Oakland Focus News | Oakland News Online Blog

John McCain’s campaign manager played a role in helping the mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac beat back regulatory challenges when he served as president of their advocacy group. read more | digg story

A fire that broke out late Saturday inside a nightclub near the Hong Kong border caused a stampede of panicked partygoers trying to escape killing at least 43 people, and leaving more than 88 injured. What caused the inferno is said to be fireworks which were a part of a show featured inside the nightclub. read more | digg story

US taxpayers may be on the hook for one of the biggest frauds in US history. Taxpayers are mad as hell about the US government's decision to bail out Wall St with $700 Billion US dollars leaving the taxpayer on the hook. Reminds me of the movie Network 1976 with everyone screaming "I'm Mad As Hell And I'm Not Going to Take This Anymore". read more | digg story

Economist, not exactly a bastion of liberalism, finally says it like it is: McCain team's lies have taken the campaign to new lows. Choosing Palin is a cynical move that has "placed abortion, the most divisive cultural issue in America, at the centre of his campaign", and a demonstrable novice a "72-year-old heartbeat away from the presidency". read more | digg story

I met Oakland City Council At Large candidate Kerry Hamill for a long -- in Internet terms -- talk about why she's running for the seat and her plans should she win the election.  As Kerry and I both worked for Elihu Harris, we had a lot to talk about.

This i s from Sfgate : A man was shot and killed and his girlfriend was wounded in a shooting in Oakland, police said. Marco Casillas, 19, and his girlfriend, a 19-year-old woman whose name wasn't released, were found suffering from numerous gunshot wounds on the 4000 block of Santa Rita Street at about 10:45 p.m. Friday, said Officer Jeff Thomason, Oakland police spokesman. Both were taken to Highland Hospital in Oakland, where Casillas was pronounced dead. His girlfriend was reported to be in critical but stable condition, authorities said. A motive for the shooting was unknown, and no arrests have been reported in the slaying, Oakland's 103rd homicide this year. Meanwhile, a suspect has been arrested in the slaying of the city's 102nd homicide. Curtis Norris, 19, is being held without bail at Santa Rita Jail in Dublin in the shooting death of Edward Dismuke, 38, authorities said. Dismuke was riding a bicycle at about 9:50 p.m. Tuesday when he was shot near 38t

This is a political "slice of life" video I created during the evening of the March 4th "Super Tuesday" Primary. It starts with my trip to the Oakland "Obama For America" headquarters to do some phone banking work and then to two Obama parties in San Francisco, one at Tosca and the other at an art gallery. Along the way, you will meet Obama volunteers and discover their motivations and passions for being involved in this enormous grass roots movement to get Barack Obama elected President of The United States. 

The following is a story I read about a custodian Webster Academy who was wrongfully accused of stealing property from the school. With proving himself innocent, it makes me furious that so many police officers abuse their authority. Click on his photo for the whole story by Katy Murphy from the Education Report:

This sounds like this will be quite interesting. I think it's sad how people feel as prisoners in their own home due to the air quality. The full Oakland Tribune Story Below. Groups convene to address environmental concerns in East Oakland By Kamika Dunlap Oakland Tribune Article Launched: 09/18/2008 05:11:27 PM PDT OAKLAND — Environmental activists and community groups will discuss at a meeting Monday the poor health conditions affecting many East Oakland residents living along the city's industrial corridors. Groups will examine findings from a new report, "Cumulative Impacts in East Oakland: Findings from a Community-Based Mapping Study." The report was put together by Communities for a Better Environment and other partners, including the Bay Area Air Quality Management District, the California Air Resources Board, UC Berkeley and Bay Area Healthy 880 Communities. The study addresses the environmental effects of toxic pollution, such as idling diesel trucks and po

Thanks to the Rockridge News.. D o you have an extra hour each week to help feed the Bay Area’s less fortunate   residents? Daily Bread can match you with a food source and needy organization, doing their best to find a convenient time and place for you. Your job will be to pick updonated food at donor sites for delivery to local storage. Some pick up sites are available in Rockridge. Got the time? Call Patrice Ignelgi, 526-3123, or e-mail her at patrice@ pcsyes.com .  Daily Bread also operates the Milk for Kids program, which provides milk donated by the Berkeley Bowl and the Village Market to children in need. To volunteer, or for more information, contact Patrice Ignelgi.

OAKLAND — A man was shot and wounded in a daylight shooting Thursday on busy International Boulevard. The shooting happened about 11:43 a.m. in the 4800 block of International Boulevard, police said. The gunfire sent people scrambling for safety from the street into nearby shops. Vinny Fong, owner of Golden Nails salon, said he heard about five gunshots and then people came running into his shop. "A lot of people tried to run in and hide," Fong said. "So we called the police.... MORE

I stumbled over this little-seen video by YouTuber wendylea66 which explains why the Oakland Uhuru Movement was against  resident  Pat McCullough's District One council campaign. One part of the video that's interesting is the claim that more police will not solve the crime problem. Take a look.

This videos looks at the last 12 years of the Oakland Fund for Children and Youth -- Measure K. Visit kidsfirst2coalition.org to learn more about the effort to expand the Oakland Children's Fund this November.

This is from the Oakland Police Department.  According to my sources, the checkpoints will almost certainly be on or near Broadway, and not far from Luka's bar and restaurant and Sweets Lounge on Broadway -- the areas with the highest traffic on Friday night. Personally, I think the best solution for the grant money funding this program is to have a free late-night shuttle service that goes from specific points around Lake Merritt and to stop areas near each bar.  That would be a great alternative to driving.  But this excuse to arrest someone is not solving the problem at all.  As Willie Brown said in this video , "Drink.  Drink.  Drink.  Then drive drunk so I can represent you."  In fact, San Francisco doesn't have a checkpoint system; most people take cabs which are in abundance.  But also people do drive, some of them elected officials and wealthy people, and nothing ever happens to them in San Francisco.  Look at the case of Harry Denton! In Oakland, where

Run your company into the ground, get bailed out, and under McCain, get a tax break! read more | digg story

Welcome to EastOakland.net - A free site with information and commentary focused on East Oakland, California & Oakland International Airport, Mills College, McAfee Coliseum, the Oracle Arena, Maxwell Park And The Hills. read more | digg story

In a move that would impact the Port of Oakland, Alaska Governor and GOP VP Candidate Sarah Palin says the new fees for Long Beach, L.A. and Oakland ports would harm the economies of Alaska and California. read more | digg story

Oakland – In the aftermath of Chauncey Bailey’s murder, the first American journalist to be killed in the U.S. in 31 years while reporting on a story, an investigative team of Bay Area journalists have uncovered key facts about his murder and continued the investigation into possible criminal activities of the Your Black Muslim Bakery (YBMB). read more | digg story

I haven’t been to the zoo since I was a kid, which makes sense, because the zoo is really designed for kids. My wife heard through the grapevine that the Oakland Zoo is very nice, so, for our first visit, we took the kids to the Oakland Zoo and it was well worth it. read more | digg story

An SF Examiner article, Tony R. Rodriguez reports on a literary event created by the NCIBA. read more | digg story