Oakland Focus News | Oakland News Online Blog

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

Bryan Parker, Mayoral Candidate, Oakland Oakland News: Parker For Mayor Buzz, Fruitvale Station At Grand Lake Bryan Parker Bryan Parker For Mayor Of Oakland Reaches Successful Campaign Milestone Bryan Parker, the Oakland digital company exec who’s running for Mayor Of Oakland, held a campaign fund raiser last night at Liege in Old Oakland that was so successful, Oakland Mayor Jean Quan should be on alert. The Bryan Parker For Mayor effort set $20,000 as a reachable goal for their preliminary fund raising efforts, and more than surpassed it. As Mr. Parker, who this blogger’ supporting in his run, said today “We are at $24,000 now, and it’s just the day after (the event).” For the rest on Fruitvale Station, see Zennie62.com: Oakland News: Parker For Mayor Buzz, Fruitvale Station At Grand Lake

Ok, Oakland, here's a review of Man Of Steel , which I hope you saw at The Grand Lake Theater at Grand and Lake Park in Oakland, at Zennie62.com: Man Of Steel Review: Henry Cavill, Amy Adams, Michael Shannon, Effects Shine - Part 1

Transbay Transit Center San Francisco is progressing toward its eventual 2017 completion and opening. And to the end of keeping you informed of not just the construction progress, but also areas of San Francisco that are impacted and may compromise your travel if you’re not planned for them, here’s the latest update, this one for June 14th to June 23rd. More at Zennie62.com: Transbay Transit Center SF 10 Day Construction Update: June 14 – June 23

The Second Annual MISSSEY GALA this Saturday, June 15th at 5 PM at The Oakland Rotunda (300 Frank H Ogawa Plaza Downtown Oakland, CA), is an event I’m personally asking that you attend, and not just because it will be fun – the program will include dinner, a no-host cocktail and hors d’oeuvres reception during the silent auction, and a lot of fantastic people – but it will be informative and perhaps life-changing for you. Get your tickets here, first – http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/334595 – then please watch the video and then read below it. MISSSEY GALA: An Important Event To Inspire Change - more at Zennie62.com: MISSSEY GALA: SATURDAY JUNE 15TH, OAKLAND ROTUNDA 5 PM

From Zennie62: Godzilla is still being filmed in Surrey, BC, and while that outdoor work is going on, there’s a photo from an indoor set that’s getting a lot of buzz, and another that was virtually ignored by the media, but gives the biggest clue yet to what is going to happen when the movie’s released on May 16th 2014. Let’s start with that one, because it strongly implies the title of this blog entry: that Godzilla’s going to attack San Francisco! The question is, will Oakland be devastated, too? More at Zennie62.com: Godzilla 2014: SAN FRANCISCO WILL BE ATTACKED BY GODZILLA

The New Parkway Oakland at 474 24th Avenue in the Uptown District, is something to see. It’s kind of tucked way in a warehouse that’s much larger than it looks, and is just around the corner from a corner cafe on Broadway and 24th that has been several different businesses over the years. The hosts for our video tour were Randy and Karen, who are the managers and operators and caretakers of The Parkway Oakland Theater for its owners – a group of 87 investors who gathered together and put blood, sweat, and tears into the renovation of a space that was once used by the Occupy Oakland Movement. Now, it picks up on the spirit of the original Parkway Oakland Theater, where you can lounge on big, overstuffed couches and eat great pizza or drink gourmet beer and wine – or just watch a movie. More at Zennie62.com: The New Parkway Oakland Theater Video Tour

Oaklanders who follow these things know what’s happening with the city budget. As our City Council gets ready to pass a new two-year budget between now and July 1, we have the following: The Mayor’s proposed budget; The City Administrator’s updates (here and here - and we understand more are coming); City Council President Kernighan’s “Proposed Amendments to The Mayor’s FY 2013-2015 Proposed Policy Budget” (we’ll call it “APB1”, for amendments to budget 1); “ FY 2013-2015 Budget Proposal Submitted By Council Members Brooks, Reid and Gallo” (we’ll call this one “APB2”). In this post, and the two that follow, we will show that the Mayor’s budget, with APB1, is an imperfect but reasonable approach. But as we will also show, APB2 constitutes an assault on efforts to restore public safety to Oakland. It is a potential public policy disaster, and it is based on millions of dollars in errors and wrong assumptions. More at Zennie62.com: Make Oakland Better Now! Looks a

