate.   I wrote that a "dark horse" candidate may emerge to beat Perata, and we talked about that person: Robert Bobb.    If the former and now some say "De Facto" Oakland City Manager threw his hat into the ring to run for Mayor, he would clobber Perata, and that's even if Perata got the endorsement of California Assemblyman Sandre Swanson, and most of the other members of the Ron Dellums / Sandre Swanson / Barbara Lee endorsement machine.  Bobb could beat that machine.  Bet on it.   Why? Well, let's take a hard look at this.  California Senator Perata would

In this bit of old news that you may not know but should, Oakland City Attorney John Russo has annouced that his office has joined the City of San Francisco's lawsuit against Proposition 8, the anti-Gay marriage initiative. If you want a copy of the full press release from Russo's office, click here  .

“First, it does little to address the underlying problem – the foreclosure crisis. We need a moratorium on foreclosures and bankruptcy reform to help people stay in their homes. read more | digg story

With a new term of Congress set to begin, the Congressional Black Caucus has also experienced a change of leadership. Congresswoman Barbara Lee has been elected the group's new leader. She speaks with Farai Chideya about what the group seeks to accomplish in an Obama administration. read more | digg story

With more than 19,000 reported crimes and 208 murders in 2007, New Orleans is followed by: Camden, New Jersey; Detroit, Michigan; St. Louis, Missouri; and Oakland, California. read more | digg story

The Oakland Raiders have a long history of having the greatest players, which is evidenced by the fact that over one-fifth of the current batch of Hall of Fame semi-finalists have at least some ties to the Silver and Black. That means that there is a very good chance that there will be a new Raider presence in Canton. read more | digg story

On the historic election night three weeks ago, Malia Obama wore a dress designed by Oakland-based Biscotti, a company that started two decades ago in president and design director Bernadette Reiss's basement.... Read the story here....

I found this story on the Oakland. It's maddening and makes me sick. I really hope they catch these guys. Reward doubled in Oakland beating of woman, 80 By Kelly Rayburn Oakland Tribune Updated: 11/24/2008 10:38:49 PM PST OAKLAND — Mayor Ron Dellums and the Oakland Police Department on Monday increased to $10,000 the reward the city will offer for information leading to the arrest of three people suspected of attacking an 80-year-old woman. The woman, whom police have not identified, was beaten unconscious Thursday by three men in the 2700 block of Grande Vista Avenue. The men stood over her laughing after the attack, police said. The woman was fighting for her life Friday but was upgraded to critical but stable condition during the weekend. She suffered swelling of the brain, bleeding from the brain and an orbital fracture near one of her eyes. "I offer my heartfelt condolences to this woman and her family," Dellums said in a statement. "This was a senseless act o

This is listed under the file heading of "What was he thinking?"  I've learned using Huffington Post's "Fundrace" system that our own Robert Bobb, who's listed as a "consultant" with the adress P.O. Box 77556, Washington, D.C.,  gave $1,000 to Hillary Clinton's run for president, but nothing -- zip -- to Barack Obama! That's disappointing to learn for this Obama backer and volunteer. I got after Mayor Dellums for not backing now President-Elect Obama because doing so would send a message to young Black men in Oakland that he supports the future, but I would have guessed Mr. Bobb would have certainly backed Obama.   Now, that colors a lot of thoughts I had about Bobb and makes me reconsider past his actions when we were involved with The Super Bowl. I crossed-checked the Robert Bobb listed in Chicago and who did give to Barack's campaign and he's a lawyer in the windy city. But it says something not so good when older Af

San Francisco Chronicle columnist Chip Johnson has had a field day -- or year -- going after Mayor Ron Dellums and pointing to his shortcomings, and today's no exception  : As he nears the halfway point in his four-year term, Dellums must decide whether to hire former City Manager Robert Bobb to his old position or continue with Dan Lindheim, a political appointment with little experience in city government. The national search to replace former City Administrator Deborah Edgerly, fired in July amidst a corruption scandal, has fizzled, leaving Lindheim to run day-to-day operations while Bobb, hired in July as a consultant, shows up twice a month and acts as the de-facto city administrator, City Hall sources say. The arrangement leaves Lindheim feeling undermined and Bobb in limbo, the sources say, while city residents are without leadership or clear direction. It's an uncomfortable situation that must be resolved. Well, Robert Bobb's certainly in limbo but fortunatel

