Open Thread
March 19, 2010 by V Smoothe · Leave a Comment
Want to talk about something I haven’t covered? Do it here. You can find the previous open thread here.
Ignacio De La Fuente: Join me in demanding real solutions to Oakland’s financial crisis
February 18, 2010 by Ignacio De La Fuente · 68 Comments
Since the outset of the current financial crisis, I have encouraged the residents in District 5 and my supporters throughout the city to participate in the Budget process to advocate for the preservation of what I believe should be the focus of our City budget, CORE SERVICES. These core services are: Police; Fire; Parks; Libraries; Streets; Sewers; Sidewalks; and the most essential services for our Seniors and Youth. I have been pleading with my colleagues on the council to realize the urgency of this crisis, and I am again urging you to join me as I push them to stop delaying critical decisions that impact Oakland’s immediate and long-term fiscal health.
Open Thread
February 16, 2010 by V Smoothe · 150 Comments
Want to talk about something I haven’t covered? Do it here. You can find the previous open thread here.
There are limits to what people should “tolerate”
January 26, 2010 by V Smoothe · 151 Comments
I read with shock, horror, and disgust the recent columns from the Chronicle’s Chip Johnson, the Tribune’s Tammerlin Drummon and Byron Williams, and yesterday’s Chronicle editorial defending the Mayor’s nomination of Oakland’s largest Proposition 8 donor, Lorenzo Hoopes, to a new term on the Paramount Theatre Board of Directors.
29 great Oakland blogs from 2009, part 2
January 6, 2010 by V Smoothe · 4 Comments
I hope you guys all got a chance to visit some of the great blogs I linked to on Sunday in the first part of my great Oakland blogs from 2009 series. I’ve got some more stellar reading material for you today. Here we go, again, in chronological order.
29 Great Oakland blogs from 2009, part 1
January 3, 2010 by V Smoothe · 15 Comments
From time to time, journalists putting together stories about the future of news or new media or something will ask to talk to me about blogging and local news. I always think this sounds like fun. It usually doesn’t turn out that way, though.
The conversations almost all go pretty much the same. First, they tell me that they’re a huge fan of my blog and that they read it all the time and are so impressed with what a great writer I am. I thank them. Then, they ask something along the lines of “So, what would you do if there were no more journalists covering Oakland City Hall? Without newspaper stories to respond to, how would you find things to write about?”
Being a better blogger in 2010. Happy New Year, readers!
January 1, 2010 by V Smoothe · 9 Comments
I just love the beginning of a new year, don’t you? It’s so full of hope and promise, just this endless vista of potential spread out before you, every day an opportunity to do things better this time around.
Yes, I realize it’s totally arbitrary. There’s no reason one can’t decide on any random day that tomorrow is going to be a fresh start. But I’m a sap, and I’ve always loved the idea of having one day that marks a time when everybody gets to just let go of all the nonsense that’s been dragging you down or holding you back and make a fresh start all together.
A warm welcome to this year’s new Oakland bloggers. You guys rock!
December 31, 2009 by V Smoothe · 16 Comments
I suppose it makes me sound like a crotchety old lady that every time I write something meta about the blogoaksphere, I go on and on about how there used to be, like, no Oakland blogs way back when I started doing this almost four years ago (yikes!). It’s boring and repetitive, I know. But I just cannot seem to get over how different the online Oakland landscape is now than it was in 2006.
2008 was a pretty awesome year for Oakland blogs, but I have to say, 2009 was even better. As we near the dawn of a new decade, I wanted to take a little time to look at what the blogoaksphere gained (and lost) this year. Let’s start with the sad stuff first.
Bruce Nye: This Place Is A Mess: Now What Do We Do About It?
December 29, 2009 by Bruce Nye · 132 Comments
Bruce Nye is Board Chair of Make Oakland Better Now!The opinions in this post, however, are his, and do not necessarily reflect the positions of the organization. Make Oakland Better Now! will be holding an emergency city budget meeting to vote on the organization’s position on the city budget on Monday, January 11, 2010 at 6:30 p.m., at Oakland City Hall, 1 Frank H. Ogawa Plaza, Hearing Room 4.
My guest post last week used about 1400 words to say the following: the city really is in dire financial straits, there’s no place to hide, there is no possibility of an immediate miracle and the problem won’t be fixed without political courage and leadership. The post drew more than 50 on-line comments. Other MOBN! Board members and I heard just as many comments off-line. A lot of people are angry at city government —as they should be — and responses ranged from the highly macro (e.g., this is the beginning of the end of civilization as we know it) to the policy-based (e.g., the relative values of parks vs. police, parcel taxes, bonds, etc.) to the very micro (elimination of living wage initiatives, furloughs vs. pay reductions, etc.). Many citizens are apoplectic over the very thought of another parcel tax, and some seem even to welcome a municipal bankruptcy.
Huge thanks to all who gave to the Blogoaksphere Food Drive!
December 28, 2009 by V Smoothe · 3 Comments
OMG. Is it really possible that I basically abandoned my blog for the entire month of December? I feel terrible about it. (I know posting has been pretty weak all fall, actually.) It certainly isn’t like I don’t have plenty to say about things that have been going on. Alas, a whole big mess of stuff got in my way.
Bruce Nye: Does Oakland have a budget crisis? Sure enough it does.
December 23, 2009 by Bruce Nye · 73 Comments
Bruce Nye is Board Chair of Make Oakland Better Now! The opinions in this post, however, are his, and do not necessarily reflect the positions of the organization. Make Oakland Better Now! will be holding an emergency city budget meeting to vote on the organization’s position on the city budget on Monday, January 11, 2010 at 6:30 p.m., at Oakland City Hall, 1 Frank H. Ogawa Plaza, Hearing Room 4.
For some time, we’ve been hearing Oakland’s politicians talk about a budget crisis. And everybody should be forgiven if they’re numb to this whole discussion. But guess what? There really, really is a crisis, and it’s going to have a huge impact on all of us, particularly if we, as a city, don’t take action.
League of Women Voters: What is Records Management – and Why Should You Care About it?
December 10, 2009 by League of Women Voters · 11 Comments
Records management is the practice of maintaining the records of an organization — in this case, the City of Oakland — from the time they are created up to their eventual disposal. This may include the classification, storage, securing, and destruction of records.1 Capability for timely record retrieval is also a key part of a modern records management system.
