Oakland Focus News | Oakland News Online Blog

This is shocking and hurtful news.  Diane was a force in the Oakland business community, not just for Blacks, but for Oaklanders.  Her Black Business.  The Globe Newspaper reports: Renowned throughout the Bay Area for her steadfast commitment to the African American community, Howell used Black Business Listings, Black Expo and SEEDS as her platform on which to advocate on behalf of African American businesses. A social and political powerbroker in her own right, Howell used her multifaceted enterprise to promote issues of economic empowerment, education access and political and social activism in every way conceivable. A native of Chicago, Howell was born on July 20, 1950, to Doris Howell and the late William Howell. She was baptized at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church in Washington, D.C., and was confirmed at St. Edmond’s Episcopal Church in Chicago. Ever active in her faith community, Howell was a longstanding member of the Oakland-based East Bay Church of Religious Scienc...

More at the Tribune From Tribune: ANTIOCH, Calif.—As more and more black renters began moving into this mostly white San Francisco Bay Area suburb a few years ago, neighbors started complaining about loud parties, mean pit bulls, blaring car radios, prostitution, drug dealing and muggings of schoolchildren. In 2006, as the influx reached its peak, the police department formed a special crime-fighting unit to deal with the complaints, and authorities began cracking down on tenants in federally subsidized housing. Now that police unit is the focus of lawsuits by black families who allege the city of 100,000 is orchestrating a campaign to drive them out. "A lot of people are moving out here looking for a better place to live," said Karen Coleman, a mother of three who came here five years ago from a blighted neighborhood in nearby Pittsburgh. "We are trying to raise our kids like everyone else. But they don't want us here." -- Antioch has been known for a kind of c...

This really entertaining video brings attention to the work of a group called "The Lost Kids" who hold fundraisers locally in Oakland. This workshop raised $900 for Children's Hospital. For more information, visit http://www.myspace.com/thel0stkids

More at Inside Bay Area and at Piedmont USD : “Three 12-year-old Piedmont boys are waiting to learn their punishment for spray-painting the "N" word across a Havens Elementary School wall. Police are calling it a hate crime targeting teacher Marjorie Lawson, since it was scrawled outside her office. Lawson is one of two African-American educators in the Piedmont Unified School District. It's still not clear why the young suspects came forward on Dec. 4, but Piedmont Police Department Capt. John Hunt said the boys voluntarily gave statements to both school officials and a detective about the crime. "We then contacted the victim (Lawson) again, to let her know what we learned," he said. "She already had some information from Havens, but we wanted her to know we notified the juvenile probation department and it's up to them how they proceed legally," explained Hunt, who couldn't give too many details since the suspects are underage. "I can te...

By The Blue Screen - NY Daily News : “The Giants have won 22 games in two seasons, and followed up a Super Bowl championship by earning the No. 1 seed in the NFC. So really it’s no wonder that other NFL teams would be interested in raiding their coaching staff. And apparently defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo isn’t the only one drawing interest. The Oakland Raiders are reportedly going to contact the Giants about speaking to offensive coordinator Kevin Gilbride, too. Gilbride, who was the Giants’ quarterbacks coach from 2004-2006 before stepping up to offensive coordinator last season, was instrumental in the development of Eli Manning and helped turn the Giants into one of the most powerful and diverse offenses in the NFL.He also has head coaching experience, with the San Diego Chargers in 1997-98.” -- For some reason I'm not excited about Gilbride and that's because I view his offenses as static and inflexible. I also don't think he has the right temperment to coach ...

See Jaeson Ma This is a touching account by Ma and has a great video at the site as well: “This past weekend after Christmas, I went with my sister to West Oakland to pass out food, clothes and prayers to the homeless. We went to Wal-mart the day before and bought a bunch of warm sleeping bags, got warm clothes from Goodwill and loaded up our car to do what we could the next morning. When I got out to the streets, my heart was shocked and broken at the same time. People were lined up waiting for us to give them any kind of help they could get. As I opened up my bag full of clothes the homeless swarmed quickly to take what was best for themselves. All the clothes disappeared in a matter of minutes. I was sad, because I wish I had more clothes to give but I only had so much.”

See: OaklandNews: An open letter to Jean Quan I really miss Jeannette Sherwin's candor, regardless of who it was aimed at. In this case, it was in an "Open Letter To Jean Quan" that bears repeating because Councilmember Quan thinks she's going to be Oakland's next Mayor and because what Ms. Sherwin wrote below still applies today, unfortunately. I think Councilmember Quan would do well to follow what's written here: “Dear Jean, If you want truly fair and democratic processes, and if you want to feel less defensive, then you might do these things: An Open Letter to Jean Quan 1) Don't make up your mind in advance about development in your district, such as a replacement for the Hillcrest Motel. Residents have very, very good instincts and ideas about what they want and what will work Trust your constituents. 2) Don't take credit for things you haven't done. It pisses the real workers off. 3) Stop talking. 4) Listen. 5) Demand that the city counci...

