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More at Zennie62.com | Follow me on Twitter! | Get my widget! | Visit YouTube | Visit UShow.com Speaking, er, writing of Councilmember Jean Quan and her pursuit of the office of Mayor of Oakland, she's having one of those exploratory meetings I referred to. I an email from Maggie Kostoff of The Grand Avenue Breakfast Club which reads: You are invited to join us- District 4 Councilwoman, Jean Quan, is considering running for Mayor of Oakland. I have scheduled an opportunity to meet with Councilwoman Quan. I personally do not promote any candidates, but feel that this is rare opportunity to share your opinions with a potential candidate. She is meeting with Oakland citizens to discuss how you view the office of the Mayor, and to discuss your priorities for this important office. This meeting is an open discussion for our local community. When: Saturday, September 26, 1:30pm-3:30pm Where: Lakeview Library (located across the street from Gold's Gym on Gra...

More at Zennie62.com | Follow me on Twitter! | Get my widget! | Visit YouTube | Visit UShow.com Oakland Councilmember Jean Quan has an email newsletter with some interesting information. Take this item with the headline "Community Policing and Other City News". The Councilmember reports that the Oakland Police have set up a red light camera at High and Foothill (paragraphs broken by me): Red-light Camera Now In Place at High and Foothill: In an effort to reduce red-light related accidents, OPD announced it installed a Red Light Camera Enforcement System (RLCES) at High St. and Foothill Bl. The system will capture red-light violations and warning notices will be mailed to violators for 30 days. After the 30 day warning period, starting September 29, 2009, citations will be issued for red light violations. The four intersections in the City now being monitored by the automated red-light camera system will be marked by an advisory street sign, notifying app...

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...

Did City of Oakland Cover Up A Toxic Problem At Robert's Tires? That is the question of the day and it's based on a webpage created by "Oakland Residents For Peaceful Neighborhoods" (ORPN) which claims that decades of oil and other toxic chemicals from the Robert's Tire establishment were not cleaned up at the High and MacArthur site, yet a five story senior housing development is being pushed to be approved to be built over it. ORPN writes that both the City of Oakland and the County of Alameda are forcing through approval of the development and they point a finger directly at Oakland City Council Person Jean Quan (District 4 - in photo) and Alameda County Supervisor Keith Carson. Knowing Keith Carson as I do, I don't think he knew of the environmental issue and was just supporting what he saw as much needed housing; but Councilmember Quan apparently did know of this problem and is cast as the "heavy" in this story. The developer at the center of...