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In this Oakland Tribune article, Oakland City Auditor Roland Smith says he will meet with the public to hear their complaints. Wow, after all these years. I'll bet he doesn't do anything about them, though. I met with him for a total of two hours on the problems at the Coliseum in 2000 and he never acted on anything. So why should he be expected to act now? Roland, I like you personally. But I also expected better of you in this position. I'm totally disappointed. Geez. Two candidates vie for position of city auditor Incumbent values independence, considers post a public 'window' By Heather MacDonald, STAFF WRITER - OAKLAND TRIBUNE Article Last Updated:10/29/2006 05:11:43 AM PST OAKLAND — Even though he is the incumbent, City Auditor Roland Smith will have to come from behind to win a third term. Smith, who considers his office a window into government, said he is running for re-election to defend the independence of the office and help Oakland residents under

There's some buzz over at the Grand Lake / Adams Point Yahoo message board about a Trader Joes coming to the former location of the Albertsons on Lakeshore Avenue. The estimated opening date listed on the message board is 2007, but one look at the Trader Joes' website reveals that Oakland's not firmly -- if at all -- in Trader Joes plans. The "coming soon" list does not include Oakland. I think all of this was started with Councilmember Pat Kernighan's report on her efforts to "secure a High Quality Tenant" for the location back in January. And there have been residents begging Trader Joes to open at that site, and more rumors that "two Oakland locations" were scouted, but not planned. But no firm confirmation of Trader Joe's actually coming to Oakland from the people at Trader Joe's. What's happening here is what I call "circular buzz" where a group wants something to happen so bad, they chat it up online s

In this video, this skateboarder decided to use the front stairs in the green field in front of Oakland City Hall as his personal playground, showing an unintended, but great use for the property.

Reward for mom's discovery increases FROM STAFF REPORTS - OAKLAND TRIBUNE Article Last Updated:10/24/2006 07:48:55 AM PDT OAKLAND — A reward for information that can help police find Nina Reiser, a missing mother of two, has increased to $25,000 because of public donations received online. The additional $10,000 in reward money was collected through a Web site, http://www.ninareiser.com, in public donations ranging from $5 to $1,000. Reiser disappeared Sept. 3 after dropping off her children, ages 5 and 7, at the home of her estranged husband, Hans Reiser. Authorities, who have searched local parks and other locations with cadaver dogs and teams of volunteers, believe Nina Reiser is dead and have charged Hans Reiser with her murder. His attorneys have said he will plead not guilty. In spite of the murder charges, Nina Reiser's friends and family are continuing their campaign to locate her. The 18 billboards that have been erected throughout Oakland will be updated within the ne

'David and Goliath' battle for state assembly seat By Cecily Burt, STAFF WRITER - OAKLAND TRIBUNE Article Last Updated:10/24/2006 07:49:17 AM PDT OAKLAND — In the largely Democratic stronghold of the 16th Assembly district, which blankets Piedmont, Alameda and nearly all of Oakland, does a little known Peace and Freedom Party candidate by the name of Eddie Ytuarte have a chance of defeating Sandre Swanson? Probably not. Then again, it was in the 16th district where upstart Green Party candidate Audie Bock triumphed over Democratic stalwart and former Oakland Mayor Elihu Harris in the April 1999 special election. Democrat Swanson, 57, former chief of staff for U.S. Rep. Barbara Lee and policy adviser for former Congressman and now Oakland Mayor-elect Ron Dellums, said he's not worried but he's also not taking anything for granted. Swanson has kept his campaign office open and his volunteers busy since the June primary when he overcame three strong challengers. But Swanso

The article below -- written in 1998 -- serves as a reminder that SMG was hired to be the manager of the Coliseum without a competitive bid process. This fact escaped the Chronicle article, but it remains true that it should have been done such that other stadium management companies -- and other option -- were explored. They were not. Coliseum Moves To Hire Private Management Officials hope to cut huge cost to taxpayers Rick DelVecchio, Chronicle Staff Writer Thursday, May 28, 1998 (05-28) 04:00 PDT OAKLAND -- In the first of a series of moves intended to cut taxpayer subsidies for the Oakland Coliseum, officials are ready to hire a private firm to pack more events into the complex -- from big-name concerts to business conferences. Under a proposal scheduled for a vote today, management of the 62,500-seat stadium where the Raiders and A's play and the 19,200-seat arena that is home to the Golden State Warriors would be signed over to a partnership led by Philadelphia-based SMG.

