Oakland Focus News | Oakland News Online Blog

In its February 26th edition, Asian Week ran a column by writer Kenneth Eng called "Why I Hate Blacks." The hate work -- it can't be called anything other than that -- has been denounced by Bay Area Political Leaders. But whiile this happens, Asian Week has gotten off scot-free. Just Google "Kenneth Eng and Asian Week" and you'll find a collection of "hate columns" he's posted that comes off almost as a firing squad of work against Whites and Blacks. It's not just that Kenneth Eng writes this, but Asian Week give him a forum to express his hate. Of course, his behavior doesn't speak for every Asian person. But it must be reported here that Oakland tenant lawyers have told me more than once that Asian landlords do discriminate against Blacks. And in my legal battles with my now-ex landlord Lillie Jue, her own apartment manager wrote a email to me explaning that she didn't not want more Blacks in her apartment complex and was r

The USGS Website reports this: Magnitude 3.4 - local magnitude (ML) Time Friday, February 23, 2007 at 3:46:15 PM (PST) Friday, February 23, 2007 at 23:46:15 (UTC) Distance from Berkeley, CA - 3 km (2 miles) ESE (105 degrees) Piedmont, CA - 5 km (3 miles) N (350 degrees) Emeryville, CA - 5 km (3 miles) NE (52 degrees) Albany, CA - 6 km (4 miles) ESE (122 degrees) San Francisco City Hall, CA - 19 km (12 miles) ENE (57 degrees) Coordinates 37 deg. 51.9 min. N (37.865N), 122 deg. 14.4 min. W (122.241W) Depth 11.4 km (7.1 miles) Location Quality Good If you felt it, tell them here!

The USGS Website reports this: Magnitude 3.4 - local magnitude (ML) Time Friday, February 23, 2007 at 3:46:15 PM (PST) Friday, February 23, 2007 at 23:46:15 (UTC) Distance from Berkeley, CA - 3 km (2 miles) ESE (105 degrees) Piedmont, CA - 5 km (3 miles) N (350 degrees) Emeryville, CA - 5 km (3 miles) NE (52 degrees) Albany, CA - 6 km (4 miles) ESE (122 degrees) San Francisco City Hall, CA - 19 km (12 miles) ENE (57 degrees) Coordinates 37 deg. 51.9 min. N (37.865N), 122 deg. 14.4 min. W (122.241W) Depth 11.4 km (7.1 miles) Location Quality Good If you felt it, tell them here!

Residents advised to join forces Mayor urged to focus on community policing, respond to violence on block-by-block basis By Heather MacDonald , STAFF WRITER Article Last Updated: 02/19/2007 02:43:25 AM PST OAKLAND — Mayor Ron Dellums should make the implementation of viable community policing his highest public safety priority, according to two of the task forces formed by the mayor to set his administration's agenda. Released two months after the task forces finished the first phase of their work, the 30 recommendations urge the mayor to reach out to the community in an effort to stem the violence that claimed 148 lives last year and has shown no sign of lessening this year. The community policing task force urged Dellums to lead an effort to organize the city block by block as part of a "proactive partnership between residents, businesses and policeto improve and maintain quality of life in Oakland," where every officer regardless of assignment is a community police off

Residents advised to join forces Mayor urged to focus on community policing, respond to violence on block-by-block basis By Heather MacDonald , STAFF WRITER Article Last Updated: 02/19/2007 02:43:25 AM PST OAKLAND — Mayor Ron Dellums should make the implementation of viable community policing his highest public safety priority, according to two of the task forces formed by the mayor to set his administration's agenda. Released two months after the task forces finished the first phase of their work, the 30 recommendations urge the mayor to reach out to the community in an effort to stem the violence that claimed 148 lives last year and has shown no sign of lessening this year. The community policing task force urged Dellums to lead an effort to organize the city block by block as part of a "proactive partnership between residents, businesses and policeto improve and maintain quality of life in Oakland," where every officer regardless of assignment is a community police off

This is old news, but timeless in the way Robert Gammon tells it. Oakland Councilmember Larry Reid's lost attempt to gain Oakland Mayor Ron Dellums more City Council power is beautifully told here. But Larry's past and blind support of Oakland Council President Ignacio De La Fuente may have hurt him, here. In a way, it reminds me of when Larry voted with Ignacio toward an "action of no action" on the Super Bowl Bid, and even though he was Chairman of the Super Bowl Bid Committee. I was told he did so because he believed he was going to get a key committee chair position from Ignacio, and then it never happened. Behind the Fracas at Dellums' Inaugural When Larry Reid moved to unseat council president Ignacio De La Fuente, he bet that the new mayor would jump at the chance to control the Oakland City Council. He bet wrong. By Robert Gammon - East Bay Express Published: January 24, 2007 Ron Dellums passed on a chance to seize control of city hall just hours befor

This is the widely circulating Barack Obama video I found over at Brightcove, the new video distribution site. It's on Barack's background and message. Also, he's going to be at a fund raiser for Senator Barbara Boxer on February 19th at the Westin St. Francis Hotel, Grand Ballroom, San Francisco.

