Oakland City Council parking decision draws ire of Conga Lounge Owner

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The infamous Conga Lounge MaiTai 

Which you'll need after getting a ticket in Oakland!

(Just don't drive after you've had it!)

I just got an email from Emmanuel ( Mano) Thanos, the owner of the famous (or infamous if you've had one of their Mai Tai's) Conga Lounge.

He's responding to my video and blog post on the Oakland City Council's decision not to toss out the current parking enforcement system. If you didn't see the video, here it is:


Here's Mano:

This is Mano here from the Conga lounge and Pizza Rustica Cafe.

It is a shame that the Oakland City Council has decided not to listen to the people of Oakland.

We used to be quite busy after 6pm. Now folks stay away until 8pm when they can park without having to pay the high hourly fee of $2 or the fine of $55!

This parking policy is extremely short sighted and has caused tremendous animosity between Oakland residents, shopkeepers and the City of Oakland.

I have written to the Mayor and city council members and have told them the city of Oakland needs to find other ways of raising revenue. I have tried to convince the city council to designate the Mai Tai as the official cocktail of the city of Oakland. This would result in favorable free publicity, nationally for the city of Oakland.

Thus this would increase tourism to Oakland, but the city council is dragging it's feet on this proclamation.

I don't know, I think Oakland is being underserved by it's elected representatives. Oakland needs new and imaginative leadership.

There are many ways to increase revenue without preying on the shoppers and
shopkeepers. I have some ideas.

I would remove all parking meters and advertise Oakland as the friendliest Bay Area city to shoppers.

This would greatly increase the sales of Oakland merchants and the resulting taxes to the city of Oakland.

I would print fun looking Oakland T - shirts and give them away to shoppers when they mailed in copies of receipts of at least a $50 purchase at any Oakland store.

I would also have a REAL town hall meeting and listen to the people.

I would ask Oakland residents to submit ideas on how the city of Oakland can increase revenue.

Instead of the city of Oakland working with it's shopkeepers and it's businesses it does the opposite and exploits them instead.

What we need in Oakland is CHANGE.

We need an Obama for Oakland!

Mahalo,

Emmanuel ( Mano) Thanos
co - owner Conga Lounge and Pizza Rustica.

Those who think this effort to change the policy is the work of a few disgruntled Oakland business owners will have to reconsider that point of view. I personally have no feeling for or against a recall election, except that I do think certain councilmembers should be left alone. 

Still, I gotta admit, an Oakland recall election fight would be really exciting for the media business around here! It's kinda boring of late. Needs shaking up.