Today features jury instructions and closing arguments in the trail of Bowoto v. Chevron. In the accounts of the trial, I've noticed an interesting pattern of the perspective of what I know call "White Activist Guilt". From that perspective, Chevron is the rich, bad "white" company, and the Nigerian militant groups attacking that company's employees and facilities are all good, non-violent folks.   This is the kind of view that has been presented by blogger Scott Gilmore , and others.  But his blog's arguably the best one solely dedicated to the Bowoto trial, so I'll start there. The story he tells of a peaceful demonstration by Bowoto is just not true. But the real story of this case is the poor Nigerian economic development and that government's neglect in making life better for Nigeria's poor, who've formed militant groups to take whatever wealth they can. 

As the Oakland Raiders went into the 2nd half ahead 10-3 this Sunday, the Raiders had still failed to score an offensive touchdown. The Raiders stretched their scoreless streak to 15 quarters and only took the lead with another spectacular Johnnie Lee Higgins kickoff return... read more | digg story

After a first half and drive that had the feeling of "here we go again" the Raiders finally found the end zone with their offense in the third quarter. They liked it so much they added two more offensive touchdowns en route to their biggest win since 2005. read more | digg story

President-Elect Barack Obama's just annouced his new economic team this morning  :  New York Federal Reserve head Tim  Geithner as Treasury Secretary, UC Berkeley Professor Christine Rohmer  as chair of his Council of Economic Advisers , and former Harvard President Lawrence Summers as head of National Economic Council . Geithner and Summers have been much-talked about. Summers, even with his mistatements on women, is considered a bright and effective economic policy-maker. Geithner is so well respected on Wall Street that the Dow jumped 200 points after Friday's news leak of his selection as Treasury Secretary. The surprise is Christine Rohmer, who's well-known in the San Francisco Bay Area as a professor of Economics at Cal-Berkeley. I personally met Professor Rohmer during my second year as a graduate student at UC Berkeley. I found her to be a delightful mix of the personable and the intellectual. A great mix to advance policy points and ideas. On that, Dr.

Just in time for the holiday party season we have this report of a planned DUI check by the blog "Oakland North".  The basics are that Oakland Police are planning a DUI check point set up "somewhere between the Oakland / Berkeley Boarder, which I take to mean College Avenue, or Telegraph Avenue, or Claremont Avenue.   That's the heart of the North Oakland dining district.   Here's the rest of the Oakland North post: The DUI checkpoint show will be coming to an intersection near you, on December 12, somewhere along the North Oakland and Berkeley border. While the casual, wine-with-dinner drinker and driver might do well to mark that date on the calendar and avoid getting behind the wheel at all, it’s worth revisiting that fuzzy, ill-understood question of just how much drinking it does take to meet the fateful 0.08% blood alcohol limit. MORE   

There's a lot of talk about the possibility of California State Senator Don Perata running for Mayor of Oakland.  I love Don.  Great person who's done a lot for California, the East Bay, and Oakland.  But I think Perata running for Mayor of Oakland would be a big mistake. I think he'd lose.   The seeds of my educated guess based on study were planted in the last election of two weeks ago when, Oaklanders voted for "change" candidates:  Barack Obama for President;  Rebecca Kaplan for At Large City Council; Dennis Hayashi for Alameda County Superior Court Judge.   The last person, public interest lawyer Dennis Hayashi, should be of note because he ran against San Leandro Prosecutor Phil Daly.  Daly was backed by Perata and a host of local judges -- and lost.   By contrast, Hayashi was supported by Congresswoman Barbara Lee, California Assemblyman Sandre Swanson, and a host of liberal elected officials.  (Liberalism's back, so I'm using it instead of &