From - “At midterm, Dellums faces growing criticism” : Of all of the people who tossed grenades at Mayor Ron Dellums, we have Oakland City Council President Ignacio De La Fuente saying this: “City Council President Ignacio De La Fuente, who ran against Dellums in 2005, said the mayor has shown an unwillingness to make decisions. While the two men meet weekly, De La Fuente said many of his suggestions fall on deaf ears. "It's our job to manage and respond with more or less money," De La Fuente said. "Until someone says 'I want it tomorrow,' it won't happen."” -- Ok. This means that Ignacio is gearing up to run for Mayor again. Yes, he's shooting from the hip and that was not a calculated statement, but I know Ignacio well enough to assert that he feels Dellums is vulnerable, Perata would give his blessing, and the Mayoral prize would be his. Now if Robert Bobb were to run against him, Bobb would win. City Attorney John Russo could beat both ...

More at Inside Bay Area : “Essential work in the Bay Bridge Seismic Retrofit Project will not go forward today while a Port of Oakland labor dispute is negotiated, according to the California Department of Transportation. A ship carrying steel supports for the project has remained unloaded at Pier 7 since its arrival in Oakland on Friday, Caltrans reported. Members of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union blocked the unloading work at about 5 p.m. Friday, protesting that Caltrans and its construction partner, American Bridge Fluor Enterprises, awarded the job to other port workers in violation of longshoremen rights, a union member said.” --

This brief interview with Congressman Honda is interesting to me because he talks about who he thinks the next Asian American elected official to rise to stardom will be: California Controller John Chiang.

More at Big Vinny's Bay Area : “A 'good tip' from someone in the biz: not confirmed, but developing...Monday, Dec. 22, 2008 Ted Robinson, a prominent national and Bay-Area broadcast veteran, is set to become the new radio voice of the San Francisco 49ers, according to an industry source. Robinson, who is NBC's lead announcer at Wimbledon and who also covers the US Open Tennis Championships for USA Network, is set to take the prestigious spot vacated by Joe Starkey, who announced he is leaving after the conclusion of this season, Starkey's 20th year. He will continue to announce Univ. of California college football.” -- Big Vinny's the source for all that's happening in Bay Area media! Check him out!

More at Inside Bay Area : “Jon Gruden will be on the sideline with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, with general manager Bruce Allen in a suite. Rich Gannon will be in the television booth, lending commnentary for CBS. Rumor has it that even Lane Kiffin may attend, with his dad Monte in his final home game as the defensive coordinator of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers before joining his son at the University of Tennessee. The only thing missing when the Raiders visit the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Raymond James Stadium Sunday will be the man responsible for bringing them all to Oakland _ Al Davis. Davis, with leg and ankle problems, has heeded the warnings of his physicians, did not make the trip, and reconsidered the idea of taking a private plane Saturday, Raiders executive John Herrera confirmed. "The doctors told him it's probably not the best thing to spend 10 or 12 hours in the air," Herrera said, referring to the roundtrip from Oakland to Tampa.” -- Get well, Mr. Davis!

More at Inside Bay Area : “The resolutions are in, and it's shaping up as a lean, mean new year for the Port of Oakland, which also operates Oakland International Airport. Despite layoffs and other cost-cutting measures this year, the port's number crunchers say the predicted gross revenues of $298.7 million this fiscal year will fall $12.1 million short unless steps are taken to reduce costs or increase operating revenues before then. Given the global economy, the dire state of the airline industry, and the declining number of shipments coming in and going out of the port's marine terminals, the former seems a more likely solution, said Marilyn Sandifur, the port's public information officer.”

There's an idea out there that there are more male than female video-bloggers and an anecdotal scan would seem to confirm that. My video explains how we can change that by encouraging women to vlog, and protecting them from harm and harrasment online to the extent that's possible.

Something the media doesn't cover much at all: the happenings in the East Oakland culture. This a typical Sunday worship service.

This is one of those videos friend and Oakland City Attorney John Russo thought that would be never found, but it's a great view of him as a person without the suits and with his real priority: his kids.

In this YouTube video, Annalee Allen, the longtime Oakland historical expert, talks about the Anthony Holdsworth Painting in City Hall.

'Don't Let Me Drown' headed to Sundance : “When screenwriter and film producer Maria Topete, 34, was a senior at Oakland's Skyline High School, she and two friends decided to make a movie. They borrowed some equipment and set out to find subjects to interview on the topic of being biracial.” -- Congratulations!

More at Sports at - Inside Bay Area” : “OAKLAND — Swingman Stephen Jackson straggled from the shower and took a seat at his locker. Tape recorders and microphones descended upon him, looking to get his reaction to the Warriors' biggest win of the year. But his expression contradicted the atmosphere at Oracle Arena after he scored 15 points in the fourth quarter to lead the Warriors' to a 99-89 upset of the Boston Celtics on Friday. He slumped in his chair, spoke with a drag and didn't smile once.”

More at Inside Bay Area : “OAKLAND — Skeletal remains found Nov. 7 behind Skyline High School have been identified as those of an 18-year-old woman who was a former student at the school, authorities and relatives said Friday. But how Johnikka Jackson died has not yet been determined, and homicide Sgt. Lou Cruz said police are still "trying to determine if foul play was an element of her death." Her remains were found in a canyon behind the school by students who took some of the bones to the principal's office before police were called. The bones were found near a crude shelter made of wood and sheets. Personal items found at the scene and dental records led to Jackson's positive identification last week.”