Oakland News, more of it today. EVENT ALERT: On Saturday, June 15th at 5pm, MISSSEY will host its second Annual Inspire Change Gala at Individual tickets are now on sale for $125, couples for $200 and are available if you click on this link: MISSSEY 2nd Annual Inspire Change Gala The program will include a no-host cocktail and hors d’oeuvre reception with live music, silent auction, dinner, live auction, and dancing. Please contact Jude Wellington for event information or sponsorship opportunities at 510-214-3701 or jude.wellington@gmail.com the beautiful Rotunda Building in Downtown Oakland. The event will raise money to support MISSSEY’s goal of “Motivating, Inspiring, Supporting and Serving Sexually Exploited Youth”. More Oakland News at Zennie62.com: Oakland News: MISSEY EVENT, Glover Memorial, Mayor Ruby, Love Our Lake, Schaaf

According to Zennie62, the entire legal team of the California Public Utilities Commission charged with investigating the deadly Pacific Gas & Electric Co. explosion and fire has resigned from working on the case, the City of San Bruno has learned, leaving no CPUC legal experts with detailed knowledge of the case during the final penalty phase against PG&E. Mayor Jim Ruane of San Bruno called for an immediate investigation by the Attorney General of the State of California and the State Legislature into the resignation of four lead CPUC safety division attorneys. He said he believed an investigation is the only way to provide fairness and transparency for San Bruno and the public in the penalty for PG&E’s safety failures. More at Zennie62: CPUC’s Lawyers Quit Over PG&E San Bruno Explosion And Gas Fire Case

Oakland’s top three basketball players of all time? That’s the question posted in Twitter by Oaklandish today. And while such a question can yield hours of talk and debate, time is precious, so here’s my answer: Bill Russell, Jason Kidd (who retired today), and Gary Payton. More at Zennie62.com: Bill Russell, Jason Kidd, Gary Payton: Oakland’s Top 3 Basketball Players

On Friday May 31st, the Asteroid 1998 QE2, said to be as large as the City of Emeryville, is set to fly close to Earth, and the Chabot Space and Science Center Oakland at 10000 Skyline Blvd, invites you to watch it there at 1:59 PM (get their an hour before that time). Afterward, you can engage in some interesting conversations about meteors, as this blogger did with Galaxy Explorer interns, talking about the Russian Meteor: More at Zennie62.com, here: Asteroid Passes Earth Friday At Chabot Space Science Center Oakland

David Glover was one of the first mentors I had after I started work in the City of Oakland after grad school at Berkeley. I got the word the former Oakland Citizens Committee For Urban Renewal (OCCUR) Executive Director passed on Wednesday and at the young age of 60, after a battle with cancer he waged for quite a while. More at Zennie62.com: David Glover, Oaklander, Friend, Champion Of Oakland, Passes On

Tioki.com is not a virtual tiki bar. The Linkedin model is an undoutedly successful one, so would be just a matter of time before someone developed a site that has the same intent, but is focused on one industry, like education. That startup company, backed by Mitch Kapor (Lotus fame) and 500 Startups, has been around for about two years and was founded by Brian Martinez and Mandela Schumacher-Hodge. It’s called Tioki.com and it’s based in Downtown Oakland. More at Zennie62.com here: Tioki, The Mitch Kapor-Backed “Linkedin For Education,” Grows In Oakland