I can count on one hand the number of times I've walked into the Burger King on the corner of 13th and Broadway, and one reason is the up-and-down pattern of clean in the facility. For anyone who wonders what happens when employees don't keep an eatery clean, read on. What caught my eye was this statement: "This is a common problem in restaurants that don't keep their systems clean" Wow. Grease fire sparks downtown blaze By Janis Mara, Staff Writer Article Last Updated: 02/12/2007 11:50:06 AM PST A firefighter climbs to the roop of a building at 13th and Broadway in Oakland. (Laura A. Oda - Staff) Commuters in downtown Oakland were put off their morning coffee and croissan'wichs Monday, when smoke poured from a building just after 9 a.m. at 13th and Broadway. The fire at the two-story Civic Center Market Place building started as a grease fire in the ground-floor Burger King's flue system, Oakland Fire Battalion Chief William Towner said. No one was in

I attended the annual Fox Sports Network Baseball Luncheon -- held the first Thursday after the Super Bowl -- last week. In attendance were Oakland Mayor Ron Dellums and sitting at the same table with Oakland A's Owners Lew Wolff and Jon Fisher, as well as San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom, San Francisco Giants heads Peter McGowan and Larry Baer, and Major League Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig. After the event -- videos from it will be on various blogs in the SBS network including this one -- I asked Wolff how the Fremont efforrt was going. He gave me a sincerely tense look and said "We've got a long way to go." And he emphasized "long." I think Lew's going to discover that the wheels of goverment in the Bay Area turn slowly. This fact and Lew's frustration with Fremont could work in Oakland's favor -- if Oakland does something.

Ben and Nate, obviously not happy that the Oakland A's are attempting to move to Fremont, have produced this video. In it they declare that Oakland is home to important social movements, like The Black Panthers and the word "Hella". Then to complete their protest, they ghost ride their Volvo. Here's the video...

The Rockridge Community Planning Council is seeking new board members. You can apply for the April election; the application is due February 28th 2007. Here's the information from The Rockridge News. Looking for ways to improve the quality of life in Rockridge? Concerned about development issues in Rockridge, zoning, schools, traffic, or crime? Have ideas for improving the BART plaza? Expanding our parks? Greening our streets? Well, Rockridge needs people like you. Taking a seat on the Rockridge Community Planning Council board will enable you to further your ideas and make Rockridge a more thriving, dynamic community. RCPC is a nonprofit public benefit organization, founded in 1985 to preserve and enhance the unique character of the Rockridge neighborhood, promote the health, safety, and quality of life of its residents, furnish a forum for community involvement, and provide leadership and representation of neighborhood interests. RCPC will hold its annual election in April fo

Area journalist sets jail-time record Blogger resists subpoena 169 days By Josh Richman, STAFF WRITER - Oakland Tribune Article Last Updated: 02/07/2007 08:48:46 AM PST SAN FRANCISCO — Freelance videographer and blogger Josh Wolf became a full-fledged media martyr Tuesday, surpassing the U.S. record for most time spent in jail by a journalist who refused to comply with a subpoena. Tuesday was the 169th day that Wolf, 24, of San Francisco spent in a federal prison cell in Dublin after refusing to give a federal grand jury footage he shot of a 2005 political protest in San Francisco's Mission District. Journalists, civil libertarians and politicians gathered on the steps of City Hall to mark the occasion. "Josh Wolf is in jail for every one of you out there who's holding a camera ... a notepad ... a microphone," said David Greene, executive director of the Oakland-based First Amendment Project. "This is not a selfish act, he has nothing to gain personally by being

According to the Yahoo! Message Board Oakland District Two Councilmember Pat Kernighan has conducted a poll to gauge resident's views on Ex-Oakland Raider Chester McGlockton's proposal for a new Fatburger to be built at the current Kwik Way site at Lake Park near Lake Merritt. Surprisingly -- and in the face of Kernighan's support of the project -- 70 of 126 in poll voted "no." You can vote with a click on this sentence. Here's a photo of the vote tally as it stands right now. It could change. Here's the text that Kernighan wrote: The Recent History at the Site The Kwik Way property has been owned by the Hahn family for about the past seven years. Three years ago, they proposed leasing it to McDonald's. The community organized massive opposition to the McDonald's, primarily because of the increased traffic and litter it would bring to an already congested area. Over 500 people attended the Oakland Planning Commission to oppose the McDonald

Yep. I just returned from a week-long trip to Miami, Florida and to attend my fifth Super Bowl game, Super Bowl XLI. For more on my trip and videos, check out our NFL Super Bowl Game blog. More on Oakland soon. Frankly, I was glad to get away from all of the bad news around town. Geez. Now, I learn that San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom's bearing his sole for all to see. Maybe that's a good turning point and a good example for politicians in Oakland and all over the World. Full emotional disclosure.

