Comment Archives: stories: News
Re: “Quan's Budget Is Unsustainable”
Yes we have to significantly lower the cost of more cops and fire fiighters before we hire more, not afterwards. We also need to manage them so they do their work efficiently and safely for them and us. That takes political leaders who respect police without putting them on a pedestal. Not an attitude commonly found in Oakland pols who typically treat cops like unneccessary evils.
But we also have to get more results out of the millions our city spends or administers on anti-violence, job training, and various other "social" programs.
Have never seen anything from you about the abysmally low performing high cost per trainee job training programs Oakland runs. Maybe one or two of them get decent results. Most of them appear to only succeed in creating internal jobs for job counselors and trainers and administrators.
If we can't get better results out of those programs consider giving the money to OUSD to do the work and see if they can do any better.
Or spend as much of it as legally allowed on restoring Fed cuts to Head Start.
Re: “Unmasking The Art of Living”
A cult according to dictionary is simply a group of people centered around something or someone. Could b good or bad. Lets stop demonizing neutral words & then using them to demonize & slander good groups just because their new or small & non establishment. Its childish & cowardly. Thank u for the comments defending AOL & Shri Shri Ravi Shankar. They have helped many people & harmed none. Nothing is perfect, including skywalker & klim. Grow up & stop trying to use imperfections & honest mistakes to try to tear down & destroy good things u dont understand or fear & therefore hate . Lets stop the childish bigotry & anti pluralistic democracy that still exists to an extent in this supposedly free & pluralistic democracy. Lets finally grow up as a nation & REALLY lead the world in compassion & human rights instead of doing only sometimes to some extent. Skywalker & klim are cowards for slandering & betraying Ravi Shankar & AOL & then hiding behind computers. Shame on you.
Re: “Quan's Budget Is Unsustainable”
Now we have a new mini me real estate bubble and the Mayor and the Council are giddy in their rush to spend the increased revenues on more cops at high cost and restoring cuts that turned out to be only temporary to other city employees.
No, don't tell me that the "rainy day' reserve proves that our elected officials learned anything from the Dot Com and the Great Recession. That reserve goes poof as soon as Jerry Brown wiggles his pinkie.
And even if he lets us keep some of the Redevelopment money in the reserve, a 7.5% rainy day fund ain't much help in the face of the oncoming fiscal hurricane.
Re: “Quan's Budget Is Unsustainable”
The Mayor's proposed budget would be unsustainable after a couple of years even if she were not proposing increased spending on expensive cops and fire.
Her very competent budget office staff prepared the 5 year fiscal projection that shows we're scrogged because nothing has been done to fund all the huge overhanging "structural" obligations re the medical and pension costs of all the general fund employee costs, not just cops and fire; the deferred capital improvements, old pension costs etc.
All the Mayor did in her budget was repeat the mantra we've heard local politicians chant that "we have to start addressing the long term budget problems" but did absolutely nothing to start dealing with them. Nada. Zilch.
For any of our officials to blame the "Great Recession" for the city's problems is disingenuous. It's more a case of the "Great Dot Com and Great Real Estate Bubble" inflating the city's revenues for several years and thus covering up the underlying failure of normal revenue to cover current costs plus fund future retirement and infrastructure costs. Didn't help that just as the bubbles burst the baby boomers started to retire at the hoary age of 50 and 55 allowed by city contract.
Mayor Quan and all of the sitting council members other than the three newbies, signed the police and fire contract a couple of years ago that preserves and protects binding arbitration for cops and fire in all matters of personnel including compensation and discipline. The council agreed that if any of them tried to repeal binding arbitration that the police fire contract was null and void. So the Mayor and the council members can jawbone all day but the police and fire associations are not about to be guilt tripped into any major compensation concessions before they have to. (btw, check out the old PFRS retirement plan and find out whether a reduction in pay for new hires would lower retirement benefits to police and fire retirees of PFRS. I don't know the answer.)
Re: “Quan's Budget Is Unsustainable”
It's total bankruptcy: ethical, functional, financial. Oakland absolutely cannot protect the well-being of its citizens. Oakland has failed at police reform and management so costs are exceedingly high through low morale/high attrition, overly high salaries and excess overtime. "Leaders" have been financially incompetent, dishonest, short-term-oriented, incapable of understanding risk.
There's only one possible route to change: new leadership.
