San Francisco Focus Blog - Zennie62

A Talk With Gene Hazzard On The Oakland Mayor Jean Quan Recall

2012-01-06T22:51:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year 2012 Fireworks San Francisco

2012-01-06T07:46:00.000-08:00

Sanjiv Handa - Oakland's Gargoyle, RIP

2011-12-28T04:45:00.000-08:00

Oakland Honors Morrie Turner Wee Pals Cartoon Creator

2011-12-20T15:12:00.000-08:00

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

2011-12-19T06:21:00.000-08:00

Page Mill Properties Treated Unfairly In East Palo Alto

2011-12-10T15:27:00.001-08:00

Archived blog post from 2009.

I got a tip from a source in East Palo Alto who claimed that Page Mill Properties was a “ripe” story. But when I made calls and visits to conduct video interviews, I learned that the real story was of a housing company that was working to strike a balance between community good and business good, a redevelopment agency that seems so politicized it’s almost not effective, and a tenant activist who’s made himself a one-man action hero scaring the housing company in the process.

The “housing company” is Page Mill Properties. About two years ago the organization, which is based in Palo Alto began buying and redeveloping residential buildings in East Palo Alto (EPA). Now, if you at all know East Palo Alto the first picture you get is one of crime and substandard living conditions and you would have history on your side.

In 1992 EPA had the highest per capita rate in the United States, with 172 murders per 100,000 people. The crime rate has subsided since that time, and new development projects like the IKEA, The Home Depot and the Four Seasons Hotel have worked to slowly transform EPA. In 2007, California Attorney General Jerry Brown declared EPA’s crime problem “over”; now the battle has been one of gentrification and those trying to stop it.

That’s where our story starts.

Page Mill Properties (PMP) now owns over 1,700 residential units, mostly on the West Side of EPA. According to several sources, most notably the firm’s General Council Jim Shore, the company purchased many of the substandard buildings as investment property and began to make improvements, adding paint and new walls for example. Page Mill learned the rents of the properties had not been raised for seven years in some cases, and were at levels of between $300 and $400 per month. Thus, in order to recover its investment, PMP raised rents.

This is where the story gets ugly.

The City of East Palo Alto’s council members were put into action partly by a tenants right group called “Tenants Together” and also by a man names Chris Lund, who’s the “action hero” I described earlier. The result was a flurry of lawsuits by both the City of East Palo Alto and PMP, the basis of the lawsuits was the legality of Page Mill’s rental increased. Page Mill won all the court battles.

The problem focuses on two issues: 1) East Palo Alto’s rent control system and 2) EPA’s monitoring of rental units. You can raise the rents if the rental property is vacated. But get this, EPA had no provision for knowing when a rental property turned over. Meanwhile, Page Mill’s Shorr reports that in a number of cases, rental units were in the name of someone other than the person living in them, which means a kind of underground economy had grown up, where the person who had the lease was making money “off the top” of the rent that was charged by Page Mill and the property owners before PMP.

So Page Mill Properties had a right to seek rent increases for two reasons, the initially hyper-low level of the rents and the under-economy that had been created because of EPA’s less-than-well-implemented rent control system.

Now you housing planners may be thinking what I’m saying: “Where’s the Redevelopment Agency in all this?” The answer for now is “I can’t find them.” In other words no one I talked to as of this writing has explained that the EPA got involved by offering development loans to assist Page Mill in helping tenants pay the new rents or keep them at affordable levels. To its credit, Page Mill’s Shore has explained they offer to work with tenants to allow them to stay in their buildings. But no one told this to Chris Lund.

Lund is an activist who has been a thorn in Page Mill’s side, but not always in a good way. Shore said on camera that Lund tried to extort PMP for $20,000; Lund will not talk about this except to say that the Palo Alto Police have been investigating the matter in a way favorable to Lund. Shore makes other charges that will be in the video when it’s released. They’re explosive.

I tried to get Lund to talk on camera, but he refused pointing to a supposed police investigation.

But to me the real bad guy here is the East Palo Alto Redevelopment Agency. Page Mill opened its doors to me and showed me first hand how they worked to improve the community they’re in. From what I’ve observed, many tenants seem very happy to have them involved in the neighborhood and there are arts and service projects and events produced by Page Mill to help tenants better their lives.

The charge of a redevelopment agency, as its stated on the EPA website is to:

“eliminate physical blight, expand the City’s tax base, create and retain employment for local residents, and improve the City’s physical infrastructure.”

From my conversations and research, and experience as a redevelopment agency intern , consultant, and mayoral adviser (and my background in city planning and knowledge of California Redevelopment Law as described in the California Heath and Safety Code from Section 33000 to Section 33999), it appears Page Mill Properties was doing that work for them.My question is “why?”

The Balboa Theater San Francisco Fundraiser

2011-12-04T06:03:00.001-08:00

[caption id="attachment_13901" align="alignright" width="300" caption="The Balboa Theater SF"][/caption] A great San Francisco cinema legend, The Balboa Theater located at 3630 Balboa Street , and open since 1926, is having its own fundraiser December 13th. The San Francisco event will be hosted by The San Francisco Neighborhood Theater Foundation and Telluride Film Festival head and friend Gary Meyer, and go from 7 PM to 9 PM.

Here are the details:

The event program will include a comprehensive "Then & Now" look at historic San Francisco Theatres and a preview of the upcoming Hollywood awards season. Noted Bay Area Theatre historian and author of Theatres of San Francisco, Jack Tillmany, and authors of the recent book on San Francisco movie going experiences, Left in the Dark will also be present. A silent auction and live auction featuring unique entertainment, movie and San Francisco historic themed items and experiences will round out the program. All proceeds from the event will benefit the San Francisco Neighborhood Theater Foundation and its efforts to preserve the Vogue and Balboa Theatres.

The San Francisco Neighborhood Theater Foundation recently announced that it is partnering with Gary Meyer to keep the City’s historic Balboa Theatre (1926) open and to develop a sustainable long-term plan for the Theatre. The Theater Foundation also announced it has reached an agreement to lease the Balboa Theatre through 2024 – thus securing the future of one of San Francisco’s oldest operating cinemas. The Balboa is the second Theater under the guidance of the Foundation as it has owned the Vogue Theatre since 2007.

You can buy tickets for the event here: www.sfntf.org.

Balboa note: The Balboa Theatre is located at 3630 Balboa Street. It opened in 1926 as the New Balboa Theatre and was built by the Levin Family who operated a network of San Francisco theatres that included the Metro, the Coliseum, the Coronet and the Vogue. The San Francisco Neighborhood Theater Foundation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization established in 2002 that works to preserve and maintain neighborhood movie theaters throughout San Francisco. The Theater Foundation owns the historic Vogue Theater and presents the Mostly British Film Festival and the popular Film Night in the Park outdoor film series in Dolores Park, Washington Square Park and Union Square.

SF Transbay Archaeology Exhibit Has Grand Opening

2011-12-03T23:32:00.001-08:00

[caption id="attachment_13890" align="alignright" width="300" caption="Photo courtesy of SF Appeal"][/caption] On Friday, the Transbay Joint Powers Authority (TJPA) held a packed grand opening of its own very cool archaeology exhibit. The exhibit details the lives and times of the original residents who for a number of years called the South of Market neighborhood home. The show is currently in the lobby of 201 Mission Street in downtown San Francisco, just one short block away from the project site itself at Mission and 1st Street.[caption id="attachment_13893" align="alignright" width="300" caption="Mission and First St In San Francisco"][/caption] “We are thrilled to share our archaeological findings with Bay Area residents and visitors,” said Executive Director Maria Ayerdi-Kaplan. “With the help of our archaeological team, we uncovered a rich array of artifacts that tell the story of the original neighborhood. We are proud that the Transbay Transit Center will anchor a new, revitalized, high density neighborhood with a new 5.4 acre rooftop park and seamless, convenient transit connections to the entire Bay Area.”To learn what had preceded the former Transbay Terminal, the TJPA commissioned William Self Associates to look for artifacts in the project site during various stages of demolition and excavation. Archaeologists studied the project area and identified locations where the remains of San Francisco’s past might still be preserved below the ground. What they found was interesting.They discovered a variety of items within the footprint of the project site that illuminate the rich history of San Francisco’s gold rush era. Recovered artifacts show the way residents of the South of Market neighborhood in the 19th century lived, worked and played, including industrial tools, household items and remnants of neighborhood businesses.The Transbay Archaeological Exhibit’s opening occurs on the one year anniversary of the beginning of major demolition of the former Transbay Terminal, which was recently completed with nearly 55,000 labor hours without any accidents or injuries. The exhibit will be on display in the lobby of 201 Mission Street and open to the public during normal business hours through the end of January 2012. To learn more about the Transbay program visit: www.transbaycenter.org

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

2011-11-29T05:19:00.001-08:00

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

2011-11-28T12:13:00.001-08:00

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

2011-11-25T00:02:00.000-08:00

SF Reached One Million Tons Composted On Tuesday

2011-11-23T05:54:00.001-08:00

The City’s residents and businesses reached a major milestone Tuesday, in their efforts to help protect the environment – one million tons of food scraps and plants collected for composting in San Francisco.Environmentalists, city officials, and representatives of Recology, San Francisco’s recycling company gathered at 10:30 a.m. at Scoma’s Restaurant on Fisherman’s Wharf to highlight environmental benefits achieved through the program.Each day, San Franciscans compost more than 600 tons of food scraps and plant cuttings, more than any other city in North America, through the curbside compost program provided by the San Francisco-based recycling company, Recology. Since its inception in 1996, the program has generated more than 600,000 cubic yards of nutrient-rich compost.“Composting one million tons since we started the green bin program is a true environmental milestone achieved by San Franciscans,” said Mike Sangiacomo, President and CEO of Recology. “Let’s keep the great momentum going and compost all food scraps and yard trimmings.”The program alone has diverted one million tons waste from landfill disposal. Reportedly by reducing methane, a potent greenhouse gas produced in landfills, and by sequestering carbon in the topsoil of local farms, the program has created a total CO2E benefit of more than 305,944 metric tons – equal to offsetting emissions from all vehicles crossing the Bay Bridge for two years.*“Residents and businesses have embraced the City’s goal of zero waste and are actively composting their coffee grounds, food scraps and plant cuttings,” said Melanie Nutter, Director of SF Environment. “The compost program not only gets us one step closer to our goal of Waste Zero by 2020, it’s also a critical component in reducing carbon emissions around the Bay Area.”Stay tuned.

Transbay Joint Powers Authority Approves Historic Labor Agreement

2011-11-10T11:10:00.001-08:00

SAN FRANCISCO — Earlier today, the Board of Directors of the Transbay Joint Powers Authority (TJPA) approved an historic agreement with organized labor (*see list of signatory unions below) designed to ensure labor peace and equal opportunity for small, local, disadvantaged, union, and non-union businesses throughout the construction of the $4 billion Transbay Transit Center Project.

Construction of the Project will create more than 125,000 jobs. The Project Labor Agreement (PLA) is a pact that all construction and trade workers, both union and non-union, must abide by while working on the Transbay site. Under the pact, all workers agree to work by the same rules, on an equal playing field. In return, workers are provided uniform benefits and protections.

The Transbay Transit Center Project will require workers from diverse crafts, including plumbers, carpenters, operating engineers, ironworkers, sheet metal workers, electricians, and laborers. These workers are represented by 28 separate unions, each with its own separate contract. Because of the Project Labor Agreement, all unions are now bound to a single labor agreement, maximizing the economy of operations.

The nature of this construction project will require that multiple contractors and multiple crafts work on the job site at the same time, over an extended period of time, creating a substantial potential for work disruption. The PLA ensures that construction of the Transbay Transit Center will not be delayed due to strikes or other labor-related issues.

“This is a critical tool for us,” said Maria Ayerdi-Kaplan, TJPA Executive Director. “Project Labor Agreements have been used successfully since the New Deal to complete major public works projects. A PLA was critical to the construction of BART, and more recently played an important role in the renovations at the San Francisco International Airport and in the seismic upgrades to the Hetch Hetchy water system.”

“The Project Labor Agreement is a testament to the commitment and hard work of both the Transbay team and organized labor,” said Supervisor and TJPA Board Chairperson Jane Kim. “Fostering harmonious labor relations on the job site is critical to the success of this transformative project. I’m particularly happy to see the PLA promotes job opportunities for young people and workers from disadvantaged communities.”

The PLA provides a range of benefits to the Project: standardizing working conditions and wages; minimizing uncertainty about the supply and cost of labor during the project; preventing work stoppages; fostering productive labor relations; reducing the likelihood of cost over-runs; increasing the likelihood of on-time performance; increasing productivity and job site safety; and many others.

The agreement is especially notable for its commitment to small and disadvantaged business enterprises. It ensures these businesses can compete effectively with large-scale, national construction companies by creating equal opportunity. The PLA also contains strong, enforceable protections against discrimination, a top priority for the TJPA.

In addition to these benefits, the TJPA is proud to announce a series of provisions that seek to assist veterans and disabled veterans through the “Helmets to Hardhats” non-profit organization and the “Wounded Warrior” program, which connect National Guard, Reserve and transitioning active-duty military members with career training and employment opportunities in the construction industry (for more information, visit http://www.helmetstohardhats.org).

"The Veterans Affairs Commission of the City and County of San Francisco extends its hearty congratulations to all parties to the Project Labor Agreement for the massive construction project which will, under the Transbay Joint Powers Authority bring a modern Transit Hub to reality," said Raymond Wong, President of the Veterans Affairs Commission of San Francisco. "We are particularly gratified that all parties to the agreement have seen fit to insure that under the Community Outreach terms of the agreement, concrete efforts are made to insure that area veterans are afforded specially identified employment opportunities under the Helmets to Hardhats program..." said Wong.

Additional unique and innovative aspects of the agreement include sections that will:

· Assist local youth to pursue careers in the trades, by a commitment to engage in outreach efforts with high school students to promote involvement in pre-apprenticeship and apprenticeship programs; and

· Assist women and economically disadvantaged individuals to pursue careers in the trades, with a commitment to recruit applicants for apprenticeship programs from appropriate community-based programs.

The Transbay Transit Center is a visionary, $4 billion transportation and housing project that will transform downtown San Francisco and the Bay Area’s regional transportation system by creating a “Grand Central Station of the West” in the heart of a new, transit-friendly neighborhood surrounding the Transit Center. Phase 1 of the project (the Transit Center) is set to be completed by 2017 and will serve up to 45 million people annually.

The Transbay Transit Center project is managed by TJPA staff and is overseen by its six-member Board of Directors.

For more information about the project, visit www.transbaycenter.org.

SF Gate Ex Dir Alana Nguyen Blocks Zennie62 Without Cause

2011-11-09T05:13:00.000-08:00

Alana Nguyen, the new Executive Director of SFGate.com, has blocked Zennie62 from further blog postings on the website of the San Francisco Chronicle.
The exact reason for the sudden action wasn’t stated in the email sent to announce it, but emails and conversations the day before pointed to a sudden concern for a blog subject Zennie62 (Zennie Abraham) has covered before: why the mainstream media failed to ask Texas Governor Rick Perry about allegations that he’s Gay or had a Gay relationship with the now former Secretary of State Geoff Connor.
Nguyen, who was found by SFGate.com while she was managing editor at YardBarker, has a law degree from Stanford, but is best known for her work at YardBarker, and her time as AOL’s “Miss Gossip for AOL FanHouse. She started with the website in September, and it seems wants to make changes.
But one of the talks Nguyen and this blogger had was regarding the City Brights program. The disclaimer says that City Brights bloggers, of which I was since April 2009, do not have editors and the basic policy is that we’re to be left alone.
That policy allowed me to develop a new style of blogging such that targets on Google News were consistently hit, and in 2010, of the 46 million unique visitors generated, over 12 million were caused by the Zennie62 blog postings. In March 18, 2010, 268,000 unique visitors were attracted in one day, after six blog posts on the breakup between Sandra Bullock and Jesse James. Zennie62 was responsible for as much as 2.2 million unique visitors per month.
But with this, neither the San Francisco Chronicle, or SFGate.com, or Hearst Newspapers actively promoted the work of Zennie62. That while news sites like Editor and Publisher were told that “mommy bloggers” were bringing in much of the web traffic.
Frankly I got the impression Hearst Corporation was afraid to admit that one black man had used his own methods to basically drive their web traffic. I say that because while they were being publicly quiet about my performance, locally I was taken to lunch basically to find out how I was making all that “Internet rain.” I did share some of my approach, not all of it.
After a time, my blog posts were used, without warning, on other Hearst Newspaper websites, most notably the SeattlePI.com. And all because those websites also wanted to enjoy the traffic generation results I produced.
Because of this, I lobbied to run SFGate.com, feeling that it could be reworked to challenge The Huffington Post. I was constantly not only rebuffed, but never even given a chance to formally interview for the job. Meanwhile, I was developing my own separate blog presence at Zennie62.com, mostly because I wanted to have control over my blog posts and try more experiments. And because I had the feeling Hearst was just using me and would never give me a fair shake.
What was bothersome about the experience was that I never asked to be promoted – I figured my work and metrics would do the talking. Meanwhile, SFGate.com rolled on, a consistently underperforming asset.
Today’s action was both a bit hurtful and totally liberating. Hurtful because I never had a reason to think it would happen. Liberating because I am now free to be totally in a position to attack what I perceive as my tormentor and beat them at their own news game. And I will do it.
Bloggers and the rights of bloggers must be fought for and maintained. It’s my right to cover that which is controversial and give a voice to those who would be ignored. It’s my job to cover trends and the news of the day, then use that traffic to bring attention to other news.

I’m a blogger. I’m not a journalist.
I used my blog to point to injustice either here or in third World countries. I have defended companies and people. I’ve covered tech events and the Oscars. I have covered the Occupy Movement and won praise and last year gained a community service award for my work during the Oakland Mayor’s Race. And I have done some thing NO OTHER person has done in SFGate.com history – something that Ms. Nguyen apparently wants to block out.
Fine. My work will not end. It will only grow.
Stay tuned.

YouTube Copyright Do's And Don't And YT Partners

2011-10-14T06:24:00.000-07:00

Ross Mirkarimi Interview: San Francisco Sheriff's Race

2011-10-08T22:39:00.000-07:00

Ross Mirkarimi. For Sheriff? When the news that San Francisco's District Five Supervisor, 28-year San Franciscan, and co-founder of The Green Party of California, Ross Mirkarimi was running for sheriff first hit the eyes and ears of this blogger, the first question was "Why?" But then the second question was "Why not?" The idea of a leader in law enforcement that wasn't created from the prison-industrial complex that runs the jails in California made a ton of sense.

In a climate where it seems that everywhere one turns, that law enforcement officials have developed a bunker mentality with respect to community relations, what better person to the next sheriff than a San Francisco supervisor? But would Ross be in over his head? After my long talk with the very-popular elected official, the answer from this space is a resounding "No." What I learned is that Ross Mirkarimi is far more ready to be sheriff that I suspected. The talk wasn't intended to challenge him on video, that's not what's done here, but to learn more about Supervisor Mirkarimi, from the perspective of running for sheriff.

A Busy, Grassroots Effort

To learn more about Mirkarimi, I visited his campaign office at 219 7th St. at Howard, in an area Ross describes as in enjoying a renaissance. It's a mix of middle class and poor, and very much such that the action of the street is right out of the door's threshhold. It gives the campaign the image is cultivates: that of a busy, grassroots effort.

In it, Ross and his staff and supporters are a blur of activity, with his wife Leona and two-and-a-half year old son Theo present, the whole has the feeling of a giant family of people more than a political operation.

But a busy campaign office is to be expected; what made Ross want to do this anyway? Well, for one, he's scheduled to be term-limited out in 2012, but that didn't mean he had to run for sheriff, Ross could have ran for Mayor of San Francisco. Indeed, there was an effort to draft him, and former-San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown went on the record as saying Ross was going to do it. But Ross didn't do it because, as he stated in our talk "I predicted the cavalcade of characters (it has), and he did not know Hennessey if was going to retire or not.

(Ross says that Hennessey offered him a position in his office three years ago, but Ross didn't take it because he didn't want to give up the Supervisor's Office and leave it to then-Mayor Gavin Newsom to select his replacement.)

But slots are one thing; desire is another. Why did Ross focus on the San Francisco Sheriff's race? He says that the decision was borne of his long-developed knowledge of the office, and his relationship with its long time representative, Sheriff Mike Hennessey. After 31 years on the job, Hennessey is retiring, leaving a large set of his famed cowboy boots to fill. Ross has long admired that Hennessey saw that the Sheriff's office was "about more than just locking up people," and placed a heavy focus on rehabilitating the prisoners.

Ross says that in 2004, he took over a District Five that was known for heavy, violent crime, and since then it's experienced a dramatic drop in crime rates. The Supervisor believes there's a place for progressive values in law enforcement and he "didn't want to ceded that to someone else," who may be conservative. Mirkarimi worked to cultivate a relationship with Hennessey that led to a fast endorsement when Ross decided to run for the office. Indeed, considering the admiration he has for the current top sheriff, it's doubtful that Ross would have made the leap had Hennessey not given his nod of support.

Supervisor Mirkarimi wants to keep the progressive tradition and style set by Hennessey in place, and that's why he says he's willing to "put it all out there" and run in a general election for Mike's position.

What Kind Of Sheriff Will Ross Be

Ross says he will take time to introduce himself to his charges at all levels of the Sheriff's office. He gets that some in the organization may see him as an outsider and he's sensitive to the need to remove that perception, but not at the expense of the values he want to see maintained and enhanced. That means a big focus on prisoner rehabilitation and continued work in reduction in recidivism rates.

Moreover, Ross is mindful that he may not have the entire support of his charges, should he win, and points to Mike Hennessey's history as an example "They never supported him during his elections," Ross said. Yet, Hennessey served for over 30 years as an elected sheriff, or "one foot out, one foot in" as he put it.

