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But it would not be the tallest building in California. Building may take city to new heights 63-story high-rise would be state's tallest structure; planner says it would anchor downtown By Cecily Burt, STAFF WRITER - OAKLAND TRIBUNE OAKLAND — Aside from a few iconic towers in San Francisco, California's skyline does not have much in the way of very tall buildings. That could change -- and so would Oakland's image as open for business -- if a developer holds fast to his dream of building a 63-story office skyscraper at the corner of 19th and Broadway. It would be the tallest building in California. The proposal by developer Peter Wang of Encinal Terminals got a warm reception Wednesday from Oakland's Planning Commission, which has seen a glut of residential plans but very little in the way of new office development in recent years. The last office construction in downtown Oakland — the 20-story Shorenstein building at 555 City Center — was completed four years ago and

At an event with former San Francisco Supervisor Matt Gonsalez, Oakland City Attorney and California Assembly Candidate John Russo pointed to the poor coverage of the City of Oakland by the local media. "It used to be you'd have three to six people covering the City Council each time (they met)," he said. "Now, you've got maybe one or two people" In my view, it points to the reaction of the Oakland Tribune to the rising cost of running a newspaper versus reduced demand for the publications in an Internet age. The business and sports sections are done by one staff group for several different papers, but the newsroom staff which looks at local political issues per city is small and getting even smaller.

I totally remember Andrew Martinez, who would walk around Sproul Plaza in the buff. It was a weird experience to stand there talking to someone, then he walks by, so you immediately turn your head to avoid seeing him. For all of this, I didn't think anything was really mentally wrong with him until one day in -- I think 1993 -- he was a top some building on Telegraph Avenue throwing rocks at the Berkeley police. 'Naked Guy' ex-student dies in jail Berkeley nudist was in custody on assault, battery charges Saturday, May 20, 2006; Posted: 3:39 p.m. EDT (19:39 GMT) SAN JOSE, California (AP) -- The former college student known as the "Naked Guy," who gained notoriety in the early 1990s for attending class in the buff, has died in jail, authorities said. Andrew Martinez, 33, whose stripped-down strolls at the University of California, Berkeley, got him expelled and prompted the city to adopt a strict anti-nudity ordinance, was found unconscious Thursday in a Santa Cl

City to pay millions to slain cop's family FROM STAFF REPORTS - OAKLAND TRIBUNE OAKLAND — The city of Oakland is expected to pay $3.5 million to settle a civil rights lawsuit filed by the family of an undercover Oakland police officer shot to death by two fellow officers who mistook him for a criminal, officials said Friday. The settlement, which must be approved by U.S. District Judge Maxine Chesney, would putan end to a case that was another blow to a department already reeling from the Riders police misconduct scandal. The approval of the Oakland City Council is not required. A spokeswoman for Oakland City Attorney John Russo said the city's insurance carrier will cover the cost of the settlement, not taxpayer funds. On Jan. 11, 2001, undercover Officer William Wilkins, 29, was arresting a car theft suspect at gunpoint near 90th Avenue and B Street in East Oakland after spending most of the evening working for the Alameda County Drug Task Force. At about 11:15 p.m., Officer

OR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Jessica Reynolds May 19, 2006 510-594-0224 JOHN RUSSO & MATT GONZALEZ AT THE MOVIES – IN PERSON! Oakland City Attorney and Assembly Candidate John Russo and Former President of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors Matt Gonzalez Host a Community Forum and Special Screening of the Movie Classic “Network” Oakland, CA – Local political luminaries, Oakland City Attorney and Assembly Candidate John Russo (www.johnrusso.com) and former San Francisco Board of Supervisors and Green Party Mayoral candidate Matt Gonzalez will host a special forum on the “Uneasy Alliance Between the White House and Fox News,” a community discussion on spin-doctors and the mass media – followed by a movie screening of Sidney Lumet’s 1976 classic “Network” – at the Parkway Speakeasy Theater in Oakland on Sunday, May 21st at 5:00 p.m. Considered one of the A

In his press conference of two days ago, NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue stated that Oakland was one of several cities without a new stadium. To read this, click on the title of this post. It sends another signal: that in future dealings, the NFL and the Oakland Raiders will be aligned as one, whereas they were at war in the past.

