ONN – Nov 2020 Oakland Election: Candidate Forum OUSD District 3
Note from Zennie62Media and Oakland News Now: this video-blog post demonstrates the full and live operation of the latest updated version of an experimental Zennie62Media , Inc. mobile media video-blogging system network that was launched June 2018. This is a major part of Zennie62Media , Inc.’s new and innovative approach to the production of news media. What we call “The Third Wave of Media”. The uploaded video is from a YouTube channel. When the video is “liked” by Zennie62 YouTube, then it is automatically uploaded to and formatted automatically at the Oakland News Now site and Zennie62-created and owned social media pages. The overall objective here, on top of our is smartphone-enabled, real-time, on the scene reporting of news, interviews, observations, and happenings anywhere in the World and within seconds and not hours – is the use of the existing YouTube social graph on any subject in the World. Now, news is reported with a smartphone and also by promoting current content on YouTube: no heavy and expensive cameras or even a laptop are necessary, or having a camera crew to shoot what is already on YouTube. The secondary objective is faster, and very inexpensive media content news production and distribution. We have found there is a disconnect between post length and time to product and revenue generated. With this, the problem is far less, though by no means solved. Zennie62Media is constantly working to improve the system network coding and seeks interested content and media technology partners.
ONN – CNN Jake Tapper Lies About Kayleigh McEnany, Who Took Her Mask Off To Speak To The Press
CNN Jake Tapper Lies About Kayleigh McEnany, Who Took Her Mask Off To Speak To The Press
You can see in this CNN image the President’s Press Secretary clearly has her mask on, and is taking it off to talk to the media. Moreover, it looks like CNN left out the part of the video where she did have her mask on before she took it off.
She did the same action as the Walter Reed Hospital Staff who gave their press conference did: each one took off their mask to talk, then put it back on.
I don’t agree with the Trump Administration but I also don’t support lying about what someone does because you politically oppose them.
Not right. Not cool.
Stay tuned.
Note from Zennie62Media and Oakland News Now: this video-blog post demonstrates the full and live operation of the latest updated version of an experimental Zennie62Media , Inc. mobile media video-blogging system network that was launched June 2018. This is a major part of Zennie62Media , Inc.’s new and innovative approach to the production of news media. What we call “The Third Wave of Media”. The uploaded video is from a vlogger with the Zennie62 on YouTube Partner Channel, then uploaded to and formatted automatically at the Oakland News Now site and Zennie62-created and owned social media pages. The overall objective is smartphone-enabled, real-time, on the scene reporting of news, interviews, observations, and happenings anywhere in the World and within seconds and not hours. Now, news is reported with a smartphone: no heavy and expensive cameras or even a laptop are necessary. The secondary objective is faster, and very inexpensive media content news production and distribution. We have found there is a disconnect between post length and time to product and revenue generated. With this, the problem is far less, though by no means solved. Zennie62Media is constantly working to improve the system network coding and seeks interested content and media technology partners.
ONN – Oakland School District OUSD Reports Grab And Go Food Boxes Contained Unexpected Letter From Trump
Oakland School District OUSD Reports Grab And Go Food Boxes Contained Unexpected Letter From Trump
This was in a press release from the Oakland Unified School District:
Hello Oakland Unified Community,
Under the CARES act, we have been distributing produce and dairy boxes to our community through our grab and go meal service. Last Thursday, those boxes contained a letter from President Donald Trump, which was distributed nationwide. It has been criticized because it arrived just weeks before the presidential election.
The CARES Act, which had to pass Congress before being signed into law by the president, had the support of all of our local representatives including Oakland Congresswoman Barbara Lee, U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein, and U.S. Senator and Vice Presidential candidate Kamala Harris.
Our nutrition services team has distributed the produce and dairy boxes from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and other philanthropic partners during much of the pandemic. We will continue to distribute these food boxes, which come to us through the Alameda County Community Food Bank (ACCFB), as they supplement the meals we provide for students during distance learning. It is possible future boxes will contain the same or a similar letter from the president.
As a reminder to our community, OUSD is a sanctuary district, inside a sanctuary city, inside a sanctuary state, which means we support ALL of our students, families and staff no matter where they came from or how they got here. We provide food every Monday and Thursday at 22 sites across the city, and will do so with or without a message from the government.
For more information about our grab and go program, visit our website www.ousd.org/nutrition. And please remember to wear a mask or other face covering anytime you go outside.
In community,
Preston Thomas
Chief Systems and Services Officer
Stay tuned.
Note from Zennie62Media and Oakland News Now: this video-blog post demonstrates the full and live operation of the latest updated version of an experimental Zennie62Media , Inc. mobile media video-blogging system network that was launched June 2018. This is a major part of Zennie62Media , Inc.’s new and innovative approach to the production of news media. What we call “The Third Wave of Media”. The uploaded video is from a vlogger with the Zennie62 on YouTube Partner Channel, then uploaded to and formatted automatically at the Oakland News Now site and Zennie62-created and owned social media pages. The overall objective is smartphone-enabled, real-time, on the scene reporting of news, interviews, observations, and happenings anywhere in the World and within seconds and not hours. Now, news is reported with a smartphone: no heavy and expensive cameras or even a laptop are necessary. The secondary objective is faster, and very inexpensive media content news production and distribution. We have found there is a disconnect between post length and time to product and revenue generated. With this, the problem is far less, though by no means solved. Zennie62Media is constantly working to improve the system network coding and seeks interested content and media technology partners.
Oakland City Councilmember Lynette Gibson McElhaney has served the residents of perhaps the most complicated Oakland City Council District in our city very well. Understand that while District Three is commonly thought of as being only West Oakland, in reality it’s also Downtown Oakland, Uptown Oakland, and Adams Point / Lake Merritt, where I live.
