Oakland Focus News | Oakland News Online Blog

In an op-ed appearing in the Bay Area News Group, State Assemblymembers Rob Bonta (D-Oakland), Nancy Skinner (D-Berkeley), and Bill Quirk (D-Hayward) addressed BART negotiations, calling for good-faith bargaining in order to reach a solution before the Sunday night deadline. The East Bay legislators highlighted workplace safety issues, missed revenue opportunities and the bargaining tactics of BART’s lead negotiator Thomas Hock. “Before the two sides lock heads again, it’s time for the Board to ask pointed questions about BART’s negotiating tactics, how it values safety and the potential for new revenue opportunities. Respect for the Bay Area working families who keep the trains running and get riders where they need to go needs to underpin these negotiations. Meanwhile, we in the State Assembly have asked the Joint Legislative Audit Committee to investigate BART’s financial status. It’s time for the numbers to come out, so that we can ensure that taxpayer dollars are being p

BART, the Bay Area Rapid Transit District, held a march in Oakland, and prior to their Thursday night negotiations and planned strike on Sunday.  As the average BART worker makes over $80,000,  it's hard for this blogger to get behind their reasons for wanting to shut down the system.  There are people in Oakland who would kill for those jobs, and some would argue that happens.  Here's the march that was held, courtesy of a KRON video: Stay tuned.

From Zennie62.com: Downtown Oakland was once again the focus of the window smashing work of anarchists, some who have been incorrectly identified as being with Occupy Oakland. Bar Dogwood on 17th and Telegraph got the brunt of the violence, as its windows were smashed, once again. That is a small, woman-owned establishment trying to make a go of it in Oakland. There was no reason to attack Bar Dogwood, or any Oakland business. The people who did this should seek ways to change laws and improve race relations. But this doesn't help anyone. More at Zennie62.com: George Zimmerman Verdict: Bar Dogwood In Downtown Oakland’s Windows Smashed - http://www.zennie62blog.com/2013/07/14/george-zimmerman-verdict-bar-dogwood-in-downtown-oaklands-windows-smashed/

The BART Strike that has impacted the travel and commute patterns throughout the San Francisco Bay Area, and especially from the East Bay to the West Bay, is over. BART released the following statement from General Manager Grace Crunican: “I am happy to announce the BART system will be open and fully operational at 3pm on Friday. More at Zennie62.com: BART Strike Is Over, Trains Operating Now, At 3 PM - http://www.zennie62blog.com/2013/07/05/bart-strike-is-over-trains-operating-now-at-3-pm-88690/

Bryan Parker, the Oaklander and a vice president with Davita Health Care, has raised $52,000 as of June 29th and for his run for Mayor of Oakland. Here's a YouTube commenter on Bryan: Bryan is an awesome candidate. I am impressed by his fiery passion and genuine desire to be a servant leader. His vision is well informed and he listens to the people. His candidacy is inspiring and energizing the city in a way I have never witnessed at the local level. He's got my vote! Vote for Bryan Parker for Mayor, and visit the website at http://www.bryanparker.org

The City Of Oakland Workers Strike means no parking enforcement work on Monday. The standard work of writing parking citations is not a police-done activity in Oakland. Parking enforcement is a public works operation, and is set to be impacted by the same one-day strike. More at Zennie62.com: City Of Oakland Workers Strike, Parking Free-For-All Monday - http://www.zennie62blog.com/2013/06/29/city-of-oakland-workers-strike-parking-free-for-all-monday-38862/

According to Zennie62.com, The Oakland Raiders may move back to the Los Angeles Basin, and to Torrance, CA, but only if a business man succeeds in his effort to buy the organization. This was told to me by a high-ranking source and the same person also explained that the expected financing for the Oakland Coliseum City project, a proposed 800-acre sports and entertainment complex, did not “come through.” A key Oakland official was expected to present the exclusive negotiating agreement (ENA) document this week (a contract that is the guiding organ for talks between the City of Oakland and a developer) but the financing snag has delayed that. That ENA would be between JRDV Urban International, the project manager, and its organizational team: HKS Sports and Entertainment, a stadium developer, and Forest City Real Estate Services. More at Zennie62.com: Oakland Raiders Move To Torrance, Ca? Coliseum City Financing Problem Dooms Stadium Project - http://www.zennie62blog.com/2013