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I went again to talk with Peter Van Cleef, the mercurial owner of Cafe Van Cleef, who orginally claimed he was with Mayor Jerry Brown when the reported conflict between he and an African American woman took place early Sunday morning. On my second visit Van Cleef told me that while he was with Oakland Mayor Jerry Brown, it was after the nightclub occurence. He now says didn't see the reported altercation between the Mayor and the patron in front of "17" , the dance club in downtown Oakland. Remember, he specifically stopped me to explain that he was with the Mayor. I'm glad I went back to make sure. He said he talked to Gil Duran, who claimed the Mayor's innocence. But Duran works directly for Jerry, and it is his job to protect his boss reputation and image. I know this, having served as Economic Advisor to Mayor Elihu Harris, and then for Jerry when I worked to bring the 2005 Super Bowl to Oakland. You back your boss, sometimes even when he's not

After a work session that went on longer than I could stand, I pulled away from equations, blogs, and my computer to venture over to Van Cleef's Cafe for a glass of wine over jazz Tuesday night. After one cocktail I was ready to head back home. But as I walked out the door, my friend, Peter Van Cleef, who owns Van Cleef's Cafe -- check the last name -- said "Hey, the night's young, don't go. Besides, I got something to tell you. Jerry's innocent of those charges. I was with him when it happened. He said nothing racist to anyone, at least nothing like what's going to be reported by that woman." Peter then continued to recount their steps, as he was with Mayor Brown, a couple of Oakland Police representatives, and a man that Van Cleef claimed was the doorman at 1015 Folsom. "We walked with Jerry. I was with him the whole way. Nothing like that happened. Yes, Jerry did say something to them, but nothing like that at all." Frankly, I

This was sent via email from a friend in the area One of my friends was held up with a gun yesterday, around 6pm, right on Van Buren close to our driveway, and had to surrender his wallet. He was talking on his cellphone, and had a 4 year old boy with him... The guy who assaulted him wasn't alone. PLEASE BE EXTRA CAREFUL IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD! The police said it was the second attack that afternoon in that street...

An unnamed source told me that Oakland Council President worked to steer a $500,000 contract toward an IT company and for work that the City of Oakland didn't need done in 2004. This same person -- a three-decade employee -- told me that De La Fuente made a specific call to the department head screaming at him to "say the right words" to have the contract pass Oakland City Council vote. Why? Because -- again from my source -- Ignacio said "My daughter works for that firm." More soon. Stay tuned.

These people must be caught. Also, people in the neighborhood must not be afraid to get involved. We used to, but lately too many people seem almost anti-social. This is the result as people who think to commit these crimes in our area are more likely to do it if they feel no one will be nosy enough to intervene. Get involved. Dog's abduction, apparent strangulation lead to outpouring of sympathy, calls to help By Susan McDonough, STAFF WRITER OAKLAND TRIBUNE OAKLAND -- An outraged public has responded strongly to the story of pet owner Lea Dunn, who put up a fierce struggle last week to save her dog, Princess, from two men who scooped up the tiny Yorkshire terrier at her feet and fled. Princess had been strangled by the time Dunn, a 25-year-old Oakland woman, found the discarded dog, police said. One investigator said police were inundated with calls Wednesday after a story about Dunn and her dog ran in the Oakland Tribune, and the newspaper received numerous messages from con

Amid heated calls to stem violence with more officers, mayor and chief pitch task force to snuff out hot spots By Heather MacDonald, STAFF WRITER OAKLAND TRIBUNE OAKLAND — The woman began shaking and crying as soon as she started recounting how she and her friends had been robbed, pistol-whipped and assaulted. She shook as she recalled being put on hold by a 9-1-1 operator as she frantically tried to get to her car and away from the young teenagers threatening to open fire. Her question is similar to one people all over Oakland have been asking themselves and elected officials with increasing frequency in recent weeks: "Why shouldn't we sell and move?" On Wednesday, Mayor Jerry Brown and police Chief Wayne Tucker tried to provide an answer by announcing a new task force ofcops will be formed immediately to squelch hot spots before they erupt into full-blown crime waves. "We will let people know Oakland has an aggressive police force and the streets are not a playgrou

Oakland-based Robert G. Schock, my friend and one of the Bay Area's best malpractice lawyers, has a new website. Visit it with a click here: www.robertgschocklaw.com