I just got this email regarding this event at Rasselas Jazz Club on December 28th: Concerts for Change – Benefiting Homeless & Hunger Featuring some of the Best Jazz Funk Bands in the Bay Area: Messy Guest Quartet (jazz, funk)                                       Dec 28 th An up and coming high-energy band that will keep you dancing. Fil Lorenz Soul-Kestra, 14 piece soul-jazz-funk orchestra.    Jan 25 th A world-class band, impeccable, and limitless in its capabilities. Joe Bagale, with an 8-piece band and unstoppable grove.    Feb 22 nd These guys will make sure your booty is shakin' & souls are breaking. Free Ticket Raffle:  visit  Progressive-Alliance.org  to find out more. Ages:     All Ages until 10 pm , After 10 ...

I had the pleasure of sharing my iReport story with CNN's anchor Richard Lui who's a fellow Cal=Berkeley graduate like myself. The original video on CNN is below and I told my story live today at CNN Headquarters. Thanks to the CNN iReport team and to the  producers at CNN.  Original video:

I just read the East Bay Express' Chris Thompson's blog about the fact that Mayor Ron Dellums still has not named a City Administrator.  That's because the one person Dellums wants -- former City Manager Robert Bobb -- reportedly asked for $350,000  !  That's too much for the cash-strapped City of Oakland to stomach.  

More at San Francisco Business Times: : “Moody's Investors Services on Thursday rated MediaNews Group Inc. -- owner of 29 newspapers in Northern California -- as being in “substantial risk” of default on its debt. Denver-based MediaNews owns the Oakland Tribune, the Contra Costa Times, the Argus in Fremont, and the San Jose Mercury News, among other local papers. The ratings service downgraded its “corporate family rating” of the privately held media company to Caa3 from B3 on $962 million in debt. It also lowered its “probability of default” rating to Caa3 from Caa1.” -- And the Trib's plan to charge money to online readers for content access is not going to stop this slide.

More at Editor and Publisher : “CHICAGO David Cohen founded the newspaper group in California that became Silicon Valley Community Newspapers (SVCN), and became its principal owner and CEO when it was spun off as a separate group. It grew from six to 11 weeklies. When Cohen sold SVCN to Knight Ridder, he stayed on as group publisher and retained the position when the weeklies ended up with MediaNews Group as part of its acquisition of the San Jose Mercury News. But now Cohen joins the large ranks of newspaper veterans laid off by the brutal industry economy. In a literal exit interview with his newspaper, the publisher told reporter Dale Bryant he understood the move. ”

More at SFGate.com : “(12-25) 16:54 PST -- It's difficult to say what is more remarkable about the hallucinogenic interior of the Fox Oakland Theater: the Moorish details that flood the ceilings and walls, or the fact it survived decades of neglect. "It's a wonderful glimpse of the past," said Kurt Schindler, a principal of the Berkeley architecture firm ELS. "These picture palaces were about glitz. They were designed to take you into another era, offering fantasy and escape." Schindler's firm is one of many consultants that had a hand in bringing the Fox back to life. It reopens Feb. 5 - a little more than 80 years after its premiere and 43 years after the theater last was used with any sort of regularity.”

I've actually heard a lot about the Hot Toddies, but never seen them. So here they are at the Uptown Night Club on Telegraph Avenue. Wonder when they'll be back?

I love this kind of video and considering that we're all traveling it's appropriate for this time of year. A Southwest plane coming in for landing in Oakland and where one can see East Oakland below.

More from The Oakland Post : “The young people based their findings, which they presented to board members Nov. 18, on a survey they conducted of 1,000 youth in West Oakland, Sobrante Park, Cherryland and Ashland. In West Oakland, 91 percent said drugs were a problem, and 8 percent said violence was a problem. In Sobrante Park, 73 percent said violence and drugs were a problem. When asked how violence can be stopped, the majority of young people said they needed more jobs, sports and dance groups, and a recreation center,” -- Old news at the Post, but needs to see the light of day.

More at Inside Bay Area : “OAKLAND — City officials will be swimming in red ink once again when they return to business after the New Year. Mayor Ron Dellums released a budget report this week projecting a general fund deficit of $50 million for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2009, and $58 million the year after that. The bleak projections are due to an economy in recession and expected increases in spending on children's programs and employee benefits and pension obligations, among other things, Dellums' report said. The mayor will meet with the City Council on Jan. 12 to begin hammering out a spending plan for the two-year period beginning July 1 and to take stock of the city's fiscal picture over the next five years. "Most public agencies nationwide, as well as private businesses large and small, local and global, face a daunting financial future," Dellums said in a statement. "The city of Oakland is no exception. The economic downturn that we face is u...

The sight of our President-Elect Barack Obama shirtless in Hawaii has some in a tizzy. But look, many brothers have hairless, sculpted chests, like me! My chest is better than President Obamas!

Hey, if you've never visited Saul's at 1475 Shattuck Ave in Berkeley, this week's the time to do it.  They've got a Hanukkah Dinner special I'm told is really great.  It has: Goat stroganoff (Niman's Ranch goat), Matzo crusted rock cod with fish from Monterey Market and a local fishery, Moroccan chicken tagine with organic chicken from Petaluma Farms, vegetarian tagine, spinach cumin latkes, traditional potato and onion latkes, and Niman Ranch braised. It's through December 28th.    

As of this writing, NORAD tracked Santa in Baltimore! Check out http://www.noradsanta.org for the latest Santa siting!

