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The trend predicted 15 years ago is becoming reality. To me, it spells interesting marketing and retail -- for example a store that caters to young Filipino's called "Beach" in Daly City. Fascinating. Census: Minorities overtop whites Caucasians now make up less than 50 percent of Bay Area population but trend unlikely to continue, experts say By Michele R. Marcucci, STAFF WRITER - Oakland Tribune Non-Hispanic whites now make up less than half of the Bay Area's population, while the numbers of Hispanics and Asians continue to grow, census data released today show. But demographic experts believe the trends may slow in California as immigrants, looking for jobs and cheaper housing, head to other states. The Bay Area's foreign-born population also is on the rise, and more of its residents spoke foreign languages in 2005 than in 2000, the data, which mirror state and national trends, show. Non-Hispanic whites made up 46 percent of the Bay Area's total populat

The City of Oakland is generally accused of not being politically aware, and here's more proof. When the City advanced this measure, it should have known that -- in an environmentally concious Oakland -- people would be up in arms over a plan to eliminate 224 -- 224 trees! Folks, there aren't that many trees around Lake Merritt, so the majority would have to come from the park next to Children's Fairyland. That's just not something that should happen. That area is one of the true treatures of the city and is at its best i the summer months as a place to go to get away from it all in the middle of it all. Oaklanders in battle to save 224 trees Three file suit against city's renovation plan at Lake Merritt By Heather MacDonald, STAFF WRITER OAKLAND — Three Oaklanders, upset with plans to chop down 224 trees around Lake Merritt as part of a renovation plan, filed suit against the city of Oakland Tuesday. The lawsuit claims the Oakland City Council's approval of

According to the Adams Point message board, someone's stealing the trash cans you and other lay out every morning to be collected by garbage workers. Reportedly 60 of these cans have been stolen to date and with no end in sight. Oakland police ask us to watch out for people that are impersonating public works workers, but how the heck is anyone supposed to know who they are? I mean what "marks" do we look for? A bent shovel? I don't know.

Google's started this with their free network in New York. Now they want to wire San Francisco, and I'll bet we're in the loop too. But this story will not reveal that. Municipal wireless networks latest rage By Barbara Grady, Business Writer - Oakland Tribune OAKLAND officials are thinking of joining the WiFi age and deploying a municipal wireless network to give their citizens and workers free Internet access. WiFi networks allow people to access the Internet from various "hot spots" around a city from laptops or handheld wireless devices without plugging into a jack or needing a specific Internet service account. Commercial WiFi hot spots exist in hotels and coffee shops in most cities, including Oakland. But free municipal WiFi networks, which are under planning in major cities from San Francisco to Philadelphia, are designed to give broad Internet access coverage from outdoor and indoor locations across a city. Only a handful of smaller cities have WiFi net

Studio One needs to raise money, which you will discover as you read this Oakland Tribune article. Studio One arts facility has rich history FRIENDS of Studio One are eagerly awaiting completion of renovations to the city-owned arts facility — located in a 100-year-old former orphanage on 45th Street — so classes can resume there once again. Some $10 million in funds from Measure DD, approved by voters in 2002, were allocated to retrofit and reconfigure the structure and make it handicap accessible as well. During construction, Studio One classes temporarily are being held in downtown Oakland at the Malonga Casquelourd Center for the Arts on Alice Street, also a historic landmark building (once the home of the Oakland Women's Club). Summer classes are under way. Funds will still be needed for art-related furnishings once the North Oakland facility reopens, so the Friends are hosting a Sept. 27 "Splash for Cash" fundraiser from 3:30 to 6 p.m. at the Temescal Pool, 371 45t

For several years, Harold P. Jones has served as Deputy Executive Director for External Affairs. I've known Harold and had a great deal of respect and admiration for the job he's done over that time. But this month he steps down and gives way to a person who's been a friend of mine since -- I guess -- 1991: Libby Schaaf. Most recently Libby was an aide to Oakland Council President Ignacio De La Fuente and for a time to Oakland Mayor Jerry Brown. Harold personallly sought Libby for the job, and he could not have made a better choice. Congratuations Libby!

Broadway Grand is a development under construction at the corner of Broadway and Grand Avenue on the northside of downtown Oakland. As the video will show, it's a large mixed-use retail and apartment development which because of its size and placement will alter that part of downtown Oakland forever. Broadway Grand sits in what was considered -- and by some still is thought to be -- a sketchy area with drug dealers, robbers, and the homeless. But what's being constructed in these areas -- housing -- has served to bring the "hounds to the hunters" and contributed to an increasing crime rate. I'm pro-development, but I think with the number of apartments and condos going up around downtown Oakland, it's time we asked the question -- yet again -- of what kind of Oakland we want to have. In 1991, we had an Oakland community participation forum called Oakland Sharing The Vision. "OSV" as it was called drew 500 Oakl