The Oakland City Auditor Report that alleged that Councilmembers Larry Reid (District 7) and Desley Brooks (District 6) were acting in violation of the City Charter in various ways was to be introduced at the Oakland City Council meeting of Tuesday night. But, it never saw the light of Oakland legislative day. Why? While the story Oakland City Council President Pat Kernighan (District 2) gave to the media was that it was because the report which in a racist way zeroed in on Oakland’s two black councilmembers, when evidence and use of names and dates that would have implicated each representative was left out, was too politically divisive, there’s a back story. It’s all over town that Oakland City Auditor Courtney Ruby is considering running for Mayor Of Oakland. More at Zennie62.com > Oakland City Auditor Report Spiked As Ruby Rumors Of Mayoral Run

Laurence A. Colton and George P. McGrath, two prominent California businessmen, have been elected to the board of directors of Recology, the leading independent employee-owned recycling and disposal services company in the western United States. Mr. Colton, an insurance executive, is CEO of G2 Insurance Services, and recycling executive , EVP and COO of Recology, were named to Recology’s board of directors on April 18, announced Recology President and CEO Michael Sangiacomo. “We are honored to have these leaders on our board,” Sangiacomo said. “Their expertise, insights and experience will help us expand our recycling and disposal services as we continue to grow and develop our employee-owned company.” Laurence A. Colton, one of California’s leading insurance specialists, is active in community based causes. A founding board member of National AIDS Memorial Grove, he has served on the board of Larkin Street Youth Center, San Francisco AIDS Foundation, San Francisco Chamber of Comm

Libby Schaaf, Oakland's District Four Councilmember, has joined Zennie62.com as an blogger about Oakland! Here's a peak at her first work: Hi, I’m Libby Schaaf, Oakland’s District Four Councilmember. This week offers some incredible learning opportunities for Oaklanders – a veritable civic classroom. This Tuesday, April 23rd at our Oakland City Council’s Public Safety Committee, I’ve arranged for a presentation by Berkeley Law Professor Franklin Zimring on “What Oakland Can Learn From New York About Reducing Crime.” No city has come close to New York’s success in improving safety – reducing crimes like murder, robberies, burglaries and car thefts all by more than 80%. And no author or academic has come close to Zimring in rigorously studying it. He’ll present in City Hall Chambers (14th at Broadway) at 6pm, or you can watch the meeting on KTOP Cable Station 10 or live stream here ... You can see it all here: The Civic Classroom: Libby Schaaf, Oakland Councilmember (

Faith McGee, my friend and an Oakland Blogger, has made the Allure Magazine “Allure Beauty Blogger Finalist” portion of the contest! Now, Faith seeks our support to take her to the next level: victory! Second, please case a vote for Faith to win here: http://blogger-awards.allure.com/submission/fake-eyelashes-dont-need-to-be-a-drag/ Visit Zennie62.com for more on Faith and her incredible blog: Faith McGee: Oakland Blogger Is “Allure Beauty Blogger Finalist”

This was just released by the Oakland Police Department: Public Safety Advisory: Police Seek Molestation Suspect Oakland, CA —The Oakland Police Department would like to make the public aware of a molestation of a 7-year-old girl. On April 13, 2013 at about 3:15 PM, in the 100 block of 10th Street, the suspect, posing as a plumber or maintenance man, contacted a female adult resident of an apartment complex, telling her that he was there to check the pipes for water leaks. At one point after gaining entry into the unit, the suspect was alone in a room with the victim, a 7-year-old girl, and he began to molest her. When the victim tried to get away, he grabbed her, preventing her from leaving the room. When she screamed, the family member came into the room, confronting the suspect. The suspect fled the scene on foot in an unknown direction. The suspect is described as a Caucasian male, early to mid fifties, 6’, tall, 160 pounds, skinny build, light brown hair, white bea

The Golden State Warriors are in the playoffs, but who they play will be determined by where the team finishes in the standings. Tonight's game against the Oklahoma City Thunder, at Oracle Arena, could be a playoff preview. But given that the OKC has beaten the GSW in 6 of the last seven tries, the Warriors are beat the Thunder now, and keep their 6th seed in the west in order to avoid playing the Thunder, the number one seed, (right now) in the playoffs. The irony is they have to beat Oklahoma tonight to maintain that position.