So, Lynette has a big job, and on balance has served all of the residents well. She deserves to be re-elected, and particularly at a time where Oakland, Alameda County, California, America, and The World is in the clutches of The Pandemic. Changing horses in the middle of the stream is never a good idea, so why do it now? Besides, the reasons I’m hearing why some are not voting for Lynette are such that I’ll bet no one else will fair better.
The specific reasons are these:
1) Lynette is not accessible, and her aide responds rather than her – As one who represented Oakland Mayor Elihu Harris from 1995 to 1999, I find that aides to elected officials get treated like crap by Oakland residents far too often. The job of the aide is to represent the, in this case, Oakland City Councilmember. And Lynette’s aides have done that very well. News-flash: she can’t be everywhere, and her representatives help her.
2) She wasn’t present for Moms4Housing – As Lynette told me during our interview of 10 days ago now, the Moms4Housing Representatives did not approach her ahead of time with their plans, even though the entire matter happened in her council district. The full interview:
The ultimate sign of disrespect is for someone to launch a campaign around the issue of housing that focuses on a property in an Oakland City Council Member’s district and not consult them. The reasons can’t be good ones, because, by design, they are assumptive. How does anyone know she would not have been receptive to their objectives of a type of taking of property, and tried to help so that they would not be framed as criminals?
Lynette believed that, because they did not approach her, to then show up at their events uninvited would cause her to be seen as trying to steal their message. My take on Moms4Housing was that their effort pointed to a giant problem, but did nothing to solve it: the market failure that’s still with us in super-high-housing-costs and illegal evictions of black Oakland residents that a sustained California Redevelopment Law would have thwarted.
Instead, Oakland Mayor Jean Quan allowed former Mayor of Oakland Jerry Brown to get rid of California Redevelopment Law, and now Oakland’s once formidable affordable housing construction budget of over $100 million annually was cut off in 2011, never to return and at the time of SF Bay Area Tech Boom II, from 2012 to 2019.
In the middle of this, Moms4Housing tried to pick sides prematurely. For example, from my perspective, it’s minders failed to respond to my request to run their press releases or interview them, so I had to end-run them many times using tech. Their idea seemed be to try and paint me as against them, when my thoughts were the opposite. That said, I did run press releases from their opponents, and because they sent them. It’s called news. Moreover, I’ve never been a fan of what’s called a “taking without just compensation” (and the U.S. Constitution doesn’t allow it either), and that, in effect, is what Moms4Housing tried to do.
Their assumptions amounted to a type of picking of fights that are not there, and their words, more often than not, were hurtful. And, on top of that, we’re talking about a black-on-black affair, where folks like Lynette and myself were the focus of wrongheaded derision, and by some other folks of the same skin color. And on top of that, many of the folks are ones I really like, just to be real here. In my view, anyone white was treated better, for the most part – even those who openly opposed them.
The fact is that in Oakland, we as black folks are far too willing to assume something negative about someone else who’s black, but not in what’s perceived as that person’s group. It’s a horrible crab-barrel social problem that has plagued Oakland for decades, and with no end in sight. Moms4Housing spotlighted that problem that the white media missed, even as it was in their face.
What Lynette Did Was Spot Light The Violence Problems Black Women Face In Oakland
What Lynette does not get credit for is spotlighting the problem of violence against black women. That was the focus of her push to establish the Oakland Office Of Violence Prevention. And while I remain assertive that the real problem is lack of good jobs and an economic development effort that’s dead, I have seen the advantage of the Oakland Office Of Violence Prevention: it gives a much-needed place in Oakland government for people, and again in particular black women, to go for real, comprehensive help. That this is forgotten that Lynette created the Oakland Office Of Violence Prevention is one more example of the many actions that, collectively, caused a performer like Megan Thee Stallion to get on Saturday Night Live and point to the consistent disrespect and disregard black women receive in America, and that includes Oakland.
It’s worse when other blacks in Oakland don’t give Lynette that credit. That’s got to stop.
Lynette Makes Her Case For Re-Election And It’s Worth Reading
In her most recent campaign newsletter, Lynette made her case for re-election. It’s worth a read, even though she left out the Office Of Violence Prevention. But, overall, one has to ask, what does she have to do? It’s as if some people want to find some reason to oppose her.
For example, some will mention the Oakland Public Ethics Commission’s recent investigation not of her, but mentions alleged laundered money given to her campaign in the past, as well as that of Oakland councilmembers Sheng Thao and Dan Kalb. Well, I challenge any candidate to prove that they know anything about who gives them money, why, and where they got it from to give. Moreover, why would the Oakland Public Ethics Commission choose an election period to release news about a lawsuit and investigation that’s not primarily focused on Oakland councilmembers, but names some? That action, alone, is illegal in several states – it looks like the Oakland Public Ethics Commission and the Oakland City Attorney are trying to influence voters. Not a cool look.
What does Lynette have to do? Well, she’s done this, from her newsletter:
Partnered with our County Supervisor Keith Carson to pioneer the Compassionate Communities initiative
Co-authored Measure JJ – expanding Just Cause Eviction and Rent Increase protections
Secured 10s of millions of dollars in new homelessness funding by pushing to include $150 Million for Affordable Housing in the Infrastructure Bond (Measure KK) and the Parks Measure (Measure Q) – offering amendments that guaranteed set asides for no and extremely low income housing
Engaged Congresswoman Barbara Lee and led the effort to turn back draconian reductions in Section 8 vouchers
Pushed to protect single room occupancy transient hotels – housing of last resort that does not discriminate for credit worthiness or for lack of substantial deposits
Demanded increased coordination to respond to encampments and improve service delivery to the unhoused.