Ross says it's just part of the deal that he's running against two people - Chris Cunnie a former undersheriff and union leader, and Capt. Paul Miyamoto - who are from the San Francisco Office of the Sheriff, yet didn't have Hennessey's backing. But where, in the view of this blogger, Ross has the advantage, is that he's not cut from the culture of the sheriff's office.

Guns Versus Butter

It's not that this space will not interview Cunnie and Miyamoto - quite the contrary because San Franciscans need to have as much information as they can to make their own decisions. But the San Francisco Sheriff's race offers a clear contract between "guns and butter" - this blogger chooses butter.

Stay tuned.

Ross Mirkarimi For San Francisco, CA Sheriff

2011-10-08T17:42:00.000-07:00

Joel Young - Oakland's AC Transit Director Cleared Of Sex Attack Charges

2011-10-03T23:21:00.000-07:00

What's The San Francisco America's Cup All About

2011-09-25T00:33:00.001-07:00

What's The San Francisco America's Cup All About

2011-09-25T00:33:00.000-07:00

Tout com SF Video Sharing Company Visit

2011-09-22T15:25:00.000-07:00

San Francisco TransBay Terminal Center Area Plan Released

2011-09-10T13:10:00.000-07:00

That the San Francisco TransBay Terminal Area Plan has been released, let alone that the new San Francisco TransBay Terminal is under construction (and forget for the moment Wednesday's press conference) is just plain remarkable. As the video from the press conference will show, this is a huge project, and a much needed one.

When this blogger first saw plans for what this TransBay Center will be way back in 1995, I really never thought this was going to get off the ground. Then, the cost was estimated to be $2 billion, and now it's $4 billion, and all of the building complex that was the historic Transbay Terminal is gone. A thing of San Francisco Bay Area history.

Its shocking, because I've used that complex so many times I forgot to count them.

For those who are new to the area, or just growing up to become aware of what's happening, The Transbay Terminal was the place AC Transit Buses came over from the East Bay, and SamTrans buses came over from Marin County, bringing thousands of daily riders to work.

It was also the night place to be for nightclub goers (like myself), who stayed out until 2 or 4 AM, and left their cars at home. For decades, it was the Bay Area's transit hub, and a place to get a Greyhound bus to other parts of the country (something I did once, and for the 2003 Super Bowl in San Diego).

Then, the BART Train Tube connecting Oakland and San Francisco opened in 1976, and suddenly the Transit Center wasn't the hub it used to be. Commuter traffic lessened dramatically, and the facility fell into a state of disrepair, and in some places within it, squalor.

Eventually, the terminal became a place you didn't want to be at night. It was a haven for the crime-prone and the homeless, with people sleeping in corners, or in bathrooms, when they were open. The once popular bar and blues club there eventually closed. Something had to be done, but for a long time, until the 90s, it seemed like there was little political will to do anything about its condition.

That's why I never thought this project would get off the ground, and especially at the scale that it's turned out to be.

I don't think anyone has any idea how much this new TransBay Transit Center is going to transform San Francisco's Downtown area. The sheer size of it creates a new town in town. The scale of the main building: six stories tall, and four football fields long, is such that it will be the new downtown mall: the place where teenagers will hang out, and in droves.

My next blog post will focus on the comments made in the video, and more on what the area plan itself is, and how it will impact San Francisco.

In all, there will be four blog posts on this development, over the next week.

Stay tuned.

San Francisco News: BART Protest, Sherriff's Race, Transbay Terminal

2011-08-29T08:35:00.000-07:00

A lot of catching up to do on San Francisco News, so lets get started. There's yet another protest planned to disrupt the evening commute, this one set for 5 PM outside of Civic Center BART Station in San Francisco. The group Anonymous has reportedly said it would have a protest each week, and to point not just to the shut down of cell phone service that got Anonymous so riled up (this blogger too), but the recent police action that took the life of Charles Blair Hill in July. On the matter of BART protests, I had a long talk with a good friend of mine who's become a fixture in Bay Area Law Enforcement (and I will not name). His take was predictably, well, him, but representative of how some of his collegues think. "BART has handled this poorly," he said. "What they should do, it turn us (police) lose and arrest people who protest down there. If they get out of line, and don't follow orders, that's it. Billy club them." He and I totally disagree about the cell phone issue, where I still hold that BART's action was illegal - in violation of the Communications Act of 1934. After a time, my friend caved in and agreed that there was a problem with what BART did. His point is that BART police are there to protect the people who ride the trains. The protestors have no right to interrupt their ability to get home.My friend's correct. While I don't advocate violent police action, the bottom line is that if a police officer asks you to do something, you do it. In this case, if that means leave the station, get out. The police officer should only give such an order where appropriate - in the BART Station. The protestors are doing what I got after BART for doing when it shut off cell phone service: harming the lives of innocent people. My Friend On Charles Blair Hill I also mentioned that Charles Blair Hill, the man who was gunned down on the Civic Center BART platform on July 2nd, and the action of which caused this blogger to make this video:should have been tasered. My friend offered a view that I'm used to, but may shock some of you. He said "That guy had a knife. If you raise a knife that's a threat. If we (police) ask you to drop the knife, and you don't, you will get shot." Mr. Hill not only did not drop the knife, he threw it at the officer. My point to my friend was that Hill missed the officer by a country mile. But that's not important at all. Two things are: Hill threw the knife at the BART Police Officer, and before that, failed to follow a direct order. Also, my friend informs that Charles Blair Hill was a jail veteran who "Would get into jail, be released after a time, then return on some other offense." In short a revolving door, one that stopped for Hill in July. I don't care if Hill was down on his luck, no person deserves to be shot. That's my take. But, the lesson here is to just make life simple: follow the orders of a cop. Period. Ross Mirkarimi For SF Sheriff, But...Oh, and while we're talking about law enforcement, let's take a brief look at the race for San Francisco Sheriff. My friend says that many San Francisco police types favor Capt. Paul Miyamoto over my favorite San Francisco District Five Supervisor Ross Mirkarimi. And Chris Cunnie, the former San Francisco Police Officers Association President entered the race about two months ago, and this month, got the endorsement of former San Francisco Police Chief Heather Fong. My friend says that, for some of his SF law enforcement folks, Ross can be "polarizing," but he failed to explain the nature of this split. But, from the macro view, and just being honest, considering the negative view that many in the San Francisco Bay Area have of the police, Ross may be in the best position to secure the role of San Francisco Sheriff. Why? Because Ross is more politician than cop, by far - and thus in the best position to be a buffer between the police and the community. Heck, Ross has so many endorsements that matter, including from the current man Michael Hennessey, it may be none of the talk about the race has any real value at all. Still, you've got to play to win the game - that means voters have to vote. The bottom line is that Ross is the perfect person to be Sheriff at this time. And while that doesn't mean I'm not going to interview the other candidates - that's not the way I work - that's the way I call it. The Transbay ConstructionIf you're driving along, around the construction for the Transbay Terminal take note that Beale Street between Mission and Howard will is at one lane "until further notice" I'm told. It seems there was a damaged a 16 inch high pressure gas pipe on Beale Street caused by contractors working for the Transbay Transit Center Program on August 24th. Crews are working hard to bring conditions back to normal. Stay tuned.

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should have been tasered. My friend offered a view that I'm used to, but may shock some of you. He said "That guy had a knife. If you raise a knife that's a threat. If we (police) ask you to drop the knife, and you don't, you will get shot." Mr. Hill not only did not drop the knife, he threw it at the officer.

My point to my friend was that Hill missed the officer by a country mile. But that's not important at all. Two things are: Hill <i>threw the knife</i> at the BART Police Officer, and before that, failed to follow a direct order.

Also, my friend informs that Charles Blair Hill was a jail veteran who "Would get into jail, be released after a time, then return on some other offense." In short a revolving door, one that stopped for Hill in July.

I don't care if Hill was down on his luck, no person deserves to be shot. That's my take. But, the lesson here is to just make life simple: follow the orders of a cop. Period.

Ross Mirkarimi For SF Sheriff, But...

Oh, and while we're talking about law enforcement, let's take a brief look at the race for San Francisco Sheriff. My friend says that many San Francisco police types favor Capt. Paul Miyamoto over my favorite San Francisco District Five Supervisor Ross Mirkarimi. And Chris Cunnie, the former San Francisco Police Officers Association President entered the race about two months ago, and this month, got the endorsement of former San Francisco Police Chief Heather Fong.

My friend says that, for some of his SF law enforcement folks, Ross can be "polarizing," but he failed to explain the nature of this split. But, from the macro view, and just being honest, considering the negative view that many in the San Francisco Bay Area have of the police, Ross may be in the best position to secure the role of San Francisco Sheriff.   Why? Because Ross is more politician than cop, by far - and thus in the best position to be a buffer between the police and the community.

Heck, Ross has so many endorsements that matter, including from the current man Michael Hennessey, it may be none of the talk about the race has any real value at all.   Still, you've got to play to win the game - that means voters have to vote.

The bottom line is that Ross is the perfect person to be Sheriff at this time. And while that doesn't mean I'm not going to interview the other candidates - that's not the way I work - that's the way I call it.

The Transbay Construction

If you're driving along, around the construction for the Transbay Terminal take note that Beale Street between Mission and Howard will is at one lane "until further notice" I'm told. It seems there was a damaged a 16 inch high pressure gas pipe on Beale Street caused by contractors working for the Transbay Transit Center Program on August 24th. Crews are working hard to bring conditions back to normal.

Stay tuned.

Debt Limit - Macroeconomic Reason For Its Increase Using IS LM Model

2011-07-31T15:19:00.000-07:00

This is a vlog unlike any other I've made before. The idea is to use a long-standing economic model called "IS / LM" to explain why the debt limit must be increased by August 2nd. The IS / LM curve was created in 1937 by Sir John Hicks, and has stood the test of time. Why? Because it's held up under a number of data tests.

IS is the name of a curve that represents all forms of macro spending, from government spending to taxes and overall weath. LM is the curve for the supply of money. All I do here is explain a "known" fact - that capping the debt ceiling will cause a decrease in money supply, causing an increase in interest rates, and a drop in overall national income.

But I then explain how that's related to government spending, and why "G" is important. If you disagree with my presentation, make a video of your own using the IS LM Model,and explain why.

Ross Mirkarimi, SF Supervisor, Says Recology Made Waste Disposal Clean

2011-07-30T21:19:00.000-07:00

Lost in the combat over Recology's move to destroy the San Francisco Bay Area Environmental Industrial Complex that this blogger pointed to last year...

(where I blogged that Recology and the San Francisco Commission on the Environment "screwed with a huge value chain of interests, from Waste Management's Altamont landfill to the City of Livermore and the County of Alameda, which make money from it, to The Sierra Club, who has a monetary grant-making interest in the revenue generated from the Altamont Landfill," when San Francisco's unrecycled trash will be taken by train to its Ostrum Road Landfill in Yuba County, starting in 2015...

...is what San Francisco's District Five Supervisor Ross Mirkarimi said"should be a front-burner conversation" on how Recology has contributed to San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom's (and now, SF Mayor Ed Lee's charge) to make San Francisco the greenest American city.

One of Recology's actions has been to hold what the company calls "Waste Zero Workshops," something done in partnership with the San Francisco Department of the Environment. One such event was held May 18th of this year, 2011. The idea is to help San Francisco small business understand how to reduce its impact on climate change.

But, efforts like that get buried way down in articles that claim Recology is "the 10th largest waste management company in the U.S," but somehow fail to mention that Waste Management is the largest waste management company in America.

I wondered why the Waste Age Magazine article that was quoted wasn't linked to. Now I know why.

There's millions of dollars in threatened vested interests at stake, so much so that a balanced view of this issue is hard to come by.

Stay tuned.

San Francisco CPMC Hospital Protest At City Hall - Mayor's Office Absent

2011-07-17T09:33:00.000-07:00

On Friday, San Francisco City Hall got a visit from some "Angry Birds" in the form of supporters of an effort to build a new California Pacific Medical Center Hospital at Cathedral Hill. What has been described as a "complex," six-year negotiating battle, has evolved to the point where CPUC, upset that community opposition is standing in the way of job creation, called out as many people as it could collectively get it's hands on - employees, spouses and significant others of employees, and even kids - to come to San Franciso's City Hall and show support on it's steps.

What's the problem?

At issue is something called The Cathedral Hill Facility (pictured at left). What the nonprofit California Pacific Medical Center wants to do is build the $1.9 billion edifice and it wants to rebuild the St. Luke’s Hospital in the Mission district, said to be "aging."

But the sticking point, according to The San Francisco Examiner, is that San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee has asked for $108 million from the CPMC to mitigate impacts to affordable housing and traffic, and asked the CPMC to contribute $34 million a year in charity care benefits to lower-income patients, in addition to its contribution of $86 million in 2009. CPMC says the Mayor's proposal is not feasible for their cost / revenue structure.

At the protest, the supporters, like Steve Falk, the CEO of The San Francisco Chamber of Commerce, as you can see in the video, talked about the jobs that would be provided with the new hospital. This need not be a "complex" issue: unemployment, at over 10 percent in most Bay Area counties, and just over 8 percent in San Francisco, is a problem. And under-employment, where people just take a job to make money, rather than earning what they need for a proper existence, is an even larger, yet insanely not officially documented problem.

If you think about it, we have people who are well-paid, making decisions that impact people who aren't well paid. It's easy for someone to screw around when it's their goose that's not being cooked.

Mayor's Office Unresponsive

During Friday's protest, this blogger made a quick walk over to the San Francisco Mayor's Office, expecting that someone would be able to offer a statement. What I got was weird for a Mayor's Office.

Now, I like Ed Lee, always have, so this is not personal. But he can correct it.

I walked into an environment where there were five guys at the desks, two on the phones, two others talking to staffers, and the fifth person reading. Two of the men got off phones, and one of them looked at me and said "You can talk to anyone of us." So I asked to get a statement on the protest going on, outside.

Such a request is a matter of routine for a Mayor's Office to handle. It takes a few seconds, and a savvy office would already have a one-sheet ready for the press, upon request. Not so here; the man said "They're all out to lunch. You need an appointment."

Wow. That's a new one. No offer to call the spokesperson - nothing. I didn't waste time - I left the office, and made note of the encounter on the video.

And why can't the Mayor's Office get any women in there? In all of my years that's the first time I've seen a totally-male-staffed Mayor's Office main greeting room. They got something against women?

But I digress.

The Mayor and San Francisco Supervisor David Campos are doing business-as-usual in a weak economy. It's a time of budget cuts, layoffs, and shrinking spending. To stem that tide of economic shrinkage, the Mayor and the Supervisor should give a little more than they have thus far.

Stay tuned.

Harley-Davidson Bikers Piss Off Gavin Newsom's Dad At Balboa Cafe, SF, CA.

2011-07-05T03:49:00.000-07:00

Vertex Incivek Patient Steve Goodwin On The FDA Approved Drug

2011-05-26T12:14:00.001-07:00

In my last blog posts, I introduced the new drug INCIVEK by Vertex as a way to help people suffering from Hepatitis C. As I reported, Hepatitis C is a virus, particularly common among African Americans, and that causes inflammation of the liver.

Hepatitis C effects an estimated 270 million to 300 million people Worldwide, 30,000 people in Santa Clara County, 12,000 people in San Francisco City and County, and 2,400 new cases were reported in 2010.

For this blog post, and as promised, I interviewed the main advocate for the use of INCIVEK. His name is Steve Goodwin.

Steve Goodwin is a chief engineer and a one-person band, talking to anyone who will listen about INCIVEK. In the video, below, Goodwin eloquently explains how he came to find out about INCIVEK via the use of the website Clinical Trials, at clinicaltrials.gov, and how it's helped him to a more normal path of life.

Steve also wrote a paper of INCIVEK and how it's helped him, and all of this has been his doing because he's, frankly, happy to be alive. Here's what he wrote:

I am eternally grateful to Vertex Pharmaceuticals and the UCSF Medical Center, for providing me the opportunity to eradicate the virus that I likely had for over 35-years. I was part of a Phase 2b Study referred to as PROVE 3 in 2007. This study was designed for subjects with Genotype 1 Hepatitis C who had not achieved a Sustained Viral Response (SVR) with a prior course of interferon based therapy. I was most fortunate to be in the arm of the trial that has now been approved by the FDA. This included triple treatment of INCIVEK with the standard of care (SOC) for the first 12-weeks and then a continuation of pegylated interferon alpha 2a and ribavirin for the remaining 12-weeks. All said, my treatment was only 24-weeks compared to the previous SOC of 48-weeks.

Although I was asymptomatic for the approximate 35-years prior to obtaining the elusive cure, I knew that the viral infection was continuing to damage my liver in insidious ways that I was unaware of. I also educated myself on the disease and realized that I could not expect the disease to remain dormant forever. Recent studies have indicated that as an individual approaches the age of 60 and beyond, that the disease begins to progress at a much greater level, as compared to being young. The body’s ability to fight off the infection by replacing damaged liver cells is reduced with advancing age. I did not want to be part of those statistics and decided to do anything and everything I could to get the monkey off my back.

Regarding reported side effects, I would have to say that the worst thing for me was temporarily losing the ability to taste (hypogeusia) chocolate and coffee! As for the reports of rash, I had a slight increase in the sensation of itching (pruritus) but never broke out with any rash. I have inherited allergies and eczema, but found that I only needed to control myself from scratching. I found Gold Bond skin lotion as a great remedy for helping to reduce the itching and I wore white cotton socks over my hands while sleeping. I remembered the days when my daughters were babies! I tolerated the treatment quite well. I continued playing tennis, running the treadmill and traveled on vacation. So much of it has to do with attitude.

2007 was indeed a magical year for me. I was considered to be one of the most difficult groups of subjects to be treated: 1) treatment experienced – meaning that I had previously failed an interferon based treatment, and was a: 2) null responder - meaning that I had not achieved a 2-Log drop within the first 12-weeks of my previous treatment in 2003. I beat the odds and recognize that there are thousands of other people that remain infected today that did not achieve an SVR from a previous attempt at treatment.

Now does Steve's cheerleading benefit Vertex? Hell yes. But lost in that is the simple fact that the job of medicine to is save lives and help make our lives better. That's what happened for Steve Goodwin, and that's why he's so happy.

Lafayette, CA Event: Empowering Women & Girls on May 24, Veteran's Memorial Hall

2011-05-20T00:10:00.001-07:00

An email was sent to me announcing a very important event for the evening of May 24th:

Unfinished Business: Empowering Women & Girls on May 24, at the Veterans Memorial Hall in Lafayette at 3780 Mt. Diablo Blvd, from 7 PM to 9 PM. RSVP at UnfinishedBusinessRSVP@gmail.com

Featuring Gina Otto (photo), bestselling author or Cassandra's Angel. Cassandra's Angel is about the stories we've been given by the people in our lives about who they think they should be....and dropping those stories to become who you were meant to be. The evening will be dedicated to discussing empowerment among women and girls, focusing on a process of mentorship and self expression as told in the book, to achieve personal growth and self esteem.

This program is open to all girls and women, but is also a really great Mother/Daughter event! Our mistress of ceremonies will be actress Nicole Ari Parker, (http://www.nicoleariparkeronline.com/) who in addition to her work on screen, has received the 2010 "Maverick Award" Women Empowering Women, and the 2010 "Renaissance Woman of the Year Award" from Collective Renaissance.

Nicole is the founder of Sophie's Voice Foundation, a 501c3 dedicated to research, education and eradicating Spinda Bifida, a preventable birth defect.

This will be an inspiring evening that will catalyze the attendees to become young girls and women of consequence.

The event is FREE and it would be a shame to have an empty seat in the house. Please share this with your friends, family and networks. Thank you for helping get the word out.

Please, take time to attend this very worthwhile event!

Hepatitis C African Americans, and INCIVEK

2011-05-18T19:12:00.001-07:00

Hepatitis C is a viral infection that causes swelling and infection of the liver, and is particularly active within the African American Community, and at a level called "chronic," representing 22 percent of all known carriers in America.

How this infection spreads by simple blood-to-blood contact and is difficult, if in some cases impossible to detect early on.

Hepatitis C impacts an estimated 270 million to 300 million people Worldwide, 30,000 people in Santa Clara County and 12,000 people in San Francisco, and 2,400 new cases were reported in 2010.

And there was no sure-fire vaccine against Hepatitis C available.

Until today.

An exciting new drug called INCIVEK, made by Vertex, is said to be the breakthrough drug of the future, today. Moreover, Vertex claims INCIVEK beats the current 40 percent to 45 percent cure rate; patients have a whopping 80 percent cure rate in clinical trials done thus far.

This is an interesting - hell, exciting - new development that this blogger will be following in the coming weeks.

Stay tuned.

San Francisco Event: America's Cup Yachts Sail into SF, Tuesday

2011-05-16T18:41:00.001-07:00

This press release on a special Tuesday San Francisco event - " America's Cup Yachts Sail into SF" - was sent today:

TWO YACHTS REPRESENTING AMERICA’S CUP HISTORY SAIL INTO SAN FRANCISCO
USA 76 and Replica of AMERICA Come to San Francisco Bay in support of 34th America's Cup

WHAT: In support of the 34th America’s Cup, AMERICA and USA 76 are coming to San Francisco to allow residents and visitors the opportunity to experience the excitement of authentic America’s Cup yachts. Operated by Troy Sears, the yachts will offer trips to individuals, groups or corporate parties beginning May 25, 2011 through September 2011.

AMERICA is a replica of the 139-foot yacht that won the Royal Yacht Squadron's "100 Guinea Cup" race around the Isle of Wight held in 1851. The replica was built in 1995 at a cost of more than $6 million. It now serves as a sailing vessel for entertainment and hospitality events, private charters and individual sails for up to 80 people, and will be operational in San Francisco through September 2011 before it returns to San Diego.

USA 76 is an 85 foot International America's Cup Class yacht previously owned and raced by the ORACLE Racing Team in their challenge for the 2003 America's Cup held in Auckland, New Zealand.

WHEN: Tuesday, May 17 - 8:00 - 8"30 am.