I just read Jerry Brown's new website "Jerry Brown for Attorney General" with its slick flash intro, basic color scheme, and telling text. Of the 1,245 words, only 206 -- or 16.5 percent -- concern his tenure as Mayor of Oakland. By contrast, many of his other highlights -- meeting with Cezar Chavez, for example, occured while he was Governor of California or running for President, and thus scoring 614 words of space. The remainder covers his marriage to Ann Gust, his first political campaign, his time at Seminary and his current Attorney General endorsements. I've said it before and I'll say it again: Oakland was just a vehicle for the reformation of Jerry Brown's political image. He didn't care about Oakland except from that perspective. He did this to achieve another objective, but not because he cared about Oakland. It's too bad for Oakland and for Jerry. The public -- which insists on being stupid -- is blinded by a polyanic view of a Jerr

This is another terrible article from Paul T. Rosynsky. He never does his homework. If he did, he'd have mentioned that one can get tickets through SBS by just clicking on the title of this post. But instead he goes and talks to SMG's Mark Kaufmann, who makes the ridicious statement that "this is more popular than the Super Bowl." Right Mark. That's only because you couldn't go to the Super Bowl. That's SMG for you, always out to keep the Coliseum Authority in medocrity. ....Super Bowl tickets were going for almost $3,000 in the open market, versus have that for the NCAA March games. March Madness is sold out The only way to see popular college basketball tournament at Oakland Arena is on television (BS - Zennie) By Paul T. Rosynsky, STAFF WRITER, Oakland Tribune OAKLAND — March Madness is coming to the Oakland Arena next month but the only way to see the popular mens' college basketball tournament is to watch it on the television. The event, wh

I attended an interesting political function at The Parkway Theater. Oakland City Attorney John Russo and former San Francisco Supervisor Matt Gonsalez hosted a presentation of the famous movie "Inherit The Wind." Prior to the movie, the two staged a kind of town hall meeting. Overall the event was a success and the movie was remarkable, even if it's not a true rendition of the events surrounding the "Scopes Trial." I have found that events with a twist like this one work to get people to political functions. It seems that people in Oakland -- this new group -- aren't as interested in politics as the Oaklanders of 13 years ago, when I was writing for the Montclarion. I don't know why this is, but my guess is it's a combination of the Internet, and the need to work more than one job just to make ends meet.

This item is from the Oakland Post, with a link to the article The 100,000-member Alameda Labor Council Wednesday announced its endorsement of former Congressman and Mayoral candidate Ron Dellums on the steps of Oakland City Hall. More than 100 rank and file union members interviewed candidates for Mayor and City Council on January 30. Their recommendations were reviewed and voted on by the Executive Committee and Delegate Assembly. "Working people in Oakland want opportunity and inclusion," said Sharon Cornu, Executive Secretary Treasurer. "Oakland voters are fortunate to have many good choices on the June ballot. Our unions have worked closely with all the candidates and have benefited from their leadership. But Ron Dellums offers new hope and vision for our members, working families and communities." Dellums will keynote the Council's Annual Awards Dinner on March 23 at the Oakland Airport Hilton. The Council represents 130 local unions, including public

It seems that those who back Ignacio don't do so because they really think he can move Oakland forward, but because he can move them ahead -- at the expense of others. Take the matter of those billboards up around town that show De La Fuente's face. They weren't paid for by his campaign at all, but by Clear Channel, and as a payback for being able to maintain hundreds of billboards around town -- at the ire of some who consider them either an eyesore, or promoting vices like drinking in poor and minority areas. Former Oakland Tribune and now East Bay Express writer Robert Gammon exposed this problem of influence peddling last year, but it got no repeat print. Well, here it is again, both below and in the title post link. It's a good read. The world's largest billboard company, in tandem with the Oakland Chamber of Commerce, is exploiting a loophole in state campaign finance law to help Ignacio De La Fuente become Oakland's next mayor. Over the past year,

This photo -- from the Oakland Post -- tells it all. District 6 Councilmember Delsy Brooks points an accusatory finger at Oakland Mayor Jerry Brown during a recently-held town hall meeting. The full story is at The Oakland Post, and the article can be seen with a click on the title of this post. This may explain why Jerry's seeking residence in San Francisco's Pacific Heights. Too bad. I think staying in Oakland will do wonders for his campaign.