As your representative on the Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG) I have:
Helped pass AB1487 (2019) the bill that established the Bay Area Housing Finance Authority (BAHFA). BAHFA, and the expanded regional housing portfolio, is rooted in the “3Ps” framework that comprehensively addresses the housing crisis through a combination of production, preservation and protection. Specifically:
Production of rental housing for lower-income households (at or below 80% of the area median income or AMI)
Preservation of affordable housing for low-or moderate-income households (up to 120% of AMI)
Protecting tenants from displacement and preventing homelessness
Stopped an effort to impose a regressive sales tax on Oakland households, demanding that large employers pay their fair share to fund housing and relieve transportation stress caused by job growth
I am currently working with OUSD on a plan to house all homeless students and their families and this year I was selected by ABAG President Jesse Arreguin to serve on the newly established Regional Housing Committee. In this capacity I make sure Oakland’s needs are at the center of identifying regional solutions. And now, after five years of persistent advocacy, the Council is now positioned to take action on many of the efforts I have championed.
COVID19 lays bare the dire needs for housing security and hunger – two issues that have begged for attention amongst the organized campaigns for many good causes. By partnering with my Council colleagues that represent Oakland’s flatlands, I was able to direct nearly $30 million of CARES ACT funds to addressing these critical needs in the flatlands, allowing the City to purchase hotels and an abandoned dormitory to house more of our houseless constituents.
If the challengers think they can match her, I would offer that we as Oaklanders would have to sit and wait for that person to learn the Oakland legislative ropes before they could be effective, whereas the saying “been there, done that” applies to Councilmember McElhaney.
Re-elect Councilmember McElhaney for District Three.
Alameda County District Attorney O’Malley Discusses Position on CA Prop 20 – 9/15/20
From YouTube Channel: October 1, 2020 at 06:45PM
ONN – ACDA O’Malley discusses her position on California’s Proposition 20, during a community stakeholder meeting on September 15, 2020. She states that she will not support Prop 20, but is undecided whether she will take officially oppose it. Advocates, researchers and analysts argue that Prop 20 will reverse the progress made possible by previous California legislation such as AB 109, Prop 47, and Prop 57, in addition to costing the state millions of dollars annually.
NNote from Zennie62Media and Oakland News Now: this video-blog post demonstrates the full and live operation of the latest updated version of an experimental Zennie62Media , Inc. mobile media video-blogging system network that was launched June 2018. This is a major part of Zennie62Media , Inc.’s new and innovative approach to the production of news media. What we call “The Third Wave of Media”. The uploaded video is from a YouTube channel. When the video is “liked” by Zennie62 YouTube, then it is automatically uploaded to and formatted automatically at the Oakland News Now site and Zennie62-created and owned social media pages. The overall objective here, on top of our is smartphone-enabled, real-time, on the scene reporting of news, interviews, observations, and happenings anywhere in the World and within seconds and not hours – is the use of the existing YouTube social graph on any subject in the World. Now, news is reported with a smartphone and also by promoting current content on YouTube: no heavy and expensive cameras or even a laptop are necessary, or having a camera crew to shoot what is already on YouTube. The secondary objective is faster, and very inexpensive media content news production and distribution. We have found there is a disconnect between post length and time to product and revenue generated. With this, the problem is far less, though by no means solved. Zennie62Media is constantly working to improve the system network coding and seeks interested content and media technology partners.
ONN – John Russo On Politics: Stranded in Centerfield #3: No Monopoly On Misogyny
John Russo is the former Oakland City Council Member (District Two), and was its first elected City Attorney. He’s also the former City Manager of Alameda, Riverside, and Irvine California. John is now the Founder and President of Synchronicity Associates.
Stay tuned.
Note from Zennie62Media and Oakland News Now: this video-blog post demonstrates the full and live operation of the latest updated version of an experimental Zennie62Media , Inc. mobile media video-blogging system network that was launched June 2018. This is a major part of Zennie62Media , Inc.’s new and innovative approach to the production of news media. What we call “The Third Wave of Media”. The uploaded video is from a vlogger with the Zennie62 on YouTube Partner Channel, then uploaded to and formatted automatically at the Oakland News Now site and Zennie62-created and owned social media pages. The overall objective is smartphone-enabled, real-time, on the scene reporting of news, interviews, observations, and happenings anywhere in the World and within seconds and not hours. Now, news is reported with a smartphone: no heavy and expensive cameras or even a laptop are necessary. The secondary objective is faster, and very inexpensive media content news production and distribution. We have found there is a disconnect between post length and time to product and revenue generated. With this, the problem is far less, though by no means solved. Zennie62Media is constantly working to improve the system network coding and seeks interested content and media technology partners.
Sustainable, Healthy Use of Lake Merritt: Pilot Program Beginning this Weekend
The issues at Oakland’s Lake Merritt are complex, with groups having different needs and perspectives, all of which are important and that we are working to honor — families and elders facing challenging issues living at the Lake, entrepreneurs / vendors of color seeking economic stability during uncertain times, park users, and wildlife conservationists. In a recent update, I shared the Parks and Recreation Advisory Commission / PRAC’s recommendations for sustainable use of Lake Merritt, which sought to balance the two perspectives below:
What is going on around the Lake is not sustainable and must change ASAP.
People need healthy outdoor places to gather and engage in commercial activity, especially during these unprecedented times.
On September 16th, PRAC voted to recommend a pilot program to deter illegal parking and vending; promote compliance with park rules and County rules during COVID; and address challenges such as late night noise.