WHERE: Boats will sail under Golden Gate Bridge and along Cityfront to PIER 39

TICKETS: USA 76 and yacht America are operated by Troy Sears. To make reservations and purchase tickets for USA 76 or yacht AMERICA, call 1 - 855 - ACSF 2013 (855 - 227 - 3201)

CONTACT: Beth Schnitzer, SPRITZ, beth@spritzsf.com, cell: 917 - 287 - 7064

SF Mayor Lee Expresses Support For Zazzle Bay To Breakers

2011-05-13T22:15:00.001-07:00

San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee said his wife got rid of his Spiderman costume long ago, but the man who's never actually ran the Bay To Breakers by his own admission (Hey, he's honest - gotta like that), expressed his support for the 100th running of San Francisco's giant fitness event today.

As the video shows, it was all sunny smiles as Mayor Lee was joined by Bay To Breakers Race Director Angela Fang, a representative from San Francisco District Five Supervisor Ross Mirkarimi's Office, San Francisco Police Chief Greg Suhr and representatives from the Alamo Square Neighborhood Association that called for the reforms that have reshaped the Bay to Breakers for 2011.

Of all, the Mayor, Ms. Fang, and Lisa Zahner and Ben Allison of the Alamo Square Neighborhood Association were the most pleased with the day and the Bay To Breakers to come on this Sunday. Zahner and Allison said that while "there will always be issues" they were pleased to see that the changes they asked for were adopted.

And of those changes, Chief Suhr said there will be double the number of police officers this year compared to 2010, and informed that the sponsor dollars will be enough to pay for the cost of police services.

Angela Fang received a proclamation from Mayor Lee marking the 100th Anniversary of the Bay To Breakers and Mayor Lee took possession of a special race bib marked "!00."

Meb Keflezighi Runs First Bay To Breakers

2011-05-13T17:13:00.001-07:00

At today's Bay To Breakers Press Conference luncheon, Mebrahtom "Meb" Keflezighi told this blogger that running the Bay To Breakers was part of what he agreed was his 'bucket list,' or something he had to do before he passed on.

The 12k event, set for this Sunday, will draw 50,000 registered runners and over 100,000 total participants, many who are familiar with the course and with San Francisco.

Not Meb Keflezighi.

"I've never been to San Francisco before," the African-native, and resident of Mammoth Lakes, California said during today's luncheon. "The first time? (He's seen San Francisco) At the International Airport? Really, all this is new"

But that should not stop the man who is a four-time NCAA Champion and was the American record holder over 10000 meters (27:13.98) from 2001 to 2010, not to mention winner of the 2009 New York City Marathon, three-time U.S. Cross Country winnner, and a silver medalist in the 2004 Olympics.

With those accomplishments, it's a fair bet Meb Keflezighi will see San Francisco - in a hurry.

Stay tuned.

SF Public Defender Jeff Adachi Has Video, Alledges SF Police Misconduct

2011-05-11T17:41:00.000-07:00

SF Public Defender Jeff Adachi With Fernado Santana, a photo by zennie62 on Flickr.

In a press conference today, San Francisco Public Defender Jeff Adachi showed a series of videos that, his office holds, shows the San Francisco Police Department conducting illegal searches and committing police brutality.

This is the second time in three months the San Francisco Public Defender has stepped forward with video showing SFPD misconduct. The first time resulted in a still-ongoing Federal investigation.

Mr. Adachi's department has provided this blogger with the videos, which were segmented. They are, as this is written, being put into sequential order to run as one video. That video will be ready this afternoon.

Adachi, along with his Chief Attorney, Matt Gonzalez, called for a zero-tolerance policy for police officers who commit perjury in San Francisco.

As to what happened, on December 30th, four San Francisco police officers - Ricardo Guerrero, Peter Richardson, Robert Sanchez, and Sergeant Kevin Healy - entered the residential hotel called The Jefferson Hotel. They were in plain clothes, without badges, and looked like, "thugs" to quote a person at the scene.

There, they illegally (without a warrant) searched the room of 48-year-old Fernando Santana, and in the process, they say, stole his property.

The officers claimed that crack cocaine was in his hands, outstretched, but the video shows Santana's hands in his pockets.

A bystander named "Joe," walked up to see what was going on. As the video shows, officers Ricardo Guerrero and Peter Richardson race to catch the man, after he realized he was going to be beaten up, as he believed. Remember, and he told this blogger, he did not know they were cops.

They caught him,and as the video shows, roughed him up and at one point choked him. They searches him and found nothing. The police report does not go into detail, calling it a brief "detention."

The main problem for the SFPD is explaining why Guerrero walked out of Santana's room with a black duffel bag. The bag was never booked as evidence.

Also, Guerrero found Santana not after "seeing him conducting a narcotics transaction" but after "casing the joint" that is the hotel, going from floor to floor, looking for trouble, armed with a residential master key that allows him to just walk into any room of the building.

This is the latest in a string of incidents where videos show a reality different that what is in the SF police reports.

Stay tuned.

Bay To Breakers - 100th Zazzle Bay To Breakers This Sunday In SF

2011-05-10T13:16:00.001-07:00

The 100th running of what is now called The Zazzle Bay To Breakers is this Sunday. And if you're wondering what all the fuss is about, the Bay To Breakers started as something called the Cross-City Race, and to lift San Francisco's spirits in the wake of the 1906 Earthquake.

Now, 100 years later, it's become San Francisco's largest party not connected to a holiday. This year, the event set an online registration record with 50,000 registrants, and the last 20 of them signed up while this blogger was making this video of the office and an interview with Bay to Breakers Director Angela Fang:

On top of the 50,000 officially registered runners, expect another 50,000 people at various spots along the course, and some running or walking it too. And look for the costumed participants, from the Elvis look-alikes to President Obama, and of course folks in just their birthday suits. The Bay To Breakers is never a dull moment.

Bay To Breakers Week Specials

As this is the week of the Bay To Breakers, a number of events are planned for this special series of days leading up to the Zazzle-sponsored run. According to the Bay To Breakers website, the happenings are as follows:

The 2nd Anniversary Bay to Breakers throwdown called "Damn Gina! It's at The Ambassador and features $2 Drink Specials and $125 Bottle Service, with Guest DJ Niros, DJ Fox and Kool Karlo. The Ambassador is at 673 Geary St in San Francisco.

The Beauty Bar has new wave, no wave, and "other oddities." The establishment also has Bay To Breakers drink specials. The Beauty Bar is at 2299 Mission Street in San Francisco.

Club Trigger at 2344 Market Street has Ladies Night.

Mission Mini, at 3168 22nd Street, has a special Bay to Breakers cupcake all week.

El Burrito Express has the ZOMG Cinco Burrito, that comes with chips and salsa, for $5 all week at 1601 Taraval Street.

Transportation To The Bay To Breakers

BART and MUNI announced expanded Sunday service for the Bay to Breakers. BART is opening at 5 AM because Bay to Breakers has an earlier start time of 7 AM, not 8 AM as in years past.

CalTrain will have four express trains, departing at 5 AM. NBC Bay Area explains that "The Special A train will depart the Mountain View Caltrain station at 5:10 a.m. The Special B train will depart San Jose's Diridon station at 5:20 a.m. The Special C train will depart San Jose's Diridon station at 5:25 a.m. The Special D will depart at 5:30 a.m."

Stay tuned for more details.

Thor Movie Review - B Plus, The Avengers Is Next

2011-05-08T10:50:00.000-07:00

Thor, the screen adaptation of one of this blogger's favorite comic books, and by the legendary Stan Lee, is out, and it's very good.

The movie that officially kick's off the Spring / Summer blockbuster season did not disappoint this fan, yet had enough of a good weaving of fantasy and "reality" to be interesting to the casual observer.

Chris Hemsworth plays a really good Thor, especially considering he's got nothing but cartoon versions to be compared to. The script and story craft a believable character, ever more grounded by Natalie Portman's Dr. Jane Foster.

Anthony Hopkins as Odin gives the flick a legendary, other-worldly presence. And the way the characters interact, under the skillful (love that word) direction of Kenneth Branagh, made for a watchable, enjoyable film.

3-D Is Here And Good

Over at SFGate.com, Mick LaSalle wrote that "If no one ever makes a great 3-D movie, audiences will tire of it. But if someone finally makes it work artistically - someone good, not James Cameron - that would revolutionize 3-D and pave the way for other directors. Then it would be everywhere. Either way, 3-D won't be as hot next year because of the diminished box office of 3-D movies."

LaSalle's wrong, and I'll spend more time explaining why in another post, but the 3-D in Thor was well-done in that it helped move the story along, and gave one a true "feeling" for the enormity of the space that Thor exists within.

A B-Plus

Overall, I give it a B-Plus, because Thor did not have that story element that makes a movie "Best Picture" material - it didn't have a message that relates to an issue of today or our history. The best movies have that. But, even with its "closed loop" take, Thor was very good.

Bring on The Avengers!

Happy Mother's Day! And San Francisco and Oakland News

2011-05-08T10:11:00.001-07:00

Mother's Day is special, and not just to all mothers. Mother's Day is for sons and daughters, too.

As an only child and a product of a single-mom family, I have a unique place in life that brings me to visit my Mother each month. I'm fortunate to be able to do this.

But some who also can do that, don't. It's to them I say, call your folks. Call your Mom. See your Mom. Because when your Mom passes on, you will regret not having done so.

Happy Mother's Day to all of the Mom's out there!

Now, in San Francisco and Oakland news in brief..

Jennifer Solorio, like my Mom, a breast cancer survivor, will be the honorary bat girl at today's San Francisco Giants baseball game. She was selected from 1,500 applicants, at the website www.HonoraryBatGirl.com

And from emails...

Supervisor Scott Wiener, SF Rec & Park, Recology and Mission Neighborhood Centers, Inc. kicked off the start of increased waste and recycling services at Dolores Park in San Francisco on Saturday.

SF Rec & Park has been dealing with large numbers of visitors to San Francisco’s Dolores Park, especially on holidays and weekends, which has caused an increased amount of liter to be placed in and around park trash bins.

With the help of Supervisor Wiener, SF Rec & Park, Recology and Mission Neighborhood Centers, an extra park attendant will be added during peak park visitor hours to monitor and empty trash bins that have reach capacity.

The program will add 386 clean up hours at Dolores Park on Saturdays, Sundays and holidays through the summer months and ending in September 2011

This one from Oakland's Adams Point Group...

BACK TO THE ROOTS 1ST ANNUAL COMMUNITY GATHERING

Where: BACK TO THE ROOTS

2935 Adeline St.

When: May 12, 2011, 6:00PM

There will be a tour of our new warehouse & operations, a ton of great food from local companies, drinks, music and fun people! And of course, a lot of mushrooms!

RSVP at : http://www.pingg.com/rsvp/ha6dx6qe7hxvze2td

For more information, please visit: http://www.bttrventures.com/.

Grand opening of OAKOLLECTIV Pop Up Store

OAKOLLECTIV will officially opening its doors on Friday May 20th 2011, hours 4pm—6pm

Oakollectiv Pop Up Store is located on 1427 Broadway and will be housed in the old city owned Raiders store “the spot” in downtown Oakland.

OAKOLLECTIV is a collaboration of two experienced designers, Penelope Adibe and Rachel Konte, both transplants from Europe to the US. They have come together to create a Pop Up Designer shop in the heart of downtown Oakland.

The space will feature 3 local brands; AFROBUDDAH by Rachel Konte, NNEKA by Penelope Adibe and Guerilla Clothing by Guerilla Café (designed by Rachel Konte). They plan to bring a diverse mix of merchandise from women’s wear, vintage modern kitchen house ware and menswear to the store. All the entrepreneurs in the space have one thing in common; they are all Oakland residents and run their businesses locally.

Penelope Adibe and Rachel Konte are the curators and daily managers of the OAKOLLECTIV.

www.oakollectiv.blogspot.com

More to come! Happy mother's day!

Osama Bin Laden Is Dead - Credit President Obama

2011-05-02T01:54:00.001-07:00

Osama Bin Laden Is Dead. President Barack Obama made the stunning announcement at 11:39 PM EDT Sunday, as this blogger sat in a position of stasis. For almost 10 years, the name Osama Bin Laden had become an indelible part of American Culture, and with an image just equal to that of Adolf Hitler.

The Mastermind of the September 11th 2001 events we call 9-11 and that led to the total destruction of the twin towers of The World Trade Center in New York City was on the run, seemingly forever.

Not any more...

And while the media points to a intelligence gathering process that started back in 2001, the truth is that America's political leaders in charge for much of that time wrongly focused American military resources on Irag, and not Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Now, almost a trillion dollars, and 4,000 lost lives by 2007, then-Senator Barack Obama, just starting what would become his successful presidential run, said that he would end the Iraq War, and go on the hunt for Osama Bin Laden right in Pakistan.

The statement led to a ton of criticism from his major presidential rivals. In a blog post dated Wednesday, November 7, 2007 at Zennie62.com, this blogger pushed-out for distribution what CNN's Ruben Navarrette Jr, wrote:

When Sen. Barack Obama suggested getting out of Iraq and moving "onto the right battlefield in Afghanistan and Pakistan," and then pledged, if elected president, to go into Pakistan if our military was in hot pursuit of "high-value terrorist targets" (read: Osama bin Laden), his opponents pounced.

Rudy Giuliani suggested that Obama should be more accommodating of Pakistan's president, Gen. Pervez Musharraf. Mitt Romney said that Obama was "confused as to who are our friends and who are our enemies." Sen. John McCain called Obama's remarks "kind of typical of his naivete." And Sen. Hillary Clinton said that Obama's foreign policy views were "irresponsible and frankly naive."

Now, fast-forward to 2011 and while Hillary Clinton is now Secretary of State, and Rudy Giuliani is semi-retired (or so it seems) Mitt Romney is talking about running for President, again. And Sen. John McCain doesn't seem to be in the mood of thanking President Obama, issuing this Twitter Tweet:

SenJohnMcCain John McCain
We finally got him, justice has been done. Read my full statement here http://tinyurl.com/3auckey...

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator John McCain (R-Ariz.), made the following statement this evening regarding the announcement made by President Obama that Osama Bin Laden has been killed:

"I am overjoyed that we finally got the world's top terrorist. The world is a better and more just place now that Osama bin Laden is no longer in it. I hope the families of the victims of the September 11th attacks will sleep easier tonight and every night hence knowing that justice has been done. I commend the President and his team, as well as our men and women in uniform and our intelligence professionals, for this superb achievement.

"But while we take heart in the news that Osama bin Laden is dead, we must be mindful that al-Qaeda and its terrorist allies are still lethal and determined enemies, and we must remain vigilant to defeat them."

That's great. But never forget that it was McCain who wasted no time in saying then-Senator Obama was naive for wanting to go into Pakistan to get Bin Laden. If McCain were POTUS, and not Obama, this day arguably would never have come.

And the list of potential GOP Presidential Candidates who don't have the class to thank President Obama includes Sarah Palin and, of course, Mitt Romney, as of this writing.

What Were We Doing In Iraq?

All of this, this modern V-Jay Day, now brings back the question "What were we doing in Iraq?" It was, indeed, not just the wrong war, but a costly war. And we wasted years in Iraq while Osama Bin Laden gained enough time and money to have the giant compound in Pakistan constructed to keep him safe.

Now, a revisiting of what the USA was doing over that time is in order, especially since it's clear Osama Bin Laden was no where near Iraq.

We got him. In Pakistan.

Stay tuned.

Obama Visit To San Francisco: Protestors Few, But Vocal

2011-04-20T21:13:00.001-07:00

As this blog post is written, President Barack Obama's undoubtedly holding court in San Francisco's Masonic Auditorium. And while a substantial crowd turned out to see him, well into the 2,000 range if not more by estimate, there were some protestors. Frankly, only a handful of them and far out-numbered by Obama supporters.

Including this blogger.

The San Francisco Police officers I talked to said that everything was orderly, or as one cop put it: "Well, we haven't had to arrest anyone and take them to jail." Which makes an officers job easy: all they had to do was stand around and watch, and there were a lot of them who did that.

Police and security were all around the Masonic and the Nob Hill area, from two blocks uphill to two blocks downhill, and even on the roof of the theater itself. Everywhere you looked, security was superbly visible.

I didn't stay long enough to get a glimpse of the President's vehicle, but I did have a number of on video conversations. Most notable were with people I disagree with. While I talked to folks who support Obama as I do, it's fun to chat with people who have different points of view. Some understandable, others worthy of challenge, and some just plain, er, different.

Here's one example.

My first talk with a man I see at almost every notable political event I've attended in San Francisco and Oakland over the years. He's a small Asian gentleman who carries a sign that reads "Thornburgh" and other words, and when you talked to him years ago, would say "Oja Wallah, Okgie, Gaga."

Well, that's what it sounded like to me.

Now, he's much more intelligible: "Well, I met Channel Five and some of the news people, and told em about the populations of other galaxies that - that I'm the movie star."

Well, at least that's an improvement over year's past.

More serious and far more intelligible was the group of Armenian-Americans who say President Obama has not kept his campaign pledge to recognize The Armenian Genocide on the eve of its 96th anniversary.

The woman with the Statue of Liberty crown said "I'm pretty sure he's (not recognizing The Armenian Genocide) because the American Government has very good relations with the Turkish Government."

I checked this, and according to the New York Times, President Obama did acknoweldge the terrible event, but did so without alienating Turkey. Obama said:

"On this solemn day of remembrance, we pause to recall that 95 years ago one of the worst atrocities of the 20th century began. In that dark moment of history, 1.5 million Armenians were massacred or marched to their death in the final days of the Ottoman Empire."

While that's not enough, and does fall short of his campaign statements, it went a long way beyond what other American presidential administrations have done. For example, Bill Clinton worked to block an Armenian Genocide bill from passing the house, and Obama's statement directly used the word "genocide" whereas Clinton's statement of April 24, 2000, and of years before, did not.

But that's the thing some Liberal activists don't see with President Obama: he's good at moving the needle in the direction they desire on most issues, but they want him to push the thing all the way to redline. Thus, the source of much of Liberal angst about Obama. Not in this corner, however.

Almost nothing the President has done has disappointed me, except the Economic Stimulus Package: it should have been 1.2 trillion or 1.5 trillion in size, not $800 million. The problem was former Economic Advisor Larry Summers deliberately hid the bigger package from the President, because he and other advisors didn't think Congress would go for it because of it's size.

That was dumb, played to the overall "dumbing down" of America, and got us into more trouble, because now, after the 2010 Midterm Election, it's harder to get any stimulus through because of a set of massively thick-headed Republicans who either forgot or didn't learn basic macroeconomics. Someone needs to tell those knuckleheads the "G" in GDP = C+I+G+(E-I) stands for GOVERNMENT!!

But I digress.

The economic conversation spilled over into my talk with a nice man by the way of Michael Lyon, who did not support Obama in 2008 (or anyone) and says today that Obama is "captive" of corporate America, and wants to reduce Social Security.

Nuts.

Mr. Lyon said on video he would be open to be proven wrong, and here it come, his reason for change of his mind.

According to The Huffington Post, Obama said he would not slash or reduce Social Security benefits. Where Mr. Lyon got the opposite idea, I do not know.

But, at least Mr. Lyon's open to listening. That's more than I can say for a lot of "birthers."

And Donald Trump.

Stay tuned.

Restaurants - Cafe Americano San Francisco Restaurant Has Kory Stewart

2011-03-18T10:36:00.001-07:00

Kory Stewart, the Executive Chef at Cafe Americano Restaurant San Francisco, has done it again, and this blogger was the recipient of an impromptu exhibition of his newest offerings, and presented in this video above.

The reason is simple: Cafe Americano, located at 8 Mission Street in the Hotel Vitale at the corner of The Embarcadero and Mission Street near the San Francisco Bay, is known as an after-work, and Friday evening place to cocktail, watch and be watched, especially during the summer months. But the great flow of dollars for drinks doesn't always translate to food purchases, which is a shame because the food is great.

To make up for that dynamic and bring the food to the people hanging out on the expansive patio, Kory's tried the successful Porquetta Outdoor Grillfest (my term). I happened to be there on that Friday when he made it for the first time:

And now, all three dishes in the new video at the top are brand new on the Cafe Americano menu. Kory, again to my surprise, brought them out for me to try, not expecting that I would fire up my Flip Video Camera to make the vlog, but I figured why waste an opportunity to showcase a master chef at his best. That's what video-blogging is all about.

So the result is the video, and this request from Kory and myself. Visit Cafe Americano, order something from the dinner menu, and when you're finished ask for Kory Stewart and tell him you saw the videos on Zennie62. If you do that, he'll have something special for you. Just what it will be is a surprise and will vary, but take him up on this.

And this closing note: the Porquetta Outdoor Grillfest will be back for another round of summer fun in San Francisco at Cafe Americano. Check it out and call (415) 278-3777 for reservations.

SF Public Defender Jeff Adachi On SF Police Surveillance Video Scandal

2011-03-14T01:32:00.001-07:00

The San Francisco Police video Surveillance Scandal has hit the media and led to what ultimately could be a sweeping investigation and eventually a wholesale change in how police work is done. This blogger met (for the first time) with San Francisco Public Defender Jeff Adachi to talk about the scandal and its implications on Friday for this video interview.

Mr. Adachi presides over an office of 90 lawyers, a budget of $24 million, and has handled about 25,000 cases over his tenure since he was elected in 2002. Adachi explains that the one truism is "everyone has an eye on you."

That "eye" is the camera, be it a camcorder, standard photo camera, a camcorder, or in the case of the surveillance scandal, a surveillance camera. What happened is a couple of weeks ago, we had a case where the client said the police came into my room without a warrant." Adachi says the police filed a police report that claimed otherwise - that they had consent to enter the place.

What the San Francisco police officers filing the report didn't count on was the existence of a video right in the hallway and which captured their every move and "directly contradicts what the police said."

The Public Defender says "police have to have a warrant in order to go into your home. This is America. This is the constitution." The officers were caught on camera violating the basic constitutional rights of the very people who's homes they broke into. "In one of the videos, you can even see one of the police officers, who knows the surveillance camera is there, put his hand over the surveillance camera." Then the officer took it away once the police were ready to leave. The trouble is, he didn't keep his hand up long enough.