This is Megan's video presenting her grad student project, which focuses on West Oakland

I saw this video and had to post it. I wondered what Megan was referring to by "preconceived notions" about West Oakland? I mean when a person does a social science project -- which is what this sounds like -- they should write their values and biases down. I'd love this video if it were more revealing than it is. For as long as I can remember, West Oakland's been the focus of many young white architecture and city planning students -- particularly from UC Berkeley (I should know; I got my masters degree in City Planning from Cal). There was even the UC Berekeley / Oakland Economic Forum about 15 years ago, which focused much of its attention on West Oakland. I've heard comments like the one in this video for decades. West Oakland has never been much of a puzzle to me. All it needs is investment. Redevelopment monies should be designed to stimulate construction of industry, but it never is. And I don't mean loans -- grants tied to specific performanc

This video of a KRON TV news report shows how Oakland's police and city attorney's office, led by John Russo, are working to curb drug sales and sales to minors at liquor stores around the city. Many of Oakland's crime hor spots are at or near the locations of liquor stores.

Someone by the name of "Mr Rengel" elected to take this video of his walk down York Street, which is just off Mandana and near the Lakeshore and Grand Avenue commerical districts. Here's the video:

The leaders of a website and "movement" I guess called "moveonjerry.org" have produced this video which claims that Oakland Mayor Jerry Brown was using the Mayor's Lincoln -- leased to The City of Oakland by "Cab West LLC" -- to attend a fund-raiser in Sacramento. While the video's contains some dramatic music, one must ask the question is that really the City of Oakland's Lincoln? I didn't match the license plate with the one parked at City Hall, but apparently MoveOnJerry did -- it is. Here's the video:

Jerry Brown does finally have TV ads and videos, after earlier deciding not to do any. Here's one:

This TV ad was posted by Chuck Poochigian, Jerry Brown's Republican opponent in the AG race.

For years, Allan Michaan, the owner of the Grand Lake Theater, has constanly searched for new ways to bring revenue to his prize theater, open since 1926. About nine years ago, Allan had a major problem with getting first run movies because Buena Vista Distributing worked with the owner of the Jack London Cinema to shut him out. He won in court. Now Allan faces a bigger problem: the Internet. Squeezed by people who more often than not stay at home and watch movies either via DVD or online, not to mention failed summer movies like "Superman Returns," Allan had to take action. The result: this party for Sydewayz & Sean Kennedy's Hip=Hop DVD held earlier this year and captured on video. Here it is:

This Montcarion Article leaves out a huge piece of information: that Chabot faced a $1 million budget shortfall as recently as July, and with no obvious money source to close it. She tells the reporter she's leaving for "the man of her dreams," but lets face it, if she knew she was going to continue to get paid and the Chabot board wanted her to stay, she'd stick around. After all, she says she's moving to Los Gatos -- that is the Bay Area. Chabot director to resign At year's end, Barnett will pursue personal interests and clear the way for new leadership By Quynh Tran STAFF WRITER - THE MONTCLARION Chabot Space & Science Center Executive Director Alexandra Barnett announced her resignation Wednesday to pursue personal interests and clear the way for new leadership as the center embarks on its goal of becoming a premier educational institution. Barnett said she will leave at the end of the year but will remain involved with the center's new $4 milli

Ok. Here's the real deal and it's the truth. The County of Alameda's key leaders have no faith in the ability of the City of Oakland's leaders to get anything done with respect to the A's. As one person who's an Alameda County official recently told me, "There's no one from the City of Oakland who seems to care" about the A's. Another Alameda County official once said he kept wondering when someone from the City of Oakland was going to show leadership, but it hasn't happened. This is why Scott Haggerty took the action he did as explained in Paul Rosunsky's article below. It's a way of telling the City of Oakland -- by action -- that they're not handling the A's matter properly. It's no surprise to me that the County side of the Oakland - Alameda County Coliseum Authority has taken the matter of renegotiating the A's lease in its own hands. Bravo! Oakland officials cry foul over A's deal Council members say

