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'David and Goliath' battle for state assembly seat By Cecily Burt, STAFF WRITER - OAKLAND TRIBUNE Article Last Updated:10/24/2006 07:49:17 AM PDT OAKLAND — In the largely Democratic stronghold of the 16th Assembly district, which blankets Piedmont, Alameda and nearly all of Oakland, does a little known Peace and Freedom Party candidate by the name of Eddie Ytuarte have a chance of defeating Sandre Swanson? Probably not. Then again, it was in the 16th district where upstart Green Party candidate Audie Bock triumphed over Democratic stalwart and former Oakland Mayor Elihu Harris in the April 1999 special election. Democrat Swanson, 57, former chief of staff for U.S. Rep. Barbara Lee and policy adviser for former Congressman and now Oakland Mayor-elect Ron Dellums, said he's not worried but he's also not taking anything for granted. Swanson has kept his campaign office open and his volunteers busy since the June primary when he overcame three strong challengers. But Swanso

The article below -- written in 1998 -- serves as a reminder that SMG was hired to be the manager of the Coliseum without a competitive bid process. This fact escaped the Chronicle article, but it remains true that it should have been done such that other stadium management companies -- and other option -- were explored. They were not. Coliseum Moves To Hire Private Management Officials hope to cut huge cost to taxpayers Rick DelVecchio, Chronicle Staff Writer Thursday, May 28, 1998 (05-28) 04:00 PDT OAKLAND -- In the first of a series of moves intended to cut taxpayer subsidies for the Oakland Coliseum, officials are ready to hire a private firm to pack more events into the complex -- from big-name concerts to business conferences. Under a proposal scheduled for a vote today, management of the 62,500-seat stadium where the Raiders and A's play and the 19,200-seat arena that is home to the Golden State Warriors would be signed over to a partnership led by Philadelphia-based SMG.

This is Megan's video presenting her grad student project, which focuses on West Oakland

I saw this video and had to post it. I wondered what Megan was referring to by "preconceived notions" about West Oakland? I mean when a person does a social science project -- which is what this sounds like -- they should write their values and biases down. I'd love this video if it were more revealing than it is. For as long as I can remember, West Oakland's been the focus of many young white architecture and city planning students -- particularly from UC Berkeley (I should know; I got my masters degree in City Planning from Cal). There was even the UC Berekeley / Oakland Economic Forum about 15 years ago, which focused much of its attention on West Oakland. I've heard comments like the one in this video for decades. West Oakland has never been much of a puzzle to me. All it needs is investment. Redevelopment monies should be designed to stimulate construction of industry, but it never is. And I don't mean loans -- grants tied to specific performanc

This video of a KRON TV news report shows how Oakland's police and city attorney's office, led by John Russo, are working to curb drug sales and sales to minors at liquor stores around the city. Many of Oakland's crime hor spots are at or near the locations of liquor stores.

Someone by the name of "Mr Rengel" elected to take this video of his walk down York Street, which is just off Mandana and near the Lakeshore and Grand Avenue commerical districts. Here's the video:

The leaders of a website and "movement" I guess called "moveonjerry.org" have produced this video which claims that Oakland Mayor Jerry Brown was using the Mayor's Lincoln -- leased to The City of Oakland by "Cab West LLC" -- to attend a fund-raiser in Sacramento. While the video's contains some dramatic music, one must ask the question is that really the City of Oakland's Lincoln? I didn't match the license plate with the one parked at City Hall, but apparently MoveOnJerry did -- it is. Here's the video:

Jerry Brown does finally have TV ads and videos, after earlier deciding not to do any. Here's one:

This TV ad was posted by Chuck Poochigian, Jerry Brown's Republican opponent in the AG race.

For years, Allan Michaan, the owner of the Grand Lake Theater, has constanly searched for new ways to bring revenue to his prize theater, open since 1926. About nine years ago, Allan had a major problem with getting first run movies because Buena Vista Distributing worked with the owner of the Jack London Cinema to shut him out. He won in court. Now Allan faces a bigger problem: the Internet. Squeezed by people who more often than not stay at home and watch movies either via DVD or online, not to mention failed summer movies like "Superman Returns," Allan had to take action. The result: this party for Sydewayz & Sean Kennedy's Hip=Hop DVD held earlier this year and captured on video. Here it is:

This Montcarion Article leaves out a huge piece of information: that Chabot faced a $1 million budget shortfall as recently as July, and with no obvious money source to close it. She tells the reporter she's leaving for "the man of her dreams," but lets face it, if she knew she was going to continue to get paid and the Chabot board wanted her to stay, she'd stick around. After all, she says she's moving to Los Gatos -- that is the Bay Area. Chabot director to resign At year's end, Barnett will pursue personal interests and clear the way for new leadership By Quynh Tran STAFF WRITER - THE MONTCLARION Chabot Space & Science Center Executive Director Alexandra Barnett announced her resignation Wednesday to pursue personal interests and clear the way for new leadership as the center embarks on its goal of becoming a premier educational institution. Barnett said she will leave at the end of the year but will remain involved with the center's new $4 milli

Ok. Here's the real deal and it's the truth. The County of Alameda's key leaders have no faith in the ability of the City of Oakland's leaders to get anything done with respect to the A's. As one person who's an Alameda County official recently told me, "There's no one from the City of Oakland who seems to care" about the A's. Another Alameda County official once said he kept wondering when someone from the City of Oakland was going to show leadership, but it hasn't happened. This is why Scott Haggerty took the action he did as explained in Paul Rosunsky's article below. It's a way of telling the City of Oakland -- by action -- that they're not handling the A's matter properly. It's no surprise to me that the County side of the Oakland - Alameda County Coliseum Authority has taken the matter of renegotiating the A's lease in its own hands. Bravo! Oakland officials cry foul over A's deal Council members say

I personally met Maurice Himy on several occasions, the first time was in 2002 when he was enjoying the first Oakland Art & Soul Festival from his store, which was right on the City Hall way. He was walking with two people: Oakland Mayor Jerry Brown and Oakland City Councilman Larry Reid. I remember the moment as if it happened yesterday, because Jerry asked me how things were going; I'd left the City of Oakland the previous year. Maurice would always say to me "Yes. Come and see me sometime" I never got around to it. Oakland City Hall probe wide-ranging FBI's questions have centered on 10 to 15 city contracts, officials say By Heather MacDonald, STAFF WRITER - OAKLAND TRIBUNE OAKLAND — The arrest of a man with close ties to several city officials is just a small part of a wide-ranging investigation by federal authorities into public corruption at Oakland City Hall, FBI officials said Thursday. The probe is focusing on whether "City Official A" —

SMG is an organization that manages stadiums and arenas around the United States. They were brought in to take over management duties at the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum complex in 1997, and after the Oakland Alameda County Coliseum Authority voted to discontinue running the complex. (A political move by Oakland City Council President Ignacio De La Fuente to oust long-time Coliseum President and Peerless Coffee boss George Vukasin.) Since then, SMG's performance has been less than stellar. First, the initial manager of the Coliseum for SMG, Sally Roach, told me she didn't have the facility drawings -- the kind a fire marshall would ask for -- we needed for Oakland's Super Bowl Bid; I didn't believe her, so I found a guy who "ratted out" Roach. A man by the name of Matt Veil, who called me to explain that they did have the drawing and he would get them to me. In other words, Sally and SMG were trying to throw a monkey wrench into our Super Bowl Bid effo

Well, this is quiet interesting. My friend Phil Matier of the SF Chronicle reports on a proposal for a new 42-Story condo where the current and historic Schilling garden is. I've been to the garden on many occasions, but it's seen better days in my view. Besides, in my view the Lake's development process should be permitted to reach its highest uses levels. I'm more than a little tired of the kind of NIMBY-nitpicking that goes on and is always advanced by someone who should be retiring to Tahiti. More on this later.

This video presents "SOL" , a sustainable garden farm in East Oakland, though where it is, I don't know. Keep a focus on the show's host as she's also the barista at De Bartolo's Cafe on Grand Avenue.

This video contains local jazz artist Betty Fu singing at the Oakland Chinatown StreetFest from this summer.

In this video, Oakland Mayor and California AG Candidate Jerry Brown is accused of breaking his old campaign promise of not taking over $100 in contributions. But what's interesting is that Mayor Brown's captured going to a spa reportedly in Sacramento and then getting into a Lincoln Town Car that looks like the Mayor's Lincoln owned by the City of Oakland. Is he using the Mayor's Lincoln for matters not city business? I think that's his right -- like going to the grocery store -- but I'm not sure about political campaigns.

Roy Steele has beeen the PA announcer for the Oakland Coliseum since 1968. This video's about him and includes comments from the public and even the opposing players.

This video I had nothing to do with; it features a tour of a luxury box in the East Side pavilion of the Oakland Coliseum and during the Oakland A's , Chicago White Sox baseball game. It's notable for its simple humor on top of the experience of filming the suite.