This is the video Adachi's referring to:

"The bottom line," Adachi says, "is the conduct the officer did is illegal and it contradicted what he put in the police report." Jeff says that when an officer writes a police report there's a box that writes "under penalty of perjury." That means if the report is false, the officer has lied to the court with the stroke of a pen.

Even with that, Adachi says the officers don't take the issue of perjury seriously. In the Surveillance Video Scandal, the officer gave testimony consistent with the police report, even as the video contradicting him was shown in court.

Eventually, that, and other videos, led to the San Francisco District Attorney dismissing 57 cases last week. And there may be more.

That's because once an an officer is found to have committed perjury in one case, or officers involved in 57 cases here, that can be applied to other past cases. So this scandal is what Mr. Adachi describes as the "Pandora's Box" that could lead to discoveries of other San Francisco police misconduct examples.

Former Police Chief Backs Off Investigation

The announced investigation that was to be ran by Former SF Police Chief and now San Francisco District Attorney George Gascon, but Gascon has announced he will not lead the investigation of the SFPD on this matter. The FBI will take charge of the investigation. (And while they're supposed to, Jeff Adachi says that as of this report, the FBI has yet to contact him. Adachi wants to be kept informed by the FBI.)

On The Matter Of A Master Key

In another case that came to Mr. Adachi and involving the Lutx Residential Hotel, San Francisco Police went to the landlord's office and pushed and intimidated him, demanding a master key. The police used the key on six different occasions to enter rooms, again without a search warrant. The landlord says he believes in the police, but they can't use him to go into people's apartments, as they have done.

Even with Adachi's public complaint, and the video scandal, San Francisco Police Chief Jeff Godown says his charges will continue to use a master key in drug busts. In a press conference Friday, at about the same time as I was talking with Adachi, Godown said "We're not doing anything (different)," and argued that a "pass key is no different than someone booting down the door with their foot or using a ram." Adachi has said he would seek legislation to make the police stop their current practices.

The San Francisco Riders Case?

To this blogger, the San Francisco Police Surveillance Video Scandal has all of the marks of Delphine Allen v. City of Oakland, known as The Riders Case in Oakland. In that famous episode in Oakland Police history, four Oakland Police Officers, beat, intimidated, and abused West Oakland residents, then lied about their activities in their police reports.

It cost the City of Oakland $10.9 million in paid settlements to 119 Oaklanders and their lawyers, and sweeping changes in how the Oakland Police conduct activities with potential suspects. And the OPD is under the watch of an independent monitor, who reports to the Federal Court on a regular basis.

Adachi is not prepared to go as far as to suggest the San Francisco Police have a "Riders" problem with rogue police officers, but that was before Godown's statements. Overall, the appearance is that the San Francisco Police Department's not going to change its practices on its own.

A Hotline To Call

Mr. Adachi says if you have an incident of police misconduct to report, call 415-575-4290. Another practice is to purchase and wear a tiny pen-mounted video camera or use a camera-equipped clock that can rest on your desk. A cyber walk to Spycameras.com reveals a wide variety of cameras, many at affordable prices.

Another way is to use your Samsung Android smartphone and download Qik.com. You can activate the Qik.com app, and use the smartphone to livestream any illegal police activity happening before you, then send the video out to you Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube accounts. If you leave the Qik.com app on for about five minutes, it will broadcast a true livestream video to your viewers.

It's the only way one can protect themselves against illegal police actions and obtain evidence. Technology is the ultimate disruptive force that can protect the civil rights of innocent San Franciscans.

Stay tuned.

San Francisco News: Local 2 Unite Here, Mike Casey, Losing SF Hotel Negotiations?

2011-01-27T14:56:00.000-08:00

Local 2 Unite Here Union Leader Mike Casey's reportedly facing problems according to a vast number of sources to this blogger. Mr. Casey needs to pay better attention to World economic events, and have a better understanding of the dynamics of the hotel business.

The legendary and largely popular Casey's got a problem: hotels need to cut costs in the face of what have been in some cases dramatic revenue declines, even with occupancy improvements. Hotel workers want to keep their jobs, which should mean accepting pay cuts. But Casey, who would have an easier time of it when the economy was better as it was in the early 2000s, is seen by some as standing in the way of a good resolution to the problem of maintaining hotel jobs, let alone San Francisco getting new convention business as well as maintaining existing events.

What Casey and his charges want flies in the face of most of what other workers have realized reasonable agreements on, from the union's website: Affordable, high-quality health care; Modest increases in wages; Modest improvement in pension.

The one outlier is health care, which even some hotel managers agree should be maintained in some effective way; beyond that a "Modest increases in wages" and "Modest improvement in pension" seem like political pipe dreams today, when even some hardline progressives dare talk of the need to cut pensions for public service workers.

This is why Casey's reportedly having a problem in effectively mobilizing his troops this time around. Membership in the union has decreased 30 percent from 13,000 to 9,000 in three years. The union's contract with the hotels expired August 2009.

Hyatt Hotels Fights Back

Casey's efforts have targeted the following hotels: Grand Hyatt, Hilton San Francisco, Hotel Frank, Hotel Metropolis, Hyatt Fisherman's Wharf, Hyatt Regency Embarcadero, Le Meridien, Palace Hotel, Westin St. Francis, and the W Hotel. The union asserts that hotels like the Hyatt have realized occupancy gains; the hotels assert that they're trying to counter rising costs and tightening margins in a still-tight economy.

It's more than occupancy rates, which have increased since 2008, but room rates. While the occupancy rates are better, overall revenues are not and that's due to, in many cases, dramatic decreases in room rates just to capture those occupancy rates.

In this, the Hyatt Hotels fought back, filing National Labor Relation Board (NLRB) charges against Local 2 Unite Here on January 19th 2011, and for allegedly violating the collective bargaining agreement and say the union "quietly diverted money [two cents an hour] from the Child & Elder Fund [to the Legal Fund], without bargaining with Hyatt."

That issue aside, the real matter is in how Mike Casey is handling this issue. It's not, with all due respect, an intelligent approach. Mr. Casey needs to understand that hotels are businesses. He needs to focus on how to help the hotels recover a better level of net operating income which will assure the maintenance of jobs and improve the overall standard of living for his union employees at the same time.

If Mr. Casey created a giant online simulation of the fiscal dynamics of the SF hotel industry, took that into discussions, and used it it as a tool for the crafting of a resolution that works for everyone, he would find better conversational weather with hotel managers frantically trying to avoid losing money.

But if he continues his anti-intellectual, 1960s, and in some cases thug-like approach, he will serve neither his members or the San Francisco Hotel Industry well, and the current negative management / labor climate will continue, possibly with job cuts to follow.

No one wants that.

Mr. Casey would do well to follow the conversation at The World Economic Forum in Davos. The World's industrialized nations are struggling with lower revenues, enormous debt, and fears of a double-dip recession. This the climate Mr. Casey is in today.

Stay tuned.

Golden Globes 2011: Party At Balboa Theater in San Francisco

2011-01-12T15:34:00.003-08:00

The Golden Globes 2011 Weekend is near and San Francisco's Balboa Theater at 3630 Balboa Street (at 37th Avenue) joins the ranks of venues holding major parties up and down the California coast.

Gary Meyer, who runs the Balboa Theater, sent an email which reads:

Join the Golden Globes Party at the Balboa Theatre on Sunday, January 16. Cheer and jeer. Come dressed up or dressed down or as your favorite nominated movie or TV show.

Doors open at 4:45pm and the show starts at 5pm sharp.

The Golden Globes will be projected in High Definition with Dolby Stereo through the Meyer Sound system.

There will be some great prizes and surprises.

All seats only $5.00. Advance tickets available at Brown Paper Tickets
www.brownpapertickets.com/event/146439

Come early or stay late and see BLACK SWAN or THE FIGHTER (separate admission required)

For more information call (415) 221-8184.

The Green Naked Lady by Snakebyte at CES 2011

2011-01-10T08:45:00.000-08:00

Basically, this lady is naked, OK. It's hard to tell where she's not. Check her out. The The Green Naked Lady by Snakebyte was all over the North Hall Exhibit floor, showing it off. Dancing and prancing.

The personal trainer by day explained she had to undergo 4 hours of body painting work for her role at CES 2011 for Snakebyte.

And it was a smart move for Snakebyte, because while I never got over to their booth, they got coverage anyway.

San Francisco News: Transbay Terminal Construction Schedule

2011-01-10T08:13:00.001-08:00

In this San Francisco News, construction of The Transbay Terminal is under way. This space will have updates from the newsletter of the Transbay Terminal organization. If you're wondering what this is all about, the idea of a new transportation terminal in downtown San Francisco started almost 20 years ago. It culminated in this design competition:

From the newsletter of The Transbay Terminal organization:

This week at Transbay...

Weekend Work (1/7/11 - 1/9/11): This weekend, work will take place on Saturday, between the hours 7:00 AM and 11:00 PM. The contractors will move the crane known as “Big Red” into the west portion of the old Terminal footprint in order to continue demolition of the West Terminal building.

Weekday Work: Weekday work between Monday, January 10, 2011 and Friday, January 14, 2011 will focus on the demolition of the West Terminal building using the wrecking ball. Work began on Thursday, January 6, 2011 to demolish the ramp between Howard and Natoma and will continue for the remainder of the week.

Webcor’s subcontractor, Trinet, will continue utilities work along on Minna Street. Sewer trenching along Minna Street will begin on Monday, January 10, 2011 and will work its way towards Second Street. Due to the trenching, a small portion of Minna Street will be closed entirely, however all affected buildings will be granted full access to their loading docks.

The contractor will work between the hours of 7:00 AM and 11:00 PM.

Street and Sidewalk Closure: The sidewalk on the east side of Fremont Street is closed. Pedestrians must use the west side of Fremont Street. Pedestrian protection will be provided.

Lane restrictions will remain on Natoma Streets. A small portion of Minna will be closed, however all affected buildings will be granted full access to their loading docks. Lane restrictions will be in effect on both Fremont Street and First Street between Mission and Howard Street between the hours of 7:00 AM and 3:00 PM.

What to Expect Next Weekend (01/14/11 - 01/16/11): Demolition of the West Terminal building using the wrecking ball will take place on Saturday, January 15, 2011.

Should you have any general questions about the Transbay Transit Center Project, please call Courtney Lodato or Adam Alberti, Transbay Outreach Team, at: (415) 227-9700 or via e-mail at: info@transbaycenter.org

If you have any urgent questions regarding site-specific demolition or construction activities, please call our construction activity number: (415) 409-TJPA (8572).

Please continue to check our website for the most up to date schedule of activities at: http://www.transbaycenter.org/demolition

San Francisco News: Public Defender Jeff Adachi To Be Sworn In Wednesday

2011-01-04T12:14:00.001-08:00

(Catching up on blogging while waiting for a Fresno to Vegas flight and after my first trip from SFO on a prop jet!)

San Francisco Public Defender Jeff Adachi will be sworn in to his third term as public defender on Wednesday at 8:15 AM, according to a press release.

Mr. Adachi will be "made official," if you will, by San Francisco Superior Court Judge Don Mitchell. Jeff has served the City and County of San Francisco since 2001.

The ceremony will be held at the Third Floor Conference Room, San Francisco Public Defender’s Office, 555 Seventh Street, San Francisco, Ca.

Remember, that's at 8:15 AM, not PM.

Congratulations, Jeff!

Niners Troy Smith Argument With Singletary Burns Up Twitter (Video)

2010-12-26T12:38:00.001-08:00

The San Francisco 49ers find themselves in the wild position of being able to clinch the NFC West with a win while the NFC's 10 and 6 Green Bay Packers may miss the playoffs. This weird turn of events has Niners Head Coach Mike Singletary frantic, and pushing his quarterbacks, including the once-favored Troy Smith, who, when pulled, argued with the coach on the sidelines.

Here the video:

The exchange, where it seems Singletary would not back down and had to be "cooled" by Ted Ginn, Jr., burned up Twitter. As of this writing, "Niners" is a top Twitter Trend. Here's some tweets after the missed field goal:

Sunrise206 Lili
1 more quarter to go! Need to finish strong and get this win. This is it! #49ers #NINERS
4 minutes ago

creoledotcom Aisha Lavan
new field goal kicker new coach & new QB !! #niners but i stay a FAN till the END !!
2 minutes ago Favorite Retweet Reply

Patriarch Patriarch
Niners are breaking down mentally....it doesn't look good.
2 minutes ago Favorite Retweet Reply

Take a look at the video and share it now, because no telling how long it's going to last on YouTube (it's not my video, by the way).

This is news, so in a perfect World, a DMCA complaint should not be answered by YouTube. The reason is, we as the public should not have news hidden from us in this way. It's not right and YouTuber thebsoreport should issue a challenge if a DMCA complaint is filed.

Please, stop using DMCA's to block the reporting of news.

But I digress.

As of this writing, the Niners are down 14 to 15 as the 3rd Quarter comes to a close.

UPDATE: Rams scored: lead 22 to 14 in 4th Quarter.

Stay tuned and check out Kevin Lynch's game updates at SFGate.com.

NORAD Santa Tracker - Christmas Eve Santa Tracking

2010-12-24T16:34:00.001-08:00

This year, 2010, once again this blogger is following (kinda) the Santa Tracker, but while tree trimming, wine drinking, and talking, and listening to Nat and Frank (Nat King Cole and Frank Sinatra).

But here's my NORAD Santa Tracker Video, because I just had to!

This business of going to the NORAD website to track Santa Claus' trip around the World is rather cool, but I'm in the middle of watching It's A Wonderful Life, so I decided to embed the tracker right here in my blog:

As of 6 PM PST / 9 PM EST, Santa Claus is , well, he's moving really fast! (If the embed doesn't work in your browser, click on the NORAD link.)

Merry Christmas!

Santa Baby 99ers Christmas Unemployment Song

2010-12-24T02:41:00.001-08:00

Presenting the Santa Baby 99ers Christmas Unemployment Song, or The Santa Baby 99ers Song, on Christmas Eve.

Donalee King (in photo from Zennie62.com), who goes by Paladinette, at Zennie62.com, created this variation of the classic Christmas Song Santa Baby.

King, a blogger who also has her own blog called Jobless Unite, is one of the so-called "99ers," those who's unemployment benefits have ran out after the 99-week limit, and seek an extension of benefits, or better yet, a job.

In seeking both, the San Diego resident has become a tireless advocate for the jobless. Her work on this song landed her notice by the LA Times.

The video is below, followed by the lyrics, which are graphic but worth reading and singing...if you dare!

(In fact, if you're in Oakland, California, print out the lyrics, take them down to The Alley at 3325 Grand Avenue, present them to Rod Dibble at the piano, and ask he would accompany you in song. Santa Baby is a song he knows how to play.)

Lyrics to video song Santa Baby - 99ers Style 2010

Congress Baby, the 99ers need a tier 5......to survive

I know you’re HEARTLESS P@#*s But....so what?

My children need some dinner tonight!

The car got repo’d and the rent is awfully late...but wait

You only care for the rich that’s a B*@#H

there’s millions of us dying out here

We can’t afford a Christmas tree

While you’re all buying Cartier at Tiffany

You bailed out banks Greece and Haiti too

I think it’s time the 99ers heard from you

Obama baby, just help the 99ers please

and... don’t tease

Been a really tough year

Out here

I Hope Your change is comin’ tonight

Obama honey, you sold 99ers flat out

no doubt

and now it’s snowing out,

My stomach’s growling

I need some food and shelter tonight

Sherrod honey, Schumer and that Stabenow too

Were through we all trusted you

but senate baby your lies have left us hurtn’ out here

We’re not rich - guess we don’t count

The dirty little secret you won’t talk about

There’ll be no jobs again next Year

It’s time you kicked your senate’s butts into high gear

Congress baby just pretend to care for us poor

once more - come on it’s just a check - so what the heck?

there’s millions of us dying out here!

That’s right I’d rather work than fight

Hurry Congress there’s 99ers dying TONIGHT

Merry Christmas!

Christmas Travel: Stuck At O'Hare At A Crowne Plaza Where The Phone Failed

2010-12-21T00:18:00.001-08:00

Well, here's another blog post in the annals of Zennie's air travels: stuck at O'Hare Airport (again), but this time in a Crowne Plaza where the room phone doesn't work. That's right: this blogger can't call out or in. Thankfully cell phone and Twitter make up for the phone fail.

What happened was United Airlines flight UA 102 made it to Chicago from San Francisco and landed in what at first was a relatively typical snow for Chicagoland. That was 6:12 PM CST; as the night got older the snow got worse, and eventually O'Hare took on the look of The North Pole, complete with sightings of Santa Claus outside.

And, yes, the weather outside was somewhat frightful. A good 24 degrees. Yes, it's been colder than that with the wind-chill, but the snow's snarling travel. And as is my generally bad luck, the connecting flight I was to get on to Atlanta was delayed.

And then delayed.

And then the United gate reps explained the airplane we were to board had landed. To that end, this standby passenger got seat 12 F and waited.

And waited.

And waited and talked with a woman from Vancover BC and a brother from LA.

And then had a hunch that something was wrong with the flight, so went online to check its status. Sure enough, just seconds before United told the passengers at the gate, the flight was cancelled.

Well, I'm used to that, and I know the drill. Hey, it happened to me after this 767 flight a few weeks ago for Thanksgiving:

But I digress...

There's a service you can use at United's Customer Service Desk that provides pink vouchers where you can get deep hotel discounts if you're stuck at O'Hare and don't want to sleep there overnight. The place I stay at is the Hilton at O'Hare Aiport, only this time, the freaking hotel was booked two hours before my flight was cancelled.

So, the service person gave me the next choice: the Crowne Plaza Hotel at O'Hare. The room rate was just $69. That's it.

But, man you should see the long line for United's Customer Service Desk; it must be a good quarter-mile long. My friend from Canada was told to stand in the line to get a boarding pass for another flight. Frankly, I'm surprised they could not have had her self-print a pass, rather than stand with the huddled masses yearning to get a boarding pass from the humans manning the desk. But that's what happened.

Lots of people. Lots of kids. It's Christmas week, and they're all sleeping at O'Hare.

Except me and a few others.

So, as this blog post is being written, I'm impatiently waiting for a deep-dish pizza from a place called Rozatti's. They're going to deliver it in the snow. I planned to take the 6 AM flight to Atlanta, but there's are going to be so many standbys my Mom think's it's nuts to try it.

You know. I'm gonna listen to her.

Michael Vick, Desean Jacskon Punt Return - Eagles Stun Giants 38-31

2010-12-19T16:37:00.000-08:00

In what some are calling the second Miracle At The Meadowlands, Philadelphia Eagles Quarterback Michael Vick engineered a dramatic come-from-behind win over the New York Giants 38 to 31.

The Eagles shocked the NY Giants and The World by scoring 21 points in six minutes, and 28 points in seven minutes, going from down 10 to 31, to win the game.

The shocking turn of events started with Vick's 65-yard pass to Brent Celek, and ended with Cal Football Star and now Eagles Wide Receiver Desean Jacskon's amazing 65-yard punt return, which Jackson prolonged to run out the clock.

NY Giants Not Ready For Onside Kick

With about seven minutes remaining, the Eagles tried an onside kick after scoring to make it 31-17. The Giants didn't have their "hands team" ready; the Eagles recovered the kick. Later Giants Head Coach Tom Coughlin said (on NFL Network) that he didn't think "they were going to try an onside kick with seven minutes left."

Seriously, Coach Coughlin said that.

Eagles On Top Of The World

The win makes the Eagles if not the front runner, then perhaps number two behind the New England Patriots as Super Bowl favorites. For the New York Giants, Coughlin said they had to "run the table" and win their next two games. It's going to take a great coaching job on his part to overcome this shocking win.

Virgin Megatore SF Car Crash Update

2010-12-18T14:20:00.001-08:00

On Wednesday, a car crashed into the former but still "marked" Virgin Megastore at the corner of Market and Stockton near San Francisco's Union Square. If you missed it, here's my video (I was the first to break the story as I was on the scene) which was made just about 10 minutes after the crash happened:

According to KGO, the driver of the car that wound up in what used to be the entrance lobby of the record and video store said she was trying to avoid a big rig truck as she was heading down Stockton. Then, she lost control of her car and went right into the front door on the building.

As you can see, she hit it perfectly.

What's confusing to this blogger is the driver had to be going down Stockton Street, which would have had her driving next to the building and well past the front door. Why? Because Stockton crosses Market Street and the Virgin Megastore's front door - where she crashed - is on Market.

The only way she could have hit that door was to have made a u-turn coming down Stockton, turned the wrong way along Market, and then hit the door. That also means the "big rig" would have had to have moved up, not down, Stockton. If that's the case, it was going the wrong way.

Or, the woman was going the wrong way up Stockton herself, and turned to avoid the truck going down Stockton, along with what certainly was a flood of car traffic.

The things that make you go "hmmm."

Blogging, YouTube, and Video-Blogging for Dollars

2010-12-08T12:14:00.001-08:00

If you've ever wondered how one can make money blogging and video blogging, this 30-minute, three-part video series I stumbled over a few minutes ago can give you some guidance.

On March 24th, 2009, I was a guest of Christina Marie on her show SF Live. The subject was "Blogging, YouTube, and Video-Blogging for Dollars," but in truth, I just came up with that title, because we didn't have one for the show. The video says "Political Focus" but that wasn't our objective at all.

Here, I talk about how you can get started in blogging, and what a blog is. Christina and I then talk about how to make money with blogging, the Google AdSense ad platform, blog sponsorship, and affiliate marketing.

Then the focus shifts to video-blogging, and something called The YouTube Partner Program, which I've been a part of since 2007.

At the time I just started the TV show The Blog Report With Zennie62, and was fresh off an incredible year where my work was featured on CNN many times.

The video information, even thought it's just over a year old, is a little dated. 12 Seconds.tv just shut down a month ago. And this was before I started blogging with different news websites, in addition to Zennie62.com. So I have more advise that works well for a new video.

