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I got this email from other supporters of John Russo, but it speaks for me. I think the negative campaign mailer on John Russo came from ex-Nate Miley Aide and Montclair-Greater Oakland Democratic Club President Pam Drake, as she said a similar message to me at the gym last fall. I guess no one knows about Sandre Swanson taking money from Jack Abramoff's firm, but whatever. Dear Friend: As you may know, we are strong supporters of John Russo for State Assembly. We know that John is the person we need in Sacramento. We also know John personally and he has been a passionate, outspoken champion for our kids and for our neighborhoods for nearly 20 years. The Russo for Assembly campaign is going well. John has done 75 House Parties and has knocked on more than one thousand doors. The campaign is ready for the final push. In fact, the Russo campaign has gone so well that John's opponents have resorted to distorting John's record. WE NEED YOUR HELP to get the truth out abo

My long time friend -- all the way back to Bret Harte junior high school and Skyline High School-- car salesman (I bought mine from him, as did KNBR's Gary Radnich), actor, and all around "Man about town" Richard Liberman is going to be the online columnist for "Matier and Ross", the popular muckracking columnists of the San Francisco Chronicle. I am very proud of Richard, and as I told him, they're grooming him to become the next Herb Caine. People -- like me -- are already sending him items. You may remember that for a time, Richard played "Big Vinny" in the Round Table Pizza commercials of about four years ago. There was even talk of Richard playing a role on "The Sopranos." Richard was born to be a star. I can remember when he talked the Women's Pro Tennis reps into letting me onto court to photograph Margaret Court in a tennis match while we were in high school. Richard's always had great media connections, and even L

I was reading the SF Chronicle at Gold's Gym yesterday, and noticed that Ron Oz took out an entire page in the news section to tell people why he's the best choice for Oakland Mayor. The problem was that he had too many words. I wonder who's going to read it. He should have had big 64-point letters reading "Ron Oz For Mayor of Oakland." That's enough.

I just read Bill Bradley's new west notes which report that Jerry Brown's being outspent by his AG challenger Rocky Delgadillo on TV ads by $2 milllion to just $400,000 for Jerry Brown. That's a dangerous stat for Jerry, and I hope it's not borne of some arrogance on his part. He says he's being "frugal" -- only Jerry could turn an obvious fact that he just plain thinks he can beat Rocky into yet another personal branding effort, where someone will come away saying "Well Jerry Brown thinks small is beautiful, so that's the reason." Oh, brother.

I found this news posted on the Adams Point Yahoo Message Board. I really believe that renters should invest in alarm systems. Thw noise would deter the criminals over time. Imagine hearing the loud siren for blocks. You'd know something was wrong right off the bat. Today, Memorial Day, sometime between 9am and 3 pm, a back unit in apt. bldg. where I live, was broken into and a laptop computer stolen. The robber(s)got in by pushing a green "yard clippings" bin just under the bedroom window and climbing in through a window that had been left slightly ajar. Robber(s) exited through main door of apt. This was in broad daylight, and in full view of a number of condos and apts., plus a house to each side with "vision access." It seems reminiscent of burglary reported for 362 Euclid Ave. on May 20th.

I wish we had this kind of contest when Jerry Brown ran for his second term. But now, we've got a good one and the fur will fly in the next week. Ron Dellums is still the best choice over the two candidates most responsible for Oakland's governmental morale problem. Oakland mayoral candidates making final push De La Fuente, Dellums, Nadel pound pavement to win over undecided voters By Heather MacDonald, STAFF WRITER, OAKLAND TRIBUNE OAKLAND — With less than two weeks to go until the election, mayoral candidates Ron Dellums, Ignacio De La Fuente and Nancy Nadel are all working at breakneck speed to convert undecided voters and mobilize their supporters. While Dellums, a former congressman, and De La Fuente, the president of the Oakland City Council, talk of winning outright June 6, most observers of the race expect the close contest to result in a November runoff — and Nadel, an Oakland council member, should not be counted out. "I'm pounding the pavement," sai

Ron Oz, a local business man running for Mayor of Oakland, bought a banner ad located on the top of the Oakland Tribune website. I must admit, it's the first time I've ever seen this. Will it increase his name recognition? Well, every little bit helps. It's a good idea. Oh, don't be surprised if the ads not there in a few weeks. Just note that it was there on the date of this post.

