Paulette V. Hogan: Dark Horse Candidate for Mayor

by V Smoothe | December 23, 2008 | 13 comments

So, part of the reason I like to watch Council meetings is cause I’m a big nerd who really wants to know what’s going on with the City. But I also like watching them because they’re hilarious. You can always count on Desley Brooks to squeeze in some totally awesome snide comment in at the expense of one of her peers. And Nancy Nadel says something comically out of touch at least once per meeting. And I can’t keep myself from laughing by the way Dan Lindheim gets so excited and all puffed up on the incredibly rare occasions where he knows anything at all about the subject being discussed, and just can’t help but jumping in to insert his totally uninteresting factoids. But by far the best part of any meeting is the public comment.

Sure, sometimes it can be tiresome, and the idiotic or straight up untrue things people say can get you pretty riled up if you care about the subject at hand. But there’s all sorts of delightful characters at the podium. If you can get over your rage at the fact that anyone listens to them, the NIMBYs and their melodrama are always good for a laugh. I think my favorite comment this year was from the guy who came to yell at the Council that he parked outside City Hall and didn’t pay his meter, which means he might get a parking ticket while he’s at the meeting, which would be taxation without representation. It was pretty awesome.

Anyway, I totally have a new favorite public commenter. Her name is Paulette Hogan. You may remember her from a video I had up here for a while:

About 50% of the time she comes to the microphone, she’s pretty much like that, and I end up laughing out loud uncontrollably. Other times she’s like, done some yoga or something and calmed herself down, and has fairly insightful things to say. Anyway, guess what folks, she’s running for Mayor.

She’s got a bunch of little three minute speeches on there if you want to get a feeling for her agenda. Most of them sound pretty much like this one:

I highly recommend going through and listening to some of them during your holiday. I would not recommend listening to every single one of them all in a row like I did. I now hear her mantra in my sleep. “Service is any city’s life blood, everything flows from it and is nourished by it. Welcome back to the City of Oakland, where we still believe customer service is not a department, but an attitude.”

There are certainly some areas where I sympathize with her. For example, it’s hard for me not to feel some affinity when I hear her yell “Nancy Nadel! Step down! Step down! Immediately! Resign! Resign!” But some of her other stuff is a little out there. She hates the entire Council, except for Rebecca Kaplan, who will get to be both City Council President and Vice Mayor under her regime. Concrete aspects of her platform include:

need to recalibrate City budget
City Council should take a 50% pay cut
devote over $100,000 to AIDS prevention and education
declare a State of Emergency in public safety
an end to cronyism and nepotism

I know people are looking for an alternative Mayoral candidate besides Don Perata or Jean Quan or Ignacio De La Fuente, so I thought I’d just throw it out there that you’ve got another choice. Personally, I’m going to wait a little while before committing to a candidate.

13 Responses to “Paulette V. Hogan: Dark Horse Candidate for Mayor”

1
len raphael Says:
December 23rd, 2008 at 3:33 pm
she greatly relieved the tedium of listening to the ktop recording of public works meeting last week.

she sounded half crazed half the time, compared to the council members who sound completely rational and balanced. Then you stop, step back from the minutiae of the discussion and realize the council members share a set of underlying assumptions accepting the status quo that makes Hogan the sane one.

btw, is Sanjiv H. losing his seemingly eternal patience with oakland’s misgovernment? in that public works hearing he was downright sarcastic. is he on solid grounds saying the committee violated state rule on limiting public comments when the proposed legislation directly affects the speaker?

-len raphael
temescal
2
94610BizMan Says:
December 23rd, 2008 at 5:03 pm
“…declare a State of Emergency in public safety”.

Anyone have a concrete idea what this means? I believe that this is an executive power legally limited to the Governor. In that case it gives the authorities expanded police and public safety powers to order citizens around (street closures, cordons, area curfews, etc).