I personally met Maurice Himy on several occasions, the first time was in 2002 when he was enjoying the first Oakland Art & Soul Festival from his store, which was right on the City Hall way. He was walking with two people: Oakland Mayor Jerry Brown and Oakland City Councilman Larry Reid. I remember the moment as if it happened yesterday, because Jerry asked me how things were going; I'd left the City of Oakland the previous year. Maurice would always say to me "Yes. Come and see me sometime" I never got around to it. Oakland City Hall probe wide-ranging FBI's questions have centered on 10 to 15 city contracts, officials say By Heather MacDonald, STAFF WRITER - OAKLAND TRIBUNE OAKLAND — The arrest of a man with close ties to several city officials is just a small part of a wide-ranging investigation by federal authorities into public corruption at Oakland City Hall, FBI officials said Thursday. The probe is focusing on whether "City Official A" —

SMG is an organization that manages stadiums and arenas around the United States. They were brought in to take over management duties at the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum complex in 1997, and after the Oakland Alameda County Coliseum Authority voted to discontinue running the complex. (A political move by Oakland City Council President Ignacio De La Fuente to oust long-time Coliseum President and Peerless Coffee boss George Vukasin.) Since then, SMG's performance has been less than stellar. First, the initial manager of the Coliseum for SMG, Sally Roach, told me she didn't have the facility drawings -- the kind a fire marshall would ask for -- we needed for Oakland's Super Bowl Bid; I didn't believe her, so I found a guy who "ratted out" Roach. A man by the name of Matt Veil, who called me to explain that they did have the drawing and he would get them to me. In other words, Sally and SMG were trying to throw a monkey wrench into our Super Bowl Bid effo

Well, this is quiet interesting. My friend Phil Matier of the SF Chronicle reports on a proposal for a new 42-Story condo where the current and historic Schilling garden is. I've been to the garden on many occasions, but it's seen better days in my view. Besides, in my view the Lake's development process should be permitted to reach its highest uses levels. I'm more than a little tired of the kind of NIMBY-nitpicking that goes on and is always advanced by someone who should be retiring to Tahiti. More on this later.

This video presents "SOL" , a sustainable garden farm in East Oakland, though where it is, I don't know. Keep a focus on the show's host as she's also the barista at De Bartolo's Cafe on Grand Avenue.

This video contains local jazz artist Betty Fu singing at the Oakland Chinatown StreetFest from this summer.

In this video, Oakland Mayor and California AG Candidate Jerry Brown is accused of breaking his old campaign promise of not taking over $100 in contributions. But what's interesting is that Mayor Brown's captured going to a spa reportedly in Sacramento and then getting into a Lincoln Town Car that looks like the Mayor's Lincoln owned by the City of Oakland. Is he using the Mayor's Lincoln for matters not city business? I think that's his right -- like going to the grocery store -- but I'm not sure about political campaigns.

Roy Steele has beeen the PA announcer for the Oakland Coliseum since 1968. This video's about him and includes comments from the public and even the opposing players.

This video I had nothing to do with; it features a tour of a luxury box in the East Side pavilion of the Oakland Coliseum and during the Oakland A's , Chicago White Sox baseball game. It's notable for its simple humor on top of the experience of filming the suite.

I found this video serendipitously and had to post it. It's totally funny. It reads that it's from the Oakland Chamber of Commerce, but I can't see Joe Haraburda, the Chamber's executive director, approving anything that has the comment "Well, that's cause you're a dumb-ass." Check it out:

This was posted at the Adams Point message board Dearest neighbors of the Cleveland Cascade, Our design team has been working hard and they're now ready to unveil the proposed Master Plan for the Cleveland Cascade for your input and comments! Please join us -- and the Oakland Public Works Agency -- for a Public Meeting on Monday, August 28th, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Lakeview Branch Library 550 El Embarcadero The landscape architects will present the proposed Master Plan that would guide the first phase of construction and site rehabilitation, funded by the $300,000 of Measure DD money allocated by the city council. This meeting is as much our opportunity to learn from you as vice versa. Please come, share you reactions, praises, criticisms, and hard questions. Your input will make this project stronger and better. It's your money and your Cascade. We'll be taking careful notes. And please stop by our updated web site at http://clevelandcascade.org

Click on the title of this post to read the blog post over at SBS NFL Business Blog.