The City, in coordination with the Oakland Black Vendor Association, is developing this pilot for merchandise vendors to take place along El Embarcadero and in the Lakeview Library parking lot on weekends beginning this Saturday, October 3rd, 10am – 6pm. Note: If air quality reaches the 150+ Unhealthy level, the program will be postponed until next weekend.
The City of Oakland is working to resolve concerns related to late night noise, large gatherings prohibited under COVID, etc. in coordination with the launch of the pilot. Our goal is to reset the tone at the Lake and address the core issues that we’ve heard from neighbors, while also maintaining an inclusive, equitable and safe public space during COVID and beyond.
Oakland Police Department will work with our municipal code officers this weekend to warn vendors of increased enforcement action as the pilot begins, and my office will continue to engage and encourage vendors to participate in this new pilot.
We welcome your feedback. We are grateful to the Oakland City Administrator’s Office, City Departments, James “Old School” Copes, Oakland Black Vendors Association, and PRAC Commissioners for helping make this pilot happen quickly and supporting multiple, complex interests.
In addition, the Downtown Streets Team, has relaunched its Oakland Team to support unhoused individuals providing them with work beautifying Lake Merritt, including litter pick up around the Lake. In return for their volunteer services, Team Members receive a basic-needs stipend, case management, employment services, and a support network. Team Members are giving back to Oakland while working to overcome barriers to housing and employment. You may see the team beautifying the lake as they relaunch their program this month.
Note: post based on newsletter dated October 3rd, 2020.
ONN – Madea Farewell Play At Paramount Theater, Oakland California
Note from Zennie62Media and Oakland News Now: this video-blog post demonstrates the full and live operation of the latest updated version of an experimental Zennie62Media , Inc. mobile media video-blogging system network that was launched June 2018. This is a major part of Zennie62Media , Inc.’s new and innovative approach to the production of news media. What we call “The Third Wave of Media”. The uploaded video is from a vlogger with the Zennie62 on YouTube Partner Channel, then uploaded to and formatted automatically at the Oakland News Now site and Zennie62-created and owned social media pages. The overall objective is smartphone-enabled, real-time, on the scene reporting of news, interviews, observations, and happenings anywhere in the World and within seconds and not hours. Now, news is reported with a smartphone: no heavy and expensive cameras or even a laptop are necessary. The secondary objective is faster, and very inexpensive media content news production and distribution. We have found there is a disconnect between post length and time to product and revenue generated. With this, the problem is far less, though by no means solved. Zennie62Media is constantly working to improve the system network coding and seeks interested content and media technology partners.
ONN – Nikky Raney Heartbreaking News about Chrissy Teigen and John Legend
My heart goes out to Chrissy Teigen and John Legend. I am disappointed in those who choose to shame this family in any way. October is National Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month. #chrissyteigen #johnlegend #pregnancy
Note from Zennie62Media and Oakland News Now: this video-blog post demonstrates the full and live operation of the latest updated version of an experimental Zennie62Media , Inc. mobile media video-blogging system network that was launched June 2018. This is a major part of Zennie62Media , Inc.’s new and innovative approach to the production of news media. What we call “The Third Wave of Media”. The uploaded video is from a vlogger with the Zennie62 on YouTube Partner Channel, then uploaded to and formatted automatically at the Oakland News Now site and Zennie62-created and owned social media pages. The overall objective is smartphone-enabled, real-time, on the scene reporting of news, interviews, observations, and happenings anywhere in the World and within seconds and not hours. Now, news is reported with a smartphone: no heavy and expensive cameras or even a laptop are necessary. The secondary objective is faster, and very inexpensive media content news production and distribution. We have found there is a disconnect between post length and time to product and revenue generated. With this, the problem is far less, though by no means solved. Zennie62Media is constantly working to improve the system network coding and seeks interested content and media technology partners.
Rebecca Kaplan Calls for New Solutions to Oakland’s Speeding Problems & Requests Support From the State Legislature at the October 6, 2020 Oakland City Council Meeting
Oakland, CA —It seems that every day there is a report of a fatal hit and run or reckless speeding that has resulted in serious injury on Oakland’s streets. It has become a precarious endeavor for anyone, but especially the elderly and children, to cross the street or even walk on the sidewalk. We need stronger action to make our streets safer for pedestrians, bicyclists, and others.
The practice has been to rely exclusively on police officers for speeding enforcement, but this has not been working well. In a city the size of Oakland, it is not possible for the police to create a sufficient presence to catch speeding violations or be a deterrent that would discourage dangerous driving activity that has caused serious injury and fatalities. The discretionary, disparate treatment of African Americans, and the ways that traffic stops have sometimes resulted in people being killed by police during traffic stops, are also reasons that the more effective options of civilian and automated traffic enforcement is desirable.
Oakland Council President Rebecca Kaplan is proposing Oakland adopt a resolution requesting the State Legislature to enact legislation that would give municipalities the flexibility to adopt more effective methods for speeding enforcement, at the October 6th Oakland City Council meeting.
We need strategies that avoid racial disparities, prevent traffic stops from escalating into police shootings, while making speeding enforcement more effective and more broadly implemented. The answer is alternative traffic enforcement. Alternative traffic enforcement is the use of cameras and/or civilian personnel, such as Department of Transportation staff, to enforce traffic laws. This approach to traffic enforcement frees up the police to focus on serious crime, reduces likelihood of problematic police interactions, and improves reliability and fairness of enforcement. It also represents a potential savings for a city since it costs more for sworn officers to address these violations.
