Comments on: Still waiting for Mandela Foods http://www.abetteroakland.com/still-waiting-for-mandela-foods/2008-05-05 The Continuing Story of a City Fri, 06 Jan 2012 21:06:35 +0000 hourly 1 By: Coentrao http://www.abetteroakland.com/still-waiting-for-mandela-foods/2008-05-05#comment-369617 Coentrao Thu, 04 Nov 2010 11:09:56 +0000 http://www.abetteroakland.com/still-waiting-for-mandela-foods/2008-05-05#comment-369617 I'm obviously not "some people"! It's the number 2 question I get asked every single day, right after I'm asked about parking. I find the idea of the City limiting how much and who can sell produce as rediculous at best. You get exclusivity clauses from your landlord, not from the City. Whatever happened to the free market? Even if they were to start work today on MFC, it would clearly take 6-12 months to get it going. The health department has to do all their inspections along the way as equipment is installed and I don't see any floor drains, so that's another huge time spender. It's reprehensible that she's claiming that anything is going to happen in that space any time soon. Stop making promises that you cannot keep! I can *almost* see giving MFC the original $100K, but why $200K more when there was zero progress? No lease was signed, and that right there says it all. I’m obviously not “some people”! It’s the number 2 question I get asked every single day, right after I’m asked about parking.

I find the idea of the City limiting how much and who can sell produce as rediculous at best. You get exclusivity clauses from your landlord, not from the City. Whatever happened to the free market?

Even if they were to start work today on MFC, it would clearly take 6-12 months to get it going. The health department has to do all their inspections along the way as equipment is installed and I don’t see any floor drains, so that’s another huge time spender. It’s reprehensible that she’s claiming that anything is going to happen in that space any time soon. Stop making promises that you cannot keep!

I can *almost* see giving MFC the original $100K, but why $200K more when there was zero progress? No lease was signed, and that right there says it all.

]]> By: Joanna/OnTheGoJo http://www.abetteroakland.com/still-waiting-for-mandela-foods/2008-05-05#comment-1417 Joanna/OnTheGoJo Wed, 07 May 2008 16:36:41 +0000 http://www.abetteroakland.com/still-waiting-for-mandela-foods/2008-05-05#comment-1417 50 square feet?! But doesn't WOPAC get it? If it were a viable business plan, Bridge would have done the lease with MFC. It was quite clearly not viable. But I'm disappointed in Bridge for bowing down to the demands on limiting fresh foods. What did they have to be afraid of? But the MFC thing is a serious thorn in my side. What a waste of public funds!!! I just don't get why they got anything after the initial $100K. Did anyone have to report on where those funds went? I know that when I started my business I had to go the first 2-3 years without pay. That was part of the investment. Certainly I'd like to know what kind of salaries the MFC folks are taking home without even having a project up and running. I think fraud would be a very hard thing to prove, so I wouldn't go that route. But what was the reasoning in giving the $200K when no results had been forthcoming from the $100K? 50 square feet?! But doesn’t WOPAC get it? If it were a viable business plan, Bridge would have done the lease with MFC. It was quite clearly not viable. But I’m disappointed in Bridge for bowing down to the demands on limiting fresh foods. What did they have to be afraid of?

But the MFC thing is a serious thorn in my side. What a waste of public funds!!! I just don’t get why they got anything after the initial $100K. Did anyone have to report on where those funds went?

I know that when I started my business I had to go the first 2-3 years without pay. That was part of the investment. Certainly I’d like to know what kind of salaries the MFC folks are taking home without even having a project up and running. I think fraud would be a very hard thing to prove, so I wouldn’t go that route. But what was the reasoning in giving the $200K when no results had been forthcoming from the $100K?

]]> By: V Smoothe http://www.abetteroakland.com/still-waiting-for-mandela-foods/2008-05-05#comment-1382 V Smoothe Mon, 05 May 2008 16:24:28 +0000 http://www.abetteroakland.com/still-waiting-for-mandela-foods/2008-05-05#comment-1382 The West Oakland Project Area Committee, which has been a strong supporter of Mandela Foods, was upset about Bridge, the landlord, leasing the anchor space in the complex to the 99 Cent Store instead of to Mandela Foods, and made all sorts of threats about demanding a federal investigation and such. Eventually they decided to drop their threats as long as Bridge agreed to a lease restriction limiting the floor area devoted to <i>all</i> fresh produce, dairy, and meat to 50 square feet (of an 11,000 sf space). When the Council approved the extra $200,000 in September, the group said that with the money, they would be open by November of 2007. The West Oakland Project Area Committee, which has been a strong supporter of Mandela Foods, was upset about Bridge, the landlord, leasing the anchor space in the complex to the 99 Cent Store instead of to Mandela Foods, and made all sorts of threats about demanding a federal investigation and such. Eventually they decided to drop their threats as long as Bridge agreed to a lease restriction limiting the floor area devoted to all fresh produce, dairy, and meat to 50 square feet (of an 11,000 sf space).

When the Council approved the extra $200,000 in September, the group said that with the money, they would be open by November of 2007.

]]> By: Joanna/OnTheGoJo http://www.abetteroakland.com/still-waiting-for-mandela-foods/2008-05-05#comment-1381 Joanna/OnTheGoJo Mon, 05 May 2008 16:20:05 +0000 http://www.abetteroakland.com/still-waiting-for-mandela-foods/2008-05-05#comment-1381 I'm obviously not "some people"! It's the number 2 question I get asked every single day, right after I'm asked about parking. I find the idea of the City limiting how much and who can sell produce as rediculous at best. You get exclusivity clauses from your landlord, not from the City. Whatever happened to the free market? Even if they were to start work today on MFC, it would clearly take 6-12 months to get it going. The health department has to do all their inspections along the way as equipment is installed and I don't see any floor drains, so that's another huge time spender. It's reprehensible that she's claiming that anything is going to happen in that space any time soon. Stop making promises that you cannot keep! I can *almost* see giving MFC the original $100K, but why $200K more when there was zero progress? No lease was signed, and that right there says it all. I’m obviously not “some people”! It’s the number 2 question I get asked every single day, right after I’m asked about parking.

I find the idea of the City limiting how much and who can sell produce as rediculous at best. You get exclusivity clauses from your landlord, not from the City. Whatever happened to the free market?

Even if they were to start work today on MFC, it would clearly take 6-12 months to get it going. The health department has to do all their inspections along the way as equipment is installed and I don’t see any floor drains, so that’s another huge time spender. It’s reprehensible that she’s claiming that anything is going to happen in that space any time soon. Stop making promises that you cannot keep!

I can *almost* see giving MFC the original $100K, but why $200K more when there was zero progress? No lease was signed, and that right there says it all.

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