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This is Oakland Focus' early endorsement for the Oakland Mayors' Race and the California Government Assembly contest. Ron Dellums is not only an Oakland legend, but the person least warped by Oakland's internal politics. Thus, he can't be influnced by greedy developers who say they can build a structure without public subsidy just to get city approval, then come back and say "We need public money" after they've gotten the contractual "go-ahead" they begged for. So when you hear some Oaklander say that with Dellums "Everyone's hand will be out asking for something" just say "Well, doesn't Ignacio De La Fuente have his hand out to get donations from developers? Didn't De La Fuente try to use city money to purchase the 'black church vote?' And if so, is that action just a reminder of how some of his supporters may see Oakland's African American community? As just having it's hand out?" Don't

According to a good source, Oakland Mayor Jerry Brown has been looking for a home in San Francisco's Pacific Heights for "The better part of the last year," this person reported. "Oakland's served its' purpose (for Mayor Brown)," they said. This confirms the beliefs of some observers of the Oakland poltical scene who -- as far back as 1994, when Brown moved into his warehouse home on 2nd and Harrison in Oakland's Jack London Square -- said "He's just here to run for mayor and remake his image." (In 2004, Brown moved to a loft home in a converted Sears Department store off Oakland's Telegraph Avenue.) Jerry himself touted the move as signaling that he's "ready for community." In a speech given at International Transpersonal Association Conference, Santa Clara, California, on June 10, 1995, Brown was recorded as saying "As our lives are commodified, we go further away from the essence -- which is inside, which i

These blog entries are from Oakland kids between 15 and 16 years old, and written very recently. It gives a great view to how Oakland's young people look at its politics, who can make a difference, and why. JJovan Parnam,
YO! Youth Outlook, Nov 04, 2005 It would make a big difference if the new mayor of Oakland is either African American or Latino because they might understand where our people are coming from, how our situation is. I live in Oakland on 35th and Foothill aka 'Tha Dirty Thirties." My neighborhood is like a mini Mexico because a lot of Latinos live there and all the Mexican stores are out there too. There's only a few Asians on my block, only four houses are owned by blacks -- the rest is Latino. Since I live in a diverse neighborhood I know a lot of different people. One of my Latino friends I kick it with is Ernesto, 15, he lives on the same block that I do. I met him outside when I was little because I used to go outside and play, and he did too. One

Yep! This website reports that: "Oaklanders have recently been rediscovering one of Oakland’s earliest Chinatowns was actually along San Pablo Avenue. Does your family have any stories from this old Uptown Chinatown? So far we've found names from the 1870 and 1880 census of Upper Chinatown residents, and names of the major property holders next to or in the Chinatowns. The 1880 census also provides the names of men who ran a laundry near the corner of 19th and San Pablo. Do you have memories or photos related to any of the names below?" Go to http://www.uptownchinatown.org to enter any information or stories you have.

Wonder who your councilmembers are? Looking to make a call? Want to point a finger? Here you go! Oakland City Hall Council Chambers designed by Michael Willis Architects Mailing address: #1 Frank H. Ogawa Plaza, City Council 2nd Floor, Oakland, CA 94612 Order of information: Councilmember District Telephone (510) Jane Brunner 1 238-7001 jbrunner@oaklandnet.com Fax: 238-6910 Pat Kernighan 2 238-7002 pkernighan@oaklandnet.com Fax: 238-2296 Nancy J. Nadel 3 238-7003 nnadel@oaklandnet.com Fax: 23-6129 Jean Quan 4 238-7004 jquan@oaklandnet.com Fax: 238-6129 Ignacio DeLa Fuente 5 238-7005 idelafuente@oaklandnet.com Fax: 238-6910 Desley Brooks 6 238-7006 dbrooks@oaklandnet.com Fax: 238-6910 Larry Reid 7 238-7007 lreid@oaklandnet.com Fax: 986-2735 Henry Chang Jr. (at large) 238-7008 cityochang@aol.com Fax: 238-6938

From the Rockridge News and by Claire Isaacs Wahrhaftig I saw this article, and thought I'd grab a part of it...read on just for FYI. The rest is at Rockridge News It’s all Gravy’s fault. For three years this kitty with the tinkling name tag has been prowling my home and purring my lap. The grey furball has attached himself to me like Velcro in the absence of his master, my neighbor. But Gravy turned out to be my own personal gravy train, a ticket to the stars. Actually, Gravy’s master IS a star. He is Mike Dirnt, bass guitar player for the numero uno rock group, “Oakland’s own” Green Day. From garage group to Grammy Rock Album and Rock Single of the year to eight MTV awards, Green Day is on top these days. I’ve never actually met my neighbor Mike. My beloved late husband Bill once described him as “tatooed, punctured, thin, polite, and quiet, really quite nice.”

From The Rockridge News For some reason this is suddenly happening in an area of Oakland better known for good food, not bad crime. by Janet Somers Rockridge, North Oakland and the city as whole are in the midst of a robbery wave, according to North Oakland police commander Lt. Lawrence Green. Green said that as of mid-November (the last date for which statistics were available) year-to-date robberies were up 31% in North Oakland and 27% in Oakland. (He said overall crime was down 77% here and 2% in the city, with a reduction in car break-ins accounting for much of the decline.) In Rockridge, there were 11 street and inhabited-home robberies during the first two weeks of November, up from only one incident during the last two weeks of October, according to crime reports available on Green’s public website, www.northoaklandpolice.com. Recent incidents have included armed and strongarmed robberies of pedestrians on College Avenue and side streets including Taft Avenue and 62nd Street, so