These systems can reduce racial disparities. “Driving While Black,” is the familiar term to describe the racial profiling used by law enforcement when an African American driver is stopped for little to no reason. The fear of a traffic stop escalated with no apparent reason is well-known in communities of color. With the use of cameras looking at license plates rather than individuals, automated systems, and local civilian staffing, communities of color could get a ticket for speeding, and it would no longer be a potentially life-threatening situation.
The City of Berkeley has already taken steps in this direction. In July, Berkeley approved the use of transportation personnel to conduct traffic stops. The City of San Francisco has also previously expressed interest in alternative methods of speeding enforcement. Oakland is also now working on strategies to provide for options beyond using an armed officer for these situations. But allowing cities flexibility for these solutions requires a change in State law in California.
The California Legislature needs to assist municipalities like Oakland and Berkeley and beyond with more flexibility to innovate as we address this danger on Oakland’s streets. Alternative traffic enforcement is one place where that assistance could begin. The Legislature needs to amend State laws, to allow cities the discretion to use methods for speeding enforcement that are fairer and more effective.
SFMTA efforts for an Automated Speed Enforcement Project:
Councilmember At-Large Rebecca Kaplan is an honors graduate from MIT, and holds a J.D. from Stanford Law School. Kaplan was elected in 2008 to serve as Oakland’s citywide Councilmember, she was re-elected in 2016.
Bank Of America is not being a good actor in the Payroll Protection Program. In the case of Zennie62Media and its rare-for-a-black-owned-firm-because-Bank-Of-America-wasn’t-trying-to-go-and recruit us PPP Loan of a mere $23,750 (compared to the average PPP loan size of $113,000), the bank, after months of elapsed time starting May 4, 2020, is now claiming that my firm received a completed Economic Injury Disaster Loan of $10,000, before the PPP program loan.
Complete bullcrap.
While the EIDL was applied for twice, the SBA never confirmed the loan, let alone completed the process to register it. I even called SBA about the matter, only to be faced with a constantly clogged phone system, and a computer website who’s webpage literally reset itself due to what appears to be some malfunctioning JavaScript code, thus dumping the info I inputed. And that this was happening during the initial panic surrounding The Pandemic made the entire process painful, even though I was determined to come away with what my firm needed: a PPP Loan sized to our needs.
The way the Bank of America / SBA PPP Application was written, one could mark that they were eligible to receive an EIDL. Indeed, the rule language back then during the late part of the month of March 2020 was that the EIDL was also for the Coronavirus problem. So, merging both was both logical and it seemed expected by the Small Business Administration.
Now, Bank of America said I had to have Zennie62Media pay back the $10,000 portion because the bank believes, and with zero proof because there is none, that I already got the $10,000. No.
If this is confusing to you, that is part of the problem. My take is that Bank of America and the Small Business Administration were literally trying to figure it out as they went along. A very bad move. It’s no wonder Forbes observed that “the regulations around both the PPP loan program and the Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) program have been changing constantly since the CARES Act was passed and will likely continue to do so.”
That is certainly the case, and Forbes should not be congratulating either lenders like Bank of America or the SBA – it should call for the problem to be fixed. Simple fix in my case is to just forgive the PPP Loan Zennie62Media received and spent within legal boundaries, not try and shake down my firm for $10,000. It is clear to be this is part of such a strategy.
Paul M. Donofrio
I assert that because Bank of America Chief Financial Officer Paul M. Donofrio (who cleared $12,413,073 in 2019), told the New York Timeshe did not expect much profit (from the PPP Loan Program), “if any.”
Now, it’s clear that Bank of America itself needs a PPP Loan because it’s profit has been “halved” because of the same situation that gave rise to the need for the PPP Loan Program: The Coronavirus. So, since the matter of how the EIDL portion of my PPP Loan was handled by Bank of America in the form of a request to raid my Zennie62Media bank account, it is clear Bank of America decided that it was going to make loopholes to use against customers and demand money from them (us) using them!
Bank of America must stop this. It should not be trying to treat its business account holders (specifically my firm but there are certainly others) this way. Forgive the loans, or how about having Paul M. Donofrio cover Bank of America’s losses. I’m only kidding, but look, he makes $12,413,073, so why not at least suggest the idea?
Oakland – Mayor Libby Schaaf and affordable housing partners will open a new apartment community on the Emeryville border that serves mainly working families, seniors, veterans, people with special needs and the formerly homeless.
Estrella Vista illustrates an innovative partnership between public and private organizations (including a dozen financial supporters), and the cities of Oakland and Emeryville, Alameda County, and Oakland Housing Authority.
WHO:
Libby Schaaf, Mayor of Oakland
Christian Patz, Mayor of Emeryville
Welton Jordan, CREDO, EAH Housing
Patricia Wells, Executive Director, Oakland Housing Authority
Jessica Musick, Principal, KTGY
WHERE: 3706 San Pablo Ave, Emeryville
WHEN: 10 AM – Friday October 2, 2020
This event will also be live-streamed on the Mayor’s Twitter
ONN – Celebrating My Mom’s 86th Birthday Today October 1 2020!
Celebrating My Mom’s 86th Birthday Today October 1 2020!
Note from Zennie62Media and Oakland News Now: this video-blog post demonstrates the full and live operation of the latest updated version of an experimental Zennie62Media , Inc. mobile media video-blogging system network that was launched June 2018. This is a major part of Zennie62Media , Inc.’s new and innovative approach to the production of news media. What we call “The Third Wave of Media”. The uploaded video is from a vlogger with the Zennie62 on YouTube Partner Channel, then uploaded to and formatted automatically at the Oakland News Now site and Zennie62-created and owned social media pages. The overall objective is smartphone-enabled, real-time, on the scene reporting of news, interviews, observations, and happenings anywhere in the World and within seconds and not hours. Now, news is reported with a smartphone: no heavy and expensive cameras or even a laptop are necessary. The secondary objective is faster, and very inexpensive media content news production and distribution. We have found there is a disconnect between post length and time to product and revenue generated. With this, the problem is far less, though by no means solved. Zennie62Media is constantly working to improve the system network coding and seeks interested content and media technology partners.
