Prime Time Warrior Wins Again

By Dr. Khalid Al-Mansour

President Barack Obama shakes hand with Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez at the Summit of the Americas in Tranidad-Tobago.

Despite the insistence of the U.S. press that President Barack Obama is not yet ready for domestic and international prime time, we are witnessing the opposite based on his track record of success as measured by unprecedented favorable public praise both at home and abroad. The latest to join the harmonious chorus is President Hugo Chavez. Before he ever met President Obama, the U.S. press proclaimed that Chavez had declared Obama “ignorant,” therefore advised the President not to attend the Summit of the Americas, recently held in Trinidad. Nevertheless, because of vital issues facing critical United States interests, the President elected to attend and contribute, and by any measure, he hit the ball out of the skeptics’ ballpark. Among other positives indicators: the vast majority, if not all, of the delegates were seen requesting autographed pictures with President Obama; the smiling and admiring President Chavez not only extended the right hand of diplomatic friendship to President Obama, he unabashedly declared him “ a very Intelligent leader.” In addition, Chavez promised to quickly send a new ambassador to the United States as proof of his intentions to turn the diplomatic page. At the same time the leaders of Cuba publicly declared that Cuba is ready, willing and anxious to make a new diplomatic leap. In their collective voices, for the first time, they stated publicly that “all outstanding issues are on the table including issues of democracy, alleged political prisoners and trade.”

“Healthy Oakland” Clinic Serves West Oakland

By Angela Woodall
Oakland Tribune

Men often are nearly invisible within the health care system, especially if they belong to a minority group and are poor. That is why the Healthy Oakland-Save A Life Wellness Center, a West Oakland community clinic, set its sights on serving men who otherwise would fall through the cracks.
The programs go deep into the community’s needs, but about 87 percent of the clinic’s patients are men, the vast majority of whom are ineligible for insurance.
“What we’re witnessing today in Oakland is an example of what should be done throughout the country,” said Rep. Barbara Lee, D-Oakland, standing outside the center’s yellow corner building at 2580 San Pablo Ave.
“This is an example of how we can do better,” she said Thursday during a ceremony to celebrate the center’s designation as a state-licensed community clinic, making it the only African-American, faith-based, licensed community clinic in California.
The clinic, which opened in 2004, had a lot to celebrate. The state designation means increased stability and longevity for the center because it now can bill Medi-Cal at a higher rate. That means more money for programs and patients.
The clinic really struggles every day to find the money to keep running, said Cynthia Burnett, who helps find those funds for the center. In addition, the center unveiled their new Piccolo Blood Chemistry Analyzer and a special examining table for patients with mobility problems purchased with a $25,000 donation from the Bechtel Foundation in San Francisco.
“The clinic came to be out of sheer need,” said Noha Aboelata, a consulting physician.
The clinic is one of three in the county that focuses on indigent men who have been in prison or jail and who need a wide range of services. Many suffer from hypertension and diabetes, have a history of substance abuse and mental health issues, and have unstable housing.
Just finding transportation to a clinic is a challenge, Aboelata said. “This place is right where it needs to be.”
The seed for the nonprofit was planted by Bishop Ernestine Reems-Dickerson, from the Center of Hope Community Church, and the Rev. Raymond Lankford, of Voices of Hope Community Church in Oakland, to decrease violence and health disparities. The clinic started out with a budget of about $300,000 and now operates with $3 million with the help of county support and other funding.