Is this self-promotion, too? YEAH, of course it is! And you should learn to do it yourself; this economy's not going to improve any time soon, and whining about what others are doing is not going to make it any better. You have to get out and become a doer yourself, not a complainer. You think Google doesn't promote itself? Ha! You should have seen Google VP Marissa Meyer at LeWeb talking about the firm's newest products!

But I digress.

Here's the video set:

Part One:

Part Two:

Part Three:

Dr. Dean Edell out at KGO Radio

2010-12-02T09:04:00.000-08:00

According to Blogger Richard Liberman, Dr. Dean Edell, the popular, long time host of The Dean Edell Show on KGO Radio 810 in the San Francisco Bay Area, has retired as a reaction to learning that his long-running show was going to be relegated to weekend, re-run status.

Richard blogs:

I'm pretty sure Dean Edell would have preferred a more amiable departure from the KGO microphone after over 30 years at 900 Front, but when his nationally-syndicated show was essentially shut down and thrown to the weekend re-run pasture, Edell announced his retirement.

More to the point, Dr. Edell felt humiliated and flustered and told Citadel and new KGO GM, Deidre Lieberman, (no relation,) to stuff it. His last show on KGO is Dec. 10.

Liberman also reports that Don Imus may be on KGO in the near future.

Personally, I hope not.

Stay tuned.

Bauer's Transportation Company Bus Shuttle Service

2010-11-27T21:51:00.001-08:00

This is the San Francisco Bauer's "Wi-Drive" commuter shuttle bus service. It's the same one used by Facebook and Twitter employees to go to and from work. What this blogger likes about the shuttle bus service is the seats. Wow. They're really thick, cushy, leathery, and luxurious.

You can operate your laptop computer and work online while on your way to work. The Bauer's "Wi-Drive" bus was used by the San Francisco Giants to transport their players to and from that awesome parade after their amazing World Series win.

Need corporate transportation? Call my good friend Gary Bauer. He and Bauer's Transportation delivers for all occasions and transport needs. Bauer's Transportation is at 1-800-546-6688.

Chevron Ecuador: Plaintiff's Video Claims of Evidence Tampering Questionable

2010-11-15T20:40:00.002-08:00

Eager to counter the damaging Crube movie film outtakes pointing to fraudulent action on the part of American Lawyer Steve Donziger (in photo with sunglasses), the Amazon Defense Coalition came up with a novel approach: revisionist history.

Via PR spokesperson Karen Hinton, who failed to respond to emailed questions sent while preparing this blog post, the ADC now says in a press release it was Chevron who committed fraudulent actions in oil cleanup, evidence tampering and "lies to U.S. judges." The problem is the videos the ADC refers to only show claims made by Steve Donziger years after Chevron left Ecuador, which was in 1992.

This is the latest salvo in the ADC's attempt to extort money from the American Oil Giant. Chevron was an active oil producer in the Ecuadorian Amazon River Delta region. But, after pressure to leave the nation, Chevron turned over its oil production facilities to the Ecuador-owned Petroecuador, including nummerous oil wells, to Ecuador in 1992 and, after a clean activity left the country.

Petroecuador took over the oil well sites and continued work. And that leads to the problems expressed today as being caused by Chevron, when they were actually caused by Petroecuador.

There are two sources for this information: a PDF file provided by Hinton and called "DATA ON TEXPET’S CLEANUP Prepared August 22, 2008 by Stratus Consulting Inc.," and the fact that Steve Donziger is on record admitting he had meetings with Petroecuador executives in the early years of his campaign of extortion to earn a multi-billion paycheck. (A statement made because Donziger admitted he expected to become a billionaire from this effort.)

The PDF files, on page 7, admits that Petroecuador "made changes to the pits after June 1990 (when Texpet ceased operations)." The document refers to tests done at several pits years later, when Petroecuador operated on fields and using equipment once owned by Chevron.

But the problem is the document leaves Petroecuador's post-Chevron activity as a dangerous wild card, especially when the study reads "PetroEcuador changed “site conditions” after the initial remediation survey work."

How? By drilling oil? That's not explained at all.

Thus, it's difficult, if not impossible, to take the Amazon Defense Coalition's claims seriously. It looks more like a hail mary pass attempt after the opposition offense has intercepted the pass and scored a touchdown.

Stay tuned.

Chevron Ecuador: Plaintiff's Video Claims of Evidence Tampering Questionable

2010-11-15T20:40:00.000-08:00

SF Giants World Series Celebration: Drunk Giants Fan Blow Horn In Face Of BART Passenger

2010-11-05T14:43:00.000-07:00

You see a lot on BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit) trains, and here's another example. A drunk Giants fan celebrating the team's World Series win Monday, blew his horn, called horn called a vuvuzela (made famous during the World Cup Soccer matches of this year), right in the face of an unsuspecting BART Passenger.

The quick expectation was that BART Passenger would get up and fight the Drunk Giants fan, but fortunately that didn't happen. The Drunk Giants fan took pitty on the BART Passenger and gave him a hug.

What would you have done?

This blogger didn't know if he should get up, laugh, or ignore it, so using the camcorder seemed to be the best compromise.

San Francisco Voters Turn Down Hotel Tax Increase In Prop J

2010-11-03T10:25:00.001-07:00

San Francisco businesses breathed a sigh of relief today as voters rejected Prop. J Tuesday, turning down a 2 percent increase to San Francisco's hotel tax. If Prop. J passed, the hotel tax increase would have affected businesses throughout the City, not just hotels.

"Small businesses, local restaurants, San Francisco hotels and the Chamber of Commerce all want to thank the voters of San Francisco for rejecting Proposition J that would have harmed the City’s number one industry from rebuilding after the recession and offering new jobs and new opportunities," said Kate Ryken from Economic Recovery SF, a coalition of San Francisco business organizations that opposed the measure.

Prop. J would have hiked San Francisco’s current 15.5 percent hotel tax by 2 percent, making the City's hotel tax the highest in the nation at 17.5 percent. The spike would have made San Francisco unaffordable for many potential visitors, meeting and conference planners, and would have resulted in the loss of more than 2,000 union jobs in S.F., according to the San Francisco Chamber of Commerce.

"We are pleased that San Franciscans voted NO on Proposition J. This ill-conceived initiative would have not only cost the City millions of dollars in visitors and meetings and conventions spending which translates to decrease in revenue for the City and job loss,” said Patricia Breslin, executive director of Hotel Council of San Francisco. “This is an important time for San Francisco. Our businesses are just starting to get their economic footing again and Prop. J would have halted their progress."

Indeed, increasing taxes is not the right decision at any level right now. The economy, from a jobs perspective, is just too weak at this point in time.

Stay tuned.

SF Giants Parade: Bauer's Transportation To Carry Giants Players, Family

2010-11-03T09:59:00.000-07:00

The Parade for the World Champion San Francisco Giants is just within two hours from now, and people are already headed to downtown San Francisco for the celebration. The SF Giants beat the Texas Rangers 4 games to 1, clinching the 2010 World Series Monday with a 4-2 victory.

Today's parade will feature the SF Giants and buses and cable cars carrying them. The vehicles will be provided by Bauer's Transportation, who's long standing good relationship with the Giants was not forgotten by the organization after the teams victory.

Bauer's will provide cable cars and their famous solar bus to carry the San Francisco Giants and their families during the Giants parade.

So, Bauer's Transportation Founder and President Gary Bauer, who's a good friend of this blogger, wants you to know that Bauer's Transportation is carrying the San Francisco Giants.

Zennie Loves Sotto Mare In North Beach, San Francisco

2010-11-02T12:56:00.001-07:00

Sotto Mare is San Francisco's North Beach District, is this bloggers new most favorite San Francisco eatery. Look, don't expect some restaurant review here, this is my take.

Eating at Sotto Mare was the idea of my best friend Beth Schnitzer and her brother Steven, and friends Ragu and Shuri. At first, I didn't know what to make of this narrow space called "Gigi Fiorucci's Oysteria and Seafood Restaurant located at 552 Green Street" until we sat down.

The waitress, who was wearing a "Roxy" hat, had a personality that makes the room seem bigger than it is, and you know, that quality is not limited to her, it's part of the Sotto Mare culture. The staff really seems like it's family having a great time. Just a bunch of good, down to earth people, who make great food.

What was that food? The Sotto Mare Cioppino. Wow. If you don't like it, there's something massively wrong with you. I'm just saying. The cioppino and the sand dabs, which we had and are in the video, are to die for.

I could go on and on about this place. The people who work there are so friendly, their energy rubs off on the customers. So everyone' nice to each other, even in that little space. A slice of heaven.

SF Garbage Rail Transport Proposal Claims To Exceed Fuel, Emission Standards

2010-10-29T11:26:00.000-07:00

A proposal before the San Francisco Board of Supervisors claims that, if it's adopted, will result in a large savings for rate payers and exceed President Obama's new fuel and emission standards.

The proposal, by Recology, the firm once known as NorCal Waste Systems, and selected to be the City and County of San Francisco's new trash collector and hauler (currently its Waste Management) was introduced at the San Francisco Board of Supervisors earlier this month and is expected to be heard in committee after the election and voted on by the full board before the end of the year.

Recology holds the rail proposal will save rate payers more than $125 million over 10 years compared to the next lowest bid. At present, San Francisco sends about 400,000 tons of garbage to landfill a year. Recology’s bid, based on current disposal rates, came in 44 percent lower than next bid.

The New York Times reports that President Obama's mileage proposal is scheduled to become final next year after a period of public comment.

For more information, visit the website at www.OstromRoad.com.

World Series 2010 Game One Fight At McDonald's Near AT&T Park

2010-10-29T05:53:00.000-07:00

As reported at Zennie62.com, this large, what one San Francisco Police Officer called a "70 person" fight, broke out at the McDonald's Restaurant on Brannan, near 3rd Street, and just one block from AT&T Park on Wednesday night.

According to the video maker, YouTubeer gtothebomb, this is what happened:

This was taken at the McDonald's right next to AT&T park. Some chick was arguing about their order, the chick with the yellow thong tells her, she shouldn't talk like that in front of her daughter. Chick says she's not my daughter and throws soda at the yellow thong chick. then all hell breaks loose.

No kidding. The fighting was done by women, with the exception of one large Latino man and mosly white, Hispanic, and a few African American women. Why the black women got involved in the fight is not clear, but one of them to jump into it throwing punches, then was helped by her friends as they hit another woman to the ground, then they backed off.

Not too long after that, a blonde haired woman threw what seemed to be a chair at the woman in yellow. Then, the rather heavy-set Latino man got involved again and punched someone else. Shortly after that, and next to him, two other women started fighting each other.

Wild.

Then the camera, and we, are taken out of the McDonald's as you hear sirens in the background - the SFPD is on the way.

It's sad that people can't just enjoy the first World Series game played since 2002, but overall this blogger has noticed a "mean climate" around the baseball events. But it also depends on where you go. None of the bars I went to had this problem - Momo's, Paragon, Tres Agave, and 21st Amendment were all great places to be.

Now, hopefully someone doesn't come along and pop my bubble.

Stay tuned.

2010 World Series Giants vs Rangers - Traveling Tips For Texans

2010-10-27T08:52:00.003-07:00

Today is the first game of the 2010 World Series and I hope you're as excited as this blogger is. To you Texans from the DFW Metroplex, welcome to the San Francisco Bay Area. (For those of you who don't know, "DFW Metroplex" refers to the metropolitan area that includes the two large cities of Dallas and FTWorth Texas, with Arlington in the middle, all served by DFW Airport.)

Here's some tips for you visiting Texans. (And a special welcome to anyone who attended the University of Texas At Arlington, where my undergrad degree was earned before going to Cal Berkeley for my Master's Degree In City Planning.)

Now, this: the San Francisco Giants are going to kick The Texas Rangers ass. Cliff Lee doesn't stand a chance against two-time Cy Young award winner Tim Lincecum. Still, it's a dream match-up. Here's my tips for enjoying your stay.

First, don't rent a car. I don't mean to take money out of their pockets, but you don't need a car to get around San Francisco. Take a cab. Use Yellow Cab. DO NOT USE the white LUXOR CAB - their service is awful. Yellow Cab's the best in San Francisco. Period. Also, use a limo and transportation service. I recommend San Francisco's Bauer's Transportation at 1-800-LIMO-OUT.

Second, there are a lot of restaurants in San Francisco and everyone has their favorites. Next to AT&T Park is Momo's Restaurant on the corner of Second and King Street - you can't miss it. The pastas and steaks are good as are the cocktails, but get there five hours before the game - it's going to get packed. Plus, forget reservations. Too late for that.

There's also 24 Restaurant, also right at the Ballpark. If you can't get in to Momo's, go here.

My favorites are also The Balboa Cafe on Fillmore and Union in the Marina District, where Brian's a Giant's expert of the first tier and should be working tonight. The Brick Yard's on Union Street next to Union and Octavia. Downtown is The Royal Exchange on Sacramento and Front Street - the best and classic San Francisco sports bar.

Around the corner of Front Street on California Street is San Francisco's oldest restaurant, Tadich Grill. And next to it, are the twin restaurants Barbaco and Prebaco with excellent food and wine. As I stated, everyone has their faves, but I like those.

Then come to Oakland, and eat at The Lake Chalet on the waters of Lake Merritt - a cool setting for a meal after the game. If anyone tells you anything bad about Oakland, laugh at them.

At The World Series, Behave

Finally, please be nice to everyone. And male SF Giants fans, please do not throw beer bottles at people and be nice to everyone. Don't get drunk and stupid.

GO GIANTS!

Oakland Children's Hospital's Own Head Nurse Questions Nurses Union

2010-10-14T06:26:00.003-07:00

Oakland Children's Hospital is being plagued by a nurses strike as this is written. As a fan of Children's Hospital and its staff, the current situation does not reflect how hard they've worked to keep the establishment a going concern in a tough economy.

This blogger is not anti-union, but some unions need to be called out when they're not playing to work with administration, but against it. Such is the California Nurses Association.

Someone's paying attention. Namely, Nancy Shibata, RN, MSN, Chief Nursing Officer, Children’s Hospital Oakland, who sent this opinion piece to be ran in this space:

CNA Nurses Union Out of Touch With Current Economic Realities At Children's Hospital Oakland

By Nancy Shibata, RN, MSN

Chief Nursing Officer, Children’s Hospital Oakland

Ironically, the high cost of health insurance is a difficult problem for hospitals today. Over the past 5 years, health insurance benefit costs have risen for Children's by 80 percent or over $17 million dollars. That's a hefty increase for any institution, especially one that is the primary provider of children's healthcare services for Alameda and Contra Costa Counties.

Children's Hospital Oakland is now facing a three-day strike by members of the California Nurses Association (CNA), the union that represents 700 of our nurses at our 190-bed hospital, over our health insurance benefit and pay proposals for the next three-year contract that we are attempting to negotiate with them.

Despite the fact that we are offering our nurses pay increases during the life of the contract and two healthcare plans that are 100-percent paid for by the hospital (and a third "premium" plan that they can chose with a monthly contribution), they are demanding higher pay and no benefit changes as part of a new three-year contract.

We value our nurses. They are vital and essential to our hospital and every patient. They provide the expertise and care, which combined with their personal skills and nurturing abilities, help make our young patients' experience a better one in every way.

The CNA union, which represents the nurses, unfortunately is out of step with both the economic realities facing Children's Hospital Oakland, but also with the broader economic climate nationally.

The three-day strike, which started today, is reflective of the CNA's inability to acknowledge and accept the changes that are occurring throughout the country related to wages and healthcare. A full-time nurse at Children’s earns, on average, $136,000 per year. A new graduate nurse on the day shift earns $95,000 per year. And this is without including what Children’s pays in addition for benefits.

At this time when our region, our nation and our people are struggling with the economic challenges of this difficult economy, this union is demanding no changes in its benefits (negotiated during a different economic climate) and increases in pay when they are not supported by the market or by Children’s ability to pay for them.

In our negotiations, Children's is proposing a wage freeze in 2010 with modest pay increases in the following years. We are asking the union to accept one health plan where members contribute a small percentage of the premium cost, while still offering two 100 percent employer-paid HMO and PPO health benefit plans for nurses and their families. The third, cost-share option, is a premium PPO that requires a pre-tax employee contribution ranging from $111 - $311 a month, depending on individual or family coverage.

A mix of employer-paid and contributory plans have been rolled out to other Hospital employees already. Currently, more than half of our employees have this type of healthcare benefit program and this bargaining session is our first opportunity to negotiate the change with the CNA.

The last CNA union contract, negotiated in better economic times in 2007, provided raises of 6% in 2007, 5% in 2008, and an additional 5% in 2009. These large increases are the basis for the Hospital's wage freeze proposal for the first year of the contract.

Earlier this year, Children's Hospital announced that it has lost more than $69 million over the past four years, of which $22 million was lost in 2009 alone. Since that time, the hospital has been restructuring its services, developing new business opportunities, and actively renegotiating private insurance and government reimbursements to cover patient care costs. As a not-for-profit regional pediatric medical center, our financial challenges stem from the poor economy, low reimbursement rates, increasing healthcare costs and a lack of public hospitals with pediatric inpatient beds.

Children's Hospital is on the road to financial stability, and we hope to reach it in 2012. We have made many changes to help secure our future and our ability to provide healthcare to the most vulnerable of patients, babies and children. Other industries have been crushed by the burden of labor contracts that were negotiated during prosperous times but could not be sustained during an economic downturn. We cannot let this happen to our vital hospital for children. We need the leadership of the CNA to step up and recognize that their members are highly valued, well-compensated and that 100-percent paid by employer healthcare benefits are a good package for everyone. Our children and our community deserve nothing less.

San Francisco Antique Oriental Rugs and Textiles, Tribal Art Shows Next Week

2010-10-08T16:12:00.003-07:00

San Francisco is fortunate to be hosting not one, but two separate international art shows, one featuring antique, textile and oriental carpets and the other focusing on tribal arts from Africa, Oceania, the Americas, and Asia during this next week October 12th to 17th.

It's the 2nd annual Antique Rug and Textile Show at The Motel Capri, at 2015 Greenwich St., in San Francisco’s Marina District. The event features more than 40 internationally renowned rug and textile dealers who will set up their wares in a bazaar-like setting in the Motel Capri.

Show Starts Next Week

Opening night of the rug and textile show begins at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 12th, and the show continues Wednesday – Sunday, Oct. 13 - Oct, 17, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily. The show and sale is free. For more information on this event, visit: www.artaa.org. A number of daily special exhibitions on Tibetan, Chinese and oriental carpets will be held as well as daily lectures for beginners, all offered free.

The 6th annual Tribal Art Show is hosted by San Francisco Tribal, an association of the top Bay Area-based tribal art dealers, will be held Oct. 15 to 17 in Building "D" at San Francisco’s Fort Mason Center.

The Tribal San Francisco show will feature an extraordinary selection of African masks and figures, Oceanic ceremonial and ritual objects, Pre-Columbian sculptures and ceramic vessels, Tribal Asian textiles and carvings, Native American art and artifacts, as well as shields, hats, jewelry, masks, and figurative sculpture from diverse cultures all over the world. Exhibition dealers are available to answer questions from beginners to sophisticated collectors and knowledgeable scholars.

A preview reception will be held Friday Oct. 15 from 6-9 p.m. and feature champagne and sushi and an advance opportunity to view the exhibits and sale of tribal art on sale. Preview tickets are available at the door for $30 per person. Included in the price are champagne and sushi and re-entry on Saturday and Sunday.

Tickets Are Just $10 Per Person

Tickets for the exhibition and sale during the rest of the weekend are $10. Hours on Saturday are 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday. Visit the SF Tribal website www.sftribal.com for more information.

In past years, both the Antique Rug and Textile Show and the Tribal San Francisco shows gave collectors, dealers, novices and fans of ethnographic and tribal arts the opportunity to spend time discussing, viewing, learning and purchasing rare artworks from around the world from leading expert dealers.

This blogger thinks it's a wonderful treat to be able to learn and buy textiles and sculptural artworks from some of the world’s leading dealers at the two San Francisco shows. Dealers bring some of their best works to exhibit in San Francisco because of The City’s (and the Bay Area's) large appetite for textile and tribal arts and its worldwide reputation as a center for ethnographic art aficionados.

These two shows display some of the finest textiles and sculptural works of tribal art that the Bay Area has the opportunity to see. The events are growing in popularity, continuing to draw the best pieces at reasonable prices for serious collectors, decorators, enthusiasts and people with a beginning interest in oriental rugs and tribal arts.

And the event organizers say it's not too early to start your Christmas, Hanukkah and holiday shopping at these events.

The Antique Rug and Textile Show’s 40 plus dealers have flown to San Francisco from as far away as Turkey, China, German, Austria, Italy and from all over the U.S.

Noted textile art dealers who will be displaying and selling in the Antique Rug and Textile Show at the Capri Motel include: Alberto Levi - Milan, Italy; Ali Aydin - Germantown, MD; Amin Motamedi – Hamburg, Germany – Andy Lloyd – Bath, England; Ben Banayan – San Francisco; Bertram Frauenknecht – Istanbul, Turkey; Chuck Paterson – Sante Fe, NM; Craig & Nina Hatch – Nomadic, USA; Davut Mizrahi – Vienna, Austria; De Witt Mallary – New York; Ed Koch: Herat Gallery – Miami, FL; George Fine – Sante Fe, NM; Hamid Rafatpanah – Bryn Mawr, Penn.; Hagop Manoyan – NY; Hans Homm – Oberusel, Germany; James Cohen – Milan, Italy; Jeff Dworsky – Stonington, Maine; John Ruddy – Sante Fe, NM; Mark Berkovich – Galilee, Israel; Mete Mutlu – Chicago; Michael Craycraft – Stuttgart, Germany; Michael Phillips – Arvada, Colo.; Mohammad Tehrani – Hamburg, Germany; Nick & Dianne Bendas – St. Louis, MO.; Nick Wright – Williamstown, Mass.; Nunzio Crisa: Urobura – Milan, Italy; Owen Parry – London, England; Patrick Pouler – Santa Barbara, Calif.; Reyn Staffel – Springfield, Oregon; Rob van Wieringen – Nijmegen, Netherlands; Rodney McDonald – Rochester, N.Y.; Rudolf Geissman – Cardiff by the Sea, Calif.; RugBooks: W. Marquand – Culver City, Calif.; Rupert Smith – Hong Kong; Sarah Haberkern – Stuttgart, Germany; Seref Ozen: Cocoon – Istanbul, Turkey; Singkiang: Linda Pastorino – Chester, NJ; Stolp D. Fraser – East Hampton, NY.; Thom Mond – New Hampshire; Udo Langauer – Vienna, Austria; Ulrike Montigel – Stuttgart, Germany; Wayne Barron – Cambridge, Mass.

