Oakland Focus Blog - Oakland's Oldest Blog

AEG Should Not Run The Oakland Coliseum Stadium

2012-01-20T07:56:00.000-08:00

AEG Should Not Run The Oakland Coliseum

2012-01-16T11:23:00.001-08:00

The City of Oakland and Alameda County must reject AEG, the Anschutz Entertainment Group, from being even considered as stadium manager for the Oakland Coliseum, and for one reason: AEG does not have the best interest of the Oakland Coliseum in mind.

Why would an organization openly court the Oakland Raiders to move to Los Angeles, work to buy a portion of the team at a cut-rate price (something that Colts Owner Jim Irsay has threatened to block), and yet turn around and even think to ask to replace SMG (Spectacor Management Group) as manager of the Oakland Coliseum? A one-word-answer: power. And its that interest in power that would wreck the Oakland Coliseum for the foreseeable future.

Right now, the Oakland Coliseum, and the City of Oakland, is under a wave of negative sports industry PR not of its own making. The Oakland A's were making noise about leaving for San Jose. The Golden State Warriors have made noise about wanting a new stadium in San Francisco. And Oakland Raiders Owner Marc Davis recently made comments pointing to a possible move to Los Angeles.

[caption id="attachment_15107" align="alignleft" width="232" caption="Phil Anschutz Of AEG"][/caption]All of this points to the scenario of a sports-tenant-less Oakland Coliseum within the next 14 years, and yet the Oakland Alameda County Coliseum Authority would even dare consider giving the keys to the stadium to one of its executioners: AEG.

Crazy.

And on top of that, why would the Oakland Alameda County Coliseum Authority even consider letting a firm ran by Philip Anschutz, a man who's considered as ultra-right-wing giver of millions to Republicans and is opposed to gay rights, and maintains a base in Denver, home of the hated Denver Broncos, rather than continue a relationship with SMG, which maintains an apolitical face? Even allowing the idea that such a scenario as AEG running the Oakland Coliseum could happen is shocking to this blogger.

But that's a digression: the bottom line is AEG should be, and must be, booted from any talk of managing the Oakland Coliseum, and as soon as possible.

Stay tuned.

Obama Does Tim Tebow and Tom Brady Imitation

2012-01-05T06:18:00.000-08:00

Ecuador Court Confirms $18 Billion Award Against Chevron

2012-01-04T14:56:00.000-08:00

In an action that comes as no surprise to anyone, an Ecuador appeals court confirmed the decision by Ecuador to award an $18 billion damage award to Ecuador. Ecuador's court, long accused of bribery and beset with scandal, would not dream of going against the wishes of that country's President Rafael Correa.

Consider that President Rafael Correa recently sued a popular local newspaper and its columnists and editors for $80 million, as I explain in this video, when the cost was just $10 million....

...then took the "pledge" (if you will because those news guys don't have $80 million in their pockets) and attached it to the $116 million that he said would stop Ecuador from drilling in the Yasuni park region.

And Correa has allowed his state-run oil company Petroecuador to continue oil drilling and environmental damage, and to the point where it and other foreign oil companies have committed over 100 oil spills since Chevron left the country in 1992.

Steven Donziger Keeps Pushing

And who's pushing this fraudulent lawsuit? Plaintiffs' lead U.S. lawyer Steven Donziger, and even with evidence that he knew the lawsuit he filed was based on "smoke and mirrors," and "bullshit" as he said in this video:

The simple fact that Donziger was caught on video saying this means Chevron should not give a dime to either Ecuador or Donziger, who has openly stated that he would become a billionaire from this. See:

Stay tuned.

Sanjiv Handa: A Rememberance With Anger

2011-12-28T12:26:00.000-08:00

[caption id="attachment_14777" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Sanjiv Handa"][/caption]Sanjiv Handa, RP? Still can't believe it. It's a good idea to blog to get out of my head the idea that in my reality Sanjiv Handa, Oakland's Gargoyle - head of the East Bay News Service, expert on Oakland Government, gossip about Oakland's elected officials, and source of intel on the next local government party - is putting together his next newsletter, all set to tell us the whole matter was all a mistake, he's just fine, and that the effort to recall Mayor Quan was going slow because of disorganization and lack of money (which is true).

But what's true is that Sanjiv is gone from our physical presence. I've never used the term "gadfly" because I never saw Sanjiv as an irritant, and I have little respect for those who describe him that way anyway. Why? Because some of those same people either wrote about or knew about a really mean and stupid email that was circulated about him at City Hall in 2010 and that caused me to write this blog post called "Sanjiv Handa – the sad attack on an Oakland institution." And I wrote:

Someone wrote a terrible email about him that I decided to ignore. I hope the people within Oakland City Hall rise to a higher standard and stop being so childish where Sanjiv Handa is concerned. For all of his faults, the man cares about Oakland.

