Yesterday, this blogger filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request to the City of Oakland and to the following offices: The Oakland City Attorney, the City of Oakland Office of Economic Development, The Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum Authority, The County of Alameda County Administrator's Office, and The City of Oakland's City Administrator's Office.
The email with letter attached stated:
I did this because with the slow death of traditional media and lack of money for investigative reporting (or in my case blogging) there was precious little information on what was going on with stadium efforts in Oakland. Moreover, there seemed to be a veil of secrecy that was first evident when Mayor's Ron Dellums Sports Task Force met.
As one may recall, I quit that Sports Task Force because I discovered there were actually four separate groups meeting on the matter of building a baseball stadium for the Oakland A's and none of them were talking to each other. Nothing against the people in the other groups, or Mayor Dellums, but I did not feel the person with the highest level of experience in these matters in Oakland was being called on.
That person is me.
When I was at The 2010 NFL Draft and for the sixth year in a row as media, I was reminded once again that, more than any other person in Oakland who's not a working sports executive, I was better able to understand and evaluate strategies and plans for building stadiums in Oakland. Working as the Oakland Mayor Elihu Harris' representative in this area and the process of working to bring the 2005 Super Bowl to Oakland, the National Football League's constant and enduring friendship, and the creation and success of my Oakland Baseball Simworld game, were the gantry upon which my expertise was built.
That's why I'm the best person to gather Oakland stadium development information and evaluate it. I want to get as much information as possible to paint a picture of where the City of Oakland and The County of Alameda are in their collective ability to establish a stadium development program in Oakland. I want to learn what budget has been set aside for related efforts. I also want to learn if the process is being done in a logical and fair way, and that women and minority firms are getting a fair shot at landing work.
I'll keep everyone posted on the FOIA progress.
Stay tuned.
The email with letter attached stated:
Pursuant to the state open records act, I request access to and copies of all emails, written letters and correspondence, and studies of any kind regarding the budget and operation and management of the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum, and future development plans for baseball, football, and basketball stadiums in Oakland and over the time period from today back to 1/1/2008.
I ask that the agencies wave fees for copies of studies and emails (which can be printed out from a computer) and to avoid charging greater than the the cost to make a black and white copy of a document.
If my request is denied in whole or part, I ask that you justify all deletions by reference to specific exemptions of the act.
Thank you for your assistance.
Sincerely,
Zenophon Abraham
I did this because with the slow death of traditional media and lack of money for investigative reporting (or in my case blogging) there was precious little information on what was going on with stadium efforts in Oakland. Moreover, there seemed to be a veil of secrecy that was first evident when Mayor's Ron Dellums Sports Task Force met.
As one may recall, I quit that Sports Task Force because I discovered there were actually four separate groups meeting on the matter of building a baseball stadium for the Oakland A's and none of them were talking to each other. Nothing against the people in the other groups, or Mayor Dellums, but I did not feel the person with the highest level of experience in these matters in Oakland was being called on.
That person is me.
When I was at The 2010 NFL Draft and for the sixth year in a row as media, I was reminded once again that, more than any other person in Oakland who's not a working sports executive, I was better able to understand and evaluate strategies and plans for building stadiums in Oakland. Working as the Oakland Mayor Elihu Harris' representative in this area and the process of working to bring the 2005 Super Bowl to Oakland, the National Football League's constant and enduring friendship, and the creation and success of my Oakland Baseball Simworld game, were the gantry upon which my expertise was built.
That's why I'm the best person to gather Oakland stadium development information and evaluate it. I want to get as much information as possible to paint a picture of where the City of Oakland and The County of Alameda are in their collective ability to establish a stadium development program in Oakland. I want to learn what budget has been set aside for related efforts. I also want to learn if the process is being done in a logical and fair way, and that women and minority firms are getting a fair shot at landing work.
I'll keep everyone posted on the FOIA progress.
Stay tuned.
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