Today as I was passing by City Hall, I saw a familar face pass by at a distance and rushing toward the 14th Street side entrance of Oakland's City Hall. Bill Claggett. For those of you who don't know the name, Claggett was hired by Elihu Harris when Harris was Mayor Of Oakland and as one of three economic consultants, including myself. I stayed on as Harris' Economic Advisor while Glaggett moved on, but then returned as Economic Development head after the departure of Kofi Bonner. Currently, Bill's listed as a "Management Consulting Consultant and Contractor" according to his Linkedin listing. Glaggett remained under Mayor Jerry Brown, and was considered as the one person who pushed through the Mayor's 10K program and his casino idea, as well. Eventually, he and his deputy Bob Lyons were let go by Jerry Brown. Glaggett was replaced by Dan VanderPriem, who departed last year. The news was unpopular with not a few community political operatives, some o

This area continues to be plagued by night-time crime. While District Two and District Three councilmembers plan a town hall meeting on high rises around the Lake, people are planning to hold up, mug, rape, and in some cases murder other residents around the Lake. This is ridiculous. To me, the answer is simply for people to be nosy. To get to know each other. To ask questions. To be watchful. I mean look at the chatter from the Yahoo! Message Board: I am just amazed by all of the stories...it is never ending. Lighting will help, driving around and surveying your area will help, but ultimately they have the power and are our own breed of terrorists - people's livelihoods are being ruined. Have there been any arrests ever? I never hear of any! -----Original Message----- From: 15X_NCPC@yahoogroup s.com <15X_NCPC@yahoogroup s.com> To: 15X_NCPC@yahoogroup s.com <15X_NCPC@yahoogroup s.com> Sent: Fri Jan 19 08:03:19 2007 Subject: RE: [15X_NCPC] Another car break in A man

Assembly bill seeks to limit state oversight by Kerry Hamill, North Oakland School Board Member - Rockridge News, January Oakland’s new state Assembly member, Sandre Swanson, will likely spark some long overdue discussions in Sacramento this year about the future governance of Oakland public schools. On Swanson’s first day as a member of the Oakland delegation, he introduced a bill which would put the school board back in control and protect the district’s students from any risky financial decisions by keeping budget veto power in the hands of a state-designated trustee. If passed, the bill would allow the school board to resume power in 2008 and select a new superintendent. To that end, current state administrator Kimberly Statham will likely be on a short list of possible candidates. She continues to earn high marks in the school community for her ability to listen, accept good advice and embrace changes that have worked well for students. Central to any discussion about restoring lo

Well, the Oakland Robbery Problem is everywhere. It even struck Oracle Arena, where the Golden State Warriors play. In this case, the heist was well-planned and only took 17 minutes. Security firm fired after theft at Oracle ABC Security will take over for WSB and Associates By Paul T. Rosynsky, STAFF WRITER Article Last Updated: 01/19/2007 02:55:45 AM PST OAKLAND — A private security firm that patrolled the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum complex the night plasma televisions and ATMs were stolen has been fired. WSB and Associates, a San Francisco-based firm that has patrolled the complex the past five years, will be replaced by ABC Security, an Oakland-based firm with deep political connections at City Hall. ABC Security will take over patrols at the complex Monday, said Mark Kauffman, an SMG employee and general manager for the complex. The decision to fire WSB and Associates was made by SMG, a firm hired to manage the complex. Kauffman said the Jan. 4 robbery played a role in th

I found this article in "The Black Commentator" and posted it because given Oakland's population mix and the racial hostilities that were present at last week's inauguration, it seemed timely. It's time to take not only a look at this problem, but steps to eliminate the problem of bad Latino / Black relations. Roots Of Lation / Black Anger - Long Time Prejudices, Not Economic Rivalry, Fuel Tensions - Tanya K. Hernandez The acrimonious relationship between Latinos and African Americans in Los Angeles is growing hard to ignore. Although the New Year weekend's Black-versus-Latino race riot at Chino state prison is unfortunately not an aberration, the Dec.15 murder in the Harbor Gateway neighborhood of Cheryl Green, a 14-year-old African American, allegedly by members of a Latino gang, was shocking. Yet there was nothing really new about it. Rather, the murder was a manifestation of an increasingly common trend: Latino ethnic cleansing of African Americans from m

UPDATE: NEWSOM AND DELLUMS DIFFER ON FATES OF PRO SPORTS TEAMS 01/17/07 4:10 PST SAN FRANCISCO (BCN) San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom and Oakland Mayor Ron Dellums expressed contrasting opinions today about their ability to keep professional sports teams from leaving their cities. Speaking at an annual business forum sponsored by the San Francisco Business Times, Newsom said the San Francisco 49ers' plans to move to Santa Clara "are by no means a done deal.'' Newsom said, "I don't know how the math works out'' to make the proposal to move to Santa Clara successful. Newsom said he believes "it's in the best interests of the San Francisco 49ers to stay in San Francisco, where they've prospered for 60 years.'' He said he believes his recent proposal to build a new stadium in the Hunters Point area along with affordable housing and community projects is a good one. "I hope the 49ers participate,'' he said. Newsom noted t