Last Saturday as I was walking down Lakeshore, someone asked if I would sign a petition to force the Oakland City Council to adopt a new plan for the development generally called "Oak To 9th." According to the group sponsoring the petition drive, the Oakland City Coucil didn't keep a promise to preserve the gigantic 9th Avenue Terminal on the site. I signed the petition, but remarked that with just one week ago, I didn't see how they were going to get the 10,000 additional signatures they needed. But they got them. Here's the total story: Oak to 9th critics say referendum drive successful Group collects enough signatures to force council to reconsider approval of development proposal By Quynh Tran STAFF WRITER - MONTCLARION With 30,000 signatures in hand, critics of Oak to 9th development hope to force a new plan along the 64-acre swath along the Oakland Estuary. The signatures were submitted to the city clerk's office on Thursday. "We're extremely

And on top of all this, we've got more great farmers markets than ever before. Oakland attempts to woo gourmet food industry By Marton Dunai STAFF WRITER - MONTCLARION Karen Robert Jackson always wanted to get into the food business. A successful filmmaker at Pixar with such hits as "Toy Story 2" under her belt, Jackson decided to realize her dream two years ago and teamed up with her husband to buy Crunchy Foods, the San Francisco-based makers of Suzy's Biscotti and other fine bakery products. "We were looking for the next thing, a company that wasn't necessarily high-tech, but we could do some process improvements through better planning, tracking, forecasting," she said. To make these changes would require moving to a place double the size of the San Francisco location, she said. The problem: There was no suitable and affordable place in San Francisco. So Crunchy Foods relocated to Oakland last year, joining a recent throng of small- to medium-sized

John Flores deserves a city-wide party for how he's steered Emeryville, over the years. I first met John when I got out of Berkeley's City Planning grad school and about one-year after I worked at the Oakland Redevelopment Agency. He hired me as a young consultant and I did an analysis for he and the Emeryville Redevelopment Agency. What I did tell John was that one of my first jobs at the Oakland Redevelopment Agency as an intern was to develop an economic argument for the placement of a shopping mall, rather than an EBMUD wet-weather storage facility, at what is now the East Bay Bridge Shopping Complex in Emeryville, but in Oakland's redevelopment area for West Oakland. My next times with him were in a different role: as columnist for The Montclarion, and fighting Kaiser's proposed move to Emeryville in 1994. I wish John all the best. When John started, Emeryville barely had a population -- it was just over 4,000 people and many of them were more in Oakland than

A sad story. This is where my stepfather's funeral was held. (Click on the title to learn more.)

The trend predicted 15 years ago is becoming reality. To me, it spells interesting marketing and retail -- for example a store that caters to young Filipino's called "Beach" in Daly City. Fascinating. Census: Minorities overtop whites Caucasians now make up less than 50 percent of Bay Area population but trend unlikely to continue, experts say By Michele R. Marcucci, STAFF WRITER - Oakland Tribune Non-Hispanic whites now make up less than half of the Bay Area's population, while the numbers of Hispanics and Asians continue to grow, census data released today show. But demographic experts believe the trends may slow in California as immigrants, looking for jobs and cheaper housing, head to other states. The Bay Area's foreign-born population also is on the rise, and more of its residents spoke foreign languages in 2005 than in 2000, the data, which mirror state and national trends, show. Non-Hispanic whites made up 46 percent of the Bay Area's total populat

The City of Oakland is generally accused of not being politically aware, and here's more proof. When the City advanced this measure, it should have known that -- in an environmentally concious Oakland -- people would be up in arms over a plan to eliminate 224 -- 224 trees! Folks, there aren't that many trees around Lake Merritt, so the majority would have to come from the park next to Children's Fairyland. That's just not something that should happen. That area is one of the true treatures of the city and is at its best i the summer months as a place to go to get away from it all in the middle of it all. Oaklanders in battle to save 224 trees Three file suit against city's renovation plan at Lake Merritt By Heather MacDonald, STAFF WRITER OAKLAND — Three Oaklanders, upset with plans to chop down 224 trees around Lake Merritt as part of a renovation plan, filed suit against the city of Oakland Tuesday. The lawsuit claims the Oakland City Council's approval of

According to the Adams Point message board, someone's stealing the trash cans you and other lay out every morning to be collected by garbage workers. Reportedly 60 of these cans have been stolen to date and with no end in sight. Oakland police ask us to watch out for people that are impersonating public works workers, but how the heck is anyone supposed to know who they are? I mean what "marks" do we look for? A bent shovel? I don't know.