When I say "I decided to ignore," I mean that in total. I never saw it, and don't know who wrote it to this day. I was told about it by someone who didn't write. But the anger that I expressed then, I find, is still fresh in me today, after Sanjiv's passing. Oakland, well, some in Oakland, can really do some fucked up shit to other Oaklanders for no good reason. It speaks to how small minded those people were and are that the person who did it never stepped forward to apologize.

But it's people who are like that, and who constantly use the term "gadfly" to describe Sanjiv that make other people want to leave Oakland and say "screw you with your loser self," then get their face on TV as of to remind Oakland of how good they were at what they did.

And here I'm thinking of former Oakland City Manager Robert Bobb, but I digress.

If there's anything, or anyway, I'd like for people to do to remember Sanjiv Handa, it's not to be as informed about Oakland as he was, but to actually STOP ATTACKING PEOPLE WHO ZEALOUSLY CARE ABOUT OAKLAND!!

Got that? Hear that? If so, then DO that.

Oaklanders must stop the silly, stupid, incessant hating on each other for no good reason. (And the Oakland Tribune article slamming Sanjiv for not being a journalist with "He called himself a journalist but crossed the line of traditional journalism ethics," almost made me cry. Who, in their right mind, gives a fuck when a man has died? Moreover, why put, in the same article, that he had problems paying his rent?) This city, now, more than ever, needs everyone to pull together to help push it up.

See, you have to understand that after friend, mentor, and former Alameda County Counsel Richard Winnie died earlier this year, I stood in the Rotunda after the ceremony, talking with Sanjiv about how our little family of people who cared about Oakland was passing away, moving on. Really sad. Really sad.

Ok, my anger's out and on the page. It's not in me any more. Now, I can remember this Sanjiv that I talked to just one day after the Occupy Oakland police / protestor clash:

The one who understood the real details behind what was going on, and the interpersonal relationships that led to clashes, and the one who remembered that Oakland's City Hall had 40,000 condoms in it.

Only Sanjiv would remember that.

Always here, never to be forgotten.

Stay tuned.

Oakland Honors Morrie Turner Wee Pals Cartoon Creator

2011-12-20T13:06:00.000-08:00

How Zennie62 (Zennie Abraham) Makes A Video-Blog

2011-12-19T22:54:00.000-08:00

Kim Jong Il North Korea Leader Dies, Son Kim Jong Un New Leader

2011-12-19T09:02:00.000-08:00

Jasper Bailey Human Beat Box In Downtown Oakland (Jasper The Beatboxer)

2011-12-19T06:20:00.000-08:00

Joe Lacob, The Golden State Warriors Belong In Oakland

2011-12-12T09:14:00.000-08:00

Oakland Food Truck Pods Coming to a Neighborhood Near You!

2011-12-07T01:55:00.001-08:00

Oakland Food Truck Pods Coming to a Neighborhood Near You!

After three years of sometimes contentious discussions, the Oakland City Council is poised to propose a pilot plan to allow Oakland’s numerous and varied food truck offerings a chance to set up in “pods” that is, groupings where few restaurants or other food services already exist, and be permitted as a group.

[caption id="attachment_14012" align="alignright" width="150" caption="Karen Hester"][/caption]

Karen Hester, long time event promoter, said that it will allow Oakland entrepreneurs like her to plan ahead knowing how many trucks will be allowed and what will be required of them. Previously, food trucks were only allowed in the Fruitvale district where Taco trucks have blazed a trail of high quality, less expensive offerings in areas where people are comfortable walking up and taking their food elsewhere to eat.

But, as a result of some problems encountered in the Fruitvale program, food entrepreneurs have engaged in a long arduous process over the last few years to reach the point where a citywide pilot would even be considered. Councilmembers Rebecca Kaplan and Jane Brunner seemed to have found the magic formula that five

[caption id="attachment_14013" align="alignright" width="150" caption="Kaplan and Brunner"][/caption]

members of the City Council may be willing to take a chance on.

[caption id="attachment_14014" align="alignleft" width="150" caption="Mayor Quan"][/caption] The agreement, which was crafted with the assistance of the restaurant association, hinges on food trucks forming these pods as opposed to wandering the retail landscape on their own and dwelling in a shady legal arena. Now they will be permitted only with the assent of local brick and mortar businesses and in areas that are less served.

In recent years the food truck business has risen to a fine art and is seen as entry level business ownership that also employs local workers.