Re: “Quan's Budget Is Unsustainable”
Oakland is completely bankrupt: ethically, functionally and financially. This bankruptcy reflects the failure of leadership.
Ethical bankruptcy: Oakland cannot protect the well-being of its citizens. Rather than take responsibility, Oakland's "leaders" assign blame.
Functional bankruptcy: The city's electeds utterly lack the ability to deal with complex problems. Police reform has failed. The Police Department is demoralized because of a lack of strategic civilian leadership and support. The very expensive high police attrition rate is a result.
Financial bankruptcy: A long history of poor decision-making and short-term thinking. An inability to understand financial planning and the nature of risk. An inability to face facts and deal with them.
None of this will change until there is new, and real, leadership downtown.
Re: “Feds' Medical Pot Fishing Expedition Hits Mendocino Chop”
"Haag hasn't said what she is after..", Do we need two guesses? Do we need even one guess?
Lets face it, even State Attorneys have every intention to use this method, the method of the Federal practice of complete lack of transparency.
Lets assume that 'stuff' rolls downhill. We can also assume that as a measure of Appointee description, appointees are following that which engender possible continued employment under their training from the appointer and that the appointer is the avenue towards advancement to the 'show', Federal appointment purely at the Federal level such as directly at the DOJ or cross entry into other bureaucracies at the Federal level.
No one should assume that Haag or her cohorts in any State will do anything but follow ONDCP policy. The mandate. The only way towards Mj inclusion is resistance to the misguided and corrupted ONDCP policies in each State.
Vote folks, vote your butts off.
Re: “No More Cops Without More Cuts”
Couple of things- if you want to see details of Oakland's city budget that are easily understandable for the first time check out http:openbudgetoakland.org - a new site to help you see and discuss Oakland's spending!
Secondly, I can't speak with legal certainty, but I've worked under contract w Tony Smith since he arrived and he has been perhaps the most trustworthy, genuine senior official I've known in Oakland. Feel free to suggest unsubstantiated theories about why he is going, but be willing to admit you slandered him if it never pans out that anything else is up- and I'll admit I was wrong about him also if something is fishy, but he's a guy a I would trust over most in public service and that's rare and awesome. He's no saint, but he's legit.
Re: “In Search of East Bay Tea Parties”
I doubt seriously whether EBE would ever print "the truth" about a group that stands up for the Constitution and fights unfair taxation
Re: “Why the Oak-to-Ninth Housing Project Is Coming at Just the Right Time”
Do you think the City of Oakland should expend $25.6 million of scarce affordable housing funds for two parcels of land that are unsuitable for housing, so Oakland Harbor Partners (OHP), who have been unable to come up with the $18 million to purchase the Oak to Ninth property from the Port, can purchase it by May 1? Come and speak out at the Community & Economic Development meeting tomorrow, Tue. 4/23 at 1:30 pm in Hearing Rm 1 in City Hall.
Re: “Why the Oak-to-Ninth Housing Project Is Coming at Just the Right Time”
Naomi,
The Chron had more this morning on Oak to Ninth and the redevelopment funds:
http://www.eastbayexpress.com/SevenDays/ar…
Re: “Why the Oak-to-Ninth Housing Project Is Coming at Just the Right Time”
Joyce,
I agree that Oak to Ninth is not smart growth -- in fact, the above article states exactly that. As such, I don't think developments such as this one should be exempt from CEQA.
Re: “The Port's Debt Problems Will Slow Army Base Project”
communitydemocracyproject.org
we are striving to bring accountability to the budgeting process!
Re: “Why the Oak-to-Ninth Housing Project Is Coming at Just the Right Time”
Wait a minute--what about the big subsidy from the city's redevelopment funds (or what's left of them) for the affordable units? Those units are not paid for by the developer, in my understanding. Has that changed? I believe the city also has to buy that land back from the developer, although it is currently owned by the public. Also, this project entails knocking down 89% of the historic Ninth Avenue Terminal, in continuous use since its construction, and potentially a valuable destination on the waterfront.
Re: “Why the Oak-to-Ninth Housing Project Is Coming at Just the Right Time”
Bob, my respected friend, you just negated the whole premise of your article, “How an Environmental Law Is Harming the Environment” in the March 13th issue. (And see my comments.) You summed it up at the end with: “Our primary environmental law should protect the environment against the greatest threat it faces — climate change — and not make it harder to implement solutions that help fight that threat.”
