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This is shocking as it's too close to home. But the guys who did this are still around, so be alert. Also, look around and get to know your neighbors. Some think that by keeping their head down it keeps others away. Nope. Best to keep your head up and observe! Here's the Oakland Tribune article below: Killing sends chill through Grand Lake Insurance agent gunned down inside office in area generally thought safe By Kristin Bender and Harry Harris, STAFF WRITERS OAKLAND — The fatal shooting Friday morning of an insurance salesman in his Grand Lake district office has residents and merchants wondering whether the bloodshed usually seen in East and West Oakland is seeping into typically safe areas. Police said Mark Kharmats, 46, of Oakland was shot about 11 a.m. inside his Cal West Insurance office at 3661 Grand Ave. He was rushed to Highland Hospital Oakland, where he died a few hours later. Witnesses said they saw two men running from the two-story office building where th

I just talked to a long time friend who's a well-known figure in Oakland Politics. When I asked him who he was backing for Mayor, he said "Ignacio's my friend, but he can't beat Ron Dellums (pictured to the left). In polling he's way ahead (of Ignacio) by factor of three-to-one. Dellums has 51 percent, but Ignacio can't get pass 17 percent." When I asked why Ignacio (who's at the left) didn't just drop out of the race considering the terrible poll numbers, my friend says "Ignacio knows this, but is going forward anyway. Ron (Dellums) may have a harder time with (Oakland mayoral candidate Nancy) Nadel." Nancy Nadel's (pictured at right) the true dark horse in this campaign. The District Three Councilmember appeals to the same progressive base as Dellums, doesn't have anywhere near the number of naysayers as De La Fuente, and is female -- an advantage in a city well-known for electing women elected officials. Nancy's one ve

I understand that Congresswoman Barbara Lee is holding an anti-war meeting at the Grand Lake Theater this Saturday at 9 AM.

The sign of things to come. Dellums is a legend to many regardless of race By Heather MacDonald, STAFF WRITER- OAKLAND TRIBUNE OAKLAND — Former U.S. Rep. Ron Dellums traveled Wednesday into the heart of the Fruitvale district — his main rival's home turf — and touched off a discussion about the role of race in the race for mayor. At a rally, Dellums enthusiastically picked up the endorsement of Dolores Huerta, co-founder of the United Farm Workers. "We're not going to vote for someone who has been there and didn't do the job," Huerta said to applause and cheers. "Ron Dellums is a man of courage who gets right in the middle of difficult issues." As he has throughout the campaign, Dellums pledged to turn Oakland into a model city by increasing the amount of affordable housing to ensure people who live in Oakland are not forced to move by the skyrocketing cost of living. "Each day I get stronger," Dellums said. "We are going on a magnificent

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.

Here's an excerpt, but click the title of this post to read the full article.: Oakland City Attorney John Russo said communities of color were very much a part of two issues his office handled lately: liability insurance rates tied to zip codes, and the city's agreement with Caltrans to remove blight. Russo said he supports a plan by Insurance Commissioner John Garamendi to ask insurance companies to stop relying on where persons live when rates are set for policies. And, he said, it took the city filing a lawsuit to get Caltrans to step up and agree to clean up its properties many of which were in minority communities in East and West Oakland. Dressed in a white shirt, blue slacks and sneakers, Russo was playing Dad as his two small sons played a Madden video game football in his City Hall office where there's a photo of Martin Luther King Jr. on a wall and a small figurine of another one of Russo's heroes: former New York Knicks star Willis Reed. A native of Brooklyn,

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