This is the second day of my Denver flight delay story. After not making UAL 7515, I managed to get a free room at the Marriot Residents Inn in nearby Aurora, CO. The next morning, I got up to get back to Denver Airport. This is that portion of the ordeal.

More at SFBG Politics Blog : “As the year winds down, I’d like to note what I consider to be the most politically courageous act of 2008: Attorney General Jerry Brown’s decision to reverse his position and urge the California Supreme Court to overturn Prop. 8. This was a deeply principled decision that went against Brown’s political self-interest considering the fact that he’s planning to run governor in a state where a majority has approved Prop. 8. And that political danger was exacerbated by Brown’s post-election statement saying he would defend Prop. 8, as attorneys general are generally required to do, opening him up to the dreaded flip-flopper label. But his new position is consistent with important constitutional principles (as I outlined in the Guardian almost a month before Brown adopted his new stance) and well-worth taking a gamble to do what’s right, the kind of act that is all too rare in modern American politics. ” -- And I second that award. Jerry Brown did act in a way...

More at MashGet : “A federal court in Northern California has awarded Verizon $33.15 million in what the company is calling the largest cybersquatting judgment ever, Verizon announced Wednesday. Verizon filed the case against OnlineNIC, a San Francisco-based Internet domain registration company, claiming it used Internet names--663 to be exact--that were chosen to be easily confused with legitimate Verizon names, according to Verizon. It might hard, however, for Verizon to actually collect on the judgment, which was a default ruling, or one entered against a defendant who fails to answer a summons. No one appeared in court on OnlineNIC's behalf or in its defense, Verizon said.”

This is the second day of my Denver flight delay story. After not making UAL 7515, I managed to get a free room at the Marriot Residents Inn in nearby Aurora, CO. The next morning, I got up to get back to Denver Airport.

Well, after all that, the flight was so overbooked, and I was on standby, I did not get on. So, I've got to get a hotel room and stay in Denver for the night.

As I upload this new video I am still at DIA - Denver International Airport - and Gate B56 where the flight to Atlanta, United 7515, was to have departed at 6:56, but will not leave until 10 PM. The reason: bad weather in Iowa

More at SFGate : “Dellums said the city's deficit, which was $42 million this year, could balloon by 2012 to nearly $113 million, with revenues that year projected to be $456 million and expenditures at $569 million. The city has relied heavily upon property transfer taxes which have dwindled with the mortgage meltdown. Retail sales taxes are floundering while the costs of providing police and fire service and maintaining parks and other basic city services are rising.” -- This is a great time to create new Redevelopment project areas, if only to capture whatever property tax revenue we can, otherwise it had to be shared with BART, AC Transit, and other entities. Regardless, the zero-sum game is not fun and will lead to their loss. The end answer is a going to be a total bailout by the Federal Government, in some kind of way.

Tails Of The City : Budget crises threatens lives of Oakland shelter animals : “CORRECTION: Oakland Animal Services will now be exempt from the holiday closure and will remain open in order to protect the welfare of animals. More than 180 adoptable animals at Oakland Animal Services may be euthanized during the week between Christmas and New Year's Day because of a City-ordered shutdown. Because no animals can be adopted during the mandatory shutdown, and stray animals will not have completed their state-mandated holding period, the shelter will be forced to euthanize more than 20 adoptable animals daily from December 26 through January 2.”

California Lt. Gov. adviser pleads guilty in child porn case - Inside Bay Area : “SAN DIEGO — An adviser to Lt. Gov. John Garamendi has pleaded guilty to possessing child pornography on his computer. The U.S. attorney's office says Wade Sanders admitted Monday in federal court in San Diego that he possessed a computer with more than 600 sexual images of minors. The computer also had a 21-minute sex video depicting prepubescent girls. The 67-year-old Sanders was Garamendi's senior adviser for veterans and military affairs at the time of his arrest. He also served as deputy assistant secretary of the Navy under President Clinton.” -- All I ask is why do that?

/More at Inside Bay Area : “OAKLAND — An emaciated-looking California sea lion that wandered to the edge of an Oakland International Airport runway was sent to a marine animal hospital Tuesday. Marine Mammal Center workers recovered the animal by 1:30 p.m., after airport workers had noticed it a few hours earlier. "Our rescue workers waded through the water and found the animal acting pretty lethargic until they netted it," Marine Mammal Center spokeswoman Mieke Eerkens said. "It doesn't appear to have any other major injuries, but we'll check it out when it arrives in our Sausalito hospital."”

Contrary to Dave Winder, I think President-Elect Barack Obama's choice of Rick Warren was brilliant in that it's forced a dialog America's not had, and will cause Warren to move to the center on the matter of Gays and Lesbians ans Gay Marriage.

I have to write with more than the usual amusement regarding the postings I've seen on the recently-held " Oakland Blogger Get Together  " because this blog you're reading is the only one that's updated daily, gets more traffic than the others, and doesn't ignore parts of Oakland, and has the only writer who actually worked in Oakland politics -- me.   So, as they do, they formed their own meeting -- an entire "White's only" gathering.  That's sad.  Perhaps I'll host my own gathering, but it will be of a different kind to be sute.  First, racially mixed.  Second, reflective of those who are at the cutting edge of New Media in Oakland, and that's beyond the small group of bloggers that got together.  As I said to Paul Cobb  , there's a "White Blogger group" and true to form, these folks proved it.  And its not as if they don't know who I am; they do and could have invited me.  In fact, that's the problem: they...

