Oakland Focus News | Oakland News Online Blog

At first, I was afraid to ask Golden State Warriors head coach Mark Jackson the question. How would he react? Would he be mad? Would he answer or just give me a Brooklyn glare? All I wanted to know was an insight into Jackson's strategy. Can the Warriors prepare for the playoffs even though they haven't clinched their own spot? What he says proves there are no dumb questions and no obvious answers.

The TransBay Transit Center has published this new 10-day look ahead: 10 Day Look Ahead: Construction Activities Friday, March 29, 2013 – Sunday, April 7, 2013 NOTICE - FULL STREET CLOSURE - BEALE STREET BRIDGE ( BETWEEN MISSION & HOWARD STREETS), APRIL 5-8 WEATHER CONTINGENCY DATE, APRIL 12-15 Beale Street will be closed April 5-8, to install the third and final traffic bridge on Beale Street, between Mission and Howard Streets. Beale Street will be closed to through traffic and pedestrians beginning Friday at 7:00 PM and will reopen Monday at 5:00 AM. This week at Transbay... What to Expect This Weekend (3/30/13 – 3/31/13): Eastern Transit Center Site (Between Beale and Fremont Streets): This weekend there is no construction work scheduled for Saturday, March 30 or Sunday, March 31. Central Transit Center Site (Between First and Fremont Streets): This weekend there is no construction work scheduled for Saturday, March 30 or Sunday, March 31. Western Transit Ce...

The Sacramento Kings are not going to the playoffs and aren't playing well. However, as coach Mark Jackson of the Warriors points out, Sacramento has players that, when hot, can bury any team in the league.

The Oakland Running Festival drew 9,100 runners out for a sunny Sunday in Oakland, and thousands more onlookers. Here's my video, where I talk to Oaklanders, young and old about the event. I thank everyone who stopped to talk with me, and to Lee Corrigan, of Corrigan Sports, the race producer.

Over at Zennie62.com, the Oakland City Auditor’s Report by Courtney Ruby was called a "racist attack" on two of Oakland's black city councilmembers, Desley Woods and Larry Reid. The reason is that the report itself says that the claims of violating the Oakland City Charter's Section 218 were not backed with hard evidence, but heresay, and the report itself says that there is a "culture of interference" done by "multiple councilmembers" - then why not name them? Visit Zennie62.com here: Oakland City Auditor’s Report A Racist Attack On Black Councilmembers

Oakland City Auditor Courtney Ruby continues the game of using personal politics to get headlines, but with an ugly twist: she issued an "interference" report that, even though she said applied to all Oakland elected and appointed officials in City Hall in a "culture of interference," only named two Oakland black councilmembers, Larry Reid and Desley Brooks - and not the white Oakland councilmembers and public officials she said were part of the problem. Then Courtney Ruby said they broke the law of the City's Charter and used questionable evidence to make the claim. More on this at Zennie62.com and Oakland Focus and San Francisco Focus blogs today, Friday. 

Come to the Oakland Tweetup, Friday, April 5th, at 6:30 PM, Loring Cafe, at 37 Grand Ave in Oakland's Uptown District! A Tweetup is a kind of meeting of people who regularly use Twitter, and have one thing in common.  In this case, that something is we all live in and love Oakland, and actively communicate about what's happening using Twitter.  A Tweetup's a great way to make excellent business contacts, or just get to know the people who make up, in this case, Oakland. The tweetup will be held at the new, beautiful Oakland cafe and eatery called Loring Cafe.    Come at 6:30 and look for me, Zennie Abraham of @Zennie62, and of this video about Loring before it opened: And Friday, April 5th, is the time of the next Art Murmur / First Friday event for April, so it's going to be a great time. Come and join us at Loring Cafe, and stay tuned to this blog, Zennie62, or Twitter with #OakTweetup  for updates. 

Ok, who had the best dunk: LeBron James Over Jason Terry Or Dendre Jordan Over Brendan Knight? Simple question. Me? I chose LeBron because of the scowl after he did it.