TRASHED. If movie called TRASHED, a documentary made by Chicago filmmaker Bill Kurkos, lives up to the the trailer for TRASHED, we're talking about one incredible flick. See it tonight at a special screening at the Sundance Kabuki Cinemas at 1881 Post Street at Fi||more Street from 5:30 PM to 9:30 PM, tonight, April 11th, Thursday. TRASHED is called "the story of trash" and will make you think twice about throwing anything, no matter how large or small, not even a cigarrette butt, out of the window, and to the ground. It's estimated that we produce 5,000 pounds of trash per day and our actions fuel a multi-billion-dollar industry. Here's a Chicago Tonight segment on TRASHED: This next trailer, made in 2007, gives the grim statistical picture at that time: If you're in San Francisco or The SF Bay Area, see the movie tonight. Stay tuned. Originally at Zennie62: TRASHED Starring Jeremy Irons; See It Tonight In SF: Sundance Kabuki

San Francisco's TransBay Transit Center Reaches Milestone Today - Stephanie Reichin explains the construction process achievement in interview today. The Transbay Project is reaching a new milestone as contractors prepare to install the third and final traffic bridge over the Transbay Excavation. The bridge enables excavation to proceed under city streets without impacting local traffic. The work taking place - and between Beale Street, between Mission and Howard Streets from Friday, April 5, at 7:00 p.m., until Monday, April 8, at 5:00 a.m. - to install the Beale Street Bridge will include demolition of the existing road and concrete base, installation of the traffic bridge using two cranes, and paving of the new traffic bridge. The TransBay Transit Center will be the Grand Central Station of The West Coast when it opens in 2017. Stay tuned.

According to Zennie62.com ( Oakland City Auditor Wrong: Staff Asked Black Local Firm To Front For White Livermore Company ) A key part of the “non-interference” report issued by Courtney Ruby, the Oakland City Auditor, and that blamed Councilmember Larry Reid (District 7) and Councilmember Desley Brooks (District 6), leading this blogger to brand it as racist, was proven to be completely wrong in a bombshell speech and interview at last night’s Oakland City Council meeting. Ken Houston, who represents Turner Group, stepped forward during the public comment period on the Oakland Budget, to explain that his firm was not offered as an alternative to Top Grade Construction, but that Pat Cashman, who has been the City of Oakland’s Staff point person on the Oakland Army Base Project (and someone I worked with in the past, and a friend, so this is not intended to be hostile), asked Turner Group to be in the project and such that the black construction organization would be a “front”

This press release was circulated to Oakland-related message boards: Oakland, CA —Oakland Police investigators released the attached photos of an individual they believe to be responsible for a bank robbery . On March 26, 2013 at approximately 11:46 AM, the suspect entered a downtown bank in the 1900 block of Harrison Street. He approached a teller and demanded money. After committing the robbery , the suspect fled on foot with the loss. Suspect-1 is described as an African-American male in his forties, 5’8”, with a large build, medium-to-dark complexion, shaved head, thin mustache, wearing a short sleeved polo style shirt, light blue, with horizontal stripes. After the robbery , the suspect was seen walking in the area of 20th and Webster streets at about noon. The attached photos show the suspect in the bank at the time of the robbery . This investigation is ongoing and anyone with information is asked to contact Investigator Douglas Keely at (510) 238-7959 or the

SF Recology announces The Annual Great Compost Giveaway - a “bring your own bucket” event providing up to 10 gallons of prized compost to San Francisco residents for free. The finished compost, a custom blend made from food scraps and plant trimmings collected from Recology’s green bin program, is a great planting mix for home gardens and outdoor container plants. The event is free and open to the public. It will be held Saturday, April 6, 2013, 8 a.m. to Noon, Rain or Shine and at three locations in San Francisco: McLaren Park – Jerry Garcia Amphitheater Parking Lot John F. Shelley Dr. at Mansell Street Ocean Beach Parking Lot 850 Great Highway between Lincoln Way and Fulton St. Recology Golden Gate 900 7th @ Berry St. Enter on Berry St. Recology, the San Francisco Recreation & Park Department and the San Francisco Department of Environment host this annual event to thank residents for the recycling and comp

The Warriors play the New Orleans Hornets tonight at Oracle Arena in Oakland, CA. The Hornets aren't "going quietly into that goodnight." Although the team has long since been eliminated from the playoffs, Nahlens is coming off a 4-3 homestand with wins against three playoff bound teams, including the Memphis Grizzlies, a team that gives the Warriors fits!