Visit Spot.us : “What's really wrong with OPD? The reported failings of the Oakland Police Department are serious and well-known. Cops lie to obtain search warrants. Brass assign detectives with known ties to the suspects they are investigating. On any given day, the department has an absentee rate of 30 percent. Morale is in the cellar. The current chief has taken a leave of absence, and from the outside, it's not clear who's running things at 445 7th Street. By interviewing current and former Oakland police officers I hope to arrive at a deeper understanding of what ails OPD, what internal culture gives rise to the failings described above. This is not the sort of reporting that is likely to turn up evidence of concealed wrongdoing, but rather it seeks to shine a light on problems that are hiding in plain sight.” -- Only $31.73 to go to raise money for Alex Gronke and The Oakbook to cover this story. It's part of a new website company called "Spot.us" where...

Happy Holidays! I'm Zennie Just saying 'hello' to the Seesmic Community! After months of thinking about doing it, I finally did it: contributed a video on Seesmic.com  , Loic Lemur's video conversation venture, featuring my friend Cathy Brooks, who was one of his first staffers. I remember when Cathy was totting around a laptop showing Seesmic at work; that was last year, 2007 at a STIRR Founder Hacks Meetup! Wow, how time flies!

This gem of a video presents the trash and pollution problem around Oakland's Lake Merritt, and what people like Dr. Richard Bailey are doing about it. Bailey explains that storm drains put trach into the Lake and says that we should ask if the drains are regularly cleaned to prevent this from happening. For more information go to http://www.lakemerrittinsitute.org, or help Bailey clean the Lake!

In this CBS5 video interview with Sherry Hu and Phil Matier, Oakland City Attorney John Russo talks about Barack Obama's victory in the November election and the matter of how Prop 8 passed.

More at Oakland Tribune : “The Raiders' all-around impressive 27-16 victory over the red-hot Houston Texans on Sunday had those who braved the cold and rain at the Coliseum roaring their approval and likely wondering if this was a one-game aberration or a harbinger of things to come.”

More in SFGate : “(12-20) 23:34 PST RICHMOND -- Police are offering a $10,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of four men who allegedly kidnapped and gang-raped for nearly an hour a 28-year-old Richmond woman, who was left naked when they fled in her car.”

I was a special guest of of Liza "The Wine Chic" Zimmerman at this Hangar One Holiday Cocktail Mixing event at Macy's SF and which introduced Hangar One Vodka and Mixologist Scott Beattie. Hangar One is made in Alameda, California

I have received information from a very good source that former Oakland City Manager, Robert Bobb, who's currently serving as a consultant to the City of Oakland on administration matters in the wake of the firing of City Administrator Deborah Edgerly, wants $350,000 to come back to Oakland as City Administrator. The trouble is, the City of Oakland does not want to spend that kind of money in the face of a reported $40 million deficit and a record-setting recession. Bobb will have to substantially reduce his "ask" if he wants the job.   Apparently, that salary matter is the big delay in Mayor Ron Dellums ability to secure the popular public official as the next city administrator.  

More on Lend A Hand Foundation - Inside Bay Area : “OAKLAND — The Lend A Hand Foundation toy drive is special for Jeanette Lewis and her 12 children every year. It's a time when their hearts are touched by the warmth of others through holiday giving. The sixth annual event held Saturday in East Oakland provided gifts to 200 youths who reside in homeless shelters, foster care and to others needing support with toys, educational items, clothing and food. "The foundation helps my family because sometimes times are too hard," said Lewis, 40. "I teach my kids that they can't have everything they want but just to be grateful and thankful."”

On Friday, December 19th, Illinois Governor Rob Blagojevich stood before the cameras and said he would address the charges against him. What would help is a sex scandal with ex-Hugh Hefner girlfriend Holly Madison!

Jerry Brown orders scrapping of Prop. 8 - Inside Bay Area : “SAN FRANCISCO—California Attorney General Jerry Brown changed course on the state's new same-sex marriage ban Friday and urged the state Supreme Court to void Proposition 8. In a dramatic reversal, Brown filed a legal brief saying the measure that amended the California Constitution to limit marriage to a man and a woman is itself unconstitutional because it deprives a minority group of a fundamental right. Earlier, Brown had said he would defend the ballot measure against legal challenges from gay marriage supporters. But Brown said he reached a different conclusion "upon further reflection and a deeper probing into all the aspects of our Constitution." "It became evident that the Article 1 provision guaranteeing basic liberty, which includes the right to marry, took precedence over the initiative," he said in an interview Friday night. "Based on my duty to defend the law and the entire Constitut...

Free Class Information : postnewsgroup.net : “The course is directed toward the parents, grandparents, and caregivers of middle and high-school students, but others are welcome to attend as well.  The class is free, open on a first-come, first-served basis and will feature information, activities, refreshments, resources and prizes. The class is scheduled for three sessions beginning in mid-January in downtown Oakland.   Parents can sign up by sending an email to parentclasses2009@gmail.com with your name, phone, email, the school your child attends and his/her grade.    If you do not have access to email, you can send a note to Parent Classes 2009, P.O Box 10103 Oakland, California 94610.”