Tony R. Rodriguez interviews Cathlin Goulding of Oakland, CA. read more | digg story

When six of seven members of the California Supreme Court gathered in Berkeley on Friday for a conference on the role of the court, their every facial tic and remark was scrutinized for signs of whether they would vote to overturn Proposition 8.Topics of discussion included the death penalty and private judging, but the lawyers [...] read more | digg story

UC Berkeley professors named to President-elect Barack Obama's advisory board joining about a dozen people who will work with Obama's formal transition team. read more | digg story

Reiser is the Linux guru who in April was convicted of the first-degree murder of his estranged wife. He's the same defendant who, in exchange for a 15-to-life term instead of a 25-to-life term, brought authorities to the Oakland hills where he buried Nina Reiser's body. read more | digg story

The Mayors of San Francisco, Oakland and San Jose got together Thursday afternoon to declare their intention to morph their collective communities into the “Electric Vehicle Capital of the US.” read more | digg story

Many Americans have lost confidence in our government and the actions of Treasury Secretary Henry Paulsen are a key reason why. Paulsen does not understand the system of relationships between financial institutions, companies, and their employees who are losing jobs. So he does not know where to apply the bailout money. The person I recommend to replace him and to serve President Obama, is Roger W. Ferguson. Dr. Ferguson was Vice Chairman of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System. During 9-11 it was he who steered the World's financial system out o collapse by working with the G-7. Ferguson was at one point mentioned to be the President of Harvard University. Currently, he is CEO of TIAA / Cref and on President-Elect Obama's Transition Team.

The main question for me is "What the hell's on the mind of a person who would even think of doing something like that?"  Why would  Anthony Frazier think to do this, let alone do it?   What's the point?  Can't he create his own legitimate business without taking advantage of a young woman?  Well, here's KTVU's account  : SAN FRANCISCO -- An East Bay man was in custody Thursday for allegedly kidnapping a young woman off an Oakland street and bringing her to San Francisco to work as a prostitute. Anthony Frazier, 29, pleaded not guilty Thursday morning in San Francisco Superior Court to charges of kidnapping, false imprisonment, human trafficking and abduction for prostitution, authorities said. If convicted, he could face several years in prison. Frazier was arrested in the area of Bush and Larkin streets at about 2:30 a.m. Wednesday, according to police spokeswoman Sgt. Lyn Tomioka. Tomioka said that earlier that night, Frazier had forced the 20-

This is my video based on an email I received from Nicole Saidi, CNN.com's Senior Assistant Producer, requesting a video on my thoughts on how iReport was used on The Situation Room's Mike Hukabee segment.  

"We have 203 employees — and we're growing," John Melo, CEO of alt-fuel startup Amyris, said as he stepped jauntily through the glass doors at his company's gorgeous new digs just down the street from Pixar in this industrial town outside Oakland. read more | digg story

In light of losing Javon Walker to injury, the Raiders benched Ronald Curry this week despite his best performance of the ‘08 season this past Sunday. The receiver had 6 grabs for 73-yards but will nonetheless see the pine this upcoming week. Curry, startled on the move, doesn’t plan to return next season: read more | digg story

Today's Oakland Tribune contains happy news for Oakland Tribune photographer Jane Tyska, myself, and others in the media.  The Alameda County District Attorney has declined to file charges against Tyska, who was wrongly accused of vadalism and inciting a riot by irate Oakland School District Police Chief Art Michel.  Were it not for Tyska's quick thinking to video the entire interaction with Michel,  the officer would have gotten away with filing a false police report and defaming Tyska's character.   I for one and very happy for Jane, almost to tears.  I don't care how that reads, it's not appropriate for anyone in a position of authority, and especially carrying firearms to act in the way Michel did, who reportedly has mistreated Tyska before  .  If you hav not seen the video that was "seen round Oakland" and part of the World, here it is: The next question is what's next? Will the Oakland Tribune file charges? Will Jane? Or is this the en

Ok, I have not missed a Big Game since, well, I can't remember.  And this one certainly is important for Cal and Stanford's bowl hopes. Frankly, we -- Cal -- has to get out of the Holiday Bowl trap we have been set in for too long. As of this writing, Cal's at 6 and 4 is is bowl-eligible.  Stanford's record is 5 wins, 6 losses and one win away from bowl-reach. The stage is set for what should be one of the best Big Game's ever.   Got your tickets  ? GO BEARS!