Bridging the Digital Divide in Oakland
From YouTube Channel: October 1, 2020 at 01:57AM
ONN – For students and families living in the East Bay, the pandemic has shown just how deep the high-tech digital divide can be. Now, a number of nonprofits in Oakland are working to make things a little less unequal by raising money, and bringing technology to those who need it most. Scott Budman reports.
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Note from Zennie62Media and Oakland News Now: this video-blog post demonstrates the full and live operation of the latest updated version of an experimental Zennie62Media , Inc. mobile media video-blogging system network that was launched June 2018. This is a major part of Zennie62Media , Inc.’s new and innovative approach to the production of news media. What we call “The Third Wave of Media”. The uploaded video is from a vlogger with the Zennie62 on YouTube Partner Channel, then uploaded to and formatted automatically at the Oakland News Now site and Zennie62-created and owned social media pages. The overall objective is smartphone-enabled, real-time, on the scene reporting of news, interviews, observations, and happenings anywhere in the World and within seconds and not hours. Now, news is reported with a smartphone: no heavy and expensive cameras or even a laptop are necessary. The secondary objective is faster, and very inexpensive media content news production and distribution. We have found there is a disconnect between post length and time to product and revenue generated. With this, the problem is far less, though by no means solved. Zennie62Media is constantly working to improve the system network coding and seeks interested content and media technology partners.
Oakland Walks 4 Schools Virtual Walkathon, Aims to Take 30 Million Steps to Raise Funds for OUSD Schools This October
The Oakland Public Education Fund (https://www.oaklandedfund.org/) is launching its inaugural Oakland Walks 4 Schools Walkathon this October. #OaklandWalks will inspire students, parents, school staff, and community members to get safe and healthy exercise during the pandemic while raising money for some of Oakland’s most underserved public schools.
Oakland Walks 4 Schools is expecting:
● 3,000 students, parents, and community members to participate
● A total of 30 million steps to be taken
● Thousands of dollars to be raised for Oakland public schools
Participants will track as many safe and socially-distant steps as possible during the month of October; this includes laps around the block, weekend hikes, and even steps inside the home. And for every step a donation will be made to an Oakland school to purchase art supplies, books, technology, and other educationally engaging materials.
“Despite the fact that we are in distance learning, our students and schools still need supplies,” says OUSD Superintendent Kyla Johnson-Trammell. “We are grateful that the Ed Fund is engaging our community with this fundraiser that’s fun for the whole family and fosters physical fitness. Especially given the challenges that the pandemic is presenting all of us, it’s critical that children and adults exercise regularly to stay healthy and better manage our stress. I thank in advance everyone who takes some of the 30 million steps on behalf of the students of Oakland.”
Alexandria Medina, Executive Director of the Oakland Public Education Fund adds, “The Oakland Public Education Fund is committed to creating safe and healthy environments where all students can thrive. Physical fitness and mental health go hand in hand and the Oakland Walks 4 Schools fundraiser is a chance to help raise money for underserved schools while encouraging wellness for all. We see this as a win-win for all Oakland public school kids, their families, and the greater Oakland community.”
Community members, businesses, and philanthropic organizations are encouraged to learn more and get involved at: www.oaklandwalks4schools.com
About the Oakland Public Education Fund:
The Oakland Public Education Fund (“the Ed Fund”) leads the development and management of community resources in Oakland public schools so that all students can learn, grow, and thrive. Learn more at www.oaklandedfund.org
About the Oakland Unified School District
In California’s most diverse city, Oakland Unified School District (OUSD) is dedicated to creating a learning environment where “Every Student Thrives!” We are committed to preparing all students for college, career and community success. www.ousd.org
This post based on a press release from the Oakland Public Education Fund to Zennie62Media, Inc.
Bank Of America’s PPP Loan (Payroll Protection Program) Program Is A Horrible Mess
Early on, Bank of America was the focus of a lawsuit because the banking giant was not properly processing the Payroll Protection Program Loans that were applied for as million of businesses were being impacted by or fearing impact of the Coronavirus. The Charlotte Business Journalwrote:
Four businesses filed a lawsuit against Charlotte’s Bank of America Corp. (NYSE: BAC) on Sunday, criticizing the way it handled loan applications for the Small Business Administration’s Paycheck Protection Program. The suit was filed in federal court in Los Angeles.
The lawsuit alleges BofA prioritized applications for higher loan amounts because those would generate more origination fees for the bank. The SBA previously said PPP applications would be accepted and processed on a first-come, first-served basis.
“BofA has, once again, prioritized corporate greed at the expense of its small business customers,” the suit reads. “Had BofA been honest, small businesses could have (and would have) submitted their PPP applications to other financial institutions. … As a result of BofA’s dishonest and deplorable behavior, however, thousands of small businesses that were entitled to loans under the PPP were left with nothing.”
During the frantic push to get financial shelter from COVID-19, the Small Business Administration (or SBA) had one program for economic help during disasters called “Economic Injury Disaster Loan”. I signed up for the program, but received no word back. I didn’t even get an acknowledgement of my application.
