Oakland Focus News | Oakland News Online Blog

Laurence A. Colton and George P. McGrath, two prominent California businessmen, have been elected to the board of directors of Recology, the leading independent employee-owned recycling and disposal services company in the western United States. Mr. Colton, an insurance executive, is CEO of G2 Insurance Services, and recycling executive , EVP and COO of Recology, were named to Recology’s board of directors on April 18, announced Recology President and CEO Michael Sangiacomo. “We are honored to have these leaders on our board,” Sangiacomo said. “Their expertise, insights and experience will help us expand our recycling and disposal services as we continue to grow and develop our employee-owned company.” Laurence A. Colton, one of California’s leading insurance specialists, is active in community based causes. A founding board member of National AIDS Memorial Grove, he has served on the board of Larkin Street Youth Center, San Francisco AIDS Foundation, San Francisco Chamber of Comm...

Libby Schaaf, Oakland's District Four Councilmember, has joined Zennie62.com as an blogger about Oakland! Here's a peak at her first work: Hi, I’m Libby Schaaf, Oakland’s District Four Councilmember. This week offers some incredible learning opportunities for Oaklanders – a veritable civic classroom. This Tuesday, April 23rd at our Oakland City Council’s Public Safety Committee, I’ve arranged for a presentation by Berkeley Law Professor Franklin Zimring on “What Oakland Can Learn From New York About Reducing Crime.” No city has come close to New York’s success in improving safety – reducing crimes like murder, robberies, burglaries and car thefts all by more than 80%. And no author or academic has come close to Zimring in rigorously studying it. He’ll present in City Hall Chambers (14th at Broadway) at 6pm, or you can watch the meeting on KTOP Cable Station 10 or live stream here ... You can see it all here: The Civic Classroom: Libby Schaaf, Oakland Councilmember (...

Faith McGee, my friend and an Oakland Blogger, has made the Allure Magazine “Allure Beauty Blogger Finalist” portion of the contest! Now, Faith seeks our support to take her to the next level: victory! Second, please case a vote for Faith to win here: http://blogger-awards.allure.com/submission/fake-eyelashes-dont-need-to-be-a-drag/ Visit Zennie62.com for more on Faith and her incredible blog: Faith McGee: Oakland Blogger Is “Allure Beauty Blogger Finalist”

This was just released by the Oakland Police Department: Public Safety Advisory: Police Seek Molestation Suspect Oakland, CA —The Oakland Police Department would like to make the public aware of a molestation of a 7-year-old girl. On April 13, 2013 at about 3:15 PM, in the 100 block of 10th Street, the suspect, posing as a plumber or maintenance man, contacted a female adult resident of an apartment complex, telling her that he was there to check the pipes for water leaks. At one point after gaining entry into the unit, the suspect was alone in a room with the victim, a 7-year-old girl, and he began to molest her. When the victim tried to get away, he grabbed her, preventing her from leaving the room. When she screamed, the family member came into the room, confronting the suspect. The suspect fled the scene on foot in an unknown direction. The suspect is described as a Caucasian male, early to mid fifties, 6’, tall, 160 pounds, skinny build, light brown hair, white bea...

The Golden State Warriors are in the playoffs, but who they play will be determined by where the team finishes in the standings. Tonight's game against the Oklahoma City Thunder, at Oracle Arena, could be a playoff preview. But given that the OKC has beaten the GSW in 6 of the last seven tries, the Warriors are beat the Thunder now, and keep their 6th seed in the west in order to avoid playing the Thunder, the number one seed, (right now) in the playoffs. The irony is they have to beat Oklahoma tonight to maintain that position.

TRASHED. If movie called TRASHED, a documentary made by Chicago filmmaker Bill Kurkos, lives up to the the trailer for TRASHED, we're talking about one incredible flick. See it tonight at a special screening at the Sundance Kabuki Cinemas at 1881 Post Street at Fi||more Street from 5:30 PM to 9:30 PM, tonight, April 11th, Thursday. TRASHED is called "the story of trash" and will make you think twice about throwing anything, no matter how large or small, not even a cigarrette butt, out of the window, and to the ground. It's estimated that we produce 5,000 pounds of trash per day and our actions fuel a multi-billion-dollar industry. Here's a Chicago Tonight segment on TRASHED: This next trailer, made in 2007, gives the grim statistical picture at that time: If you're in San Francisco or The SF Bay Area, see the movie tonight. Stay tuned. Originally at Zennie62: TRASHED Starring Jeremy Irons; See It Tonight In SF: Sundance Kabuki

San Francisco's TransBay Transit Center Reaches Milestone Today - Stephanie Reichin explains the construction process achievement in interview today. The Transbay Project is reaching a new milestone as contractors prepare to install the third and final traffic bridge over the Transbay Excavation. The bridge enables excavation to proceed under city streets without impacting local traffic. The work taking place - and between Beale Street, between Mission and Howard Streets from Friday, April 5, at 7:00 p.m., until Monday, April 8, at 5:00 a.m. - to install the Beale Street Bridge will include demolition of the existing road and concrete base, installation of the traffic bridge using two cranes, and paving of the new traffic bridge. The TransBay Transit Center will be the Grand Central Station of The West Coast when it opens in 2017. Stay tuned.