Featured

New Positive Energy Feeds Oakland Renewal

Published

10 years ago

April 15, 2014

Spring is here, and Oakland is alive with signs of change.

The Oakland Visitor and Convention Bureau is no more, having been replaced by Visit Oakland, a new nonprofit group formed to encourage tourism and promote Oakland.

Led by a new Board of Directors and CEO Alison Best, the group kicked off a new campaign at the Paramount Theater dedicated to show the bright side of Oakland. Visit the new website http://visitoakland.org/

The Oak to 9th housing development is going strong. Rechristened as the Brooklyn Basin project led by developer Signature Properties, work has begun to build the infrastructure, including toxic cleanup, roads, sewers, and electrical lighting in the area.

The 64-acre project will create 3,100-units of housing, 200,000-square-feet of commercial space and 30-acres of parks. The goal is to transform what has been an abandoned industrial site into a vibrant, dense community larger than Jack London Square.

Kudos to Signature Property for toughing through 13 years of planning, public hearings, lawsuits, real estate meltdowns, opposition, and just plain NIMBY attitudes to get this project built.

Former mayor and current Gov. Jerry Brown is riding an unprecedented 70 percent approval rating. With the new open primary system, he is just waiting to face whatever losing Republican finishes second. We will have to wait to see whether ill it be another exclusionary rightwing Republican, or if there be an attempt to redefine the party with a more moderate candidate.

The Oakland mayor’s race is heating up with crime and the police at the forefront. Mayor Jean Quan was caught in another “misspoken” moment by claiming there were more police than actually existed.

Candidate Joe Tuman immediately pounced on her exaggerated statement and pointed out the truth.

Only candidate Libby Schaaf has addressed the real elephant in the room, police reform. Whether you increase the number police by 20, 30 or 100, it will not solve our crime problem. More money alone is not the solution.

Reform of police management and spending is what is needed. It is mind stunning to think that in the $250 million plus spent yearly for Oakland police cannot be managed better and cost savings found.

The Alameda County Democratic Central Committee, dominated by “labor,” is under investigation by the Fair Political Practices Commission for its incomplete election expenditures reports. The normally talkative committee chair has declined comment.

Once again, the party that claims to promote transparency is hiding behind a veil of silence and avoidance. Maybe those “labor” Democrats should hire a “business” Democrat lawyer and CPA to help them play by the political rules.

Lost in the political shuffle are all the important council races, with open seats in District 2 and District 4. Only District 6 has an incumbent running. Like a repeat of the 2012 election, council races will be open and competitive.

District 2 has 6 current candidates: Kevin S Blackburn, Michael Colbruno, Dana King, Sokhom Mao, Andrew Y. Park and Abel Guillen.

District 4: Jill Broadhurst, Nicolas Heidorn, Craig Sinclair and Anne Campbell Washington.

District 6 incumbent Deslie Brooks faces 2 challengers Michael V. Johnson and Shereda, F. Nosakhare.

Clinton Killian is an attorney at downtown Oakland law firm Fried & Williams LLP and is a former public official. He can be reached at ckillian@postnewsgroup.com.

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Activism

Oakland Post: Week of April 24 – 30, 2024

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of April 24 – 30, 2024

Published

2 days ago

April 26, 2024

Oakland Post

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Alameda County

DA Pamela Price Stands by Mom Who Lost Son to Gun Violence in Oakland

Last week, The Post published a photo showing Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price with Carol Jones, whose son, Patrick DeMarco Scott, was gunned down by an unknown assailant in 2018.

Published

6 days ago

April 22, 2024

Oakland Post

District Attorney Pamela Price with Carol Jones

Publisher’s note: Last week, The Post published a photo showing Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price with Carol Jones, whose son, Patrick DeMarco Scott, was gunned down by an unknown assailant in 2018. The photo was too small for readers to see where the women were and what they were doing. Here we show Price and Jones as they complete a walk in memory of Scott. For more information and to contribute, please contact Carol Jones at 510-978-5517 at morefoundation.help@gmail.com. Courtesy photo.

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City Government

Vallejo Welcomes Interim City Manager Beverli Marshall

At Tuesday night’s Council meeting, the Vallejo City Council appointed Beverli Marshall as the interim city manager. Her tenure in the City Manager’s Office began today, Wednesday, April 10. Mayor Robert McConnell praised Marshall’s extensive background, noting her “wide breadth of experience in many areas that will assist the City and its citizens in understanding the complexity of the many issues that must be solved” in Vallejo.

Published

6 days ago

April 22, 2024

Oakland Post

Beverli Marshall began her first day with the City on April 10. ICMA image.

Special to The Post

At Tuesday night’s Council meeting, the Vallejo City Council appointed Beverli Marshall as the interim city manager. Her tenure in the City Manager’s Office began today, Wednesday, April 10.

Mayor Robert McConnell praised Marshall’s extensive background, noting her “wide breadth of experience in many areas that will assist the City and its citizens in understanding the complexity of the many issues that must be solved” in Vallejo.

Current City Manager Michael Malone, whose official departure is slated for April 18, expressed his well wishes. “I wish the City of Vallejo and Interim City Manager Marshall all the best in moving forward on the progress we’ve made to improve service to residents.” Malone expressed his hope that the staff and Council will work closely with ICM Marshall to “ensure success and prosperity for the City.”

According to the Vallejo Sun, Malone stepped into the role of interim city manager in 2021 and became permanent in 2022. Previously, Malone served as the city’s water director and decided to retire from city service e at the end of his contract which is April 18.

“I hope the excellent work of City staff will continue for years to come in Vallejo,” he said. “However, recent developments have led me to this decision to announce my retirement.”

When Malone was appointed, Vallejo was awash in scandals involving the housing division and the police department. A third of the city’s jobs went unfilled during most of his tenure, making for a rocky road for getting things done, the Vallejo Sun reported.

At last night’s council meeting, McConnell explained the selection process, highlighting the council’s confidence in achieving positive outcomes through a collaborative effort, and said this afternoon, “The Council is confident that by working closely together, positive results will be obtained.”

While the search for a permanent city manager is ongoing, an announcement is expected in the coming months.

On behalf of the City Council, Mayor McConnell extended gratitude to the staff, citizen groups, and recruitment firm.

“The Council wishes to thank the staff, the citizens’ group, and the recruitment firm for their diligent work and careful consideration for the selection of what is possibly the most important decision a Council can make on behalf of the betterment of our City,” McConnell said.

The Vallejo Sun contributed to this report.