Watch the video for more comments from the proponents as well as some questions on the proposal. It was to be heard at the City Council Tuesday, December 6th. The proponents believe they have the votes to pass the pilot measure.

UPDATE: It passed unanimously.

Jean Quan: Occupy Oakland Makes Mayor YouTube Star

2011-12-04T23:41:00.000-08:00

Mayor Quan, Oakland Business, And The Recall

2011-12-01T13:35:00.001-08:00

(First posted at http://zenie62blog.com)

[caption id="attachment_13222" align="alignleft" width="235" caption="Oaklland Mayor Jean Quan"][/caption]Is the Oakland Business Community really behind the planned recall effort of Mayor Jean Quan? As one blogger who's lived in Oakland since 1974, it's easy to gain the temperature around town because people either call or talk about the matter every day, including today.

Let's say this: the issue of the recall of Mayor Jean Quan is not being officially driven by any recognized Oakland large business organization, as of this writing. Indeed everyone who's talked to this blogger, and in total, that's adding up to about 50 people so far, has said that, while they don't want to be quoted for political reasons, they're "on the fence" about supporting a recall effort against Mayor Quan.

Here's my video on the Quan recall details:

A large reason for this is that no one know who the next Mayor of Oakland will be if the signature gathering process goes well, and the recall vote works according to the plans of the persons involved.

Everyone this space has communicated with is upset with the way Mayor Quan has handled the Occupy Oakland situation. Not one person has said anything in support of Quan's actions. But, contrary to what you may read elsewhere, the truth is that about 70 percent of the people 'surveyed,' if you will, were already unhappy with Mayor Quan for various reasons - Occupy Oakland was just icing on the cake, and a good set point to former Oakland Mayor Elihu Harris' statements about Quan in the video below as reflecting their views.

[caption id="attachment_13773" align="alignleft" width="241" caption="Don Perata"][/caption] One thing is certain: Former California State Senator and Oakland Mayoral Candidate Don Perata is flat out not running for Mayor again in any recall scenario. It's fair to say that Mr. Perata's done with that aspect of his life, at least to the point of seeking the office of Mayor again. Don't bother trying to "draft" Don Perata to run.

What about the others who ran for Mayor of Oakland? Well, Joe Tuman's "Joe Tuman For Mayor Of Oakland" Facebook page is still up and active in the timeliness of its postings. Tuman's not made an official statement regarding the recall effort.

But that written, Tuman does support statements against Mayor Quan, written on his Facebook page, like this long paragraph by Janet Marie Drew that Joe used the Facebook 'Like' Button to support:

Janet Marie Drew
The city has forbidden camping in the plaza. Officer Johnna Watson, a police spokeswoman, said the city would continue to monitor the plaza with help from a squad of unarmed private security officers the city recently hired for $540,000 a month.

[caption id="attachment_13774" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Joe Tuman For Mayor Facebook Page"][/caption] Oakland is so broke it cannot provide Police support to it's citizens in the Hills (residents have been told by police dispatch that they do not respond to burglaries) or pay to have more OPD officers; yet Mayor Quan is paying for Private Security with our tax dollars to the tune of more than a 1/2 Million a month!?? Her fiscal nonsense continues wherever she goes; from Bart to School Board, from Councilmember to Mayor.

A "like" of that harsh statement could be interpreted as support for the recall of Mayor Quan by Mr. Tuman.

Former Green Party Candidate Don Macleay has said on video that he's interested, but as of now, Don's taking the same 'wait and see' position that others in the Oakland Business Community have adopted. This blogger has not personally talked to all of the the other candidates from 2010, but one man, Terence Candell, was out campaigning for the recall of Quan. Moreover, Dr. Candell's "Candell For Mayor of Oakland" website is still active.

A lot of people want to see just how organized the recall effort turns out to be. Some have issues with Oaklander Gene Hazzard's style, in that they wonder how well the recall will be executed, given some early paperwork filing mistakes Gene made. Gene might me "methodical, surgical and lethal," as he says, but he also, at times, (and I say this in a friendly way) can be careless with details.

The new group of people reportedly involved are largely unknown with respect to their track record on getting efforts like this to be successful. What they need is 26,000 signatures to be sure, not 19,000. One feather in Gene's cap - regardless of how anyone feels about how the last Mayor of Oakland performed - is that Gene can say he drafted Ron Dellums to run for, and become, Mayor of Oakland, including gathering about 6,000 signatures.

