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UPDATE: According to sources, "Norma" was an employee who was released for a reason that the Juarez staff would not explain. Moreover, neither Mario Juarez nor any of his staffers would confirm or deny the information given to this blogger. It's alleged that she falsified documents in a way that would have been damaging to Juarez business at the time in 2008. Other sources claim that "Norma" had a cozy relationship with Oakland Councilmember Ignacio De La Fuente - not sex cozy. Moreover, her email turned up only once in an Internet search - in this blog 2008 entry. One rule that I have learned in politics and life is to first, clean up whatever mess you've made before you do anything else. Second, pay your dues. We all make mistakes but we also must admit to them, and then work to clean them up. That rule is especially true for Mario Juarez, who's running for the Oakland City Council District Five seat currently held by Ignacio De La Fuente.

I am in New York City for the NFL Draft. As part of our partnership with KRON TV Channel 4, San Francisco, we created these video interviews of Oakland Raiders First Round Pick Darren McFadden. You can see more of our coverage at http://kron2008nfldraft.com Agent Ian Greengross On The Thursday Before the Draft talks about character and the chance of a holdout should the Raiders draft McFadden. Agent Greengross after the Raiders pick McFadden and McFadden Press Conference Darren McFadden Interview after press conference

OK, since the latest baseball drama involves my favorite player, the talented-yet-oh-so-egotistical Frank Thomas, I feel obliged to write a plea to the Oakland A's in his defense. That was a good year in 2006, Oakland. Remember it? Remember going to the playoffs, the bobbleheads, and roaring, packed stadium? The Oakland A's were serious contenders, and part of that had to do with the seasoned leadership of Frank Thomas. I know, much has been made of his diva antics this past weekend, but he was genial in Oakland, and his experience helped make that team what it was: playoff-worthy contenders. The A's should make the best of an unforeseen series of fortuitous coincidences. The Mariners and Angels are not as dominant as people expected them to be, yet the A's have far surpassed anyone's expectations; and now Thomas is available, and without denting Oakland's wallet, would probably play anywhere so that he has a chance to rectify his career. Take advantage o

This is a 20 minute movie on the dramatic event that was the convention held in Oakland, CA to elect delegates to represent the 9th Congressional District in Oakland and Barack Obama. It drew 2,000 people. If you live in Oakland and are politically involved, you're going to see someone you know in this video. It was really a kind of homecoming for people in Oakland politics and of course Oaklanders who have been involved with the Obama campaign. I thank the people in the video from Peralta Community College District Chancellor Elihu Harris to my friends, all of whom are in the movie and listed, and the delegate winners in this movie who are just some of the Oaklanders that will represent Barack Obama at the Democratic National Convention, Jennifer Pae, Fred Feller , Mark Friedman, Ayelet Waldman , and Darlene Brooks. The estimate of 2,000 people was my own and came from first, eyeballing the event, second from figuring that of 101 candidates, each had perhaps 10 people aver

The San Francisco 49ers are good for San Francisco; they bring pride to the City and its residents. It wouldn't make any sense to take the 49ers out of San Francisco. The team's owners need to seriously consider and then reconsider what the team brings to the City and its neighborhoods, especially the neighborhoods around the stadium. Lennar Corporation's proposed new 49ers' stadium is a good thing for the residents of Bayview Hunters Point because it will bring with it 6500 new housing units, which means help for local small businesses, and a beautified, improved neighborhood. The 49ers are as much a City tradition as the Golden Gate Bridge and Fisherman's Wharf. Keep the stadium in SF!

This bit of news from the SF Chronicle focuses on the Oakland Food Scene: Switching bait: Oakland's Pearl Oyster Bar & Restaurant (5634 College Ave., near Shafter) closed on April 7, but according to manager Micaela Gardner it's hardly the end for the Rockridge seafood house. After a few weeks' transition and a light remodel, Pearl will become Water Lounge, a raw bar, under Pearl owner Rick Tyler and much of the rest of the current management team. With luck, the opening date will be around May 19, Gardner says. Late hours and a full bar will be two of the attractions, as will a menu of mostly uncooked seafood. According to Gardner, that will allow for a smaller staff than Pearl's. "I'll have my pick of the litter," she says. Pearl opened in 2004 with Mark Lusardi as chef. When Lusardi left, Jonathan Luce, who had been in the kitchen since the opening, took over. Luce left in June and is now chef de cuisine at the newly opened Bellanico (4238 Park Blvd

In San Francisco, the second annual International African Marketplace (IAM) brought music, dance, food, art and crafts of the African Diaspora to the Bayview-Hunters Point district on three consecutive weekends in September. The IAM ran from 12 to 5 p.m. on September 15-16, 22-23 and 29-30 at the Bayview Opera House located at 4705 Third Street at Oakdale Avenue, easily accessible from the MUNI "T" line. Admission was free. The IAM is a celebratory series of events and activities of cultural diversity representing the African Diaspora and its cultural influences worldwide. It serves as a venue for all cultures of the African Diaspora and as a rallying point for coordinating resources in the African-American business, social service and art communities. It further serves as a cultural destination for tourists and residents. By presenting global goods and wares of the African Diaspora, local vendors will recreate a cultural destination venue within the Bayview-Hunters Point co