Bill to Protect Public Workers Gains Support

A bill to protect certain public servants and other professionals who have been the target of retribution advanced in the Assembly this week.
AB 923 will add Code Enforcement Officers, members of the Board of Equalization, certain public health officers, and veterinarians to the Department of Motor Vehicles’ protected list, providing them and their families an additional level of protection.
The bill passed the Assembly Transportation Committee on a bi-partisan 12-0 vote.
“We now face new dangers created by a new set of crimes, which pose additional threats of violence to certain employees.  This bill will cover three particularly dangerous cases, one of which is illegal pit bull fighting rings, which in some cases are used to finance illegal gang activities,” said Assemblymember Sandre Swanson.
“We are also experiencing violent threats on public safety officials who monitor, report, and close drug manufacturing and drug-dealing homes, which leads to arresting violators.  Finally, we have to extend protections to the only elected constitutional officers who are not covered in state law,” he said.
John Lovell, representing the California Association of Code Enforcement Officers, the California Narcotic Officers’ Association and the California Peace Officers Association testified on the dangers encountered and loss of lives by code enforcement officers in the line of duty.
“Seven of our code enforcement officers were killed in the last three years in the line of duty. In one case, an official and his entire family were murdered. AB 923 will ensure that dangerous individuals cannot use State resources to track down and harm these officers or their families” Lovell said.

Council Nixes Taxes

Quan’s Plan  Quietly Quashed

By Brian Lavelle

In a surprising turn of events, the Oakland City Council on Tuesday scheduled a special election for July 21, but declined to place either of two proposed major tax measures on the ballot.
Two measures were approved for the ballot. One would tax medical cannabis sales at 1.8 percent on top of normal sales tax. The other is a technical change that would ensure that a corporation’s property could be reassessed when a change in corporate ownership occurs.
The two proposed tax measures will join the “Children’s Compromise” proposal that the Council placed on ballot at their last meeting. That proposal would modify the spending formula mandated by Measure OO, the “Kid’s First” initiative passed by voters last year.
The effect would be to maintain spending on youth programs near last years levels while saving $3 million toward closing the projected $83 million deficit in the City’s hard-pressed General Fund.
The Council declined to place on the ballot two tax measures sponsored by Council Member Jean Quan. A proposed increase in the sales tax of 0.25 percent was defeated when it failed to gain the required five votes. Councilmembers Ignacio De La Fuente, Desley Brooks and Jane Brunner opposed the tax on the grounds that it would drive business away from Oakland. Council Member Larry Reid abstained.
The Council also turned down a proposed parcel tax to fund the Lighting and Landscape Assessment District. The proposal was withdrawn prior to the meeting but remained on the agenda and was put forward again when it appeared the sales tax measure would fail. Members doubted that an effective campaign could be waged by summer, however, and the proposal was again withdrawn for reconsideration in the fall.

Town Hall Meeting Looks at City’s Money Woes

By Brian Lavelle

Neighborhood residents had a chance to discuss the city’s growing budget deficit at a Town Hall Meeting Tuesday evening with Mayor Ron Dellums and Councilmembers Larry Reid and Jean Quan.
Speaking at the event, held at the East Oakland Multipurpose Senior Center, Dellums reviewed details of  a projected $83 million deficit that he attributed to a precipitous fall in revenues as a result of the financial crisis. He said he has asked all city departments, except for Police and Fire, to take 20 percent cuts. He also indicated that city workers would be asked to take a 10 percent cut.
“None of these options are good options,” he said.
The Mayor also said that he met with Attorney General Eric Holder two weeks ago to discuss the City’s request for $23 million from the stimulus package to fund the Police Department. Holder indicated that the funds could be used to back-fill positions eliminated due to budget constraints, Dellums said.
All these measures  would still only yield about $40 million. Three ballot measures already scheduled for a vote July 21 would raise an additional $4-5 million.
Councilmember Quan said she is sponsoring an additional ballot measure that would increase the sales tax by one-quarter of one percent  and would raise about $8 million.
Dellums stressed that in shaping the budget “the most vulnerable in our community must be the most important” priority.
Among community members who spoke, a volunteer at the senior center said they feed a thousand people per week at the centers and that on the city shutdown days many have nowhere else to go. He asked why all the centers had to close down on the same day.
Several speakers expressed the hope that senior services would not be cut.
One woman suggested an earnings tax such as in New Orleans where wages and salaries earned in the city are taxed.
“Can police and fire contracts be renegotiated?” Asked another resident.
Referring to media criticisms of the mayor, a young man supported Dellums’ efforts to enhance “racial harmony” despite being “demonized in the Tribune, the Eastbay Express and the Chronicle.”
Quan also expressed irritation at the media, saying that “Ron Dellums and Chief Tucker have done more to get control of the police than anyone else.”