Renowned Bay Area tribal art dealers exhibiting and selling at the Tribal Show at Fort Mason Building "D", include:

Robert Brundage--Himalayan Art; Erik Farrow--Tribal Art, Weapons & Shields; Wenhua Liu--Asian Art; Thomas Murray--Asiatica--Ethnographica; David F. Rosenthal--Oceanic Art; Vicki Shiba--Asian & Tribal Art; Frank Wiggers--Indonesian Art; James Willis-- African, Oceanic & Tribal Art; Michael Auliso--Ethnographic Art; Joshua Dimondstein-- Tribal Arts; Robert Dowling--Pre-Columbian & Tribal Art; Zena Kruzick--Oceania, Indonesia, Asia & Africa; Joe Loux--Asian & Tribal Art; Dave DeRoche - Art of Africa, Oceania & The Americas; Andres Moraga--Textiles & Ethnographic Art.

Check it out!

SF Giants 2, San Diego Padres 0 - One Win, Giants Are In #sfgiants

2010-10-03T14:46:00.001-07:00

Big sports day: SF Giants 2, San Diego Padres 0,4th inning. One win and the San Francisco Giants are in the MLB Playoffs. At the time of this writing, the Giants got to their current lead when Johnny Sanchez' triple ignited a two-run rally.

Jose Guillen Gets The Start

Giants manager Bruce Bochy started Jose Guillen in Right Field for todays game, and according to The SF Giants website, Bochy said the reason was that the team performed better with him in the lineup.

So far, he's right. In the 5th inning, the Giants are still ahead 2 to zip. Now, according to Twitter, Sanchez is done for the game.

TheNaturalHobbs Dustin Hobbs
Sanchez done - five solid and a shaky sixth...might be good enough if 'pen hangs on. #sfgiants

If the Giants win today's game, they're the National League West Champions and are in the MLB Playoffs.

Stay tuned.

San Francisco-Based Recology One Step From Final BOS Approval

2010-09-29T15:50:00.001-07:00

San Francisco-based Recology is just one voting step away from approval to be the new collector of the city and county's non-recycled refuse. The San Francisco Board of Supervisor's is scheduled to vote on a resolution after it's introduced on October 5th.

If approved, the plan, reported about in this space before, will transfer the city's refuse from the South Bay's Altamont Landfill to Recology’s Ostrom Road Landfill, once the former reaches contracted capacity in 2015.

The resolution was filed and recommended by the San Francisco Department of the Environment, who's Director, Melanie Nutter said "This is a good deal for San Francisco and for the environment. Ostrom Road is a state-of-the-art facility that employs industry best practices, and the price is dramatically lower than the competition. This will help us maintain reasonable refuse collection costs as we move toward zero waste."

Mutter estimates the deal will save San Francisco ratepayers up to $125 million over the total life of the contract.

San Francisco Sets The Tone

According to The SF Department of the Environment, San Francisco is the nation's leader in recycling, with 77 percent of its waste stream diverted for that purpose.

Megan Avalon at Zennie62

2010-09-21T08:12:00.001-07:00

Megan Avalon at Zennie62
Originally uploaded by zennie62

This is the Zennie62.com T-Shirt as modeled by San Francisco Bay Area Professional Bodybuilder and Trainer Megan Avalon. For news, pop-culture, politics, sports, and tech, visit Zennie62.com

Megan Avalon at Zennie62

2010-09-21T08:06:00.001-07:00

Megan Avalon at Zennie62
Originally uploaded by zennie62

This is the Zennie62.com T-Shirt as modeled by San Francisco Bay Area Professional Bodybuilder and Trainer Megan Avalon. For news, pop-culture, politics, sports, and tech, visit Zennie62.com

Reggie Bush Scandal: Tony Bruno Weighs In , Talks New Show

2010-09-09T17:13:00.001-07:00

Tony Bruno, the legendary sports talk radio host, briefly talked with this blogger about The Reggie Bush Scandal and his new Comcast SportsNet California television show with Gary Radnich this Sunday, September 12th at 9 PM EDT.

First, for those of you who are saying "Isn't Tony in Los Angeles?" The answer is "Yes." But Bruno will, as he put it, "fly back and forth from LA" to do a show in San Francisco - one that he's talked with Radnich about doing for a long time.

"Gary and I have been doing radio for a long time," Bruno said, "and we enjoy doing it together. So we've kicked around the idea of doing something up here on television. And we're finally gonna give it a try."

As to Reggie Bush, who's Heisman hasn't been formally taken from him, even though a rumor surfaced to the level of truth two days ago, Bruno said "It didn't surprise me. The Heisman group was talking about it. I know Reggie had to expect something...But he's with the Saints now and moved on."

One lingering question not answered is if Bush would have to physically give back his 2005 Heisman Trophy. On that Bruno didn't have an answer, but our conversation about what fun Reggie and Kim Kardashian may have had with The Heisman when the two were dating made for a good laugh or three.

Bruno A Veteran

Tony Bruno is a sports talk radio veteran, and host of Into The Night With Tony Bruno, has worked for four networks: ESPN Radio, Fox Sports Radio, Sporting News Radio and The Content Factory. He's filled in (and very well, I may add) for Dan Patrick on The Dan Patrick Show.

But this blogger wonders if Bruno and Radnich are going to "make it rain?"

Stay tuned.

Truck Loses Breaks, Car Accident In Oakland, California

2010-09-08T18:43:00.001-07:00

Oakland, CA - This evening at about 4:55 PDT, and as this blogger was walking to Grand Avenue, there was far more than the usual level of traffic on Mac Arthur Blvd off the I-580 Freeway toward Grand Avenue.

It wasn't exactly clear what happened until, as I walked closer, it was obvious a large truck with a reddish brown bed was at the center of what appeared to be a giant four-car pile up.

What happened, according to the California Highway Patrol Officer I talked to, was that the truck's breaks went out and it slammed into what appeared to be a silver Honda. Apparently, the Honda was stopped, waiting for the light to change at the intersection of Mac Arthur and Grand near Lake Merritt. When the truck hit the car, it caused a chain reaction vehicle accident, with four cars slammed into each other.

Thankfully, though there were several injuries, no one was killed. Moreover, the car in front of the rest of the group was pushed to the side on impact, and not into Grand Avenue. Had that happened, even more cars may have been hit.

Event: Jog For Jill San Francisco Run September 12th Golden Gate Park

2010-09-08T01:07:00.001-07:00

Cal Women's Rowing Team member Jill Costello passed away from complications due to lung cancer on June 24th 2010 and at the age of 21. A San Francisco event and run called Jog For Jill has been established and will be held this Sunday, September 12th at 5 PM.

Two members of the Cal Women's Crew team were at the Cal vs. Davis football game wearing Jog For Jill shirts, and were kind enough to provide the video interview above.

Below are the other details from the event website, where you're encouraged to pre-register here CLICK FOR SITE:

Pre-Registration: Online/$25
Day of Registration: 4:00 p.m./$30
Shotgun Start: 5:00 p.m.
After run/walk celebration: 6:00 p.m.- 8:30 p.m.

Event Location:
Golden Gate Park
Music Concourse Bandshell
S Tea Garden Drive
San Francisco, California 94118

Participants are encouraged to pre-register. Only pre-registered participants will be guaranteed a walk/run T-shirt. T-shirts will be limited to the first 2500 day of registrants.

On Sunday, go out and Jog for Jill!

UC Berkeley Letter To Students On California By Prof Michael O'Hare

2010-08-28T13:31:00.001-07:00

Berkeley Prof. Michael O'Hare

The UC Berkeley Letter To Students On California by Berkeley Professor Michael O'Hare is one that California Gubernatorial Candidates Jerry Brown and Meg Whitman should see because both are part of the generations that Michael O'Hare points to as essentially responsible for the decline of California, but for different reasons.

Jerry Brown was Governor of California when Prop 13 (also called AB 8), the legislation reducing property taxes to 1 percent, was passed in 1978. Prop 13 us widely pointed to as the legislative device that robbed California of the tax revenue is used to provide the public services it was known for.

Meg Whitman never voted or bothered to register to vote, or participated in California Government and politics, but now thinks she can run the state. The idea of running for governor somehow entered her head 26 months ago.

Who Is Michael O'Hare?

Michael O'Hare is Professor of Public Policy At The UC Berkeley Goldman School Of Public Policy, where he's chair of that schools undergraduate minor program. He also maintains a blog at Samefacts.com.

This blogger saw the "UC Berkeley Letter" in a group email from the Oakland, California-based Welstone Democratic Club's Yahoo Group, and it was taken his blog entry at Samefacts.com.

August 23rd, 2010
A letter to my students
by Michael O'Hare

Welcome to Berkeley, probably still the best public university in the world. Meet your classmates, the best group of partners you can find anywhere. The percentages for grades on exams, papers, etc. in my courses always add up to 110 percent because that's what I've learned to expect from you, over twenty years in the best job in the world.

That's the good news. The bad news is that you have been the victims of a terrible swindle, denied an inheritance you deserve by contract and by your merits. And you aren't the only ones; victims of this ripoff include the students who were on your left and on your right in high school but didn’t get into Cal, a whole generation stiffed by mine. This letter is an apology, and more usefully, perhaps a signal to start demanding what’s been taken from you so you can pass it on with interest.

Swindle - what happened? Well, before you were born, Californians now dead or in nursing homes made a remarkable deal with the future. (Not from California? Keep reading, lots of this applies to you, with variations.) They agreed to invest money they could have spent on
bigger houses, vacations, clothes, and cars into the world’s greatest educational system, and into building and operating water systems, roads, parks, and other public facilities, an infrastructure that was the envy of the world. They didn’t get everything right: too much
highway and not enough public transportation. But they did a pretty good job.

Young people who enjoyed these ‘loans’ grew up smarter, healthier, and richer than they otherwise would have, and understood that they were supposed to "pay it forward" to future generations, for example by keeping the educational system staffed with lots of dedicated, well-trained teachers, in good buildings and in small classes, with college counselors and up-to-date books. California schools had physical education, art for everyone, music and theater, buildings that looked as though people cared about them, modern languages and ancient
languages, advanced science courses with labs where the equipment worked, and more. They were the envy of the world, and they paid off better than Microsoft stock. Same with our parks, coastal zone protection, and social services.

This deal held until about thirty years ago, when for a variety of reasons, California voters realized that while they had done very well from the existing contract, they could do even better by walking away from their obligations and spending what they had inherited on
themselves. "My kids are finished with school; why should I pay taxes for someone else’s? Posterity never did anything for me!" An army of fake 'leaders; sprang up to pull the moral and fiscal wool over their eyes, and again and again, your parents and their parents lashed out
at government (as though there were something else that could replace it) with tax limits, term limits, safe districts, throw - away - the - key imprisonment no matter the cost, smoke - and - mirrors budgeting, and a rule never to use the words taxes and services in the same paragraph.

Now, your infrastructure is falling to pieces under your feet, and as citizens you are responsible for crudities like closing parks, and inhumanities like closing battered women’s shelters. It's outrageous, inexcusable, that you can't get into the courses you need, but much
worse that Oakland police have stopped taking 911 calls for burglaries and runaway children. If you read what your elected officials say about the state today, you'll see things like "California can't afford" this or that basic government function, and that "we need to make hard choices" to shut down one or another public service, or starve it even more (like your university). Can't afford? The budget deficit that's paralyzing Sacramento is about $500 per person; add another $500 to get back to a public sector we don't have to be ashamed of, and our average income is almost forty times that. Of course we can afford a government that actually works: the fact is that your parents have simply chosen not to have it.

I'm writing this to you because you are the victims of this enormous cheat (though your children will be even worse off if you don't take charge of this ship and steer it). Your education was trashed as California fell to the bottom of US states in school spending, and the
art classes, AP courses, physical education, working toilets, and teaching generally went by the board. Every year I come upon more and more of you who have obviously never had the chance to learn to write plain, clear, English. Every year, fewer and fewer of you read newspapers, speak a foreign language, understand the basics of how government and business actually work, or have the energy to push back intellectually against me or against each other. Or know enough about history, literature, and science to do it effectively! You spent your school years with teachers paid less and less, trained worse and worse, loaded up with more and more mindless administrative duties, and given less and less real support from administrators and staff.

Many of your parents took a hike as well, somehow getting the idea that the schools had taken over their duties to keep you learning, or so beat - up working two jobs each and commuting two hours a day to put food on the table that they couldn't be there for you. A quarter of
your classmates didn't finish high school, discouraged and defeated; but they didn't leave the planet, even if you don't run into them in the gated community you will be tempted to hide out in. They have to eat just like you, and they aren't equipped to do their share of the
work, so you will have to support them.

You need to have a very tough talk with your parents, who are still voting; you can't save your children by yourselves. Equally important, you need to start talking to each other. It's not fair, and you have every reason (except a good one) to keep what you can for yourselves with another couple of decades of mean - spirited tax - cutting and public sector decline. You're my heroes just for surviving what we put you through and making it into my classroom, but I’m asking for more: you can be better than my generation. Take back your state for your kids and start the contract again. There are lots of places you can start, for example, building a transportation system that won't enslave you for two decades as their chauffeur, instead of raising fares and cutting routes in a deadly helix of mediocrity. Lots. Get to work. See you in class!

KPIX Channel Five San Francisco Departures Listed By Rich Lieberman

2010-08-27T05:28:00.001-07:00

According to an email from Richard Lieberman, KPIX Channel Five in San Francisco has suffered a rash of departures due to the terrible economy.

Richard's become the recorder of change in San Francisco Bay Area Media via his blog Rich Lieberman Report.

In fact, Rich's so good some of the local newspapers and news websites quote his scoops without crediting him. Not here.

Anna Duckworth

Here's Richard's info:

Jeffrey Schaub sent me a list of the prime talent that have left or were removed from KPIX these past two years--

Manny Ramos
Tony Russomanno
Bill Schechner
John Lobertini
Rick Quan
Barbara Rodgers
Jeffrey Schaub
Hank Plante
Anna Werner
Lisa Chan
Sue Quan
Anna Duckworth
John Kessler
Sydnie Kohara?
Wendy Tokuda as anchor

Wow, I wasn't aware so many people left, especially Anna Duckworth and John Kessler? But that's what I get for being on planes back and forth to Atlanta and New York City so much. Also sad to read of the passing of KPIX' legend Dave McElhatton too.

Just to add some more info, some of the names on the list landed at other Bay Area Media outlets. For example, Anna Duckworth's a reporter at KCBS Radio.

Check out Rich Lieberman's blog at http://richliebermanreport.blogspot.com

Marin General Hospital To Sue Sutter Health On Thursday

2010-08-25T16:50:00.001-07:00

Marin General Hospital

Breaking news.

The nasty and long-running feud between The Marin Healthcare District and Sutter Health is allegedly going to spill into the courtroom (court location not known at this time) tomorrow, Thursday, when the attorneys for Marin General Hospital are scheduled to announce they will file a lawsuit against Sutter Health for its management of the hospital since 1995.

According to sources, James J. Brosnahan of the Morrison and Forrester law firm (and who, if I'm not mistaken, was at the same birthday party for U.S. Assistant Attorney General Tony West this blogger attended in 2009) will announce the lawsuit on behalf of the publically elected Marin Healthcare District Board of Directors.

The healthcare district is seeking more than $100 million it says Sutter wrongly took out of the coffers of Marin General. Sutter has said all along that it has followed the agreement between the District and itself which was approved by the court and allowed Sutter to retain the monies during its administration of the hospital.

Nonetheless, some Marin residents have wanted to control the hospital themselves and oust Sutter from management of Marin General. But, many - including Marin's own Grand Jury - have doubted the ability of the publically elected board of the Marin Healthcare District to be able to run the hospital and others have been quietly critical of the leadership of Marin General's new CEO Lee Domanico.

Already, this week, the Marin United Taxpayers Association wrote in a letter to the editor in the Marin Independent Journal that, under Domanico's leadership:

"Here we go again. No kidding, it is business as usual at Marin General Hospital. We now have a similar private board that isn't accountable to the public, like the previous one that allowed $200-plus million to go to Sutter, and big money to exclusive contracts with large doctor groups (oncology, cardiology, hospitalists, radiologists, pathologists, etc.).

"Now we have the same setup that is not transparent to the public, meets in private, and pays its CEO, a public employee until now, $800,000, and the doctors will still get their exclusive contracts because their representatives are on the board. MGH, another Bell, Calif.

"MGH did come back to the public, momentarily.

"On June 30, the transition date, the incumbent directors on the publicly elected board had already arranged to give it away to another private board immediately. That private board can have 49 percent of members with financial conflicts, meaning they can facilitate their own exclusive, expensive deals with the hospital, and the public won't be able to see the sweetheart deals; all paid with revenues from the public hospital.

"Worse yet, they will ask the taxpayers for a $300 million bond and another 30-year contract with this private corporation, to rebuild MGH, with no accountability to the public for what it does, and no lawsuit against the last "community" board members to get back the last, lost $200-plus millions. And just watch these rich contract doctors post office signs touting the incumbents - it's payback time."

There's an old saying: be careful who you chose as your enemy, for they may look just like you.

Stay tuned.

San Francisco Events: Help Is On The Way 16 benefit show is today

2010-08-15T07:25:00.001-07:00

The annual San Francisco entertainment must-see event of events is today at 7 PM at the San Francisco Herbst Theater at 401 Van Ness Avenue called Help Is On The Way 16 (get there at 6 PM). It is a presentation of REAF, the Richmond Ermet Aids Foundation of San Francisco (REAF.org), which has produced the show for 16 years and all to raise money for AIDS research.

Readers of this space know I've been a proponent of REAF's work and of this very cool annual event. Here'a video about this evening's show:

As stated before, Leanne Borghesi, Carol Channing, Davis Gaines, La Toya London, Carole Cook, James Darren, Paula West, Bruce Vilanch, Kimberley Locke, and Melissa Manchester headline the performers at this great San Francisco event as of this writing.

Got no plans? Or if you've got them, change them. Check out the show; you will not be disappointed.

The Wizard of OZ, San Francisco Sunday Event: Help Is On The Way

2010-08-12T14:32:00.003-07:00

Image via Wikipedia

For some reason, these events go together: today's the 71st Anniversary of The Wizard of OZ and on Sunday, August 15th, at 7:30 PM PDT at The Herbst Theater in San Francisco, REAF, The Richmond Ermet AIDS Foundation holds its 16th annual presentation of "Help Is On The Way" called Help Is On The Way XVI.

Melissa Manchester

It's hard to believe The Wizard of OZ is a full 71 years young. In fact, it seems timeless. Music and songs from The Wizard of OZ are etched into my brain, in part because one of my favorite songs to sing at The Alley in Oakland, is If I Only Had A Brain.

But it is 71 years yound, so it's important to stop
and consider the impact this awesome musical movie has had on American Culture. It has been translated in 40 languages, and been the basis for scores of reinterpretations, including the popular musical, The Wiz.

Which reminds this blogger why the link with Help Is On The Way XVI was made in my pea brain!

Over it history, REAF's Help Is On The Way has featured performers from plays, movies, and musicals like The Wiz.

Here's a video from 2008's pre-event, which includes an auction. But the real story is of the performers and character that are part of Help Is On The Way:

This year Leanne Borghesi, Carol Channing, Davis Gaines, La Toya London, Carole Cook, James Darren, Paula West, Bruce Vilanch, Kimberley Locke, and Melissa Manchester headline the performers as of this writing. And that list expands as we get closer to Sunday.

You can get tickets for Help Is On The Way XVI at 415-273-1620.

SF Transbay Terminal Ground Breaking marks new beginning

2010-08-12T07:14:00.001-07:00

If you follow this space, you recall the long process of working to get a final design for the new San Francisco Transbay Terminal.

The old terminal, slated for demolition, was the hub of trains into San Francisco from the East Bay and using the San Francisco / Oakland Bay Bridge. Then, after trains gave way to cars and buses, it was the terminus of AC Transit Bus Service and San Mateo Transit Service for the East Bay and the North Bay. But with all of that, it had still fallen into a state of deterioration such that it became a blight in the South of Market area of downtown San Francisco.

After the establishment of the Redevelopment Plan in 2005 and a competition, a design created by Pelli Clarke Pelli emerged as the unanimous winner. Here's this blogger's video from the competition and the presentation in San Francisco City Hall in 2007:

Ground breaking marks new beginning

The plan is to take shape over the next seven years and be complete in 2017. I'm certain the vast majority of San Franciscans, let alone people in the Bay Area, have no idea what dramatic change is about to take place in what was once the place that was known as the unofficial parking and transit hub for SOMA's nightlife.

It will consist of a large, 1,000 ft skyscraper, 2,600 housing units, and a giant, elevated urban park unlike anything experienced in America. Indeed, the six-acre park is so large given where it's located, it's more like a much smaller version of Golden Gate Park, but for Downtown San Francisco.

The structure that supports the park will also serve to connect various forms of transit, including the planned extension of CalTrain from next to AT&T Park, and become - this space' prediction - the new place for Bay Area teenagers to hang out. (Try taking a cyber walk around to see what I mean.)

Grand Central Station

"Today, in breaking ground on the Transbay Transit Center, we are opening a new chapter in that history of progress," Speaker Nancy Pelosi said. "We are coming together to create jobs and revitalize our economy, and we are laying the first building blocks of a new 'Grand Central Station of the West.'"