Since the city doesn’t use the police powers it already has, I can’t quite understand why this isn’t way out-there talk.
3
Sean Nero Says:
January 2nd, 2009 at 9:11 pm
Paulette touched my brother in law Donald in a very special way today when she came through his line at the Oakland Walmart. She told him about her life and from it he gained hope and promise that he has a purpose in his life. After meeting her he told me to look her up and I got a strong urge to to do so because of what he told me about her. Paulette is no dark horse but a beacon of light that others have yet to be touched by. Donald’s meeting with Ms. Hogan really touched him and when he told me about her I also got that sense of hope. Thank You!!
4
Paaulette Hogan Says:
January 5th, 2009 at 1:43 pm
First of all I want to say thank you to you V. Smoothe. I knew people watched KTOP, because I did for years. I knew that people would respond. I am very serious about my candidacy for Mayor for the City of Oakland, California.

With Great Joy I serve this City with a pay cut of 50%. That’s right $100.00. Youth need the monies for thier services. They are our future!!!!!
5
Paulette Hogan Says:
March 8th, 2009 at 5:30 pm
Y.O.O.U.T.T.H.H. Youth Of Oakland United and Trained To Help and to Heal. That’s right, invest in the youth of Oakland, CA. On Tuesday, March 3, 2009, City Council Chambers will never be the same. The youth of Oakland, California United. They were well verbed and showed up in huge numbers to put a stop to the repeal of Measure OO.

I am proud of the Youth of Oakland, California. They are not just our future, they are our NOW. We will NEVER OVERCOME WITHOUT them. Kudos to the APAL leaders and all other youth organizations and youth who showed up and showed out.

The Best Thing About Being Positive, Is NOT Being Negative.
6
Ralph Says:
March 9th, 2009 at 9:23 am
Paulette. the problem with those youth is they failed to understand the measure before them and that government does not work in a vacuum. They would have been better served had they heard some of the council discussion. How are you going to serve the youth if all the other support mechanisms have been decimated.
7
Paulette Hogan Says:
March 9th, 2009 at 4:37 pm
Hi Ralph:

Let me start by saying that I always appreciate constructive critisism. However, the best thing about being positive is not being negative. Believe me the youth and I have been speaking before, during and after the council meetings. I am glad first of all to see them in the room. Secondly, I am glad that they had an opportunity to see policy at work and play. Finally, my hope is that they walked away from the table with more ideas like. Y.O.O.U.T.T.H.H. Youth Of Oakland, United and Trained To Help and to Heal: Developing the Minds of the Youth of Oakland.

Perhaps you will help us to develop a Youth City Council, so that the Youth of Oakland will have a representative at every council meeting from every district.
8
Ralph Says:
March 9th, 2009 at 10:34 pm
Paulette, I don’t know what you are attempting to achieve with a Youth City Council. At this time, I see no value in such a program. I do however see value in OUSD actually providing students an education, maybe one that even includes a civics class. With OUSD graduating 12th graders who can not even function at an eighth grade level, we have more important problems than creating a Youth City Council.
9
Paulette Hogan Says:
March 10th, 2009 at 2:33 am
Ralph:

I am glad you asked what I am trying to achieve with the Youth Of Oakland United and Trained To Help and to Heal. Developing the minds of young people has been my goal in life. After being a paraprofessional for 24 years, I know that you have to meet young people where they are. The best thing about being positive, it NOT being negative. I look for the best in youth.

May I suggest to you the Education Partnership Committe that will meet Tuesday, March 10, 2009 at 4:00. There you may voice your concerns about the Youth of Oakland United and Trained To Help and to Heal.

As for the Youth City Council…I believe that children are our future. Teach them well and let them lead the way; Show them all the beauty they possess inside. Give them a sense a pride to make it easier. Let the children’s laughter remind us how we use to be. Everybody’s search for a hero (Are you one?). People need someone to look up to. Thank God when I was growing up I had as a hero Mayor Richard Gordon Hatcher, the first Black Mayor of a major metropolitan City, Gary, Indiana, where I was born. You can’t help where you are born, but you can thank the Creator for where you end up in life. The lessons may be hard, but they are for the making of you.