Oakland, AC Transit and BART Get over $16 Million in Federal Grants

Alameda County and the City of Oakland will receive over $529,000 in funding for the Emergency Food and Shelter Program, provided through a Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) grant. Additionally, both the Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) and the Alameda-Contra Costa Transit District (AC Transit) systems will be receiving over $16 million in FEMA grants through the Transit Security Grant Program.
The funds, made available by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act,include Department of Homeland Security’s FEMA awards to Alameda County of $316,387 and to the  City of Oakland of  $213,315. The Department of Homeland Security FEMA awards included $14,235,223 to BART and $1,936,142 to AC Transit.
“The funds can be used for a broad range of services, including mass shelter, mass feeding, food distribution through food pantries and food banks, one-month assistance with rent, mortgage and utility payments to prevent evictions, and transition assistance from shelters to stable living conditions,” said Congresswoman Barbara Lee.
“Additionally, the transit security grants will help to ensure that our transit systems are operating in a safe manner for the people of the Bay Area,” Lee said.
“In these tough economic times, these grants will provide much needed relief and resources to the people of my district and help those that have been affected by the economic downturn get back on their feet.”

Protest Police “Disrespect” of Mayor

By Brian Lavelle

Oakland residents gathered outside City Hall Tuesday at a press conference protesting the disrespect shown to Mayor Ron Dellums when he was not allowed to speak at the funeral for four murdered police officers at the Oracle Arena on March 27.
“The exclusion of Oakland’s Mayor was more than a disrespectful affront to the mayor himself; it was an act of insubordination to Oakland’s governing body, and a back-handed slap in the face to all of the citizens of Oakland who pay the generous salaries of the members of the Oakland Police Department,” said Oakland businessman Geoffrey Pete .
Stating that the funeral was paid for by city funds and that the Mayor “is the official representative of the City of Oakland in both good times and bad times,” Pete called upon the Oakland Police Officers’ Association to publicly apologize “to the Mayor and the Citizens of Oakland.”
Agreeing, Rashidah Grinage of People United for a Better Life in Oakland, PUEBLO, said, “Whether you agree with the Mayor’s policies or not, the office of the Mayor must be respected.”
Lynette Neidhardt, a local businesswoman and neighborhood activist, also criticized biased reporting on the mayor. “We are tired of pot shots taken at the mayor by a) a columnists with a personal vendetta; b) parts of the police association who don’t want reform; and c) politicians who have been trying to run for mayor for the last four years,”  she said.
“Mayor Dellums has worked to get Community Policing established” and “has insisted that the [police] department be reformed,” she said. “Please get on board and be part of the solution and stop disrespecting our mayor.”
At the officers’ funeral,, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, Attorney General Jerry Brown and Senators Dianne Feinstein and Barbara Boxer addressed mourners. According to the press, however, at least one of the families asked Mayor Dellums not to speak.
Minister Keith Muhammad of the Nation of Islam, one of those who attended the Tuesday press conference,  talked about the “politicization” of the funeral, noting that Congresswoman Barbara Lee, Assemblyman Sandre Swanson, County Supervisors Keith Carson and Nate Miley, and Council Member Desley Brooks were present but not asked to speak.
“As painful as it was to look upon the four caskets, it was also painful to see the elected officials of the City of Oakland disrespected,” he said.
In a written response issued by Dominique Arotzarena, President of the Oakland Police Officers Association, the OPOA denied having any role in asking Mayor Dellums not to speak and expressed anger at those who “would use this tragedy to stage a political event while families continue to grieve the passing of their sons, husbands and fathers.”
“All Oakland police officers prepare emergency packets, which include instructions to family and friends in the event that they are killed in the line of duty.  After the officers were killed, two of the four had their emergency packets and there were specific and clear instructions that they did not want the mayor to speak at a memorial service for them.  The OPOA had no knowledge of these instructions before they were opened,” Arotzarena wrote.