Over at Oakland News at Zennie62 is the blog post about an ugly assault captured on video on YouTube that shows a young Jewish woman being assaulted by the brunette white woman and just for writing that she loved her country, Israel, in hebrew on the plaza's grounds. There's also more information on downtown vandalism associated with a protest that happened on March 16th. See: Oakland News: City Hall Plaza Assault On Woman; Protesters Vandalize Downtown

Golden State Warriors Head Coach Mark Jackson said that the play by Atlanta Hawks' Dahntay Jones - where he placed his foot in such a way as to cause LA Lakers Forward Kobe Bryant to be injured as he came down from a fade-away shot - was "dangerous," but stopped short of calling it deliberate, saying that he didn't know what was in Dahntay Jones' head at the time. Video by Kraig Debro for Zennie62Media.

Eric Casher, who's a friend of this blogger, and appeared in my video from the Democratic National Convention about Victoria Jackson... ..has been named to a vacant position on the Fair Political Practices Commission by California Attorney General Kamila Harris. Eric Casher works for Meyer Nave, the same law firm where former Oakland City Attorney Jayne Williams is a partner, and where he has represented "public and private developers, design professionals, general contractors, subcontractors, as well as, government agencies and municipalities," according to Eric's bio.   Congratulations to Eric, who's been a steady political player, maintain the right relationships, and making the right moves since we were both volunteers in the campaign to elect Barack Obama President Of The United States.

Note: Updated: 12:02 AM EST   The Oakland Army Base Lawsuit is still alive. The lawsuit pitting Oakland photographer and activist Gene Hazzard against The City Of Oakland, and pretty much anyone who represents the Oakland Establishment (if there is such a thing, and there is) is still alive, and that's to the surprise of even Hazzard himself, who said he expected "an adverse ruling," from Alameda County Superior Court Judge John True, but didn't get one.  Video: Background interview with Gene Hazzard: Instead, what he, and the Oakland Establishment he's suing, got was Judge True's call for a June 6th "case management conference" around a new item of information that Hazzard would not comment on. What Hazzard did tell this blogger was that  his two complaints were combined into one large one by Judge True.  So far, in total, it has to be written that this lawsuit has gone on this far because Hazzard has made a basic good point about the wa...

This press release is from the Office of Oakland City Council President Rebecca Kaplan.  OAKLAND, CA   Mar 5, 2013 – The Oakland City Council unanimously passed a resolution Tuesday night that divests the city from making investments in the manufacturers of firearms or ammunition. Council President Pro Tem Rebecca Kaplan (At Large), City Attorney Barbara Parker and Vice Mayor Larry Reid (District 7) co-authored the measure as part of the city’s ongoing effort to reduce gun violence. “There is a well-funded corporate effort pushing against our work to stop gun violence,” Kaplan said.  “And Oakland is now formally part of a national movement that includes cities like Chicago and Los Angeles – communities committed to stopping so many tragedies that take place at the hands of a gun.” With its passage, the resolution does the following: ·          Declares a city policy prohibiting the City of Oakland from holding any i...

According to Zennie62.com, the Alameda County Budget will take an estimated $7.1 million budget cut hit from the recently approved Sequester, last Friday. That number came from a County Of Alameda Analyst named Kai Mander. The "Mander Report" was to northern california grant makers, who's budgets and programs depend to some degree on the Alameda County, California budget. The cuts will impact the following Alameda County organizations and programs: Community Development Agency ($1.8 million), Social Services Agency ($1.8 million), Health Care Services Agency ($1.5 million), Sheriff ($1.1 million), District Attorney ($100,000), General Services Agency ($100,000), Debt financing ($700,000). More at Zennie62.com here: Alameda County, CA Budget – Sequester Impact: $7.1 Million