Then, the PPP program was advanced, and I applied twice (filled out the application twice because they were not acknowledging my entry) and it asked me if I was eligible for the “economic help during disasters” or “Economic Injury Disaster Loan”, between January and April, and I said yes (why would I not?). I also had not received the Economic Injury Disaster Loan I applied for.
And what was the EIDL (Economic Injury Disaster Loan) described as, you ask? This:
In response to the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, small business owners, including agricultural businesses, and nonprofit organizations in all U.S. states, Washington D.C., and territories can apply for an Economic Injury Disaster Loan. The EIDL program is designed to provide economic relief to businesses that are currently experiencing a temporary loss of revenue due to coronavirus (COVID-19).https://www.sba.gov/funding-programs/loans/coronavirus-relief-options/economic-injury-disaster-loans
So, the PPP I got was part the EIDL I should have received, or so I understood that case to be, since both were related to the Coronavirus problem.Now, Bank of America is saying that I got an EIDL, and the PPP contained an “additional” EIDL amount of money to refinance the EIDL they say I got – but I never got even though I applied for it, too. Now, they want me to give back something that I never got out of the PPP money Zennie62Media received and disbursed to contractors. And in 10 days!
That’s nuts.
Bank of America made so many changes in the PPP Loan Application it wasn’t funny, and eventually set up an online portal for business clients. The complicated stuff about seeking a refinancing of a loan I did not get was not said then – they simply asked if Zennie62Media was eligible, which means we should get one. And a simple ask at that, since we didn’t have one, and the SBA was not responsive because it was slammed. I guess memories are short.
So now, Bank of America asked to go into my account and, of the $23,750 PPP Loan, get the $10,000 in what B Of A is calling “extra money” that in point of fact I never got – and gave me the choice, “yes”, to allow it to get it, or “no”. There was no “HELL NO” option. If so, I would have selected it, especially since Bank of America’s attempted action to me is based on a rule that did not exist when I applied for the PPP and received the loan, EIDL and all, on May 4th, 2020. Yep, you read that right.
And to add to that, we’re talking about my firm, Zennie62Media, a Delaware c-corp approved December 30,2019, and with a Certificate Of Good Standing from the State of Delaware. A firm that’s paid out several thousand dollars to my family of vlogger contractors, some who are disabled or between full-time jobs, and really needed and got another way of making money and having fun in the process.
What’s SBA Procedural notice 5000-20032: Refinance of EIDL Loans with PPP Loan Proceeds and Lender Remittance of EIDL Refinance Proceeds to SBA?
According to an online document I found called “SBA Procedural notice 5000-20032: Refinance of EIDL Loans with PPP Loan Proceeds and Lender Remittance of EIDL Refinance Proceeds to SBA”, “The purpose of this Notice is to provide guidance for when Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan proceeds must be used to refinance SBA Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDL) and to inform PPP Lenders of the procedure for remitting to the SBA any PPP loan proceeds designated for the refinance of an EIDL.”
And then it goes on to provide rules for handling of an EIDL in a refinancing situation that I was not involved in. And then, here’s the kicker: the entire SBA Procedural notice 5000-20032 was effective June 19th, 2020 – a good month after I received my PPP Loan on May 4th, and a full two months after I applied for it. https://www.sba.gov/sites/default/files/2020-06/5000-20032-508.pdf
So, not only did the SBA notice not exist during the frantic frenzy to get money out to help people (ostensibly) during the early days of the Pandemic’s economic impact, it also does not call for Bank of America to go raiding someone’s bank account to get money they never received to refinance in the first place!
As explained in an August 4th 2020 Journal of Accountancy post by Ken Tysiac, a lender like Bank of America was supposed to do this: “…if a borrower received an EIDL advance in excess of the amount of its PPP loan. Lenders must notify the borrower when the first payment will be due, and the loan must be repaid by the borrower before the maturity date, either two or five years.” Not 10 days – and even then, the EIDL advance in my case was not in excess of the amount of my PPP Loan.
All of this seems to have been made just so lenders like Bank of America can get back some PPP Loan money. That even as Gerri Detweiler in Nav.com writes that “borrowers generally don’t have to repay an EIDL grant”!
Since Bank of America was sued for favoring the rich, the action its trying to take against me seems to be right along those lines, and criminal. And at that, Zennie62Media is one of a total number of black-owned businesses and black American that represented two percent of the total number of people and firms who got PPP Loans! 83 percent of the PPP Loans issued went to white folks.
Congress should write a bill or provision that helps save the little guy: simply terminate any rule that allows a Lender to try and take PPP Loan-related money back from an American who rightfully received it.
If that person or business followed all of the basic guidelines of the criteria for the PPP, fine – then leave them alone. EIDL money (It’s disaster related, right?) should simply be part of the PPP: if it’s forgiven, so be it – plus the whole program is to be terminated June of 2021, anyway (Why that is, is yet another mystery considering how many millions of people still need help in America?)
But this way where lenders like Bank of America are left to write “we understand how hard this is during this difficult time” before they take part of your money must be terminated. It will contribute to a wrecking of the American economy to a degree far worse than what we’re already experiencing now.
The Oakland City Auditor just sent a blazing press release. Here’s what she and her office wrote about the Oakland Fire Department:
Oakland – Today, Oakland City Auditor, Courtney Ruby, released a performance audit of the Fire Prevention Bureau (Bureau), a division of the Oakland Fire Department (OFD). This report examines whether the Bureau implemented the 2017 recommendations from the Mayor’s Task Force established after the tragic Ghost Ship Fire in 2016 and whether the Bureau has established adequate controls to ensure all state mandated inspections are completed and fire safety laws are adequately enforced.