This is a video of my visit to the CNN Atlanta Headquarters and to meet the iReport and CNN International people who've been so good to me. I took my Mom as I thought it would be a treat for her as well, especially since she keeps her TV on CNN.   The iReport staff is pretty much like one would see at any Bay Area Internet startup and so I fell right in with their culture. Fun people. Jessica Ellis of CNN International who "discovered me" for the iReport coverage at the Democratic Convention, gave us a great tour of CNN from a behind the scenes view -- not the standard tourist tour. Thanks to Jessica, Errol Barnett, David Washington, and the iReport and CNN International staff for being so great.

I finally got the chance to edit, compress, and upload this boat ride I took with my friend Phil Tagami on August 31st of this year. Phil's a real estate developer and managing partner of California Commercial Investments / California Commercial Group.  He also has his own video show here called "Tagami Vision." He successfully redeveloped the Oakland Rotunda, in downtown Oakland, CA, and is now working on the recreation of the Oakland Fox Theater. Listen to this video because Phil gives a great view of the economic state of development not just in Oakland, but in the United States. Also, keep in mind this video was before the election and just after John Edwards annouced that he had been in an affair. Tagami supported Edwards, but later and through the election threw his support to now President-Elect Barack Obama.

From The Adams Point Action Council message board Tuesday (TODAY) Meeting at the Bellevue Club, 525 Bellevue Ave will feature: Dr. Bailey of LMI, PSOs from a number of police beats, Alton Jelks of the Mayor's task force on parking, Walk Oakland Bike Oakland rep. talking about Oakland bike master plan updates, news from neighboring NCPCs (Grand Lake Community Council and HarriOak), and more. Light refreshments, coffee and tea will be served. 4th floor of the Bellevue Club, Mural Lounge, 7pm-8:30ish. 

"I love West Oakland," he said. "It is vibrant, real, varied and right in the heart of the whole Bay Area. It is a small town in the center of a metropolis," he said. "We are poor, well off, marginal, established, tolerant of each other and a bit suspicious of outsiders." Click here to read more about Bruce's story

Jim Fassel says he wants to coach the Oakland Raiders. I think he should hold off on that before he hears my take. To make it work, Mr. Davis, the Manager of the General Partner of the Raiders, needs to really give the head coach power to be...head coach. 

My take on President Elect Barack Obama's appearance on 60 miniutes Sunday.  He and Michelle -- First Lady Elect -- performed very well.  Well, performed is the wrong word, because they didn't seem to be putting on an act.  They were honest and forthright.  My only advice at this point is for Obama to tuck his suit in as he sits to do a YouTube presentation.  

I remember when then-Oakland City Manager made curbs on the sale of guns in Oakland a major priority; then Mayor and now AG Jerry Brown fired him.  Since then, Oakland's taken its collective eye off the ball of controlling gun sales.  And the lack of attention has been so severe that it's led to this article in today's Oakland Tribune  : OAKLAND — Seventeen-year-old Dominique Nubie stood on a West Oakland street corner talking about what matters in his life. "Guns "... everybody here has guns," he said, motioning around. Instead of the usual high school concerns about finishing homework or making the basketball team, Dominique worries most about survival in a neighborhood where many of his peers own guns. Oakland is teeming with guns. They're easy to buy, easy to steal and seen by some young men as a necessary possession in certain Oakland neighborhoods where to be unarmed means to be vulnerable. "If I got a gun, I feel like I can't be touc

 Well four days ago I had this music in a dream then in my head I could not figure out how it got there. It was sci-fi like and could either be in a horror movie or a sci-fi flim. Then I saw the second Star Trek trailer, and it was that music. I kid you not. The second Star Trek trailer reveals a movie that will be a sure-fire hit. J.J. Abrams, who directed the movie and co-produced it, and his staff aimed for a mix of realism and Star Trek and hit it right on the money. I do hope we can see William Shatner in it, but I understand why he made this difficult -- he'll be sorry. But I hope he's in it with Leonard Nimoy.