Oakland Musician Emily Palen and her band Knightress M1 will appear at The Uptown Nightclub in Downtown Oakland on Saturday, March 16th at 9 PM, PDT. If you remember Emily, she was last seen in this space talking about her then latest performance, her CD release party: Ms. Palen and her band will be joined by the Dead Clown Society, and Quart Of Blood Technique, as well as the talents of Kirsten Gerding, and Perish. It's just $8 and doors open at 9 PM. The Uptown is at 1928 Telegraph Ave Oakland, CA 94612 (510) 451-8100

Thomas C. Frazier: was appointed the Oakland Police Compliance Director on Monday, but little is known about him. Over at Zennie62.com comes the discovery that Frazier didn't have the best relationship with African American police officers during his time as the top cop for Baltimore from 1994 to 1998 - many called him racist. Visit Zennie62 for more: Thomas C. Frazier: Oakland Police Compliance Director Called Racist Police Chief In Baltimore - http://www.zennie62blog.com/2013/03/05/thomas-c-frazier-oakland-police-compliance-director-called-racist-police-chief-in-baltimore-39556/

While the Oakland Art Murmur / First Friday event did take place, it was only a part of its former self. As you will see at Zennie62blog.com , patrons were just happy the event was going on, but many believed it can and should be larger.

The arrest of a young black man wanted in a string of crimes was caught on the camera of vlogger Kraig Debro. Here's the video: More at Zennie62: Target Emeryville, CA Arrest Caught On Camera By Kraig Debro

San Leandro, CA - The City of San Leandro’s City Council recently reached agreement to continue to retain the law firm of Meyers Nave and (former Oakland) City Attorney Jayne Williams and Assistant City Attorney Richard D. Pio Roda as the City’s legal advisors. The San Leandro City Council on Tuesday Feb. 19 asked that Jayne Williams and the City Manager Chris Zapata develop a new contract between Meyers Nave and the City to continue its contractual services to San Leandro. The Meyers Nave firm was founded in 1986 in San Leandro by Steve Meyers, Michael Nave, Libby Silver and Mike Riback. San Leandro City Attorney Jayne Williams has served as City Attorney to San Leandro for the past 10 years and Assistant City Attorney Richard D. Pio Roda, a principal with the Meyers Nave firm, has served San Leandro for the past four years. The full story at Zennie62Blog.com here: San Leandro, CA Continues with Meyers Nave Law Firm to Represent City

Here's the latest Transbay Transit Center Project Update press release. This one for March 1, 2013. Oh, and if you're new to this and wonder how the design you see was selected, watch this 2007 video: 10 Day Look Ahead: Construction Activities Friday, March 1, 2013 – Sunday, March 10, 2013 This week at Transbay... What to Expect This Weekend (3/2/13 – 3/3/13): Beale Street (Between Mission and Howard Streets): The OCS system (MUNI Bus Overhead Contact System) will be reworked this weekend at night with traffic lanes reduced from two lanes down to one lane until the OCS lines are moved to the western OCS poles. The Beale Street paving will also be reworked Saturday, March 2 with traffic lanes reduced from three lanes down to two lanes. Monday morning, March 4 the Beale Street traffic lane configuration will also move to the western two traffic lanes and the western sidewalk will re-open. The eastern sidewalk will be closed until early April 2013. Pedestrians are u...

The Oakland State Of The City Address by Oakland Mayor Jean Quan was too long. Mayor Quan tried to make sure she mentioned everything - every part of Oakland from good news like the 5,000 new jobs last year, to revenue growth. Oakland Councilmember Libby Schaaf (District Four) said that she was happy that the Mayor was more inclusive in her speech, but Quan failed to give the Council credit for it's role in many of the improvements in public safety she talked about. New Councilmember Lynette Gibson McElhaney was more complementary of the Mayor, and said that she talked about the wineries and other businesses that made Oakland more fun to live in. Let's give Lynette a year and hear what she says in 2014; I'll bet she's more critical after a year at the helm in her district . Stay tuned.

Over at Zennie62, a California-based company called Immunotech Laboratories is announcing new R&D digs, and more updates on a new way to fight cancer. Visit: Immunotech Laboratories (IMMB): Revolutionary Cancer Treatment, New R&D Facilities #BeatCancer