So it would seem to follow that any project that increases carbon emissions should be opposed.
Unlike Parker Place in Berkeley, the Oak to Ninth project will not help Oakland to “meet its climate-change goals, because it will provide much-needed urban housing near jobs and mass transit, thereby helping lessen the need for suburban sprawl and greenhouse-gas-belching commutes.” It will acerbate it!
Oak to Ninth isn’t infill development. It isn’t transit-oriented development. It is a massive 3100-unit development on an isolated site with poor accessibility adjacent to a major pollution-spieling freeway and active rail lines.
It has the worst attribute of suburban life—auto dependence. The nearest transit, Amtrak, is almost a mile away, and the Lake Merritt BART station, more than a mile, and reached across railway tracks with 75 daily trains, not a safe route for either pedestrians or bicyclists.
To help picture 3100 units consider this project in San Francisco—One Rincon Hill next to the Bay Bridge. The first of two towers has been completed; its 60 stories have 376 condos. So 3100 units would be equivalent to EIGHT such towers? Does that not seem ludicrous even as the market improves?
The so-called Community Benefits of housing for low-income families and seniors were not to come out of the developer’s pocket, but the community’s, that is, from redevelopment funds. But they went poof! Without those funds, low-income families and seniors will not have to live next to a very noisy, polluting freeway and purchase clunkers for transportation.
The Air District recommends that homes not be sited within 500 feet of a high traffic freeway. Most of the residences are less than 500 feet from I-880 and the most vulnerable population, low-income families and seniors, would have been closest to it.
CEQA lawsuits cannot, in themselves, stop a bad project. The EIR’s purpose is to layout the environmental impacts of a project so that an informed decision can be made. The Oak to Ninth EIR disclosed the horrendous traffic congestion the project would bring to the already congested two-lane access road. The cold starts and start & stop traffic would greatly worsen carbon emissions.
But the EIR for the Oak to Ninth project was completed before Jerry Brown took up the issue of greenhouse gases and required EIRs to quantify them. It would have certainly stated that the project would significantly contribute to climate change. But, even then, the city could approve the project, citing overriding considerations like, say, jobs? Possibly the same consideration will be used to push the Keystone XL pipeline—jobs!
Michael Ghielmetti, President, of Signature Properties, once admitted to me that it would be smarter to build high-density housing downtown. And yet, he has downsized one of his fully entitled projects downtown from 351 to 105 units, Parcel B of the Broadway-West Grand site. The completed housing at Broadway & Grand is being pitched as: “There is so much happening in Uptown, and Broadway Grand is at the center of it all.”
If we are serious about climate change, the high-density housing planned for Oak to Ninth belongs downtown. But, it would not be harmful if a few hundred units were built at Oak to Ninth as long as residents all drive hybrid or electric cars and have good health insurance plans.
Re: “What Richmond's Getting Right”
For the Record:
In July 2007 consultants hired by The Mentoring Center (Oakland) made recommendations to the City of Richmond city council regarding strategies most likely to generate successful impacts towards reducing the city's historical epidemic rates of gun violence;
In July 2007 the Richmond City Council chose and ratified their decision to create the Office of Neighborhood Safety, a non law enforcement investment to reducing gun violence; The ONS was "NOT" founded by the RPD, just to be clear
The ONS has 10 "full time" staff (thats all) which includes only 7 "outreach workers" for a city with a 103,000 population; and more than 200 people who might be involved in gun violence at any given time;
According to the city's finance department, the ONS is funded $1.2M from the city's general fund in 2013-14, I have heard the ONS director say that the ONS requires at minimum $3M to adequately functional considering the need and demand for what it does (ONS be proud of what you've helped to accomplish given your task with the crumbs you've been provided);
I am curious (chief magnus) how many murders has your department solved since your arrival on your white horse, I recently read somewhere that it wasnt many. How does this fact impact a sustained reduction and stoppage of gun play - folks dont feel protected and they feel that they can get away with it - because they are...(what most dont understand is that the ONS wouldnt have such a large population demanding its services if RPD closed more firearm cases);
I am one who has grown increasingly fatigued by how law enforcement in general, local politicians and irrelevant clergy and community members suck all of the air of success and credit for reductions in gun play in Richmond, and how they allow the ONS to be maligned and treated as some step child or as inconsequential in the matter (this is unacceptable people);
I am however appreciative of how the ONS without a lot of fanfare works effectively in such inconvenient circumstances, with the most dangerous individuals, in the most dangerous neighborhoods at the most dangerous times in Richmond. ONS staff never toot their own horns, they've never claimed victory (chief magnus). In fact Ive read that they give any credit to the young men that they serve for any successes achieved in reducing gun play;
Finally, everyone in the Rich needs to eventually understand this truth: How Richmond spends its time and money will determine the shape of its chickens coming home to roost. This is the most UNFRIENDLY city in the bay area to its future - our youth. There is no sustaining reductions in gun violence when the current city budget barely provides for it in real opportunities for those involved in gun violence, and where most of its other investments communicate anti-youth development, anti-kids, etc.