So, right at this calm period, the main people involved in Oakland - I hate the term "players" because it ignores the fact that the people who's names regularly come up really care about Oakland - are taking a wait-and-see position. The unfortunate news here is that no one I've talked to has said they don't support the idea of a recall. They may be too busy to deal with it, or waiting to see what happens, or fearful of upsetting their political relationship with Mayor Quan, but there's not been one person who came up and said "I don't back the recall and I support Jean Quan."

Stay tuned.

"Chevron Blogger" Not Dumped By SF Chronicle

2011-11-30T06:17:00.001-08:00

There's an idea from certain racist types that this blogger was blocked from posting at the SF Chronicle website because of "ties" to a "Chevron operative." That's bullshit. What the truth is, is that the new SFGate.com executive director Alana Nguyen did not, by her own written admission, like my take on the Rick Perry issue, as well as my statement that the position she holds was one that I believed I was better suited for. Moreover, at over 3,000 posts, far more than any other City Brights blogger my content was undoubtedly starting to tax their server budget.

This video explains it all:

No one pays me to hold an opinion - I do support Chevron in Ecuador because I think Ecuador's political system is corrupt and anti-American. This is a view I've held for some time, and before I started blogging at SFGate.com. I also happen to feel that there are certain knee jerk non-profits that just make money off challenging oil companies like Chevron, so I took it upon myself to counter them. Balance is needed to get to the truth. I'm not a "Chevron Blogger" but frankly that's not such a bad thing to be.

The fact is the people connected with the Amazon Defense Coalition, in my view, are very racist. They can't stand that someone black has a platform to express views they disagree with. If you take a look at the people involved in their effort, African American faces are no where to be seen, yet they would claim to support people of color in Ecuador. What a joke.

The fact is that people associated with that movement have, over the years, harassed and sent death threats to this blogger. Yet my opinion prevails, and I'm still alive.

Everyone knows that Steve Donziger and the Amazon Defense Coalition have fraudulently secured a court judgement in Ecuador, and in a court that's known for its corruption. Everyone knows that Chevron has not been involved in Ecuador since 1992, and that the state-run oil company, Petroecuador, and several Chinese and Canadian oil companies, and the Brazilian national oil company, have been allowed to spill oil like a drunk barfly spills their cocktails.

Lastly, I was never paid by the SF Chronicle, and generated over $100,000 in add revenue for their website, and a total of over 17 million unique visitors, and created a new form of blogging. The anti-Chevron people just can't stand a black guy who falls outside their idea of what black folks should say and do. They've tried to bully SFGate editors into making me say what the Amazon Defense Coalition wants me to say - I never did. I never will.

The fact is they're trying to twist the truth of a situation they know nothing about, and are too scared to ask me about. Proving that what they really are afraid of is a smart black guy who can think for himself.

As for PR contacts, I get hundreds of press releases and know many PR people all over the World, and I help those people who's views I agree with. That's logical. Well, to anyone with common since, that is.

Stay tuned.

Mission: Impossible Was Controlling Jeremy Renner's Foul-Mouth

2011-11-29T05:12:00.001-08:00

According to Zennie62.com Jeremy Renner's went from good actor, to up-and-comer after his breakout movie The Hurt Locker, and now he's a true A-list star, working alongside Tom Cruise and going off to exotic locations like Dubai to shoot, in this case, the newest Mission: Impossible movie, Mission: Impossible: Ghost Protocol.

Filming in Dubai created trying challenges related to the Middle East heat, and that brought out the worst in Renner. According to a source who worked close to Mr. Renner on the set of Mission: Impossible, the very demanding and well-liked actor was given to the occasional vulgar outburst because of the searing conditions - most famously this one: 'How long am I going to sit here playing with my balls with my tongue?'

Renner was also said to be impatient with others to be ready to go when a scene was about to be made. In all, set workers are faster to blame the heat than Renner, saying that they were pleased to have worked with him.

When things were cool.

Mission:Impossible - Ghost Protocol will be released December 21st.

Stay tuned.

Andronico’s In Berkeley, Out Of Bankrupcy, Open For Business

2011-11-26T12:21:00.001-08:00

Concerned that fans and patrons think Andronico’s is totally out of business with the close of its Telegraph Avenue store in Berkeley, the food retailer's went on a big push to let you know they're still going strong, and their facilities on Shattuck Avenue, and on Solono Avenue, both in Berkeley, are still going concerns as the firm emerges from bankruptcy.

[caption id="attachment_13477" align="alignright" width="300" caption="Andronico's "][/caption] The Telegraph Avenue store was the final one to close and marks the end of a financial restructuring program that started last year, and managed to save 375 jobs in the process. Bill Andronico, third generation member of the family which founded the markets, said...

