Sports
Tuesday, April 23, 2013
Tuesday Must Reads: CHP Agrees to Step Up Patrols of Oakland; Quan Pushes to Block Warriors from Moving to SF
Sports / Law Enforcement & Crime / Education Robert Gammon — Tue, Apr 23, 2013 at 6:56 AM
News stories that East Bay progressives and environmentalists shouldn’t miss:
1. The California Highway Patrol has agreed to increase its presence in Oakland, following the decision by the Alameda County Sheriff’s Office to stop patrolling the city, the Trib and Chron$ report. The CHP will step up its patrols from two to four days a week under a new agreement. Late last week, county Sheriff Greg Ahern said his department would stop its two-days-a-week patrols because Oakland refused to pay workers’ comp to deputies injured on the job. The city hired the CHP and the Sheriff’s Office to patrol Oakland as a stopgap measure until OPD can hire and train more officers.
Wednesday, April 3, 2013
Wednesday Must Read: San Jose Threatens to Sue to Get the A’s; Hundreds of Sea Lion Pups Starve on Central Coast
Sports / Environment / Transportation Robert Gammon — Wed, Apr 3, 2013 at 10:20 AM
Stories that East Bay progressives and environmentalists shouldn’t miss:
1. San Jose Mayor Chuck Reed is threatening to sue Major League Baseball in an ongoing effort to bring the A’s to his city, telling baseball Commissioner Bud Selig that he wants to personally meet with him so as to avoid “litigation,” the Mercury News reports. Other San Jose officials have talked openly about suing MLB, because the A’s are currently prohibited by the league from moving to the South Bay because the San Francisco Giants own the rights to that territory. A lawsuit would seek to eliminate the Giants’ territorial rights.
Friday, March 22, 2013
Friday Must Read: Oakland Councilmembers Brooks and Reid Could Be Censured; A’s Plan to Move to San Jose Hits New Snag
Politics / Sports / Law Enforcement & Crime Robert Gammon — Fri, Mar 22, 2013 at 9:55 AM
Stories you shouldn’t miss:
1. Oakland City Councilmembers Desley Brooks and Larry Reid could be censured by their council colleagues as a result of an independent audit that found that they had broken city laws. The Chron reports that Council President Pat Kernighan plans to develop a process for censuring councilmembers who’ve engaged in wrongdoing, noting that the council apparently has never before censured one of its own. A censure would not automatically result in Brooks and Reid’s removal from office, but it would be a public rebuke of their behavior. Brooks and Reid maintain that they’ve done nothing wrong, but City Auditor Courtney Ruby said the evidence against them is conclusive. Ruby has also forwarded her findings to the Alameda County District Attorney's Office.
Monday, March 4, 2013
Monday Must Read: California GOP to Court Latinos; Teen Birth Rate Reaches Historic Low
Politics / Sports / Health & Medicine Robert Gammon — Mon, Mar 4, 2013 at 9:48 AM
Stories you shouldn’t miss:
1. California Republicans, still staggering from the November election, plan to court Latino candidates and voters in an attempt to regain relevancy in the state. The SacBee notes that the GOP fared poorly with Latino voters last fall, and Latinos will become the largest ethnic group in California this year. Ex-Lieutenant Governor Abel Maldonado indicated during the state GOP Convention over the weekend that he is considering a run against Jerry Brown in 2014, but for Republicans to make inroads with Latinos statewide they’ll have to soften their stance on immigration reform.
Thursday, February 21, 2013
Thursday Must Read: Oakland Officials Apologize to A’s Owner; Attorney General Reopens Criminal Probe of State Parks
Politics / Sports / Law Enforcement & Crime Robert Gammon — Thu, Feb 21, 2013 at 9:44 AM
Stories you shouldn’t miss:
1. Oakland city officials have apologized to A’s co-owner Lew Wolff and admitted that they were wrong when they accused him earlier this week of not forwarding a letter to them that requested a lease extension at the Coliseum, the Trib reports. On Monday, City Administrator Deanna Santana said at a public meeting that Wolff had sent the letter to the media but not to the city or county and accused Wolff of not negotiating in good faith; Mayor Jean Quan then backed up Santana’s allegation. But then yesterday, Santana admitted to making a mistake, and acknowledged that Wolff had sent the letter to her office and to the mayor’s office.
Tuesday, February 19, 2013
Oakland Officials Accuse A’s Owner of Playing Games in the Media
Politics / Business / Sports Steven Tavares — Tue, Feb 19, 2013 at 5:07 PM
Oakland city officials had tough talk for Oakland Athletics co-owner Lew Wolff Monday night, accusing him of manipulating the media and refusing to engage in negotiations with the city concerning a new ballpark for the team. “Lew Wolff won’t talk to us,” said Oakland Assistant City Administrator Fred Blackwell at an event in Oakland for the grassroots group, Save Oakland Sports. Blackwell also said a change of ownership “would do wonders to negotiations.”
Thursday, January 31, 2013
Thursday Must Read: CHP to Keep Patrolling in Oakland; Anti-Gay Bigotry Erupts in San Francisco
Politics / Sports / Law Enforcement & Crime Robert Gammon — Thu, Jan 31, 2013 at 9:44 AM
Stories you shouldn’t miss:
1. The California Highway Patrol has agreed to patrol Oakland streets for another month as it negotiates with the city for a longer contract, the Chron and Trib report. The CHP has been patrolling city streets for the last three months in an effort to help Oakland deal with its ongoing crime problems. But the CHP now wants to be paid for it efforts after the Oakland City Council agreed to pay the county sheriff’s department for similar work.
Friday, January 25, 2013
Coliseum Authority Approves $1 Million in Stadium Studies Despite Tenuous Support From Raiders
Politics / Business / Sports Steven Tavares — Fri, Jan 25, 2013 at 4:05 PM
The Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum Authority approved the expenditure of $1 million Friday for a pair of studies for Coliseum City, a plan that would include a new football stadium to potentially house the Oakland Raiders. The authority’s decision came despite signs that the team and the NFL are cool toward the plan.
Monday, January 14, 2013
Monday Must Read: Homicides Jump in Bay Area; Oakland Hit By Gang Violence
Sports / Law Enforcement & Crime / Education Robert Gammon — Mon, Jan 14, 2013 at 9:38 AM
Stories you shouldn’t miss:
1. The number of homicides in Oakland, San Francisco, and San Jose jumped dramatically in 2012, the Chron reported. The increase in homicides came at the same time that those three cities experienced significant reductions in the number of police officers they employ. The one major exception to this trend was the City of Richmond, which has seen a dramatic drop in violent crime in recent years, and last year had the lowest number of homicides in more than a decade.
Wednesday, August 22, 2012
Bartolo Colón Faces 50 Game Ban for Juicing
Sports Rachel Swan — Wed, Aug 22, 2012 at 2:37 PM
All right, bad news for baseball: A's pitcher Bartolo Colón tested positive for "performance enhancing" testosterone, just one week after another huge juicing scandal involving SF Giants MVP Melky Cabrera — over the same substance, no less. Both of them now face a 50 game suspension, which means that Colón, who won the prestigious American League Cy Young Award when he played for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, will sit out for the remaining 40 games of the season, plus 10 post-season games, if Oakland makes it to the playoffs. He'll receive no pay during that suspension.