There is such a thing as a Sports Illustrated cover jinx. Golden State Warriors Guard Stephan Curry is on the cover of the latest issue. However, because this issue did not come out just before Curry's rookie season or just before the playoffs, history says Curry can escape the dreaded jinx. The magazine has even acknowledged the legend of the cover jinx and tried to have fun with the issue itself. I guess they figured if they addressed the issue as a joke the whole thing would, from then on, be treated as a joke. Nope. *Just about a week ago, Indiana Hoosiers forward Victor Oladipo was featured on the cover. In their next game, Indiana fell to 4th-seeded Syracuse Orange in the sweet sixteen. *December 2012: Deron Williams of the Brooklyn Nets struggles and gets injured soon after being on the cover of Sports Illustrated in the off season. This was one of the worst streaks of his NBA career. *November 13, 2012: Kansas State University quarterback Collin Klein is featur

The blog post over at Zennie62.com called WILLIAM BRATTON TO BE NAMED OAKLAND’S POLICE CHIEF caused a stir in the Oakland Police Department. I got a late phone call from a source who said "Many Oakland Police rank-and-file were concerned over what was going on. Your post caused quite a stir. Can you make it more clear that it was an April Fools joke? I know it was, but can you change it or take it down?" I responded that Zennie62 policy is to generally not do take-downs unless there are extenuating circumstances in our judgement, and this did not rise to that point. However, the words FOLKS, THIS IS AN APRIL FOOLS JOKE were added to the post. Stay tuned.

At first, I was afraid to ask Golden State Warriors head coach Mark Jackson the question. How would he react? Would he be mad? Would he answer or just give me a Brooklyn glare? All I wanted to know was an insight into Jackson's strategy. Can the Warriors prepare for the playoffs even though they haven't clinched their own spot? What he says proves there are no dumb questions and no obvious answers.

The TransBay Transit Center has published this new 10-day look ahead: 10 Day Look Ahead: Construction Activities Friday, March 29, 2013 – Sunday, April 7, 2013 NOTICE - FULL STREET CLOSURE - BEALE STREET BRIDGE ( BETWEEN MISSION & HOWARD STREETS), APRIL 5-8 WEATHER CONTINGENCY DATE, APRIL 12-15 Beale Street will be closed April 5-8, to install the third and final traffic bridge on Beale Street, between Mission and Howard Streets. Beale Street will be closed to through traffic and pedestrians beginning Friday at 7:00 PM and will reopen Monday at 5:00 AM. This week at Transbay... What to Expect This Weekend (3/30/13 – 3/31/13): Eastern Transit Center Site (Between Beale and Fremont Streets): This weekend there is no construction work scheduled for Saturday, March 30 or Sunday, March 31. Central Transit Center Site (Between First and Fremont Streets): This weekend there is no construction work scheduled for Saturday, March 30 or Sunday, March 31. Western Transit Ce

The Sacramento Kings are not going to the playoffs and aren't playing well. However, as coach Mark Jackson of the Warriors points out, Sacramento has players that, when hot, can bury any team in the league.

The Oakland Running Festival drew 9,100 runners out for a sunny Sunday in Oakland, and thousands more onlookers. Here's my video, where I talk to Oaklanders, young and old about the event. I thank everyone who stopped to talk with me, and to Lee Corrigan, of Corrigan Sports, the race producer.