To those who brag about Oakland's property values rising under Jerry Brown, here's proof that the rise has nothing to do with him and everything to do with the Bay Area market -- crime in Oakland. What Jerry should be able to reduce, he's not done and even cut the police budget. Oakland crime rate not helping Brown in attorney general bid Opponent jumps on spike in homicides By Kim Curtis ASSOCIATED PRESS March 6, 2006 OAKLAND – More than 20 homicides in just over two months: This is not what Oakland Mayor Jerry Brown needs as he campaigns for the state's top law enforcement job. The dramatic spike comes just three months before the primary election, and Brown's challenger for the Democratic nomination for attorney general is already accusing the former governor and presidential candidate of being “asleep at the switch.” Oakland police say the number of killings so far this year is nearly triple last year's rate. “He will be held responsible for that,” said El

Someone just sent a comment to one of my posts -- that I published -- in which he attributes Oakland's property value boom to Jerry Brown. Gimme a break! Property values in Oakland started increasing just two year's before Jerry was elected and that was Bay Area wide; not just in Oakland -- memories are short. All of us in Elihu's administration said that Jerry was lucky: he was taking over as Mayor at a time when the Bay Area economy was booming and all of the office and housing projects Elihu helped to get off the ground were being constructed. From the new skycraper on 11th street and just behind the APL Building, to Old Oakland Housing Phase II, to The Rotunda, and all of the government buildings downtown. All of that -- the modern Oakland skyline -- was Elihu's stamp; not Jerry Brown's. Heck even Jerry himself said this. I was there when he did at the ceremony for the new Rotunda building. That structure was redeveloped by Phil Tagami and California Com

Cops: Killing, holdup may be tied Police want to question man in crimes at liquor store, restaurant By Harry Harris, STAFF WRITER - OAKLAND TRIBUNE OAKLAND — A liquor store holdup may be related to the robbery-slaying of a Grand Avenue restaurant manager four days later, homicide detectives said Tuesday. Killed in the April 24 robbery at Bangkok Palace, 3300 Grand Ave., was 29-year-old Sonethavy Phomsouvanhdara. "There is potential that (the liquor store) case is related to the robbery-murder," especially since the suspects in both cases are similar in appearance, homicide Sgt. Lou Cruz said Tuesday He declined to say more, except that the liquor store robber is "certainly someone I would like to talk to." Cruz released surveillance pictures taken of the gunman during the April 20 robbery at Grand Express Liquors, 363 Grand Ave., about a mile from Bangkok Palace. Cruz said the man entered the store through the front door about 9:50 p.m. and demanded money from the r

You know what kills me is the handful of bloggers that seem to "speak" for people in Rockridge and who attack Ron Dellums for not being specific. Many of them -- ah, all of them -- don't even understand Oakland's history, nor have seen it change over 32 years as I have. Moreover, all of them are not black and none of them have been true insiders. They write without a knoweldge of history and an understanding of Oakland's culture. They're blind. Blind to the way Oakland's changed. Blind to the inner-workings of Oakland government. Blind to the unusual crime wave plaguing Lake Merritt and the reasons behind it. Blind to how Oakland works. And yet they blog. Because they do so without knoweldge of their subject, I'll call them "Bloogers" -- a Blooger is a person who writes just for the matter of expressing an opinion, but not sharing new knowelge. Thus, it's no surprise to me that they can't "see" the basic and c

From the Yahoo! Message Board Walk for our communities, our lives We are the Community Coalition Against Crime. We are unsatisfied with the response that city leaders have given to this issue. For instance, the walking officer on Grand Ave ends his/her shift at 8pm – while most crime happens after dark. We believe the City can do more to combat the ongoing violent crime wave in Oakland. We refuse to simply lock our doors at 7pm and live in fear. We will not be quiet until we know our voices have been heard. 7 pm Wednesday, May 17, 2006 Splashpad Park We want to achieve the following: 1) increased awareness about crime 2) building community 3) organizing real, permanent solutions For more information contact us at ccac_Oakland@hotmail.com

This is from the NCPC 15X Yahoo! Group: Lakeshore NCPC Meeting (15X) Wednesday May 17, 2006 7:00 pm - 8:30 pm This event repeats on the third Wednesday of every month. The next reminder for this event will be sent in 3 days, 4 minutes. Event Location: Leaning Tower of Pizza Street: 498 Wesley Ave. City, State, Zip: Oakland, CA 94606 Phone: 510/444-6824

I will not post the name of this person, but that doesn't matter. What does is the complaint. The Oakland Police Department should take action on this. "Out of curiosity, has anyone actually met or observed a police officer who was in the new police substation at the Albertson's in our neighborhood? I have visited four times (morning and afternoon) over the last two weeks in order to introduce myself, but it has been empty. FYI: When I talk to folks in the neighborhood about the empty/ unattended police substation which was seemingly constructed to molify concerned and frightened neighbors and not actually be used, we agree that the criminals who see it know that (thus far) it's a farce and are NOT the least bit intimidated. If there have been a decrease in panhandlers in that parking lot, I'd like to see some written evidence of that, and if there have been potential criminals apprehended by officers who work that station, please give us evidence of such.

