Oakland Focus News | Oakland News Online Blog

Tails Of The City : Budget crises threatens lives of Oakland shelter animals : “CORRECTION: Oakland Animal Services will now be exempt from the holiday closure and will remain open in order to protect the welfare of animals. More than 180 adoptable animals at Oakland Animal Services may be euthanized during the week between Christmas and New Year's Day because of a City-ordered shutdown. Because no animals can be adopted during the mandatory shutdown, and stray animals will not have completed their state-mandated holding period, the shelter will be forced to euthanize more than 20 adoptable animals daily from December 26 through January 2.”

California Lt. Gov. adviser pleads guilty in child porn case - Inside Bay Area : “SAN DIEGO — An adviser to Lt. Gov. John Garamendi has pleaded guilty to possessing child pornography on his computer. The U.S. attorney's office says Wade Sanders admitted Monday in federal court in San Diego that he possessed a computer with more than 600 sexual images of minors. The computer also had a 21-minute sex video depicting prepubescent girls. The 67-year-old Sanders was Garamendi's senior adviser for veterans and military affairs at the time of his arrest. He also served as deputy assistant secretary of the Navy under President Clinton.” -- All I ask is why do that?

/More at Inside Bay Area : “OAKLAND — An emaciated-looking California sea lion that wandered to the edge of an Oakland International Airport runway was sent to a marine animal hospital Tuesday. Marine Mammal Center workers recovered the animal by 1:30 p.m., after airport workers had noticed it a few hours earlier. "Our rescue workers waded through the water and found the animal acting pretty lethargic until they netted it," Marine Mammal Center spokeswoman Mieke Eerkens said. "It doesn't appear to have any other major injuries, but we'll check it out when it arrives in our Sausalito hospital."”

Contrary to Dave Winder, I think President-Elect Barack Obama's choice of Rick Warren was brilliant in that it's forced a dialog America's not had, and will cause Warren to move to the center on the matter of Gays and Lesbians ans Gay Marriage.

I have to write with more than the usual amusement regarding the postings I've seen on the recently-held " Oakland Blogger Get Together  " because this blog you're reading is the only one that's updated daily, gets more traffic than the others, and doesn't ignore parts of Oakland, and has the only writer who actually worked in Oakland politics -- me.   So, as they do, they formed their own meeting -- an entire "White's only" gathering.  That's sad.  Perhaps I'll host my own gathering, but it will be of a different kind to be sute.  First, racially mixed.  Second, reflective of those who are at the cutting edge of New Media in Oakland, and that's beyond the small group of bloggers that got together.  As I said to Paul Cobb  , there's a "White Blogger group" and true to form, these folks proved it.  And its not as if they don't know who I am; they do and could have invited me.  In fact, that's the problem: they

Visit Spot.us : “What's really wrong with OPD? The reported failings of the Oakland Police Department are serious and well-known. Cops lie to obtain search warrants. Brass assign detectives with known ties to the suspects they are investigating. On any given day, the department has an absentee rate of 30 percent. Morale is in the cellar. The current chief has taken a leave of absence, and from the outside, it's not clear who's running things at 445 7th Street. By interviewing current and former Oakland police officers I hope to arrive at a deeper understanding of what ails OPD, what internal culture gives rise to the failings described above. This is not the sort of reporting that is likely to turn up evidence of concealed wrongdoing, but rather it seeks to shine a light on problems that are hiding in plain sight.” -- Only $31.73 to go to raise money for Alex Gronke and The Oakbook to cover this story. It's part of a new website company called "Spot.us" where

Happy Holidays! I'm Zennie Just saying 'hello' to the Seesmic Community! After months of thinking about doing it, I finally did it: contributed a video on Seesmic.com  , Loic Lemur's video conversation venture, featuring my friend Cathy Brooks, who was one of his first staffers. I remember when Cathy was totting around a laptop showing Seesmic at work; that was last year, 2007 at a STIRR Founder Hacks Meetup! Wow, how time flies!

This gem of a video presents the trash and pollution problem around Oakland's Lake Merritt, and what people like Dr. Richard Bailey are doing about it. Bailey explains that storm drains put trach into the Lake and says that we should ask if the drains are regularly cleaned to prevent this from happening. For more information go to http://www.lakemerrittinsitute.org, or help Bailey clean the Lake!

In this CBS5 video interview with Sherry Hu and Phil Matier, Oakland City Attorney John Russo talks about Barack Obama's victory in the November election and the matter of how Prop 8 passed.

More at Oakland Tribune : “The Raiders' all-around impressive 27-16 victory over the red-hot Houston Texans on Sunday had those who braved the cold and rain at the Coliseum roaring their approval and likely wondering if this was a one-game aberration or a harbinger of things to come.”