Google's started this with their free network in New York. Now they want to wire San Francisco, and I'll bet we're in the loop too. But this story will not reveal that. Municipal wireless networks latest rage By Barbara Grady, Business Writer - Oakland Tribune OAKLAND officials are thinking of joining the WiFi age and deploying a municipal wireless network to give their citizens and workers free Internet access. WiFi networks allow people to access the Internet from various "hot spots" around a city from laptops or handheld wireless devices without plugging into a jack or needing a specific Internet service account. Commercial WiFi hot spots exist in hotels and coffee shops in most cities, including Oakland. But free municipal WiFi networks, which are under planning in major cities from San Francisco to Philadelphia, are designed to give broad Internet access coverage from outdoor and indoor locations across a city. Only a handful of smaller cities have WiFi net

Studio One needs to raise money, which you will discover as you read this Oakland Tribune article. Studio One arts facility has rich history FRIENDS of Studio One are eagerly awaiting completion of renovations to the city-owned arts facility — located in a 100-year-old former orphanage on 45th Street — so classes can resume there once again. Some $10 million in funds from Measure DD, approved by voters in 2002, were allocated to retrofit and reconfigure the structure and make it handicap accessible as well. During construction, Studio One classes temporarily are being held in downtown Oakland at the Malonga Casquelourd Center for the Arts on Alice Street, also a historic landmark building (once the home of the Oakland Women's Club). Summer classes are under way. Funds will still be needed for art-related furnishings once the North Oakland facility reopens, so the Friends are hosting a Sept. 27 "Splash for Cash" fundraiser from 3:30 to 6 p.m. at the Temescal Pool, 371 45t

For several years, Harold P. Jones has served as Deputy Executive Director for External Affairs. I've known Harold and had a great deal of respect and admiration for the job he's done over that time. But this month he steps down and gives way to a person who's been a friend of mine since -- I guess -- 1991: Libby Schaaf. Most recently Libby was an aide to Oakland Council President Ignacio De La Fuente and for a time to Oakland Mayor Jerry Brown. Harold personallly sought Libby for the job, and he could not have made a better choice. Congratuations Libby!

Broadway Grand is a development under construction at the corner of Broadway and Grand Avenue on the northside of downtown Oakland. As the video will show, it's a large mixed-use retail and apartment development which because of its size and placement will alter that part of downtown Oakland forever. Broadway Grand sits in what was considered -- and by some still is thought to be -- a sketchy area with drug dealers, robbers, and the homeless. But what's being constructed in these areas -- housing -- has served to bring the "hounds to the hunters" and contributed to an increasing crime rate. I'm pro-development, but I think with the number of apartments and condos going up around downtown Oakland, it's time we asked the question -- yet again -- of what kind of Oakland we want to have. In 1991, we had an Oakland community participation forum called Oakland Sharing The Vision. "OSV" as it was called drew 500 Oakl

Wow. The East Bay Express just can't stand that Ron Dellums ran for mayor and won. They're so angry that -- as a friend of mine put it -- the black man won, they have to dump as much drummed up negative press about him as possible and as fast as they can. Just a look back shows that Jerry Brown didn't receive this kind of treatment from The Express in 1998. Not even close. Everyone knew that Jerry had not taken office yet, so the focus was more on Mayor Elihu Harris and transition than Jerry. The Express misses all the real stories, like the ones about De La Fuente aides who were left scrambling for positions outside his office after the June election. Or the matter of rushing so many decisions through City Council before the season's done. All missed by The Express. Let's hope they eventually stop seeing red long enough to really cover what's going on.

This is great news, but the question about appropriately funding the Landscape Lighting and Assessment District must be asked. I'm also curious to know what projects were removed from the City's vast list of reserves. Real estate boom gives city a surplus Oakland council uses windfall for repairs, police technicians and reserve By Heather MacDonald, STAFF WRITER - OAKLAND TRIBUNE OAKLAND — The city's $16.1 million budget surplus will be used to fund a variety of programs, including expanded tree trimming, roof repairs and three new technicians to analyze DNA in sexual assault cases. The windfall, due to the still sizzling real estate market in Oakland, also will be used to bridge the $1.8 million gap in the city's Landscape and Lighting District created when voters rejected a proposed tax increase for park and open space maintenance. However, several council members warned that the city's financial picture isn't as rosy as the surplus appears. Experts have w