Apparently Arab-Israeli aggressions are heating to boiling point in Berkeley.  The Daily Cal reports a Thursday night fight police may call a hate crime: A fight that broke out last Thursday in Eshleman Hall may be classified as a hate crime pending further investigation by police. Police said racial remarks were made during the altercation-a result of Palestinian flags that were hung from a second-floor balcony overlooking a pro-Israel concert-that may cause investigators to classify the fight as a hate crime. "We're looking into the possibility of it being a hate crime, based on the statements (made to police by) Palestinian students," said UCPD Assistant Chief Mitch Celaya. "Clearly these two groups have some conflict."

In what has to be the most unfortunate case of temporary insanity, Jing Hua Wu, who went berserk and shot three co-workers at the radio chip maker Si Port, is going to be arraigned in San Jose this Wednesday.  I certainly hope this is the only case of it's kind for a long as there's a poor economy.  Wu killed his fellow employees,  Marilyn Lewis, 67, of San Jose, the company's head of human resources; Brian Pugh, 47, of Los Altos, vice president for operations; and Sid Agrawal, 56, of Fremont, the company's co-founder and chief executive, after he learned he was going to be fired.    I don't understand why this father of three would do that, but as TechCrunch put it  , it's a sad day in Silicon Valley.  

This video of the Saturday, November 15th No on 8 Rally at Oakland City Hall was created by YouTuber marymactavish. I believe the speaker is At-Large Councilmember-Elect Rebecca Kaplan. (I was and still am out of town.) The passage of Prop 8 has caused a number of protests in California and around the country. Hopefully the initiative will be repealed in the courts.

I saw what is an interesting take on Blogging and how it's like an election campaign, and since we just experienced and participated in one, I thought it was appropriate. I found it at Problogger and it's by "Trish" of "Ideas for Women." I disagree that a Blogger should take a break, not that Bloggers should not, but one has to make sure there's a constant churn of information -- posts -- daily. I read somewhere -- I think here at Technorati -- that the most successful blogs had between four and 30 posts a day. That's work. Here's an excerpt: I followed this year’s U.S. presidential election pretty closely on T.V. and also volunteered for one of the candidates. Over I time I began to notice some parallels between running a successful campaign and a successful blog. I don’t plan to ever run for president - but I would like to have a more successful blog. I would also like to share what I learned and hope that it will be helpful to

THE OAKLAND SCHOOL district should fire the chief of its small police force for his abusive behavior caught on tape as he inappropriately detained an Oakland Tribune journalist during a student protest against immigration raids after striking her with his car. read more | digg story

  Regular visitors to our blog are undoubtedly saying "What?!" but I've not forgotten the basics of Sports Business Simulations: our sim games.  But I've spent so much time developing the video-blogs, online marketing and online reputation management aspect of the business, that I had to delay the introduction of my third classroom sim: Buffi The Gym Girl. What's Buffi The Gym Girl? BUFFI THE GYM GIRL BETA is a simulation of a very real, daily activity: going to the gym and the reasons why we pick a gym or leave one. Since some consider gyms as great places to meet people, and to date, it comes as no suprise that people change gyms based on clientele. Enter Buffi, expertly played by actress Cynthia Lee (with her sister Mary Lee playing "Buffi's Sister".)  (With the help of the staff of the Oakland Gold's Gym on Grand Avenue - thanks!!) Buffi is a beautiful, intelligent girl-next-door, approachable, talkative, and totaly hot and famous st