This, again, is from the NCPC 14 X Yahoo! Group. Hello Everyone, Below is a summary of Monday's 14X NCPC meeting, for folks who were unable to attend. Those who were present at the Veterans Memorial on Monday know what a huge crowd we had, with over 100 people gathered! The meeting was longer than usual, so forgive the lengthy summary; a lot of ground was covered. And thanks to everyone who attended; we're really moving forward with forming a cohesive Adams Point network. 1) Introductions: Our new Neighborhood Services coordinator [NSC], Hoang Bahn, introduced herself and invited first-time attendees to do the same. New faces included both long-time residents and recent arrivals to Adams Point asking "What can we do to make our neighborhood safer?" Hot-topic issues included robbery, break-ins, loitering, car theft, Golden Bear/ Round Table Pizza noise and traffic safety, Casual Carpool problems, and the Whistle Stop program. NCPC Board Chair Conor Hickey emphasized th

I had to share this post from Nancy Rieser, who's lived in Adams Point for as long as I can remember. This I found in the Yahoo! Group on crime problems in the area. In regards to the Harley Davidsons. I have two feelings when I can't talk on the phone inside my house when a Harley roars up the street outside my window (I live one door up from Grand Avenue: 1. Extreme annoyance 2. Pity Yup. I feel sorry for the guys that need to overcompensate by lookin' macho and calling attention to himself by making intrusive, loud and abnoxious noises. Back in the 60s and 70s, there was a phrase women used to snort when a Hells Angel wannbe roared past, making all normal discourse impossible: "The louder the fool, the shorter the tool..." Maybe a couple of banners could be made with that simple quote printed on them...and hang one from the 580 freeway across from the Kwik Way area and string the second one across Grand Ave near the the Golden Bear. Just a thought.

If you're wondering what place the issue of the possible move of the Oakland A's out of Oakland has in the mind of Oakland Council President and Mayoral Candidate Ignacio De La Fuente, it's bottom-of-the-barrel: "For a politician, De La Fuente, president of the Oakland City Council, is remarkably punctual. Driving like a lunatic from one meeting to the next probably has a lot to do with that. Right now he's returning to City Hall after an hour-long jaw session at the Coliseum with A's owner Lew Wolff, who has been threatening to move the club to Fremont. The 57-year-old politician admits he hasn't spent a lot of time recently thinking about the A's. "I'm busy right now," he says. It's in the just released East Bay Express. Now let's think about this for a moment. Ignacio is not that stupid where he would make a statement like that if he thought it would not hurt him. Well, let me take that back. He can make such a miscalculati

If you've not visited Uptown, it's right next to Sears on Telegraph and on the same side of the street. It's just ok in my book, but a nice place. I think it's missing overstuffed chairs, but it's cool. Here's a review I liked over at "Yelp": "the uptown is probably a little to upscale for me, given that it's the only bar where i've ever been cut off. (it was my fault i got cut off anyway. i wouldn't have given me any more booze, especially after i asked to "trade" those half-drunk jack & cokes for "newer, better" drinks.) however, what's not to like about this place, especially when compared to the bars in downtown oakland that i do frequent (stork, ruby... anyone?). it's clean, shiny, got an excellent space for shows dripping with very ambient lights on strings and a giant patio out back for smoking and loud talking. the bartenders and door people are all sweet as pie. and to boot, it's walking

I've known Roland Smith for over 10 years and going back to my days with The Montclarion. I first met him at the annual Christmas party of a mutual friend. As to the matter of how Roland treats his staff, this has been old news. But I didn't realize it had escalated to this level. Roland needs the staffers, if only to take a look at how the City's spending its money. Embattled auditor sues Oakland Mayor, council named in filing that asks a judge to restore staff By Heather MacDonald, STAFF WRITER - OAKLAND TRIBUNE OAKLAND — City Auditor Roland Smith has sued the mayor, city administrator and City Council, claiming they improperly stripped his office of the staff needed to effectively execute its duties. Filed Monday in Alameda County Superior Court, the lawsuit asks a judge to order the city to immediately hire three permanent deputy city auditors and to increase the number of positions in the office to nine beginning July 1. "Principles of independence and accoun

Well, the place I have long associated with Berkeley culture and my Cal years is closing. Cody's on Telegraph Avenue. It was just two years ago that Cody's played host to former President Clinton and I came over to pay my respects and hand a letter to one of Clinton's aides about my now late stepfather, who grew up in Hope, Arkansas, the former President's home town. Wow. It's such an institution. It can't be allowed to just fade away. But I guess that's up to Fred Cody, isn't it?

In reading the Yahoo! Message Boards, a constant plug for Yahoo! when I type this, I see a constant pattern of targeting some African American businesses: The Golden Bear and The Seranader, both bars, are mentioned. I've not seen any examples of the kind of crime that has come to plague some downtown Oakland establishments. Rather, some of the people writing on the boards undoubtedly make assumptions about "those people" because they are black, and in the case of the Seranader, have patrons who ride motorcycles. I hope this pattern of racial targeting stops. Having people with different, yet safe habits has historically given texture and vibe to the Lake Merritt culture. There's no reason to try to force some businesses to close under the guise of safety when the real, underlying reason, is skin color. I have several friends -- white -- who regularly go to these establishments and have a great time. There's no reason anyone else who lives in Adams Point can