Publisher’s Blog : postnewsgroup.net LOL!!! After his handshake and talk about having me help him -- no charge from me -- Paul Cobb of the Post Newspaper Group and the start of this video series where Paul expresses a desire to team-up -- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vFEDJaW8M74 -- has what is the most awful blog I've seen by a newspaper. Well, that's what he gets for not following up with me -- a disaster of his own creation. It makes so many technical errors I'm in stitches! If someone in house convinced Paul they could do it on their own, they were just nuts in my view. The result's just not workable and proves that people violate this rule: "Having a blog is more than having a blog" -- again and again.

Body found - Inside Bay Area : “BERKELEY — A wooden coffin containing human bones, found entombed behind a false wall in a Berkeley apartment building, was hauled out this morning by police and firefighters during a follow-up investigation of a suicide earlier this week, authorities said. The remains are apparently a man's, according to police, but no other information has been released about a possible identity, age or how long the coffin may have been there. Wearing hazardous material suits and oxygen masks, firefighters were going into the Ashby Avenue complex with shovels today and hauling out red trash bags full of unknown materials and huge pieces of wood, including a 6-foot box that looked like a homemade coffin.”

During dinner with a good friend, I had a chance conversation with Oakland Police beat officers in the Lake Merritt area. After a lively talk, they told me to share with you this message: do not walk by yourself at night. Even as the area is safer after the arrest of the "Takeover Robbers" the terrible economy leaves many vulnerable. There's an increased police presence around Central Oakland, but the police totally do not want you to walk anywhere by yourself at night. Period.

After several months of work, the mural at 1100 Broadway in downtown Oakland is finished. The work of Oakland artist Rocky Rische-Baird, it is a step back in time as much as it is a celebration of downtown Oakland and a landmark for 1100 Broadway itself. I talked to Rocky Rische-Baird about his new classic work.

"Liza The Wine Chic" Liza Zimmerman On SF "View From The Bay" 1/9/2009 : “Liza Zimmerman, my friend who's based in San Francisco and locally  known as "Liza The WIne Chic" just sent this email: Dear All, Please join me for my Bay Area TV debut! I was on Captain Kangaroo many years ago, but this will be more fun. The show tapes live on Friday January 9th from 3pm to 4pm, so members of the audience will need to be there by between 2:15 and 2:30pm. Tickets are free and it's going to be fun! Here are the RSVP directions: Please direct people to our website www.viewfromthebay.com and click on "be in our audience" and fill out a ticket request form. In the request form they would request the date that you will be on the show and under comments they can comment that they are a friend or family member of "Liza who will be on the show that day" or something along those lines. Or they can also call me at 415-954-7733 to request tickets. A...

Diane Feinstein gets nod to chair intelligence panel - SF Gate : “California Sen. Dianne Feinstein has been tapped as the chairwoman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, Majority Leader Harry Reid said Monday, a post that would give her immense clout over U.S. intelligence agencies and the power to shape policies on wiretapping and the treatment of detainees. Feinstein's promotion was welcome news for other state Democrats, as well as Republicans who plan to run for governor in 2010. The 75-year-old senator has flirted with the idea of running for governor but has told friends and allies she would be unlikely to make a bid if she got the top post on the intelligence panel. She would be the first woman to lead the committee in its 32-year history.” --- That paves the way for a gubenatorial battle between SF Mayor Gavin Newsom and Cal AG Jerry Brown.”

Eddie Neon Blues at Jack London Square,Oakland Ca (Free show) : “Wednesday Dec 17th 8 PM show at "Silk Road Lounge." 101 broadway Jack London Square, Oakland Ca . R&B / Blues with some funk and jazz edges. Eddie & his Blue Roux horn section will do 2 free sets Merry Christmas to Oak Town Y'all http://www.myspace.com/eddieneonbluesband”

Assistant's resignation leaves Tom Cable fuming - Inside Bay Area : “ALAMEDA — Former Raiders coach Lane Kiffin won't be receiving a Christmas card from current Raiders coach Tom Cable anytime soon. Not after the manner in which Kiffin lured away assistant offensive line coach James Cregg to join him at the University of Tennessee. Cregg phoned Cable after Sunday's game against the New England Patriots and informed Cable of his resignation, effective immediately. Cable likened it to quitting on the Raiders. "You got to understand offensive linemen," Cable said during his weekly news conference Monday. "This is our world. If I can speak freely here, it's about pride, it's about commitment, it's about trusting everybody next to you. So, to walk ... out of here is about as bad a deal as you could possibly do to that group of guys." Cable didn't mince words when he gave his thoughts on Cregg, Kiffin and the way the situation unfolded. In resp...

Delayed raid likely cost Chauncey Bailey his life - Inside Bay Area : “OAKLAND — The August 2007 raid on Your Black Muslim Bakery was postponed 48 hours to accommodate the vacation schedules of two senior SWAT commanders, a delay that likely cost journalist Chauncey Bailey his life, according to police sources and a lawyer representing an officer deeply involved in planning the raid. During the delay between the first scheduled date, Aug. 1, and the raid Aug. 3, a masked gunman killed Bailey — a slaying in which authorities believe bakery leader Yusuf Bey IV was involved. Officers familiar with the raid's planning and execution say Bailey's killing could have been prevented if not for the delay. While police did not know Bailey was being targeted, they strongly suspected bakery members had begun a killing spree that had resulted in two July 2007 deaths and described the need for the raid as paramount. Police have for 15 months denied delaying the raid. "I was never given a...

