OaklandNews - Oakland news from blogs, newspapers and other media

After writing about the new cafe opening on Wesley Ave. a few days ago, I noticed that another cafe, called Grand Lake Coffee, is "coming soon" to Grand Avenue near where it brushes past the Easternmost corner of Lake Merritt. Of course, given the pace of Awaken and 504 Wesley, "soon" could mean a year or two. Still, better someday then never, right?

Bring them to an upcoming series of forums sponsored by the League of Women Voters of Oakland. The events are open to the public and will be broadcast on KTOP (Channel 10) many times before the June 3 city elections.

The latest list of Oakland public employees earning more than $100k per year is making the rounds on the blogs today. Several folks have taken aim at City Administrator Deborah Edgerly, who took down a cool $255k. But that’s not where the real action is.

This is exactly what’s wrong with Ron Dellums’s approach to governing Oakland. It explains why he’s eager to bankrupt our fund reserves and spend money we don’t have on whatever half-baked plan pops into his head.

Okay, maybe this is nitpicking, but how is a coffeeshop in Oakland an example of Berkeley consuming its caffeine with gusto? Why write the sentence that way, as if Rockridge is almost an honorary part of Berkeley? I'm glad he made it to Oakland, but even in an article about Berkeley, it's silly to treat places in Oakland as if they are just satellites of Berkeley.

The neighbors are huddled together in the wan light of a street lamp at the corner of 10th and Wood in West Oakland. They’re here on this chilly winter evening, as they are most Friday evenings, warding off the cold with thermoses of hot chocolate and the comfort of each other’s presence.

There is anger in Oakland over the deaths of a 71-year-old man and a 15-year-old boy. Some are blaming the police. However, Oakland officers say when people point guns at them, they have to defend themselves, which is what they say they did twice during the past week.

KGO-TV

The field of candidates for Oakland’s June 3 City Council elections includes business owners, community activists, members of the school board and the man known to many as the North Oakland vigilante. It does not include long-time councilmember Henry Chang Jr.

Montclarion

Julia Morgan School for Girls students participated in “Introduce a Girl to Engineering Day” at Google headquarters in Mountain View. Eighteen girls from Julia Morgan, the only all girls middle school in the East Bay serving 182 girls, attended the Feb. 21 event, where they met with female engineering mentors, participated in technology-focused workshops, and got a first hand look at what it means to be an engineer.

Montclarion

Cranky Teacher’s post reminded me to check in on the teacher contract negotiations, and I can attest to the accuracy of his statement (not that I ever doubted it). The school district did, earlier this month, present salary cuts and reduced “prep” time for teachers as one way to cut the budget by $23 million, said OUSD spokesman Troy Flint.

Education Report

They are 10 and 11 years old, more than six years shy of the college application crunch. But if they earn good grades and graduate from high school, the fifth-graders at Think College Now Elementary School in East Oakland will have $1,000 to spend on a higher education.

Oakland Tribune