Speaker Pelosi's right. The SF Transbay Terminal project will create 48,000 new jobs during its construction phase, but once finished, will transform Downtown San Francisco in a way that perhaps has not been fully considered.

"This is one of the most important and transformational public transportation projects in America. Once the dust has settled, San Francisco’s skyline will be transformed - as will transportation, housing, and employment choices for people across the Bay area and beyond," said United States Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood. The U.S. Department of Transportation and the Federal Railroad Administration are proud to contribute to the first phase of this effort."

"This is a historic day for San Francisco and for the entire State," said San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom. "History will write that High-Speed Rail and a new engine for job creation and economic growth in California began today, with the groundbreaking of this project. It is a culmination of decades of planning to fulfill our City's vision of leading the nation as a transit - first City and a hub of a modern High - Speed Rail system."

Mark Hurd : Former HP CEO ousted with $40 million - fraud, sex scandal claims

2010-08-07T03:42:00.001-07:00

Mark Hurd

What a way to make $40 million: Mark Hurd became Hewlett Packard's CEO, then got into alleged sex scandal and sexual harassment trouble, only to be ousted from HP with a $40 million severance package, including $12 million payable in 30 days from his departure.

(But to put that in perspective, Hurd earned $24.2 million in 2009, just down from $42 million in 2008, according to TechCrunch.)

According to Business Week, while HP's investigation found that Hurd, who's married according to TechCrunch, was not guilty of sexual harassment of a now former marketing contractor, Hurd did violate the tech firm's business practices policy.

What Hurd did that really got him into trouble was filing a false expense report to cover up his relationship. A letter to HP employees by HP's CFO Cathie Lesjak, who's now interim CEO, tells the whole story from overview perspective and was posted at Engaget. Here's what it reads:

This is to advise you that Mark Hurd, Chairman and CEO of HP, has resigned from the company effective immediately. Mark's resignation was submitted at the request of the company's Board of Directors as a result of inappropriate behavior in which he engaged that violated HP's Standards of Business Conduct and undermined his ability to continue to lead the company.

At the request of the Board I have agreed to serve as interim CEO until a new, permanent CEO is hired. During this time I also will continue to perform my duties as CFO. The Board has formed a committee to undertake a search for a new CEO, and candidates from inside the company as well as outside the company will be considered. I have informed the Board, however, that I do not wish to be considered for the role of permanent CEO, and I have removed myself from being a candidate for that position.

While this news is unexpected, HP remains in an exceptionally strong position both financially and in the marketplace. It is essential, however, that we remain focused and continue to achieve – if not exceed – our operational and financial objectives.

Because there is likely to be considerable media coverage of this announcement during the next few days, I wanted to be the first to share the facts with you.

Mark's resignation followed an internal investigation into a claim of sexual harassment asserted against Mark and HP by a woman who is former contractor to HP. The investigation was conducted by outside counsel in conjunction with HP's General Counsel's office and was overseen by the Board. Based on the investigation it was determined that the former contractor's claim of sexual harassment was not supported by the facts.

The investigation did reveal, however, that Mark had engaged in other inappropriate conduct. Specifically, based on the facts that were gathered it was found that Mark had failed to disclose a close personal relationship he had with the contractor that constituted a conflict of interest, failed to maintain accurate expense reports, and misused company assets. Each of these constituted a violation of HP's Standards of Business Conduct, and together they demonstrated a profound lack of judgment that significantly undermined Mark's credibility and his ability to effectively lead HP.

As we regularly remind all employees, each of us is expected to adhere strictly to the Standards of Business Conduct in all of our business dealings and relationships. This expectation applies with even greater force to HP's CEO and other senior executives who, given their positions, must set the highest standard for professional and personal conduct. The investigation that was conducted revealed that Mark had failed to meet this standard.

We recognize that this change in leadership is unexpected news. We also know that HP's success in recent years is due to the collective efforts and hard work of more than 300,000 talented employees who have formulated far-reaching strategies and achieved our objectives better than anyone else in the industry.
On Monday morning we will conduct an all-employee webcast to discuss this matter further and answer your questions. To join the webcast please click on this link.

In closing, I would like to thank each of you for your contributions to HP, and to ask that in the weeks and months to come we do everything to ensure that HP's future, like its past, is one of innovation, operational excellence, and the delivery of world-class products and services.

All the best.
Cathie

Hartford Distributors Manchester, Connecticut shooting deaths at 9

2010-08-03T10:54:00.001-07:00

According to The Hartford Courant in Hartford, Connecticut, Omar Thornton, who faced disciplinary action at Hartford Distributors, Inc., opened fire and killed what is now said to be nine people in Manchester, Connecticut, then was shot by police.

Earlier reports were that Omar Thornton shot himself; he did not. It was called a "cop shooting" because Omar Thornton did not put his gun down, so police opened fire.

According to Fox CT News video on the Hartford Courant page, and via the mother of a woman, Kristi Hannah, who dated him for eight months, the shooter, 34-year old Omar Thornton, who's African American, complained of racism to his employers, but they did nothing.

John Hollis, a Teamsters Union official said that Omar Thornton, who was a driver with Hartford Distributors, was a "discipline problem" and the union was bringing Thornton in to "remedy" the problem.

Thornton shot a number of people, and as of this writing, it's not known how many because what once stood at seven killed just rose to nine killed, so we don't know how many were injured in some kind of way. Here's the exact quote from the Hartford Courant regarding Omar Thornton's possible motive for the shooting at Hartford Distributors:

Joanne Hannah, who lives in the Enfield neighborhood where Thornton lived until about a month ago, said her daughter Kristi had dated Thornton for eight years. Thornton, who is black, had complained about being racially harassed at work. Thornton brought his complaints to his superiors, who did nothing about it, she said her daughter told her.

A New Trend: blacks who kill over racism

It seems there's a new and to this blogger, disturbing "small" trend of late where black men are as likely to commit workplace shootings as any white male.

Stephen Hill

The last person that comes to mind was was porn star Stephen Hill in Van Nuys, California, who, in June, went off and killed one person and stabbed another at the Ultima DVD office. Hill was black, and like Thornton, was about to be fired from his job. In Hill's case, he was called a "wacky guy" and no one mentioned racism. But then, no one who was close to him was interviewed at the time.

This is disturbing because I and my generation (I turn 48 tomorrow) was raised to be hardened and to expect racism, to point it out, but to not react violently to it.

Because racism is a mental illness, people who are racist are to be treated with pity and avoided. That's the way I'm conditioned to think.

Frankly, you just didn't hear of someone black who would open fire and kill anyone over racism. We were instructed that it was a sickness that's "just part of the deal" and something you needed to overcome to be successful.

This small trend says nothing good about the overall mental strength of the next generation of black men. If one who's black and make expects to be successful in America, reacting violently to racism can't be considered an option.

Stay tuned.

Charles E. Johnson, San Mateo's Tano Capital, invests in India, China

2010-07-27T16:33:00.001-07:00

What's interesting to learn about Bay Area venture capital firms, and on the heels of Thursday's TechCrunch Summer Party hosted by August Capital, is that not every one focuses on the United States.

In the case of Tano Capital, the San Mateo, California investment firm founded by Charles E. Johnson, the former President of Franklin Templeton investments, who's its managing director, has its investment interests primarily in India and China.

The firm, established in 2007, started with a few small investments, but then ramped up its activity considerably in 2009. It started with an investment in AltoBeam Technology, a China-based designer of digital TV chipsets. Then Tano placed $2.2 million in TongXue.com, a Chinese-based social network, that's become one of the 50,000 largest websites in the World (and with a really cool animated activity map).

In 2010, Tano Capital's activity increased, to the point that it has now as many deals in play as it did in all of 2009. And Tano's not totally out of the United States in terms of investment deals: it started the Tano Global Hard Assets Fund, which invests in U.S. hard assets.

Tano does all of this from it's offices in San Mateo, Mumbai, Mauritius, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Taipei, and Tianjin.

Urban Farming in Oakland: City Slickers Fundraiser features Novella Carpenter

2010-07-18T20:12:00.003-07:00

Urban farming is fast catching on as an alternative to shopping in overpriced food stores and worrying about how to feed a family on a challenged budget in a bad economy. Oakland, California has become the San Francisco East Bay Area's center of the urban farming movement. All of this was evident at the City Slickers June fundraiser held at St. Paul's Church near Lake Merritt.

Why wait this long to blog about the event? Because everything about the Oakland urban farming effort, from City Slickers and the people involved in it, to the work of Oaklander Novella Carpenter, City Slickers Founder Willow Rosenthal and her friend Laura Pivas and, it's board members including Kelli Saturno, Barbara Lafeete - Olawale and Interim Executive Director Barbara Finnin .

And others not in the West Oakland food organization, but an influence on the movement, like UC Berkeley Professor and Activist Michael Pollan (who Rosenthal and Carpenter describe as a "hero" and a "great guy"), and others, all in Oakland and the East Bay, form, in the urban farming movement, a World unto itself. It deserves more than the short, keyword-friendly blog post.

Moreover, the people I met at the City Slickers fundraiser are some of the most interesting, energetic, and fascinating I've ever met in my life, and that's saying a lot.

City Slickers' Mission

City Slickers describes its mission as "to empower West Oakland community members to meet the basic need for healthy organic food for themselves and their families." In this, it combines seven farms to provide "affordable fresh produce" to the people of West Oakland. That's something long overdue in West Oakland, a part of Oakland historically blighted with supermarkets featuring overpriced, canned goods, and little in the way of fresh produce, all because supermarket execs said they "couldn't afford" to do better without a subsidy by the City of Oakland.

How do I know this? Because solving that problem was one of my tasks when I worked as the Economic Advisor to Elihu Harris when he was Oakland's Mayor and from 1995 to 1998. It was sad to see so many supermarket chains out to extort the City of Oakland just to be convinced to provide the proper kind of food product for West Oaklanders.

What Is Urban Farming

Urban Farming is nothing more or less than establishing a plot to grow vegetables and raise animals for food in your backyard, but it's in an urban area. According to Willow Rosenthal and Novella Carpenter, the habit goes back 100 years, but the reason its become "hot" now, in the 21st Century, is a combination of awareness of the unhealthy results of fast food consumption, and the economy itself. It's cheaper to grow, make, and cook food, than to spend a $100 per grocery store visit.

Urban farming is, from this perspective, the apparent manifestation of Michael Pollan's idea that industrial eating disconnects us from nature; the best way to reconnect with nature and eat with the environment instead of against it, is to establish, or at least eat from, an urban farm. That's what Novella Carpenter's done.

The Crazy Genius of Novella Carpenter

Novella Carpenter is, and I write this lovingly, a brilliant, nutty, funny-as-hell genius. You've heard of women who run with the wolves? Well, Novella's more likely to get them knocked up. The guest at the City Slickers event and Der Kaiser of Ghost Town Farms is someone you know is there, even if you don't know who she is. That was certainly the case at the fundraiser.

Carpenter's given to speaking frankly and hilariously, as certain to refer to drunken encounters as she is the proper way to establish an urban farm, or for that matter, mate animals.

Of all kinds.

Carpenter's established her West Oakland farm into what reads as something out of Charlotte's Web, with flies that go unswatted, and two turkeys named Harold and Maude. Carpenter's book Farm City: The Education of An Urban Farmer, describes how she came to be Oakland's most famous urban farmer.

But as much of a hoot as Novella is to talk with, get her paired with Willow Rosenthal and it's all over. The two really draw energy from each other as the video shows; it's no wonder they're at the center of the urban farming movement in Oakland.

Novella's a "genius" because she's found a way to channel her amazingly powerful creative sprit into something that touches everyone directly or indirectly, changing the culture around the production of the food we eat. She's not a TV star – but should be – yet, she's having a massive impact on how people think about how their food is gotten just by telling her story in Farm City. One reviewer wrote "At the end of the memoir, I felt as though I had been tending the farm right alongside Carpenter—and emerged satiated and renewed." Moreover, Novella's giving an image of a West Oakland that can be - separated from drugs, crime, and The Riders case - and at the heart of the Bay Area's urban farming movement.

Why Oakland?

Novella's West Oakland farm is successful mostly because in Oakland, people"let you do your thing;" a massive contrast to Berkeley, where that city's famously neurotic residents remind you of the permits you need for urban farming. Oakland's combination of weather, acceptance, and diversity was the perfect stew for Novella's work.

Get involved with City Slicker Farms

If we're to make Oakland that "better place" Oaklanders talk about, helping City Slicker Farms by volunteering or donating is a great start. City Slicker Farms is looking for a Program Assistant and a Development Manager as of this writing and someone who's serious about what they do, which is developing a needed alternative to access to food that should become the norm. Visit the website at http://www.cityslickerfarms.org .

And stay tuned.

Beatles Norwegian Wood played on San Francisco BART train

2010-07-18T14:44:00.001-07:00

YouTube, Metacafe, Blip.tv and Viddler

A group of wandering musicians playing The Beatles Norwegian Wood on a San Francisco BART train bound for Oakland last week, Thursday. The musicians, who appeared to be a family consisting of a man and three boys, one an older teenager of about 16, and the other two between the ages of 12 and 14, went from car to car singing The Beatles Norwegian Wood, and really not badly, all things considered - for whatever money the BART riders would give. I gave two bucks. It's sad that taking on such activities as singing The Beatles Norwegian Wood on a Bay Area Rapid Transit Train at rush hour is what some have to do to make money. While BART has a "no-panhadling" policy, groups like this one should be given some leeway as they provide entertainment after a long day and a little levity in a San Francisco Bay Area than can take itself a little too seriously.

Bohemian Grove fund-raiser to feature Grammy Award-winning acts

2010-07-12T12:24:00.000-07:00

The Bohemian Grove is hosting its 99th Annual Monte Rio Variety Show (website: http://www.monterioshow.org ) to benefit local charities on July 29th. Here's the press release:

Monte Rio, Calif. – The Bohemian Club will hold its 99th annual “Monte Rio Variety Show” on Thursday, July 29, offering an evening of music, comedy and theater to celebrate the friendship and connection with the Monte Rio and Russian River communities and to raise funds for local charities.

Last year’s show raised more than $30,000 for local charities. In recent years the event has featured Bohemians such as country music star Clint Black, rock legend Steve Miller and Grateful Dead icon Bob Weir.

This year’s Monte Rio Variety Show will begin at 7 p.m. at the Monte Rio Amphitheater. A pre-show barbeque, hosted by the Monte Rio Volunteer Firefighter’s Association, begins at 4:30 p.m.

Anyone attending the show is encouraged to bring lawn chairs, folding chairs or a blanket. These items can be placed in advance at the amphitheater after 7 a.m. on the day of the show.

The entrance to the show is behind The Pink Elephant on Main Street in Monte Rio. Admission is payable the day of the event, by reservation or by purchasing tickets at several local outlets.

As is the tradition, this year’s Variety Show will feature special guests, Grammy Award winning musicians, hot rock bands, jazz, and special acts that are guaranteed to delight spectators of all ages.

Tickets purchased in advance are $20.00 for adults and $5 for children ages 13 to 17. Adult tickets purchased the day of the event are $25.00. Children 12 and under are free with paid adult admission. There is an additional fee for the Firefighter’s pre-show barbecue.

Ticket reservations can be made by sending a check to Monte Rio Variety Show, c/o P.O. Box 218, Monte Rio, CA 95462. For any questions, call 707-865-2234.

All proceeds will benefit St. Catherine’s Church, the Monte Rio School Foundation, and the Monte Rio Volunteer Firefighter’s Association.

The Bohemian Grove, the club’s rustic retreat near Monte Rio, provides 600 jobs for adults, college and high school students each summer. The Club also participates in charitable causes that benefit local schools and athletic programs, food banks and has partnered with the Sequoia Trust, which helps fund many programs that serve the Monte Rio and Russian River communities.

San Francisco event Monday night: Young Frankenstein and Wicked cast at Club Fugazi, 7:30 PM

2010-07-12T02:03:00.001-07:00

San Francisco's Club Fugazi, which hosts Beach Blanket Babylon, has an exciting event tonight, Monday night only at 7:30 PM featuring Young Frankenstein and Wicked cast members!

It is the Richmond Ermet AIDS Foundation (REAF) presentation of "Wicked fun with Young Frankenstein."

REAF's "One Night Only" benefit cabaret series are always great fun featuring cast members from hit Broadway shows in original cabaret performances in intimate theaters. Each show takes on it's own character based on the the make up of the touring cast for each show.

The cast of "Wicked" has participated in three of REAF's "One Night Only" benefit cabarets over the past year and they always put together fun and exciting numbers for these benefits.

Add cast members from the hit show, "Young Frankenstein," which is opening this week at the Golden Gate Theatre, plus special guest MC, comic Bruce Vilanch, and you've got a recipe for a wild and crazy evening of theatre.

Tickets start at $25 and are available by calling the Beach Blanket Babylon Box Office - 78 Green Street, San Francisco, CA 91433 - at 415-421-4222. Click here for more information.

World Cup 2010: Spain v. Netherlands at The Republic, San Francisco

2010-07-12T00:10:00.001-07:00

The World Cup 2010 is history. Spain has beaten the Netherlands. And all we have are memories. What's cool about online video and video-blogging is the ability to capture special moments from the point of view of the vlogger.

The Republic, San Francisco

In this case, those videos from this space were created just walking down the street in Oakland's Adams Point District, at Era Art and Design Bar for the USA's dramatic win against Algeria, and for the sad loss to Ghana, and today at The Republic Bar and Grill at Scott and Lombard in San Francisco's Marina District.

The Republic visit happened because my friend Brian Zahn's a bartender there (as well as at Kel's Irish Bar, also in San Francisco), and also a Facebook friend. He sent a message extending an invitation to watch the Spain v. Netherlands World Cup Final match there.

The temptation to get up and go from Oakland to San Francisco and not via car (since a bar was the destination) was countered by the desire to either go to church or sleep. But when a friend sends a note, it's a good idea to respond in kind: The Republic was the destination.

The Republic was surprisingly crowded, meaning I totally misread just how popular 2010 World Cup Soccer matches still were even as the USA was eliminated by Ghana. The Republic was literally overflowing with patrons, spilling outside to the sidewalk - it was standing-room-only full of people expecting a great match. What they got was boring. So much so, that the conversation turned to such things as the flowers on a woman's flip-flops, and the style of cupcakes someone purchased.

If Soccer is to have any chance of being truly competitive with pro football for the American sports fans ticket-buying dollar, it can't have matches like the one between Spain and The Netherlands. The main problem is that it's just plain slow and then, suddenly, it's over. And it seems that the crowd is teased with almost goals after almost goals.

All of this is just fine for World Cup Soccer, but for a regular league game with far less television exposure and cultural impact, it's a guarantee of failure. Americans want to be rewarded with scoring and endings. For whatever reason, that's the way the USA is.

The most logical scenario is World Cup Soccer itself gets bigger and bigger, but fails to carry American soccer up with it. Meanwhile, the NFL's hold on American Culture remains for at least another three decades. The wild card is international expansion for the NFL: how far can it extend pro football around the World is anyone's guess.

Meanwhile, what we had was an incredible surge in popularity of soccer in the USA. The fact the World is competing on stage where there's a final winner and in the age of ESPN, YouTube Twitter, and Yahoo, (the most trafficked site for World Cup Soccer according to Yahoo!'s Cara Varni, who I watched the match with) melded the World like no cultural event has before. The energy at The Republic in San Francisco was tremendous today. The only way it would have been better is if the USA were in and won the final.

I'm ready for World Cup 2014 already!

Megan Avalon shows FBB female muscle before next contest

2010-07-10T11:47:00.001-07:00

San Francisco Bay Area Female Bodybuilder and Personal Trainer Megan Avalon has a growing fan base to go with her growing muscle size and shape.

Fresh from her sports model division win at the Oakland Silver and Black bodybuilding contest, Megan Avalon shows how she's worked on her body even more by adding an inch to her already impressive biceps and worked to develop her calves and hamstrings.

The Marin-based woman who calls herself "Barbie with Muscles" has also served as a spokesperson for websites like Zennie62.com and bikini fashion companies. But Megan's focus is on serving her personal training clients and building her body to its ultimate potential.

Watch for Megan Avalon in more contests, this fall 2010 bodybuilding season.

Oscar Grant verdict: Mehserle involuntary manslaughter sparks protest

2010-07-08T22:29:00.001-07:00

Oakland, California is now what it hates most: the center of attention in America for a reason it does not want: the Oscar Grant verdict.

Former BART Police Officer Johannes Mehserle was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter and not 2nd degree murder, or 1st degree murder as many had desired.

The announcement of the ruling had many looking for Oakland to erupt in a wave of violence and property damage that didn't happen while the Sun was up.

These three videos below show the giant, peaceful protest, which started on the corner of 14th and Broadway and with one-fifth of its ranks being members of the media, and was moved into the middle of 14th and Broadway. The result was the largest peaceful, traffic-stopping protest ever held in downtown Oakland.

This first video shows what happened just before the street protest:

The second video is from the middle of the protest at 14th and Broadway:

The third video features a the dramatic raising of an enormous flag on the street pole at the Northeast corner of 14th and Broadway that reads "Oakland Says Guilty."

The general view shared was many were proud of Oakland for having a protest without violence. That was until the Oakland Police and The California Highway Patrol got antsy and decided to do something.

That something was to move in and essentially work to compress the crowd, with predictably ugly results. This blogger went to upload the first set of videos, which is why that chaos is not represented in the videos you will see. And with that, what happened was not on the scale of 2009. The question many are asking is why did the police take violent action when it wasn't necessary?

As I write this, I'm in a new bar called Geisha about three blocks away from 14th and Broadway.

Pier 39 - Players Sports Bar and Arcade in San Francisco

2010-07-06T17:44:00.001-07:00

One evening during the 2009 NBA Finals this blogger was given a surprise: the opportunity to be a celebrity bartender for the first time and at a place called Players Sports Bar and Arcade at Pier 39 in San Francisco. Aside from the fact the owners of Players Sports Bar should have aimed higher that a blogger, it was a heck of a lot of fun. So much so, that for World Cup Soccer, it's got to be hopping!

