Comments on: Mayor Ron Dellums insults Oaklanders again

By: V Smoothe

V Smoothe — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 18:57:48 +0000

Sanjiv got so angry at the Planning Commission a couple weeks ago after being rather forcefully cut off my Michael Colbruno that on the next item, he jumped up and got in line the second they opened public comment and spoke third out of like 20 people.

By: Max Allstadt

Max Allstadt — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 17:49:34 +0000

FF, why don’t you write down what you have to say and find a proxy who’ll identify your words as those of an FF? Why don’t you encourage cops to do the same?

By: ConcernedOakFF

ConcernedOakFF — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 17:42:08 +0000

I wish that I could just stand up and speak at a meeting, but the state of the city being what it is…I fear for my job if I was to say what I really thought about my employers….

By: VivekB

VivekB — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 16:30:25 +0000

Carlos – so I *can’t* stand up and strongly request they fund the Courtney Ruby thing since it’s an “upcoming council item”?

Or do I just say that I want to talk about photosynthesis (ie, unrelated item), then get up and say whatever I want anyhow? I’m good at that bit…

By: Max Allstadt

Max Allstadt — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 15:36:29 +0000

honestly carlos, sometimes council meetings bore me senseless. tonight will NOT be one of those times.

By: Carlos Plazola

Carlos Plazola — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 15:22:06 +0000

Max,

that’s funny! Making Sanjiv talk first…he’d be so confused he’d pass out.

Yes, if you want to speak at open forum, you have to get their before 6pm or fill it out on line, which is very easy to do. Only catch is you can’t speak about upcoming council items at open forum.

To those still on the fence about attending council tonight, think of it this way: Consider it like you’re going out to watch a movie, except it will actually have an impact on your city, and it will be MORE entertaining than a movie.

And if you’re tentative because you’ve never gone to a council meeting or spoken at one, look for me or some of my colleaguess and we’ll walk you through the process, and give you two minute tutorial, at no cost

Carlos

By: Max Allstadt

Max Allstadt — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 06:16:55 +0000

If you want to get in on open forum at the beginning, you better get that card in early or fill it out online, right?

Also, I have a proposal for order and protocol tomorrow night. I call it my “after you” initiative. When you get ready to line up at the podium, everybody be sure to say “after you”….

…to Sanjiv Handa.

By: Carlos Plazola

Carlos Plazola — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 06:05:20 +0000

VivekB
Ceremonial items are from 6 to 7 PM. While the council hearing itself will start at 7 PM, the truly important items for will start after 7:30 PM, so arriving around 7:30 PM should not be a problem. I believe, unless the rules have changed, that you have until 8 PM to fill out a speaker card on remaining items.

By: VivekB

VivekB — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 05:15:00 +0000

I thought the council meeting was at 6pm tomorrow night? I’m going, but it would be nice to take more than 3 minutes to wolf down dinner beforehand.

By: We fight blight

We fight blight — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 05:04:42 +0000

After reading the public safety plan, I am even more convinced that the City of Oakland is lacking leadership. Not only is this plan poorly written and poorly organized, it lacks the type of details such as implementing actions, responsible parties, time frames and costs that are necessary to track and ensure any degree of success.

While I understand the Mayor’s emphasis on PIES–prevention, intervention, enforcement and sustainability–nowhere does he discuss the issue of enforcement except to say we should hire and maintain 57 more problem solving officers. Really, the bulk of his plan is on page 14, the shared outcomes. Yet there are no numerical goals to strive towards other than the 57 problem solving officers. How does one really gauge success? How does one know whether the cost/investment of public dollars is appropriate?

My interest is in blight so I was happy to see the shared outcome of: “Enhance quality of life via focused delivery of City services to reduce blight and other nuisance abatement issues.” But what the hell does this really mean? Our problem with blight is that there is a whole lot of it in Oakland. Our code enforcement officers are way overburdened. They cannot leave their city offices without stumbling over blight. I’m not sure how focused delivery changes this fact and allows them to solve blight issues more effectively. Hiring more code enforcement officers to go block by block through each neighborhood would be a start. But that costs money and we are in a major budget deficit. Do we hire code enforcement officers or police officers. While I may want to rid the City of blight, I would much rather have more police to detain, arrest and incarcerate the criminals who seem to run amok and to serve as a deterrent to future wanna be thugs.

As it stands, we the public are doing our part in North Oakland. The We Fight Blight Campaign is going block by block and identifying problem properties and abandoned/inoperable vehicles and reporting them to the City and the Police Department. We have had mixed results in the City’s ability to respond to the large number of blighted properties and abandoned/inoperable vehicles that we have reported. Perhaps the Mayor and the Police Chief could do their job and put together a half-way decent public safety plan. Frankly, I think the Mayor would have been better off getting several students from the Graduate School of Public Policy at UC Berkeley to prepare his plan. Isn’t it time for the Mayor and the Police Chief to step aside and give someone else a chance to run this City? Clearly they are out of their league.