Raiders Provide Grants for Local Youth Fields

Over the last 10 months, the Oakland Raiders have been involved with the award of $140,000 in grants toward youth field refurbishments in the East Bay.
Willie Wilkins Park and Ernie Raimondi Field in Oakland as well as San Leandro’s Burrell Field are benefiting from the Silver and Black’s community involvement.
“It is our great pleasure to provide this assistance to the parks utilized by children and others in our communities,” said Raiders Chief Executive Amy Trask.
The official groundbreaking ceremony for the initial phase of upgrades at Willie Wilkins Park took place in January at the park, which is located in Oakland’s Elmhurst neighborhood.
The park is receiving improvements thanks in part to a $40,000 Youth Fitness Zone Program Grant from The Oakland Raiders and NFL Charities.
The first phase of the Willie Wilkins Park improvements is providing new play equipment for a 2-5 year old tot lot, with new accessible pathways, safety surfaces, and site amenities. The second phase of the project includes a larger tot lot for older children, ages 5-12, additional site furniture, restroom and other improvements to pathways
Last June, the football field at Oakland’s Ernie Raimondi Field got new bleachers thanks in part to a $50,000 grant from the NFL Grassroots Program. The grant was part of $5.43 million in field refurbishment awards allocated to community groups in areas surrounding the 32 NFL markets.
The field is undergoing a two-phase renovation, including a multi-purpose synthetic turf field, a new playground, site lighting, and American Disabilities Act upgrades. The Grassroots grant is being used to install four additional bleachers for the new field to accommodate players and spectators. NFL Grassroots funds are being matched with more than $1 million in donations from various foundations and private contributors.

Garamendi Backs Conyers’ Bill

Lieutenant Governor John Garamendi is backing universal health insurance bill authored by Democratic Michigan Congressman John Conyers.
“I was your insurance commissioner for eight years,” said Garamendi. “I know they have but one purpose, and that’s the bottom line: profit.
“As long as they are in this game, America will continue to be ripped off. And it’s time for us to end that with a single-payer universal health care program.”
Conyers’ bill, the United States National Health Care Act, would create a publicly financed, privately delivered health care system that improves and expands the already existing Medicare. It is designed to ensure that all Americans have access to the high quality and cost effective health care services regardless of their employment, income or health care status.
“Forty-one years ago, America created a single-payer universally available health care system that covers everyone who is over 65,” Garamendi said. “All we need to do is take the 65; erase it; write in zero; and send your premiums into the Medicare office. Now that’s change we can believe in.”

Labor’s Love’s not a Loss

Politicians, Business and Community Leaders Know Labor’s  Love’s not a Loss

When the Alameda Labor Council, AFL-CIO speaks, strikes, pickets or decides to honor those who deserve their support, everybody pays attention and pays to attend their annual dinner. This year the Council honored all those who went on strike in 2008 (AFSCME 3299, California Nurses Association, Operating Engineers Local 3, SEIU 24/7, 1877, UHW.) They also saluted William B. Harvey, Communications Workers of America (CWA 9415) as Unionist of the Year; Sylvia Pino and Tamara Perine of United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW 5) as Rank and File Political Action Leaders and the Oakland ACORN Chapter members Shirley Burnell, Beverly Williams and Anthony Panarese for their leadership in the community. Some of those pictured above with Thomas C. Wilson, the Mobilization and Interfaith Coordinator, included Assemblyman Sandre Swanson and his wife Anita, Sharon Cornu, Secretary/Treasurer  Alameda Labor Council, Obray Van Buren, UA 342, Tom Gaurino, PG&E; Senator Loni Hancock and Berkeley Mayor Tom Bates; Oakland WIB members Van Buren, Gay P. Cobb, Ex. Dir. Oakland Private Industry Council and William B. Harvey, Omar Benjamin, Port Director; State Treasurer Bill Lockyer; Supervisor Nate Miley; Chuck Mack, Teamsters; Lt. Gov. John Garamendi and Cheryl Hooker-Moore. Photos by Gene Hazzard and Graphic Design by Alapi Bhatt.

Next Page »