Featured

San Francisco: Presidio Visitor Center Opens to Public

Published

7 years ago

March 4, 2017

The official opening of the William Penn Mott Jr. Presidio Visitor’s Center took place recently, as large crowd of people gathered at the main post of the Presidio overlooking the Golden Gate Bridge.

Various dignitaries were on hand Feb. 25, including Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi, as they celebrated the new center that will serve the Presidio of San Francisco.

“This is a milestone in the continuing transformation of the Presidio from a military post into a national park,” said David Shaw, a spokesperson with the National Park Conservancy.

The Presidio was established in 1776 by Spain as a fort. It served as a military base for Spain for 45 years and then was under Mexico’s control until 1846, when the United States Army took it over.

The United States military controlled the base until the late 1990s when Representative Pelosi led the effort to create the Presidio Trust in 1996.

At the time, this legislation created a public/private partnership model of governance. Today, the Presidio includes housing, a bowling alley, cemetery, gymnasium, office space, parks and lots of open space.

“When we first proposed the public trust, we said that the Presidio would be self-sufficient and both Democrats and Republicans made this national park happen,” said Pelosi.

The Mott Presidio Visitors Center was named after William Mott, the former director of the City of Oakland Park’s System. He later was appointed head of the California State Parks by Governor Ronald Reagan.

Mott became head of the National Park Service and later worked as a consultant to the Presidio Trust.

The national park has close to 18 million visitors annually, with 82,000 acres in the park boundaries, of which 18,000 are managed by the National Park Service.

The Presidio has 263 employees, with 1,493 historical structures and 5 National Historic Landmark Districts. There are also various other businesses on the Presidio National park including the Walt Disney Family Museum, Lucas Film Studio and the Sports Basement.

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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.