Oakland Focus News | Oakland News Online Blog

Want to show your support for new ballpark for the Oakland A's? Show up at the meeting of the City of Oakland Planning Commission tomorrow, December 1st, at 6 PM PST at Hearing Room 1, Oakland City Hall, 1 Frank H. Ogawa Plaza, Oakland, CA. If you want to speak in favor of the new ballpark proposal and talk about the creation of an Environmental Impact Report for the proposed new A's ballpark at Jack London Square - of course you do - just get there at 5:30 PM, fill out a speaker card, and give it to the Oakland Planning Commission's secretary. Right now, according to the meeting's Facebook page , 156 A's fans plan to attend. Be there.  Aloha!

This is the San Francisco Bauer's "Wi-Drive" commuter shuttle bus service . It's the same one used by Facebook and Twitter employees to go to and from work. What this blogger likes about the shuttle bus service is the seats. Wow. They're really thick, cushy, leathery, and luxurious. You can operate your laptop computer and work online while on your way to work. The Bauer's "Wi-Drive" bus was used by the San Francisco Giants to transport their players to and from that awesome parade after their amazing World Series win. Need corporate transportation? Call my good friend Gary Bauer. He and Bauer's Transportation delivers for all occasions and transport needs. Bauer's Transportation is at 1-800-546-6688.

This is the level the University of California Football Program has fallen to. Cal Alumni are starting to call the team "Holmoesque." That term first surfaced two weeks ago after the Oregon loss, as a good Cal friend of this blogger feared a return to those ugly days of yore. Three losses later, some think we're there. Cal lost to Washington 16 to 13 and this, the third loss in as many games, has Old Blues, Young Blues, and even Middle-Aged Blues fuming. Tom Holmoe Cal finished not just 5 and 7, but 3 and 6 in the Pac-10. The worst record in Jeff Tedford's glorious rein as Cal's Head Coach. While not the 1 and 10 season of 2001, Cal's 2010 performance was enough for my friend to say "I hope we don't see a replay of Tom Holmoe, we're starting to look "Holmoesque." Tom Holmoe, currently the Athletic Director at BYU, was Cal's football coach for five years, posting a 16 and 39 record, the infamous 2001 season, had an 0 a...

Having her car, a Toyota Prius, booted for more than 10 unpaid parking tickets (you only need more than 5 to get booted) is one of those moments where Mayor-Elect Quan needs a thick skin. Why? Because, from experience, I know it was an inside job. Probably the work of City Hall Gadfly Sanjiv Handa, or someone with that level of knowledge. Happy Thanksgiving! When then-Oakland City Councilperson Jean Quan beat former State Senator Don Perata to become Mayor-Elect of The City of Oakland, this blogger wrote the following : ...With all of this, Mayor-Elect Quan must be sure to realize that she does not have a mandate; she did not score the majority of popular votes. That should be of concern for her. The Mayor-Elect must - and I think will - be open to people. Moreover, Jean must - and this can't be overstated - develop a very thick skin. She must work to jettison the idea that people who criticize her aren't in her corner. Not so. She's Mayor of Oakland, now, and ...

The latest Oakland News is good for an old friend.  The Parkway Theater building at 1836 Park Blvd off E. 18th here in Oakland, California, has been unused for over a year now, and the neighborhood before it an empty representation of its once lively self. But all that could change if J Moses Ceaser and the New Parkway Theater Group can raise $200,000 within the next six weeks to reestablish the popular "Speakeasy" theater in the space.  This email sent to this blogger and posted below tells the whole story: Hi Parkway Lovers: Big news! The Parkway will be reopening at its rightful home on Park Blvd! We don’t have a signed lease yet but we’re very close to the finish line and absolutely expect to get something done shortly. Please read on for all the details about the impending lease, other Parkway-related developments, and an amazing Quote of the Week: Negotiations with the Chengs—the Chengs notified us a few weeks back that they would prefer to lease the buil...

This shows Oakland CAO Dan Lindheim (in photo) can dig his own hole fast. The Chief Administrative Officer of Oakland, who's days are numbered in the wake of Jean Quan's victory to become Oakland's Mayor-Elect, insulted Oakland City Auditor Courtney Ruby, saying she "clearly shows a lack of understanding of the City's financial system and the reporting of its assets," as reported by the Oakland Tribune . This blogger, who worked for two of the last three Mayors of Oakland, has seen a ton of examples of hubris, including from myself, but nothing to match what Dan Lindheim wrote about the City Auditor's Report of The Community and Economic Development Agency (CEDA), and by extension, Courtney Ruby herself.  ( Here's Dan in my video from his press conference on The Oakland Police. ) Ruby, who beat back an election challenge from Michael Killian, landing 66.93 percent of the vote, wasted no time in presenting her CEDA loan fund audit report to part ...

If you live in the Adams Point area of Oakland and walk at night, don't walk alone. There has been a rash of crimes in the area of late. For example, according to the Adams Point Yahoo Message Board, there were not one, but five muggings along Euclid Avenue. All of the muggings were thought to have been done by a group of three black men, but that's not certain. Here are some of the notifications of what happened: Monday, November 15th: Hi neighbors, My neighbor, a 20-year old Asian youth was just held up at gunpoint in front of his house. The 2 African American men chased him and were spotted by 4 concerned neighbors (alerted by his yelling) before they ran up to their get-away car - a 4 door blue or black sedan with a driver and sped away. According to the police who arrived in minutes - this was their FIFTH mugging within the hour between Lakeshore and the Laurel. They followed my neighbor home and mugged him as he got out of his car. They are currentl...