More in SFGate : “(12-20) 23:34 PST RICHMOND -- Police are offering a $10,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of four men who allegedly kidnapped and gang-raped for nearly an hour a 28-year-old Richmond woman, who was left naked when they fled in her car.”

I was a special guest of of Liza "The Wine Chic" Zimmerman at this Hangar One Holiday Cocktail Mixing event at Macy's SF and which introduced Hangar One Vodka and Mixologist Scott Beattie. Hangar One is made in Alameda, California

I have received information from a very good source that former Oakland City Manager, Robert Bobb, who's currently serving as a consultant to the City of Oakland on administration matters in the wake of the firing of City Administrator Deborah Edgerly, wants $350,000 to come back to Oakland as City Administrator. The trouble is, the City of Oakland does not want to spend that kind of money in the face of a reported $40 million deficit and a record-setting recession. Bobb will have to substantially reduce his "ask" if he wants the job.   Apparently, that salary matter is the big delay in Mayor Ron Dellums ability to secure the popular public official as the next city administrator.  

More on Lend A Hand Foundation - Inside Bay Area : “OAKLAND — The Lend A Hand Foundation toy drive is special for Jeanette Lewis and her 12 children every year. It's a time when their hearts are touched by the warmth of others through holiday giving. The sixth annual event held Saturday in East Oakland provided gifts to 200 youths who reside in homeless shelters, foster care and to others needing support with toys, educational items, clothing and food. "The foundation helps my family because sometimes times are too hard," said Lewis, 40. "I teach my kids that they can't have everything they want but just to be grateful and thankful."”

On Friday, December 19th, Illinois Governor Rob Blagojevich stood before the cameras and said he would address the charges against him. What would help is a sex scandal with ex-Hugh Hefner girlfriend Holly Madison!

Jerry Brown orders scrapping of Prop. 8 - Inside Bay Area : “SAN FRANCISCO—California Attorney General Jerry Brown changed course on the state's new same-sex marriage ban Friday and urged the state Supreme Court to void Proposition 8. In a dramatic reversal, Brown filed a legal brief saying the measure that amended the California Constitution to limit marriage to a man and a woman is itself unconstitutional because it deprives a minority group of a fundamental right. Earlier, Brown had said he would defend the ballot measure against legal challenges from gay marriage supporters. But Brown said he reached a different conclusion "upon further reflection and a deeper probing into all the aspects of our Constitution." "It became evident that the Article 1 provision guaranteeing basic liberty, which includes the right to marry, took precedence over the initiative," he said in an interview Friday night. "Based on my duty to defend the law and the entire Constitut

Free Class Information : postnewsgroup.net : “The course is directed toward the parents, grandparents, and caregivers of middle and high-school students, but others are welcome to attend as well.  The class is free, open on a first-come, first-served basis and will feature information, activities, refreshments, resources and prizes. The class is scheduled for three sessions beginning in mid-January in downtown Oakland.   Parents can sign up by sending an email to parentclasses2009@gmail.com with your name, phone, email, the school your child attends and his/her grade.    If you do not have access to email, you can send a note to Parent Classes 2009, P.O Box 10103 Oakland, California 94610.”

Publisher’s Blog : postnewsgroup.net LOL!!! After his handshake and talk about having me help him -- no charge from me -- Paul Cobb of the Post Newspaper Group and the start of this video series where Paul expresses a desire to team-up -- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vFEDJaW8M74 -- has what is the most awful blog I've seen by a newspaper. Well, that's what he gets for not following up with me -- a disaster of his own creation. It makes so many technical errors I'm in stitches! If someone in house convinced Paul they could do it on their own, they were just nuts in my view. The result's just not workable and proves that people violate this rule: "Having a blog is more than having a blog" -- again and again.

Body found - Inside Bay Area : “BERKELEY — A wooden coffin containing human bones, found entombed behind a false wall in a Berkeley apartment building, was hauled out this morning by police and firefighters during a follow-up investigation of a suicide earlier this week, authorities said. The remains are apparently a man's, according to police, but no other information has been released about a possible identity, age or how long the coffin may have been there. Wearing hazardous material suits and oxygen masks, firefighters were going into the Ashby Avenue complex with shovels today and hauling out red trash bags full of unknown materials and huge pieces of wood, including a 6-foot box that looked like a homemade coffin.”

During dinner with a good friend, I had a chance conversation with Oakland Police beat officers in the Lake Merritt area. After a lively talk, they told me to share with you this message: do not walk by yourself at night. Even as the area is safer after the arrest of the "Takeover Robbers" the terrible economy leaves many vulnerable. There's an increased police presence around Central Oakland, but the police totally do not want you to walk anywhere by yourself at night. Period.