“Investment in the future of Andronico’s Markets can begin now that we are financially stable after the sale of the company to Renovo Capital. Our focus now is to build upon the strong brand built over three generations. We have completed a difficult restructuring process and I am pleased that we have been able to save the business and in the process preserve 375 jobs. We are now fully focused on improving the customer experience and business operations of the remaining stores.The closing of the Telegraph Avenue store became necessary because the property would have been too difficult to bring up to the standards that our customers expect and deserve. As a result the decision was made to close its operation. We are urging customers to shop at the Shattuck or Solano Avenue stores in Berkeley for the Andronico’s experience."

Renovo Capital Promises Reinvestment

Justin Jackson, Chief Operating Officer of Renovo Capital, said that Renovo and Andronico’s focus is on maintaining and investing in the five store that are open now. Jackson said "We have embarked on an ambitious program of significantly improving merchandising and stock conditions now that we are healthy again. Over the next year, we are committed to initiating capital improvements in all locations that will greatly enhance the categories and shopping experience our customers expect in this unique marketplace."

While many did not like that the Berkeley, Telegraph Avenue store closed, the reality is that it was part of the overall reduction of Andronico's store as a whole. At best there were 14 stores, then that dropped to eight in 2010, and now just five. And the opening and popularity of the giant, 55,000 square-foot Whole Foods Store in Oakland only served to hurt Andronico's Telegraph Avenue venue. Renovo Capital's working on maintaining what exists now.

Stay tuned.

Oakland Occupy , Oakland Police - Nov. 24, 2011

2011-11-25T00:01:00.000-08:00

Occupy Oakland: Whole Foods Not Leaving Oakland

2011-11-20T12:00:00.001-08:00

A rumor started that Whole Foods on 27th and Telegraph Avenue in Oakland, the 50,000 square-foot store that has revitalized a long-dead part of Oakland's Adams Point, and can be seen in this Zennie62 video from September 26, 2007...

was going to leave Oakland after an attack by protestors at first connected to Occupy Oakland, but later found not to be associated with the mainstream managers of the movement, as seen in this video from Russia Today:

Here's an email that was circulated:

Subject: Say it isn't so!

Dear Mr. Lennon and Mr. Brizee,

A rumor has begun to circulate that WholeFoods is contemplating pulling out of Oakland! I do find it difficult to believe, given the capital investment you’ve recently expended renovating the store. However, if there’s any truth to the rumor, I’m sure that it is strictly a business decision, so I’ll skip the part where I wax poetic about your cheese department, the bakery, the prepared foods, and the produce! Instead, I’ll remind you to consider how the are! a surrounding your store stands to flourish as the city pursues development of the Broadway-Valdez District. Shoppers will come from all parts of the East Bay to spend money there and will, without a doubt, fill your aisles with Foodies and Epicureans beyond your wildest dreams. Please put an end to the rumor. The economy will recover and Oakland, holding its own when it comes to restaurants and farmer’s markets, will make us all proud as it leads the recovery on this side of the Bay. Believe in us! We believe in you!

Very sincerely yours,

Lorri

Whole Foods responded with this reply:

To: Arazi, Lorri
Cc: David Lannon (NC NCC)
Subject: RE: Say it isn't so!

Hello Ms. Arazi,

We have NO intention of leaving Oakland. We are here to STAY! We will continue to be a part of the community and support the continued growth and improvement of Oakland!

Thanks for your support – it means a lot to us

Sincerely,

Earl Brizee WFM Oakland Store Team leader

Let's hope that remains the case.

Stay tuned.

Occupy Oakland - Mayor Quan Tells Of 18 City Collaboration

2011-11-16T00:20:00.001-08:00

In the wake of the law enforcement clearing of Occupy Oakland from Frank Ogawa Plaza on Monday morning, and the news of similar actions in Portland, Denver, New York, and other cities, come the previously unknown news that the events were the result of an 18 city collaboration.

The deliverer of that news? Oakland Mayor Jean Quan.

On a BBC interview, Mayor Quan said she was "part of an 18-city" collaboration that centered around a large conference call to all parities.

That explains a whole lot.

It explains why it seemed the same message was being blasted by mayor after mayor around the nation. Constantly repeating the words "the encampment caused a heath issue" (or words to that effect) on television in city after city served to grab the overall communications message away from the Occupy Movement, and replace it with a narrative which says that the Occupy Movement is chaotic, dangerous, and dirty.

From the looks of things now, the strategy seems to have worked.

Related Blogs

Oakland Mayor Jean Quan Recall Effort Gains $100,000

2011-11-13T23:36:00.001-08:00

The latest news in the Occupy Oakland constellation of information is the effort to recall Oakland Mayor Jean Quan. According to an email from a source, Sanjiv Handa, East Bay News Service reports that $100,000 has been pledged toward the effort to recall the Mayor.