One day, Steve Molloy, one of the owners of this kind of mini Dave and Busters in San Francisco, was the tour guide through this vast 13,000 square foot of Pier 39 space, leading the camcorder through its islands of video games, air hockey tables, and other fun stuff. But the video sat on the computer waiting to be uploaded while yours truly fretted with how to improve it.

Yesterday, all the worrying gave in to the desire to just get it out, so the result is the video above and a plug for the place that may have been the first in the San Francisco Bay Area if not America to feature a video-blogger as the celebrity bartender.

If you go to Pier 39, stop by Players Sports Bar and Arcade for the salads and the wine. Yes, normally people go for the burgers and beer, but its the 21st Century.

To get there, all you have to do is walk to the very end of Pier 39. That's it. Steve and the gang even have a World Cup Soccer Shuttle from Union Square to Pier 39 that runs through June 11th, so you can't miss the matches!

I'll be back!

Fourth of July Weekend in San Francisco features Pier 39 events!

2010-07-02T14:09:00.000-07:00

Just got an email from Pier 39 (Pier 39 Beach Street & The Embarcadero, San Francisco, CA 94133 (415) 705-5500) about their many upcoming events for the Fourth of July. Here's what it reads:

Fourth of July Waterfront Celebration!

PIER 39 celebrates Independence Day with a star-spangled day filled with fun and excitement for the whole family! Beginning at 3 pm, enjoy free live band performances in the PIER 39 Entrance Plaza. From 3 â€“ 5 pm, listen to the soft rock explosion of Mustache Harbor. Then get ready to rock out to your favorite 80's hits with Tainted Love from 6 â€“ 9:30 pm. Be sure to check out our street performers on the Crystal Geyser ALPINE SPRING WATER Stage throughout the day. After the concert at approximately 9:30 pm, look up to the sky over the Bay for The City of San Francisco's annual fireworks display. PIER 39's Fourth of July activities are proudly sponsored by Coca-Cola, Crystal Geyser ALPINE SPRING WATER, Dreyer's Grand Ice Cream, the San Francisco Examiner, Taiwan Tourism, Telemundo 48 and Verizon.

Verizon on location at PIER 39 (No iPhone, though)

July 4th Fireworks Cruise!

Come watch San Francisco's fireworks display from the best seats on the Bay, onboard a Blue & Gold Fleet Cruise! Boat departs at 8:00 pm. Non-Alcoholic Cruise departs from PIER 39 at 8:15pm. Boarding will begin approximately 30 minutes prior to departure. No outside non-alcoholic or alcoholic beverages allowed. Snacks and drinks can be purchased onboard for an additional fee.

And thee's more. Just click here for details: PIER 39.

Oscar Grant, Johannes Mehserle case graffiti around Oakland Lake Merritt

2010-06-28T18:15:00.001-07:00

As the Oscar Grant / Johannes Mehserle murder trial nears and end and fears that former BART Police Officer Johannes Mehserle increase, the fears that a riot, or series of riots, will happen in Oakland, Los Angeles, and other cities and towns in California increase, and for good reason. There are clear and visible signs that individuals and groups will take some kind of action that could include violence and property damage, and nowhere is this more apparent than around Lake Merritt in Oakland. There, property damage has already happened.

This video blogger received a tip from a YouTube viewer:

Not sure if you're aware, but there is graffiti in red spray paint throughout the running/walking path in Lake Merritt regarding Oscar Grant and Johannes Mesherle, just thought you may want to possibly cover it, and the peoples reactions while viewing it.

Take Care

On Sunday, I did just that. My vlogging (video-blogging) journey started with a message painted in red spray paint at the AC Transit bus shelter at the intersection of Perkins Avenue and Grand Avenue in Oakland's Adams Point District. The message read "Mehserle must die too!" and seemed to imply there was at least one more graffiti tag like it around somewhere. So, I went for a walk.

At first, as I arrived at Bellevue and Grand closer to Lake Merritt, there was no other graffitt tag message. So I continued along the walking and running path through Lakeside park until I arrived at what's locally called "The Columns," the structure on the northeastern shore of the Lake that serves an an informal meeting and viewing place between Grand Avenue and Lakeshore Avenue.

There, starting at the end of The Columns on the Grand Avenue side, was the first of three messages. It read "Mehserle must die." The other two are located in what I call the center court area, and at the opposite end of The Columns on the Lakeshore Avenue side.

But it graffiti tagging didn't stop there; it continued around the path next to the Lakeshore on the Lakeshore Avenue side of the water. The majority of the messages, which varied in tone from bad to awful, were next to the benches along the path.

In all I counted 11 messages, all in the video. A sure and clear sign that someone already took action to send a warning of what they either intend to do or wish someone else would do if the Oscar Grant trial ends with Mehserle going free.

The problem is Mehserle just may walk free.

The reason is the charge is murder, not manslaughter. The prosecution in the case has to prove that Johannes Mehserle intended to kill Oscar Grant last year. This is an issue I talked about with Oakland City Attorney John Russo just weeks ago. While not saying outright that Mehserle would "walk," Russo explained that it was going to be difficult to get a murder conviction.

If Johannes Mehserle is set free, Oakland's not going to be the safest place to be on the day of the verdict.

Stay tuned.

Frank Shamrock retires from American mixed martial arts (MMA) fighting

2010-06-26T23:59:00.001-07:00

Frank Shamrock (Frank Alisio Juarez III) announced he's retiring from American mixed martial arts (MMA) fighting at at Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Werdum Saturday at HP Pavilion.

Frank Shamrock is the four-time defending, undefeated MMA champion and a 7th degree black belt in something called "Submission Fighting," which is a type of wrestling sport.

Shamrock's four time title defense included some memorably brutal battles, like the one against Igor Zinoviev in 1998 that ended in a knockout. It was called the most violent slam in Ultimate Fighting Championship history. (Warning, the video is violent.)

Shamrock stopped UFC fighting in 1999 after what's considered to be the one of the greatest fights in UFC history against Tito Ortiz. After that fight, Frank Shamrock was considered the greatest ultimate fighter in history.

After a brief stint as an actor, Shamrock returned to fighting in 2001 and had a number of memorable bouts through 2009, when he was defeated by TKO by Nick Diaz.

Shamrock lives in San Jose

Frank Shamrock lives in San Jose, California with his wife Amy and daughter Nicolette. His official website is at FrankShamrock.com.

USA vs Ghana World Cup 2010: Oakland watches Golden Goal

2010-06-26T20:54:00.003-07:00

USA vs Ghana World Cup 2010: Oakland watches Gyan's Golden Goal: USA loses 2-1 in OT

And so another nail-biting FIFA World Cup Soccer game ends for the USA, this time the wrong way. The USA lost 2-1 in overtime as this blogger returned to the Era Art Bar on Grand and Broadway in Downtown Oakland, CA for the anticipated single elimination Saturday match. But in the process, Soccer's importance to Americans grew by fantastic proportions, and in no place was this more evident than Oakland, California.

The USA loss was a sad end to a great run by a USA team that wasn't really picked to go far in World Cup competition. But the hustling team paced by USA Soccer star Landon Donovan tied England 1-1 to start match play, then tied Slovenia 2-2 in a controversial match that the USA really won 3-2 but for a mistakenly discounted goal by FIFA referee Koman Coulibaly. Finally the USA won a match, beating Algeria 1-0. All that set up today's exciting overtime win.

The Era Art Bar was packed

Ghana fans were all over Era

If you arrived at the Era Art Bar at 11 AM and with the idea of getting a seat, you were out of luck; the place was packed.

Kevin Best, the bar's owner, said he was going to open the loft section and that was a good idea if only to have a place to go where one could have some space. But for those who love being in the crowd as things are happening, downstairs at Era Art Bar was the place to be.

The room was surprisingly a bit less "pro USA" than I expected and that reflects not just Oakland's diverse immigrant population, but Americans who simply wanted Ghana to win for various reasons. Some, like my friends Rosa Cabrera and Qaid Aqeel, were torn between USA and Ghana because of their Latino and African heritage, but as Qaid said "It's like James Brown said 'Living in America.'"

Others were clearly for either Ghana or the USA. In the case of Kevin Best, he wanted the USA to win "so this crowd would come back next week." For a time, it looked like he might get his wish.

Michael Hunt celebrates in the air

Ghana took the lead 1-0 to end the first half of match play. But the USA tied 1-1 it in the second half on Landon Donovan's free kick, sending the Era Art Bar crowd into a frenzy. Even the normally stoic Michael Hunt, former aide to Oakland Mayor Ron Dellums, got excited, jumping up over the crowd to celebrate.

But by bar regular Rob Pape's detailed analysis, the USA was not playing well enough to win. To say that Pepe, wearing a "USA SOCCER" jersey, was disappointed in USA team manager Bob Bradley is an understatement, and that was at halftime. Pepe said "I'm having trouble watching it, Zennie. Cause I think Bob Bradley put the wrong lineup in. He should have started Adu, at least for Clark. He probably should have started Gomez for Finley. Or at least Buttle for Finley."

Rob Pape offers Soccer wisdom

Rob Pape said that in the last two game we (the USA) started their best lineups and controlled the center of the field. That was not the case today.

The Oakland Era crowd was surprisingly informed about the game of Soccer. But given the popularity of even pick-up games along Lake Merritt, I should expect what I witnessed: Oakland's a Soccer town. Oaklanders know the game.

The USA team lost but won

USA hopes sank on Asamoah Gyan's golden goal in the third minute of extra time, putting them ahead 2-1. This time, there was no miracle goal at the last minute. No loud celebration. But there was the feeling that Ghana deserved to win and that the USA team made America, and Oakland, very proud. It's too bad we have to wait another four years for The World Cup. But as Rob Pape said "Soccer's like life. It doesn't always go your way."

No kiddling.

Oprah Winfrey Network's show contest: vote for Aimee Allison!

2010-06-25T17:56:00.001-07:00

Zennie Abrahamgreat free widgetsWidgetboxMore info

iPhone 4 antenna and problems mar Apple product debut

2010-06-24T14:02:00.001-07:00

The Apple iPhone 4

Apple's long awaited iPhone 4 is out today, and a long line formed near Apple's Flagship Stores in New York and San Francisco, and around America and the World. The iPhone, an innovative cell phone that's changed the way such devices are developed, has a number of new features that have created a lot of excitement. But the Apple IPhone 4 also has bugs with its antenna and other features that have marred it's debut.

The most exciting new feature on the iPhone 4 is the ability to created and edit high-definition video, which you can then upload to YouTube. This makes the iPhone the first smart phone designed for video-blogging use and can change the face of media. On Wednesday night ABC News Nightline featured an impressive segment that was shot entirely using the iPhone 4.

The other cool feature is video phone calling: the ability to talk to a person and see their face as they talk. It's a wild feature that calls into question how concerns about how teen "sexting" will morph into a concern about what this space will call "sexviding" or the act of one making a video phone call just to send a sexy video of themselves to the other person. (More on that later.)

But beyond launching a new teen social trend (and the prediction here is that "sexviding" will be that trend), the iPhone 4 also has a few problems. The most noted one is the issue of the antenna.

The tech blog Gizmodo notes that the iPhone 4 loses reception when you hold it by the antenna band, which happens to be the way you normally hold the phone. Gizmodo presented this YouTube video by Fame Foundry which shows the problem:

The antenna band is wrapped around the sides of the phone, so when you hold it, you're bound to touch the band, and cause the AT&T (man I hate AT&T) reception bars to decrease to nil, meaning no reception. You have to hold the iPhone 4 by the glass, which is a weird way to handle the product, to get reception.

Gizmodo asked users to confirm the problem by making their own video and that's what has happened. Thus, the Apple iPhone 4 is such that you can't use it effectively by holding it. It seems Apple could have installed a retractable antenna, rather than one that part of the phone's casing. Illogical. (As a note, Gizmodo has various fixes for iPhone users, the most effective one being scotch tape.)

The other problem most noted is with a "yellow spot problem" on the screen that Apple reports will go away within a day "or so." The reason given is apparently that Apple was so busy rushing the iPhone to delivery that a kind of bonding agent was not given enough time to evaporate.

Stay tuned.

USA v Algeria World Cup: Oakland cheers Landon Donovan goal

2010-06-23T17:11:00.001-07:00

It could be said that the USA's win over Algeria in this morning's World Cup Soccer match caused the Toronto Earthquake. Indeed, you would be excused if you thought that the Toronto Earthquake happened because of USA Soccer Star Landon Donovan's monsterous goal. While Donovan's goal didn't start an earthquake, it did send America into hysterics, and that was certainly evident in Oakland, California.

Pure Joy in Oakland

The Era Art Bar on Grand Avenue and Broadway was the crowded scene, with people cheering for the USA and for Algeria. In fact, there was a health contingent of Algerian fans lined along one wall of The Era Art Bar. It was a friendly place to be, though, as people stood and sat with eyes glued to the TV sets at the bar.

The game went back and forth, and it looked like the USA and Algeria would both be eliminated as neither scored a goal for most the contest. Plus, again, the USA had a goal taken away from them for an offsides call that wasn't, causing many to remember the USA Slovenia match. (FIFA really needs to install Instant Replay!)

But then at 90 minutes stoppage time, the energy in the room changed as the USA came charging down the field toward the Algeria goal. You could feel the room swell with excitement. Then, after one kick attempt failed, Landon Donovan swooped in to slam the ball home! USA scored and won 1 - 0.

The room erupted with cheers of USA! USA! USA! That goal and the USA win was a great way to start a Wednesday. The USA advances to the field of sixteen. But can't we just win one outright without it being a nail-biter?

Stay tuned!

Summer Solstice 2010: first day of summer roundup

2010-06-21T10:51:00.001-07:00

Today is Summer Solstice 2010, the first day of summer. According to Wikipedia, Summer Solstice, or the "first day of summer," is "when the Earth's axial tilt is most inclined towards the sun at its maximum of 23° 26'." It's the longest day of the year, with the shortest night, and thus the best reason to have a round up of what's happening. So, picking through the national and local issues and trends...

Oakland, CA

Oakland Police, who have gone without a cost-of-living adjustment for four years, are bracing for job cuts as the Oakland City Council sends signals that it is considering eliminating up to 200 jobs. Some officers say that they've given quite enough in adjustments and feel like they're being used as political footballs while the Oakland City Council tries to look like it can make tough decisions.

The best move for the Oakland City Council is to cut pay temporarily rather than jobs, as many officers would rather have a brief pay hit than a job elimination. Whatever the decision, the City Council should do it and communicate to police that they're more than valued, as many officers don't get that message.

Alameda, CA

Interim City Manager Ann Marie Gallant is under heavy fire for a consistent practice of hiring out of town contractors for work. According to The Island, Gallant ignored a local black financial advisor, Lonnie Odom, president of Stinson Securities LLC, and selected a firm, Westhoff, Cone & Holmstedt, that includes a person Gallant worked with when that person was with another firm, Westhoff-Martin and Associates, and Gallant worked in another city. Gallant selected Westhoff, Cone & Holmstedt without a competitive bid. The job is to have an underwriter for public infrastructure refinancing bonds.

From my experience in the Oakland Mayor's Office, that work is commonly subject to competitive bid because the bond dollar amounts are so large, generally in the millions and in some cases billions, no one in city government wants to be accused of favoritism or racism. Gallant is dealing with both perceptions. Given her years of experience, it's shocking for Gallant to take such a brazen action and doesn't say much good about her style or intent. If Gallant's not careful, the Summer Solstice could mark the beginning of the end of her employment with the City of Alameda.

Atlanta, GA

The sad top story at The Atlanta Journal Constitution is of Christa Scott, a 26-year old Midtown club employee, who left work with a blood-alcohol level of .229, three times the legal limit and up there in Chris Klein-territory, and smashed into a car driven by Jordan Griner, an intern for Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue. Scott ran a red light and hit Griner's driver's side door. He died at Grady Memorial Hospital.

San Francisco, CA

San Francisco Supervisor Chris Daly, portrayed as Godzilla on The Wall SF Forum, has floated a proposal to merge the San Francisco Police Department with the Sheriff's Department and placing control in the hands of the elected sheriff, thus eliminating the position of Chief of Police, and with it George Gasćon. Chris Daly needs six votes from the San Francisco Board of Supervisors to get the proposal on the November ballot. Let's see if he gets them this summer.

More later...stay tuned.

World Cup Soccer 2010: few TV watching chances in Oakland, CA

2010-06-20T11:34:00.001-07:00

For all of its claims to be moving ahead as a city, Oakland, California is still light years behind it's neighbor, San Francisco, and other cities like Atlanta and Seattle in World Cup Soccer viewing opportunities.

If you don't have a television or happen to live with roommates who don't care about World Cup Soccer 2010 (boring people they must be), you're almost out of luck in Oakland.

There are only eight establishments showing World Cup Soccer, and spread out between North Oakland and the Claremont District of the Central Oakland Hills. The one I most recommend is Barclay's at 5940 College Avenue.

Why this blog post? I just got this email:

Hi there,

I just came across your video shot right after the game on Friday, and I noticed you were in Oakland. I'm originally from Germany (another lucky team that day...), and none of my roommates give a damn about the World Cup, so I was hoping you could point me in the right direction, as to where in Oakland one can watch the games, both, USA and Germany, that early in the morning.

Thanks,
Name not published

Oh if you're wondering what game, this game's outcome:

San Francisco has scores of World Cup Soccer viewing places

San Francisco's unique brand of urban party town is such that you can see The World Cup matches at cafes like The Steps of Rome in North Beach, or bars like Kesar on the corner of Cole and Stanyan. Why, the City and County of San Francisco even had a live broadcast of the France v. Mexico match in the middle of City Hall Plaza on Friday!

Seattle is mad for World Cup Soccer

Seattle, a city that has a professional soccer team, is teaming with places to watch World Cup Soccer. So many that Seattle Weekly has a directory of them. From The George and Dragon Pub to Azzurri and scores of other establishments, you can't miss a chance to watch World Cup Soccer with others in Seattle.

Atlanta has events around World Cup Scocer

The Atlanta International Soccer Fest, a giant contest featuring 20 teams representing international organizations based in Atlanta, was timed with the start of World Cup Soccer. And bars from downtown to Buckhead have World Cup Soccer viewing parties and special times.

Oakland must wake up to The World Cup

What does Oakland have? Well, a lot less. I have a television set and a good one, but it's fun to watch the World Cup with others. My good friends invited me to watch the epic USA v. Slovenia match in San Francisco at The Steps of Rome, but as I needed a day close to home, I elected to stay in Oakland.

Then I got the urge to go out and see it, really to capture how others were reacting to it on video, only to learn the hard way that in Adams Point, no bar or cafe had World Cup Soccer. The one place I'd expect to have a morning game, the bar Smitty's at 3331 Grand Avenue, had some guy watching it for himself behind a looked screen door and saying to me "we're closed." I didn't want to drive all the way over to Rockridge because there wasn't enough time left in the game.

So I went to the gym, Gold's Gym, to watch it. But by then it was over. No talk. No anger expressed by patrons other than me. Nothing.

Meanwhile, my friends in San Francisco were calling and texting me about the World Cup Soccer game.

For a city that tried to bid to host the World Cup, you'd think it would be easy to find places showing it in Oakland. It's not so easy but as I wrote, there are eight places showing the World Cup matches on a regular basis in Oakland.

The first place you should go is Barclay's at 5940 College Avenue in Oakland's Rockridge District and just up the street from Rockridge BART, as they have a great soccer crowd. Their website reports they will be open for all games at 6:30 AM.

Oakland North's Jill Replogle wrote a great, if not widely seen, article on this subject, and unearthed a few more Oakland places showing the World Cup games, but not all on a regular basis (she recommends you call first). They are:

Commonwealth Café and Public House at 28th and Telegraph Ave
Oasis Food Market on 30th and Telegraph
Kerry House on Piedmont near 41st
Dareye Hide A Way Ethiopian Restaurant: 6430 Telegraph Ave.
The Grand Tavern: 3601 Grand Ave (way up the street from Smitty's)
Luka’s Taproom & Lounge: 2221 Broadway
McNally Irish Pub: 5352 College Ave.
La Calaca Loca: 5199 Telegraph Ave.

But that's still a small number compared to the places in Oakland that should be showing the game. First, as much as I love the place, it's a total shame The Lake Chalet doesn't have a television set, and two TVs hanging iconically near the two ends of that long bar, to watch the World Cup matches would be perfect to draw crowds. Crogan's in Montclair should be showing all the World Cup matches. The Oakland Marriott downtown should have viewing parties. Max's City Center should open early for the games. Pican just next to Luka's has great TV sets and should show all of the World Cup matches.

Come on Oakland! Get with it! I don't care that you don't want to be known as a sports bar, and such concerns are for neurotics anyway. The World Cup is once every four years! Mayor Ron Dellums should get his head out of where ever it is and open Oakland's City Hall Plaza for a World Cup viewing party.

This is awful. This town needs an enema, and fast before The World Cup is over!

Oakland Mayor Ron Dellums aide Paul Rose leaves for San Francisco

2010-06-18T18:05:00.000-07:00

Oakland Mayor Ron Dellums' head of communications Paul Rose is leaving Oakland City Hall for a new jobs with the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency. As I told Richard Parks of The Bay Citizen.org, and who called for my opinion of Paul's move, it does not mean Mayor Dellums isn't running for reelection.

Now, Richard called me because I worked for two Mayors of Oakland, Elihu Harris and Jerry Brown, so because of that, and a lot of friends, I have some idea of what happens in that office in Oakland City Hall. Frankly, Rose has found it hard to get Mayor Dellums to come into the New Media landscape. Mayor Dellums' Old Media idea of withholding information only has served to allow the development of a negative media pool around Dellums.

I know Rose tried like heck to change that, but in the end, Rose has to consider his future. Of all of the staff that worked for Mayor Dellums, Rose is one who gave it a good go. Still, I think the best staffer is the one who doesn't agree with the Mayor when it matters most. The question is, can Dellums handle that kind of person?

At first, I would have said "no" but Dellums has gotten better in that area. Too litle too late? Yeah. But you gotta start somewhere.