You need to get it right about "what Richmond is getting right"
A Concerned Richmond Resident
Re: “The Bacon-Wrapped Economy”
Has the author seen this yet?
http://givingpledge.org/
The young tech folks are just getting started...
Re: “A Little Dab Could Doom Ya”
Yeah butane hash is definitely sketchy to make and should not be done without extreme caution. There are a few decent videos on you tube. H20 bubble bags do work well (as was mentioned above). With the water bags you risk making a mess vs. blowing up your house:) Also you are using 100% unmodified ingredients which is always a positive. If we used logic we would allow people/or business to get licensed in order to make the hashish using the more dangerous methods.
For more on CA MMJ operations and laws visit us at http://www.californiadispensaryinfo.com/
Re: “A Little Dab Could Doom Ya”
In our state a lab is permitted and regulated. You can see clearly that labs are important and extracting and isolating chemicals for proper dosage are simply the best way to treat a patient for a specific illness. If you need a hydrocarbon or any non polar solvent to extract out the oils and most if not all that can be used are flammable I would suspect that the terms chemical or flammable would not be proper in legal definitions. Fragrances, flavorings, essential oils, biofuel medicine homeopathic or allopathic are all extracted using various flammable solvents chemicals. Solvent meaning a liquid that can dissolve another liquid or solid.
It is very obvious that a permit that is regulated should be in force, not more laws that prohibit a solvent or chemical that would obviously be ignored or would push the manufacturing into a different maybe more dangerous, more toxic or less controllable direction. A state needs to step up to the plate and satisfy demand where it exist when the lives and health of people are at stake. Butane, propane, hexane etc has been used for decades to produce everything you use daily just about. It is not about the solvent. It is about those easy to access large quantities of disposable butane canisters and open to atmosphere extraction processes called tubes that are used when "blasting"
High Pressure CO2 and Tamisium Extractors are closed systems and are the only alternative. CO2 does not eliminate the need for flammable solvents. On the contrary it would be combined with propane, hexane or butane to increase its efficiency of extracting out the oils. So you just cant get away from flammable when dealing with lab processes. It is about the process and equipment when searching for a safer solution
Should consumers be forced to acquire medicine from another city or state or should a simple process for safe regulations be created and put into effect that would allow more jobs to be created, more fees and taxes to be paid to a starving state.
The bottom line is that it will not go away and will cost more to stop it than to make it safe and useful.
Re: “A New Place to Gamble?”
Yes I agree that currently the establishments have been running in a quasi legal manor. Tonight I plan on trying to "Change the Times"; Once again I plan on offering to put my Ass on the line all in the name of trying my best to provide a Business Solution that works for everybody. I begin Farmers University Classes in subject of Anti Money Laundering, Client Data Protection etc etc. This semester must be done by Mid July. My Loss Prevention idea for the Cafe will include SAR'S reporting by Casinos of Me in Arrears and I U ME...it's what I personally can bring to the table along with the clout hopefully of F/U and maybe even a Welcome to the Camber and way to Show A Monty Carlo Knight actually working the Night-Shift. By the way the Names' Shawn Clinton Barry Esqr. office located inside the BMR aka Bill McAlley Napa Auto Works.
Felonious as well it might be Infamous of Risk I am going to figure out how to cover...Oh what else I can bring....who can top the Chief Master Sargent of the Pentagons Air Traffic Control or Computer Software distribution...trust me by being asked to find a hole or gap...I am can do kind of Guy.
Sorry to creator of this link, I used it to pander to my own base desires; please let me know if I have injured or offended you in doing so. Thank You Shawn C Barry