Laney pins high hopes, demands on new president Faculty, students want Frank Chong to be an advocate for Oakland college By Grace Rauh, STAFF WRITER, OAKLAND TRIBUNE OAKLAND — Frank Chong does not take over as Laney College's new president until July 1, but already it is hard for him to cross the quad or ride a campus elevator unnoticed. On a recent visit from Mission College in Santa Clara, where Chong has been president for three years, giddy faculty members flocked to congratulate him, many acknowledging they rooted for him early this month, when Chong competed against three others for the post. But it was Athletic Director Stan Peters who may have been speaking for the entire college when he ducked into a conference room in Laney's towering administration building last week to tell the new chief he is sure he will do a great job. When Chong answered he would do his best, Peters snapped back: "Don't try. Just get it done." Students and faculty on the campus nea

From the Oakland Library website Summer’s here and the Oakland Public Library invites the entire community to join us for a series of open houses to thank them for their support of Measure Q in 2004 and to discuss future improvements to their neighborhood branches and the Main Library. With more materials on the shelves than ever before, a new online catalog system on the way, and libraries open 6 to 7 days a week, the Oakland Public Library is turning its attention to what facility improvements might be needed to continue to meet the community’s needs for current and future library services. As part of its Master Facilities Planning process, library staff and members of Group 4 Architecture, Research + Planning, the firm helping to prepare the plan, are returning to every neighborhood branch and the Main Library to present recommendations and receive a third round of input from residents. These open houses will take place the first two weekends in June with refreshments and free act

From the Oakland Library website Summer’s here and the Oakland Public Library invites the entire community to join us for a series of open houses to thank them for their support of Measure Q in 2004 and to discuss future improvements to their neighborhood branches and the Main Library. With more materials on the shelves than ever before, a new online catalog system on the way, and libraries open 6 to 7 days a week, the Oakland Public Library is turning its attention to what facility improvements might be needed to continue to meet the community’s needs for current and future library services. As part of its Master Facilities Planning process, library staff and members of Group 4 Architecture, Research + Planning, the firm helping to prepare the plan, are returning to every neighborhood branch and the Main Library to present recommendations and receive a third round of input from residents. These open houses will take place the first two weekends in June with refreshments and free act

Second man charged in rape case 18-year-old took part in Oakland kidnapping, robbery but not sexual assault, police say , FROM STAFF REPORTS Inside Bay Area- OAKLAND TRIBUNE OAKLAND — A second suspect was charged Friday for his role in the kidnapping, robbery and rape earlier this month of a 35-year-old woman abducted on her way to visit friends in Adams Point, police said. Although the suspect, Clyde Aikens, 18, took part in the kidnapping and robbery, he was not present when his accomplice sexually assaulted the woman, Sgt. Dom Arotzarena said. Aikens, who was arrested May 24 in San Francisco, was charged Friday by the district attorney's office with kidnapping to commit robbery and car-jacking. The other suspect, 17-year-old Clifton Haynes, was arrested May 5, and is being prosecuted as an adult. He already has been charged with forcible rape, three other sex crimes and the kidnapping to commit robbery and carjacking counts. The two suspects are accused in the May 4 attack on

There's an interesting view in some circles that the Dellums campaign staff is so drunk with the idea of victory that they don't work hard enough for their candidate. So, I'm putting that information out there as a warning: work or lose. There's a big rally coming up on the 27th, but that's not enough. You need to walk Oakland. The Ron Dellums website is a great start. Nice job because one can contribute online. Plus, I can get on your email list -- which I did do. Ok, go out and beat the opposition!

Oakland Mayor Jerry Brown has gained about the same amount of money as his challenger Rocky Delgadillo for this year. But he has an ending cash level that's almost twice that of his LA counterpart. Jerry Brown's summary: CURRENT STATUS ACTIVE LAST REPORT DATE THIS SESSION 05/25/2006 REPORTING PERIOD 03/18/2006 - 05/20/2006 CONTRIBUTIONS FROM THIS PERIOD $662,273.60 EXPENDITURES FROM THIS PERIOD $507,038.78 ENDING CASH $4,401,739.03 Rocky Delgadillo's summary: CURRENT STATUS ACTIVE LAST REPORT DATE THIS SESSION 03/22/2006 REPORTING PERIOD 01/01/2006 - 03/17/2006 CONTRIBUTIONS FROM THIS PERIOD $612,413.29 EXPENDITURES FROM THIS PERIOD $380,291.60 ENDING CASH $2,603,003.25 I'll get into the details soon, but the money count reveals a campaign that's closer financially than the polling would lead one to believe. Jerry's not blowing Rocky out of the water, even though he is ahead.

Who's Ronnie Caplane? Well, her name recognition's certainly not high, but she's got a lot of money from what I'll call the RGC - Rich Grass Roots. First, Ms. Caplane is a widowed mother of two grown children who resides in Piedmont. She's a trained lawyer and has been involved in public service as a member of the Piedmont School Board and a Commissioner on the California Workers’ Compensation Appeals Board. As a result, a significant number of her major contributions come from Piedmont residents like the $3,300 from Otis Spunkmier Cookies Founder and CEO Ken Rawlings, who's' retired. Nice to see Ken's not totally out of public service; his last taste of working with Oakland was his idea for a large kids-oriented ballfield near the Oakland Coliseum. The city really gave him the runaround and it may be that experience which caused him to back Ronnie and not John Russo or Sandre Swanson, even though neither of them was responsible for the outcome of t