Over at Zennie62.com, the Oakland City Auditor’s Report by Courtney Ruby was called a "racist attack" on two of Oakland's black city councilmembers, Desley Woods and Larry Reid. The reason is that the report itself says that the claims of violating the Oakland City Charter's Section 218 were not backed with hard evidence, but heresay, and the report itself says that there is a "culture of interference" done by "multiple councilmembers" - then why not name them? Visit Zennie62.com here: Oakland City Auditor’s Report A Racist Attack On Black Councilmembers

Oakland City Auditor Courtney Ruby continues the game of using personal politics to get headlines, but with an ugly twist: she issued an "interference" report that, even though she said applied to all Oakland elected and appointed officials in City Hall in a "culture of interference," only named two Oakland black councilmembers, Larry Reid and Desley Brooks - and not the white Oakland councilmembers and public officials she said were part of the problem. Then Courtney Ruby said they broke the law of the City's Charter and used questionable evidence to make the claim. More on this at Zennie62.com and Oakland Focus and San Francisco Focus blogs today, Friday. 

Come to the Oakland Tweetup, Friday, April 5th, at 6:30 PM, Loring Cafe, at 37 Grand Ave in Oakland's Uptown District! A Tweetup is a kind of meeting of people who regularly use Twitter, and have one thing in common.  In this case, that something is we all live in and love Oakland, and actively communicate about what's happening using Twitter.  A Tweetup's a great way to make excellent business contacts, or just get to know the people who make up, in this case, Oakland. The tweetup will be held at the new, beautiful Oakland cafe and eatery called Loring Cafe.    Come at 6:30 and look for me, Zennie Abraham of @Zennie62, and of this video about Loring before it opened: And Friday, April 5th, is the time of the next Art Murmur / First Friday event for April, so it's going to be a great time. Come and join us at Loring Cafe, and stay tuned to this blog, Zennie62, or Twitter with #OakTweetup  for updates. 

Ok, who had the best dunk: LeBron James Over Jason Terry Or Dendre Jordan Over Brendan Knight? Simple question. Me? I chose LeBron because of the scowl after he did it.

Over at Oakland News at Zennie62 is the blog post about an ugly assault captured on video on YouTube that shows a young Jewish woman being assaulted by the brunette white woman and just for writing that she loved her country, Israel, in hebrew on the plaza's grounds. There's also more information on downtown vandalism associated with a protest that happened on March 16th. See: Oakland News: City Hall Plaza Assault On Woman; Protesters Vandalize Downtown

Golden State Warriors Head Coach Mark Jackson said that the play by Atlanta Hawks' Dahntay Jones - where he placed his foot in such a way as to cause LA Lakers Forward Kobe Bryant to be injured as he came down from a fade-away shot - was "dangerous," but stopped short of calling it deliberate, saying that he didn't know what was in Dahntay Jones' head at the time. Video by Kraig Debro for Zennie62Media.

Eric Casher, who's a friend of this blogger, and appeared in my video from the Democratic National Convention about Victoria Jackson... ..has been named to a vacant position on the Fair Political Practices Commission by California Attorney General Kamila Harris. Eric Casher works for Meyer Nave, the same law firm where former Oakland City Attorney Jayne Williams is a partner, and where he has represented "public and private developers, design professionals, general contractors, subcontractors, as well as, government agencies and municipalities," according to Eric's bio.   Congratulations to Eric, who's been a steady political player, maintain the right relationships, and making the right moves since we were both volunteers in the campaign to elect Barack Obama President Of The United States.

Note: Updated: 12:02 AM EST   The Oakland Army Base Lawsuit is still alive. The lawsuit pitting Oakland photographer and activist Gene Hazzard against The City Of Oakland, and pretty much anyone who represents the Oakland Establishment (if there is such a thing, and there is) is still alive, and that's to the surprise of even Hazzard himself, who said he expected "an adverse ruling," from Alameda County Superior Court Judge John True, but didn't get one.  Video: Background interview with Gene Hazzard: Instead, what he, and the Oakland Establishment he's suing, got was Judge True's call for a June 6th "case management conference" around a new item of information that Hazzard would not comment on. What Hazzard did tell this blogger was that  his two complaints were combined into one large one by Judge True.  So far, in total, it has to be written that this lawsuit has gone on this far because Hazzard has made a basic good point about the wa