President-Elect Barack Obama continues to introduce members of his cabinet, today officially bring in Dr. Stephen Chu, Lisa Jackson, and Carol Browner. Dr. Chu is a legend in the halls of Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory and known for his leadership and knoweldge. Ms. Jackson is a policy-driven public official who reportedly improved the formerly politicized New Jersey EPA Department. And Carol Browner is a well-known environmental public official having served as the head of the EPA under both Clinton Administrations, the longest serving head of the EPA in history. Nancy Sutley, Los Angeles's deputy mayor for energy and environment, will chair Obama's White House's Council on Environmental Quality. If you're keeping score, Obama has introduced three women and one man today. I also have to add that I think Obama's appointing more Asians and women to top posts that ever before, but they're also trail-blazers in their fields.

Body found next to train tracks in East Oakland By Sean Maher, Oakland Tribune Posted: 12/15/2008 07:48:41 AM PST OAKLAND - Police found the body of a 44-year-old Oakland man who had apparently been struck by a train near tracks in East Oakland Sunday afternoon. Officers responding about 3:45 p.m. to 98th and Railroad avenues, found the naked body lying next to the Union Pacific Railroad tracks, police said. Alameda County Coroner's officials were able to identify the man through a fingerprint match to criminal records, said Deputy Ronnie Kaho'ali'i at the coroner's office. The man's name is being withheld pending notification of his family. Officials found two known addresses for him, one in Watsonville and one on 55th Avenue in Oakland, but are still investigating whether the man was currently homeless. They are treating the Oakland address as his last known. Two trains had gone by recently and investigators are trying to determine which of them struck the man...

Marin singer/songwriter Kathryn Keats calls her debut CD, "After the Silence," an apt title that celebrates her new life, a second chapter free of the relentless fear of being hunted down and killed, murdered by a psychopath who had once been her songwriting partner, her mentor, her lover. read the full story here....

BART Board Director James Fang Calls Eleanor Mason Ramsey "Incompetent" - SFGate This is from today's "Matier and Ross": “BART barking: Quite a tempest at BART headquarters the other day, as a dozen African American and Chinese American contractors led by Hunters Point activist and trucker Charlie Walker confronted the board over what they view as a lack of transit jobs going to minorities. Walker and his pals lit into the board, complaining that they were losing out on contracts while BART hemmed and hawed over completing the necessary "disparity study" to prove that, in fact, minority contractors aren't getting enough work. Unless things changed pronto, Walker warned, he would make sure President-elect Barack Obama (whom he claims to know personally) halted all federal contracts with the financially strapped transit agency. Having had enough of the rant, board member James Fang of San Francisco tried to duck out of the meeting, only to be corrall...

Exodus of blacks saddens Oakland - Inside Bay Area : “If new estimates released by the U.S. Census Bureau last week are correct, Oakland has about 27,000 fewer African-Americans than it did in 2000. Many local experts and officials question the magnitude of that decline, and the methods census officials use for measuring it, but few doubt that the actual drop has been significant. In 1980, the census counted about 47 percent of Oakland as African-American, the highest census rate reported after a four-decade growth spurt. Today, after three decades of decline, the estimate is closer to 31 percent.”

Daughter of "Real Housewife" adjusting to Berkeley - Inside Bay Area : “By Kristin Bender. Oakland Tribune BERKELEY — After "The Real Housewives of Orange County" aired on Tuesday night, UC Berkeley student Kara Keough said she had more than 200 friend requests on her Facebook page. She ignored most of them but accepted the people who go to Cal. "You never know, I might meet some of them some day," she said sitting in a coffee shop in the shadow of UC Berkeley this week. Keough, 20, has changed her stance on Berkeley after angering some people last month when she bashed Berkeley on the reality television show that features five "housewives" living in an Orange County gated community.”

Oakland families get homes for the holidays : “Santa paid an early visit to East Oakland on Saturday, when nine low-income families received keys to homes they helped build themselves. "I know I was somebody before, but now I've got a piece of the rock," said Lynette Knight, 58, a Wells Fargo manager who now owns a three-bedroom home on Edes Avenue. "I told the kids, 'We're going home. This is ours.' " The homes are part of a 54-home Habitat for Humanity development on a former auto junkyard near the San Leandro border. So far, 26 homes in the development - the largest Habitat for Humanity project ever in the Bay Area - have been completed, and the rest are due to be finished next year.”

Undercurrents: The Bay Area’s Lack of Local Day-to-Day Media Reporting. Category: Columns from The Berkeley Daily Planet - Thursday June 19, 2008 : “By J. Douglas Allen-Taylor Thursday June 19, 2008 One of the great ironies of these times—something historians in our grandchildren’s time will probably better be able to understand and explain—is that we are experiencing an explosion of information and internet discussion concerning local events while simultaneously seeing a drying up of direct news media reporting on those events. The Berkeley Daily Planet, bless our hearts, has two reporters covering Berkeley city government, and another to cover the Berkeley Unified School District and the various dealings of the Berkeley School Board. But that is a rarity. Across the border in Oakland, no media outlet—aside from the East Bay News Service’s Sanjiv Handa—regularly covers Oakland City Council or Oakland city government, no media outlet at all regularly covers the Oakland Unified School D...