My parents made sure that I folded flyers, passed out political materials, and participated in government. That is why I am the Lady that I am today. My hope is to expose the Youth Of Oakland, United and Trained To Help and to Heal to City government; what to do and what NOT to do.
10
Ralph Says:
March 10th, 2009 at 8:59 am
Paulette, I can’t attend a mtg if I don’t know where it is?
11
Paulette Hogan Says:
March 10th, 2009 at 9:52 am
Hi Ralph:

The meeting is today at 4:00 p.m. in Hearing Room 1 at City Hall.
12
Paulette Hogan Says:
March 12th, 2009 at 8:21 am
Hi Ralph:

It was good to see you in the Education Partnership Committe Meeting. It looks like you will be a wonder help to steer that committee. I look forward to working with you in the future.

Loved your comment.
13
Paulette Hogan Says:
March 18th, 2009 at 9:32 am
Good Morning: This morning I accessed the web on Google and found the story about my tasing. The Oakland Police Department and Oakland Housing Authority Police (who nobody wants to take ownership on), have gone too far.

I was at home, in my bedroom, UNARMED. WOW!!!!

Mr. Pete said last night in City Council, Oakland Police Department has gone too far.

len raphael: Unconfirmed that MJQ laid off 100 employees today, blaming RDA court case. How much did she and the CC waste in legal fees betting against Jerry’s lawyers?

ralph: No, Livegreen, Occupy Oakland is doing plenty good. They are the poster children for the new, “This is Your Brain on Dope” Campaign.

Livegreen: They seem to b determined to shut down Oakland and little else. They’ve forgotten Wall St. I can’t help but think the Officers who were preventing them from breaking in to City Hall could have spent...

gregory mcconnell: The Occupest disrupted City Hall today. They managed to make it difficult, but not impossible, to go into City Hall. They demanded that people who accosted cops on Wednesday should be released. I was out...

livegreen: I watched the M-Y mtg last night, & it was painful. Jose is a nice guy, but he has difficulty running a meeting that gets anything done. They debated for about 1 hour whether they should discuss recommendations...

len raphael: The murder of 5 year old Gabriel Martinez. Got a call from an acquaintance who lives in East O and often gets supper at his family’s taco stand. She asked where she can sign up to help on the recall.

Ravi: I’m sure that all of those Quan diehards (“a recall would be a waste of time and too expensive”) are very gratified that this lovely and deserving woman is having such a good time. No doubt they prefer...

len raphael: JQ “”I’m actually having a lot of fun,” she said after rehashing many of the lower moments from her first year in office.” “http://www.insidebayare a.com/news/ci_19651889R...

Ravi: And regarding police reform and the crime thing, Judge Henderson could decide to put OPD under Federal jurisdiction because the terms of the NSA haven’t been fulfilled by the City Administration. Those folks in City...

len raphael: Harbinger of things to come to the City Council when they eventually have to make similar decisions. But they won’t. The Fed bankruptcy judge will do it for them.

livegreen: Yeah, but OUSD has to do something. There are way too many schools for the school population. There’s simply no choice. At least they’re willing to make the tough decisions. Unlike the City of...

len raphael: Are those school board recalls entirely over the school closing decisions? Different groups or one umbrella?

Ravi: Two recall petitions for Quan; five recall petitions for five school board members.

len raphael: City says there are now 7 concurrent recall petitions. Not clear how many are for Quan and how many for Council Members. Direct democracy at work.

Ravi: Can the Oakland City Council lead? Nope, nor can the Mayor. It’s up to the citizens, who are deeply divided and have been for a very long time.

len raphael: Oakland Local is the only on or offline general circulation media that shows understanding of the depths of our fiscal situation and understands that it’s causes precede the real estate crash. One of these...

Mkilian: Related to the Cal Supremes haircut to Oakland with respect to RDA and the immediate need for a “fiscal operations plan” is another issue put forth in Oakland’s internet newspaper, Oakland Local, is...