Also, the latest Occupy Oakland news is that Oakland Police and law enforcement will move in to clear the encampment at Frank Ogawa Plaza at 4 AM, Monday, November 14th.

Here's the text from the email sent to Zennie62.com:

FYI from Sanjiv Handa, East Bay News Service:

The Oakland Bulletin SM
The Authoritative Source About Every Nuance of Oakland Politics and Process Since 1994 SM

$100,000 Pledged to Qualify Quan Recall
A petition to force an election to recall Mayor Jean Quan has been certified for the signature-gathering phase. Proponents have a maximum of 160 days to turn in about 19,800 signatures from registered Oakland voters on petitions that are now available.

Special interest groups and political activists have been monitoring the process with great interest. In just the past few days, they obtained pledges of $100,000 to pay experienced petition circulators — at the prevailing rate of $5 for each signature. More money is being sought.

By contrast, when rumors circulated about a recall of former mayor Ron Dellums — which did not ever get started — barely $30,000 had been pledged, leading unnamed proponents to drop the idea. Because no recall committee was ever formed, nor checks ever written, there was no legal requirement for any disclosures.

The California Fair Political Practices Act says a committee must register and disclose its key officers within thirty days of receiving checks or pledges in excess of $1,000. The Fair Political Practices Commission, a five-member panel with paid staff in Sacramento, administers that law.

Multiple sources say the Latino Political Action Committee has pledged $20,000. In part, their members are angry that Quan bypassed an in-house candidate for fire chief, opting instead to conduct a national search.

The target is to obtain 26,000 signatures — a thirty percent margin of error to allow for signatories who turn out not to be registered to vote. Any United States citizen who has lived in Oakland for more than thirty days can register as a voter and sign a recall petition after that.

A coalition of 71 Oakland residents launched the first step in the process, but only 56 of them turned out to be registered voters. The required number is a minimum of fifty.

The coalition published a notice of intent in the Montclarion newspaper on Nov. 4, the same day that the city clerk published a mandated notice in the Oakland Tribune. Both notices have a minor defect, stating that Gene Hazzard, who signed on behalf of the coalition, executed his signature on Oct. 24, 2021 — instead of 2011.

The Montclarion has cheaper advertising rates than its sister paper, the Tribune. However, it only publishes once a week, so insertion of the intent did not appear in print for eight days after the ad was placed. The seven-days-a-week Tribune’s lead-time for such ads is usually two business days.

City offices were closed Thursday and Friday, so the city attorney or city clerk will decide next week if that typographical error constitutes a material defect that would require republication of either or both notices. If the process needs repeating, the issuance of actual petitions could be delayed up to two weeks.

Recall is a First in Modern Oakland Politics
City records are sketchy, so there is no proof that Oakland has ever had an election to recall a mayor, council member, or other officeholder.

East Bay News Service archives date back to 1966, and show no record of any recall drive in that 45-year period. More than a dozen local politicians and activists also cannot remember any recall effort being launched in that span.

Any County Voter Can Circulate Petitions

Anyone registered to vote in Alameda County can circulate the recall petitions, which have room for just five signatures on each sheet. Allegations against Quan, her response, and an affidavit to be signed by the person who obtained the signatures fill up each page.

However, only voters residing in Oakland can sign them and vote in the recall election, if held.

Contradictory Views on Election Laws
Community activists have been issuing their own opinions and interpretations of how a recall works. As a result, considerable confusion and misinformation has been burning up cyberspace.

Oakland does not have any local procedures for a recall election. Consequently, provisions of the state Elections Code govern the process.

From the initial release date of petitions, a maximum of 160 calendar days is allowed for a jurisdiction with more than 50,000 registered voters. [Elections Code § 11220(a)(5)]

Petitions can be submitted at any time within that period. However, all signatures must be turned in at the same time, or they will not be counted. [Elections Code § 11220(a)]

The city clerk will perform a preliminary count to ensure that more than 19,800 signatures were submitted. [Elections Code § 11220(b)]

Standard practice is for the city clerk to send the petitions to the Alameda County Registrar of Voters to perform the actual verification. The county charges the city a fee for this service.

The clerk is allowed thirty days, not counting Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays, to determine if enough signatures are valid to proceed with a recall election. [Elections Code § 11224(a)]

The registrar is allowed to use a random sampling of five percent of the signatures submitted. [Elections Code § 11225(a)]

If, for example, 26,000 signatures are turned in, a minimum of 1,300 are checked in the county voter registration database. If that examination shows that the validity rate exceeds 110 percent, the petition for recall will be certified. [Elections Code § 11225(b)]

The required 19,800 signatures are 76.2 percent of the 26,000 submitted. A 110 ratio would require an 83.8 percent validity rate.