Raiders' losing becoming historic - Inside Bay Area : “The Raiders went 33-15 in their 48 regular-season games from 2000-02. They enter today's game against the New England Patriots enmeshed in a 22-71 tailspin that isn't losing much, if any, of its momentum. By comparison, the Patriots are 74-19 during the same period. A loss today by the 3-10 Raiders, or in any of their final three games, would cement their place in the annals of the Advertisement NFL as the first team with six straight seasons of at least 11 losses.” -- The Raiders are an organization in search of true leadership. The problem starts in the front office and from what I'm told, a culture that fosters fear and backbiting.

Bakery leader embraced guns long before editor's killing - Inside Bay Area : “OAKLAND — Yusuf Bey IV was heavily involved in guns and gun violence well before the killing of journalist Chauncey Bailey last year — a killing he is suspected of ordering — despite his claims to police that he didn't allow weapons at Your Black Muslim Bakery and disavowed their use. Recorded jailhouse telephone calls and three statements given to police before and after Bailey's Aug. 2, 2007, killing implicate Bey IV in a 2006 shooting of a car belonging to the former boyfriend of a woman with whom he was involved and a June 2007 shootout at a San Francisco nightclub. He was not charged in either incident.”

llinois Governor Rod Blagojevich paid the price for defying President-Elect Barack Obama. In setting-up a pay-to-play scheme for Obama's vacated Senate seat, he rejected Obama's choice Valerie Jarrett and in doing so, caused Obama to pull the strings to have Rod Blagojevich arrested.

Haaziq4News YouTube channel features this police follow-along story on how the City of Richmond is cracking down on foreclosure crimes. It was done for KRON but is on his channel.

Sex and the other city: Women in Oakland outnumber men - Inside Bay Area : “Teenagers and women in Oakland between the ages of 15 and 64 outnumbered teens and men of the same age range by a count of 17,199, according to recent U.S. Census figures. That includes people who were never married, are separated, widowed or divorced. They share the gender gap with their sisters in many large cities around the world, according to economists. The worst mismatch was in the New York metro area, where women outnumbered available men by 210,000. That is little solace to Tessa Poppe, an Oakland accessories designer in her early 30s. Even for a creative woman who owns her own business, WikkitZ, it's a tough area for dating. "It's great if you're a guy. You're stoked."” --- And if we factor in sexual preference, then it's even better for straight men! While Oakland's considered to have the highest population of lesbian women, that has not perfectly translated into ...

Lead investigator in Bailey case being transferred - Inside Bay Area : “OAKLAND — Homicide Sgt. Derwin Longmire, whose investigation of journalist Chauncey Bailey's 2007 killing is itself the subject of investigation, is being reassigned to the patrol division in February in what commanders said Friday was a move based solely on department transfer policies. Calling Longmire a good investigator, Assistant Chief Howard Jordan said Friday the transfer was not for disciplinary reasons or because of his handling of the Bailey case. Jordan said Longmire is "termed out" in how long he could stay in the Criminal Investigation Division, of which homicide is a part. Jordan said if the department "makes an exception for (Longmire), we have to make exceptions for other people," which can't be done. The Chauncey Bailey Project reported in October that Longmire failed to document in his case notes on the Bailey killing evidence that pointed to a conspiracy to kill the jo...

Dan Kilman sent this YouTube video to me in response to a video I made covvering Oakland protests of Prop 8, and which he made on October 31st. Dan passed way, perhaps due to a hate crime, on November 25th 2008. His body was found on December 1st of 2008.

Chip Johnson SF Chron: - Loyalty or else in King Dellums' realm : “The city of Oakland no longer operates under a representative democracy - it's now a monarchy. And within the confines of that form of government, any criticism or disloyalty directed at the king - whether real or imagined - is dealt with. Her crime: She gave an affectionate hug to an elderly woman who spoke at a City Council meeting against a Dellums appointment to the city's housing authority commission in early October.” --- This is unfortunate but nothing new. It's what happens when you are in an arena where people are not compensated for creating wealth but for artificially giving loyalty just to get paid. Thus, the way to rise in such organizations is via the backstabbing Johnson points to. It's why we didn't get the 2005 Super Bowl. Forget the Raiders and the legal matters, it's this kind of rampant disfuction that is the reason. It's fair to say if you see a person of ...

Why Are Newspapers Dying? - O'Reilly Broadcast : “The emergence of the Internet proved newspapers' most challenging competitor, and the one that ultimately may have managed to do the newspaper industry in altogether. Most newspapers, from the veritable New York times on down, launched their own websites, reasoning that this was simply another medium in which to publish their own writers, but this viewpoint may have been somewhat shortsighted. In 2003, the term blog first entered into the modern lexicon, an online editorial or journal written not by professional journalists but by eager amateurs who could publish by overcoming a far smaller barrier to entry - setting up a blogging site. With contemporary tools, the blogger could effectively start producing his or her own "news" within a few hours, and if they happened to be reasonably competent, were willing to invest some time into promotion and consistent in publishing content, they had a good chance to gain more ...