Oakland Focus News | Oakland News Online Blog

The camera crew asks Tuesday night's Oakland City Council meeting attendees what should be done to curb violence in Oakland. The respondents gave a number of answers that can be combined to one view that Oakland needs to really pay attention to its people in need.

Saen Maher wants to have his story idea on Oakland Potholes funded. Here's what http://www.Spot.us writes: If you live in Oakland, you'll be lucky to see the street your house is on get repaved during your lifetime. The city's 2,300 miles of road are on an 85-year resurfacing cycle, more than three times slower than the industry standard. City engineers grade a third of Oakland's streets in poor condition or worse. Facing serious budget cuts, the Public Works Agency has left three of four supervisor jobs vacant, including those overseeing heavy paving, pot holes and concrete repair. A story should detail the challenge Public Works is facing, including its momentum, scope, and possible solutions.

www.Spot (dot) us has a great set of videos on the Oakland Pothole problem. They write: Oakland has a serious problem with potholes. If you are a biker, auto-driver or pedestrian, it is a problem we all have. It can cause material or physical harm - as this individual describes. Help us report on the potholes in Oakland

Fallout From Oakland Massacre The Mixon massacre brought out the best and worst in Oakland. Like any other tragedy, peoples’ true character and resolve, or lack thereof, came to the forefront. This tragedy will have repercussions in Oakland for years to come. First, you have to admire the courage of our police force. They responded immediately to this tragedy, secured the neighborhood, and pointed out, again, the dangers of their jobs. Other heroes were the Oakland residents in the area impacted by the shootings. Many showed bravery by aiding the officers throughout this tragedy. They risked their lives to comfort the wounded and to stop the killings. Oakland citizens showed their concern, mourning and gratitude in many ways. They organized a vigil at the scene to honor the fallen officers. The Oakland clergy stepped forward and offered comfort for the city and the families, including the Mixons, who were severely impacted by this senseles

I just received this letter copy via email.  It comes on the heels of the news that A's Owner Lew Wolff called Oakland Mayor Ron Dellums to request a meeting regarding keeping the A's in Oakland.  SEN. BOXER WORKS TO KEEP A’S IN OAKLAND Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA) today sent the following letter to Major League Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig: March 31, 2009 Allan H. (Bud) Selig, Commissioner Major League Baseball 245 Park Avenue, 31st Floor New York, NY 10167 Dear Commissioner Selig:             I appreciate the announcement you made yesterday that you are forming a committee to review the various proposals regarding the future of the Oakland Athletics.  As your committee does its work, I urge you to do everything possible to keep the team in Oakland.             As you may know, Oakland has recently gone through some difficult times and families there deserve some good news. As someone who splits her time between Washington, DC,

I have it from a very good source that Oakland Athletics Owner and Managing Partner Lew Wolff called Oakland Mayor Ron Dellums today to request a meeting to "explore options to keep the A's in Oakland".  That's great news and it comes on the heels of Monday's report that Major League Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig formed a committee to determine why a baseball stadium deal was not struck in Oakland, and Selig did so with wording that could have been read as a forecast of a move to take the A's out of Oakland.   But Wolff's phone call to Dellums today signals a new start to a recommittment to Oakland by the A's owner.  Meanwhile here's the stadium proposal the Mayor's Task Force saw last Thursday:

The Commissioner of Baseball on Monday announced a new committee devoted to determining the viability of baseball in the East Bay. In his statements Commissioner Bud Selig said that the A's owners have exhausted their efforts in Oakland. But really, they have not. Here's an example in this plan for a new Coliseum baseball stadium on the parking lot land of the facility. The plan, created by architect Frank Dobson and Retail Leasing expert Bob Leste with Oaklander Steve Lowe was first introduced in 2004 and while it was presented to the then-new ownership group and A's Managing Partner Lew Wolff, it went largely ignored by them. Wolff was known to be in love with a concept called a baseball village and needed a lot of land to make that work, hence the Fremont land chase. But the idea called for hundreds of acres of land, more than the A's organization could afford given the economy and so needing public money turned to Fremont, which turned a deaf ear to their request. W