If the validity rate for the sample falls between 90 and 110 percent, every one of the signatures must be matched to the voter database [Elections Code § 11225(c)]

If the validity rate for the sample is below 90 percent, the petition is denied without further testing [Elections Code § 11225(d)]

Choosing Successor is on the Same Ballot
The recall election will ask: “Shall Jean Quan be recalled?” — with a yes or no option. On the same ballot will be the names of every person who has qualified for mayor by submitting a minimum of fifty valid voter signatures and a $300 filing fee no later than 75 days before the election. [Elections Code § 11381]

Each voter has the right to a “yes” or “no” — but is not obligated to mark either option in order to vote for a successor candidate.

If one-half or more of those casting ballots vote “no”, Quan remains the mayor. [Elections Code § 11383]

If one-half or more of those casting ballots vote “yes”, Quan will be removed from office. [Elections Code § 11384]

The candidate receiving the highest number of votes cast for a successor would replace Quan and serve until Jan. 2015 [Elections Code § 11385]

Stay tuned.

Occupy Oakland: Don Macleay, Wilson Riles Call For No Eviction

2011-11-13T21:55:00.001-08:00

At a press conference Sunday evening, Don Macleay, head of the Oakland Green Party, Wilson Riles, long-time Oakland activist, Vicki McGuire, mental health professional, and Naomi Shiff, Oakland architect and preservationist, all called for Oakland Mayor Jean Quan to avoid what will almost certainly be a violent removal of the Occupy Oakland encampment.

Here are videos from the press event held at the Oakland City Hall Steps, Sunday at 4:30 PM.

Occupy Oakland protestor and encampment dwellers received a third eviction notice on Sunday.

Stay tuned.

Oakland Activists Call Occupy Oakland Press Conference At City Hall Today

2011-11-13T13:47:00.001-08:00

Oakland Activists Call Occupy Oakland Press Conference At City Hall Today
Oakland Green Party Head Calls For Stop To Planned
City Of Oakland Eviction at 4:30 PM PST

For Immediate Release
Contact: Don Macleay at 510-290-1200

Sunday, November 13th, 2011

Oakland Green Party Head and 2010 Oakland Mayor's Race Candidate Don Macleay, and long time Oakland Activists Wilson Riles, and Vicki McGuire will hold a press conference today, and will be joined by other Occupy Oakland participants on the steps of Oakland's City Hall. They will assemble right in front of the Oakland City Hall steps, just 150 feet from the main Occupy Oakland General Assembly Meeting Area at Frank Ogawa Plaza, near 14th and Broadway.

Here's Mr. Macleay's prepared statement:

<blockquote>We the undersigned are making a proposal to the General Assembly calling for a PUBLIC FORUM on Thursday Nov. 17 on the subject of HOW TO HARMONIZE THE OCCUPY OAKLAND PROTEST WITH THE OAKLAND COMMUNITY AT LARGE

The procedure is to hand in such proposals to the Facilitation Committee the day before the General Assembly where the proposal will be discussed.

That we are doing today and wish to have this proposal discussed at the General Assembly tomorrow.

---------------------------------

We are also calling a press conference today at 4:30 on the steps of City Hall to ask the City of Oakland not to proceed with a forced eviction. Recent statements by our mayor lead us to believe that a repeat of the last eviction fiasco is imminent.

We need peace in our city and another eviction is not a peaceful way to proceed.

The City and Occupy Oakland need to dialog and to do so, each has to understand the way the other is organized.

In the case of the City, they need to deal with Occupy Oakland via the General Assembly process,
which they have not really done, and this public forum proposal is the way to get this dialog started.
By PUBLIC FORUM we mean the whole public.

That includes the many of us who support the Occupy encampment and also all the other residents.

Present at the Press Conference will be

Don Macleay
Wilson Riles
Vicki McGuire

And all others who support this initiative who wish to come.
Given the short notice</blockquote>

Stay tuned.

Occupy Oakland Live Stream On UStream.tv

2011-11-12T14:40:00.001-08:00

A video blogger named OakFoSho is running an Occupy Oakland Live Stream now, today, Saturday November 12, 2011. He's covering the activities of the day, even as the encampment at Frank Ogawa Plaza just received its second eviction notice from the Oakland Police, and for the second straight day.

He says that UStream.tv set them up "for free" and are some "really down people" over there at USTream headquarters. He said that the reason UStream dropped in was that on the night of the police raid on October 25th, 35,000 people saw his live stream of the happenings, as broadcasted via his cell phone. So, the UStream people saw that, and worked to set Occupy Oakland up with a brand new system. The first one for the Occupy Movement.

So far, it's attracted over 200 views. Right now, the live stream focus is on a teach in.

For UStream this is more than a good-will effort; it's business. If the Oakland Police and Alameda County Law Enforcement take action against the encampment, with so many people just waiting for them to do it, the result would be an online event with as many viewers as that for some cable television shows.

Stay tuned.

Oakland Police Association Tells Occupy Oakland To Leave, Mayor Blasted On Twitter

2011-11-11T14:09:00.001-08:00

In an amusing blog post (and for its pure hubris), The Oakland Police Association has stated in a new blog that it's time for Occupy Oakland to go. Frankly, releasing this blog post was one of the dumbest actions any Oakland public organization outside the Mayor could have made. It just shows how little respect the Oakland Police have for the Mayor of Oakland and the chain of command.

Here's the blog post:

November 11, 2011

On behalf of the 645 Oakland police officers we represent, this letter comes to you out of duty to protect the Oakland community and its citizens.

Oakland police officers are the 99% and we understand and sympathize with your message. We respect your right to peaceful protest.

We are also sworn to protect the citizens of Oakland. Right now, Oakland is in a state of emergency.

Our police officers are the 99% struggling in Oakland neighborhoods every day to contain the 1% who rob, steal, rape and murder our law-abiding citizens. The Occupy Oakland protest, now 30 days old, is taking our police officers out of Oakland neighborhoods and away from protecting the citizens of Oakland.

In an average city in California, this might not be of emergency proportions for its citizens. Oakland is not an “average” city – we have the highest violent crime rate in California. We are the 5th most violent city in the United States – with more shootings and homicides than any city west of the Mississippi.

Last night’s murder, right in the epicenter of Occupy Oakland, is unacceptable. So is the violence being promoted by “renegade” protesters who are lighting firebombs, destroying property and attacking police.

What is even more tragic is that homicides are a frequent occurrence in Oakland. This is the real emergency: Yesterday’s murder was Oakland’s 101st homicide of 2011. It is time for us to stop directing all of our efforts at policing the small enclave of “Occupy Oakland” and get back to our job of protecting the citizens of Oakland in the neighborhoods where our residents live.

The events of recent weeks have shown that many occupiers at Frank Ogawa Plaza are citizens of other communities with limited interest in preserving the greater good and safety of our City.

Please, we ask you: Leave Frank Ogawa Plaza peacefully and immediately so Oakland Police can get back to work fighting the devastating crime that’s occurring in our neighborhoods.

You have sent the world a strong message; now it is time to go home. Your leaving today, peacefully, of your own free will, on the 30th day, will send a message to Oakland that you care about our citizens and respect our city.

With last night’s homicide, in broad daylight, in the middle of rush hour, Frank Ogawa Plaza is no longer safe. Please leave peacefully, with your heads held high, so we can get police officers back to work fighting crime in Oakland neighborhoods.

Thank you.

The response to this on Twitter has been blistering, as have the tweets to Mayor Quan herself. Here's an example:

@traincandy Tim Trew
@jeanquan Oakland Police Association declared city "in state of emergency." Funny, I thought that's your decision #OWS #occupyoakland
10 minutes ago via web Favorite Retweet Reply

The tweets point to the emergence of a real live mess getting even messier by the day. Why this police blog post was issued, I have no idea. But one thing is certain: it shows complete disregard for any chain of command or protocol that involves the Mayor of Oakland.

It also points the way for possible violent police action. Or perhaps I should say more violent police action.

Stay tuned.

Related Blogs

Oakland Mayor Leads: Lionel Wilson Promotes Oakland

2011-11-11T11:19:00.001-08:00

For the many who never knew Oakland Mayor Lionel Wilson, who was Oakland's last three-term Mayor, and its first African American Mayor, serving from 1977 to 1991, when he lost to Elihu Harris.

During his time, Mayor Wilson was a tireless promoter of Oakland. The video below has Mayor Wilson making a video to announce the State Urban Economic Development Conference to help prospective developers and business owners build and relocate in Oakland. In the video, Wilson presents different views of Oakland, showing everyone what a great city it really is.

By contrast, Oakland doesn't have such events in the present day. Instead, we have meetings to present our public safety plans to residents. It's all fear-based, not economics based, and at a time when Oakland needs to create more jobs.

Mayor Wilson died of cancer in 1990