The mission of Oakland’s Fire Prevention Bureau is to reduce the risk of fire throughout the City. The Bureau conducts fire safety inspections of the City’s buildings, structures, and vacant lots and performs “state-mandated inspections,” which include buildings used for public assemblies, educational purposes, institutional facilities, multi-family residential dwellings, and high-rise structures. The Bureau also oversees the City’s commercial inspection program of smaller apartment buildings and retail businesses, inspects cannabis operations, and reviews building and tenant improvement plans to ensure new construction includes all required fire safety components. Furthermore, they are responsible for fire safety in the high danger zone of the Oakland hills.
The audit found that more than three years after the City launched a major reform effort to improve fire and life safety throughout the City of Oakland, the City has made only limited progress in fully implementing the reforms set forth by the Mayor’s Task Force. The Fire Department implemented processes to identify and address high risk properties and improve communication between the Bureau and the engine companies to report potentially unsafe properties for further investigation.
The Fire Department, however, has yet to fully implement critical organizational improvements such as filling staff vacancies, creating permanent supervisor positions, implementing more robust quality control processes, establishing performance measures for inspectors, and developing operating procedures for inspections.
The audit found the Bureau inspected only 26 percent of all state-mandated facilities between September 2018 and September 2019, even though the Bureau’s staffing for fire inspectors has increased significantly. Furthermore, the audit revealed the Bureau had not inspected 51 percent of the state-mandated facilities in the last three years we reviewed. The audit also noted the Bureau lacks sufficient staffing to inspect the growing number of cannabis operations in the City. The nature of cannabis operations poses significant fire risks to the operators, neighboring properties, firefighters, and the community.
Additionally, the Bureau’s enforcement efforts are often ineffective. The Bureau’s practice has been to try and coax property owners to correct fire safety violations by re-inspecting properties. Between September 2018 and September 2019, the Bureau conducted over 800 re-inspections of state-mandated properties to ensure property owners corrected various fire safety violations. Although 236 properties implemented the appropriate corrective action, inspectors re-inspected these properties up to seven times to obtain corrective action. On the other hand, the Bureau was unable to obtain corrective action on another 493 properties, even though inspectors re-inspected these properties up to seven times.
The audit also found the Oakland Unified School District has not been responsive in correcting fire safety violations such as missing fire extinguishers and non-functioning fire alarm systems. Also, the Bureau has not operationalized its appeal process to provide property owners an opportunity to dispute the Bureau’s findings of violations in the City’s wildlife interface areas. Not operationalizing the appeals process delayed the assessment of approximately $300,000 in inspection fees in 2018 and 2019 has yet to be assessed as a result.
In response to the audit results, Auditor Ruby noted, “Two of the deadliest fires in US history have been in Oakland: The 1991 Oakland Hills Fire and the 2016 Ghost Ship Fire. Collectively these fires killed 61 of our residents. Completing this audit has been of the utmost importance to me to ensure the City is doing all it can to protect our residents—unfortunately, the audit found OFD has been slow to learn from the past and critical work remains to be done—a sense of urgency and accountability must be ignited in OFD—there is no excuse for the lack of progress.”
During this time, the Bureau’s personnel have been stretched thin from meeting its annual state- mandated inspections by other work, such as inspections required by the City’s building boom, addressing safety issues at the many homeless encampments throughout the City, and the hiring and training of new inspection staff. Additionally, the Bureau’s practice to repeatedly re-inspect properties to bring them into compliance has also diverted significant time away from conducting mandated inspections.
While the lack of progress can be partly attributed to high turnover in the Fire Department’s leadership (since 2017, the City has had three Fire Chiefs and three Fire Marshals), Auditor Ruby, stated, “In 2013, I released an audit reviewing the Department’s vegetation management inspection practices and some of these very same problems were identified, such as the need for consistent training, stronger supervision, quality control measures and clear policies and procedures to ensure the accuracy and completeness of inspections. Almost 10 years later, the current audit shows these same issues persist with building inspections.”
On a positive note, the Department has agreed to implement 29 of the 30 recommendations in the audit report. Moreover, the Department and the Bureau have begun employing a more strategic focus on implementing management and accountability systems called for by the Mayor’s Task Force and the Bureau is in the process of converting to a more advanced database, which will improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the Bureau’s inspection efforts.
Oakland – On Wednesday, September 30, more than a dozen students will receive refurbished MacBook Air computers, in the second day of this giveaway from RRRComputer.org, a San Francisco-based non-profit organization. The first day was last week when about 20 students received the devices, in a program that is separate from the #OaklandUndivided campaign. The second half of the group of 40 students receive their computers on Wednesday afternoon.
RRRComputer.org is in the business of collecting computers, refurbishing them, and donating them to young people. “It is important that the students get the laptops to do their homework online so that they can pass their classes during the Covid-19 shelter in place order,” said Hue Mach, RRRComputer.org Founder. “It is a matter of either not passing and being unable to go on to college or having a higher education. We need to help these students who are unable to buy a laptop to do their work online.”
OUSD and Oakland High School thank Mr. Mach and RRRComputer.org for supporting Oakland’s students.
WHAT: Refurbished MacBook Air Giveaway to Oakland High Students
WHEN: 2:30 p.m., Wednesday, September 30
WHERE: Oakland High School, 1023 MacArthur Blvd
About the Oakland Unified School District
In California’s most diverse city, Oakland Unified School District (OUSD) is dedicated to creating a learning environment where “Every Student Thrives!” More than half of our students speak a non-English language at home. And each of our 81 schools is staffed with talented individuals uniting around a common set of values: Students First, Equity, Excellence, Integrity, Cultural Responsiveness and Joy. We are committed to preparing all students for college, career and community success.
To learn more about OUSD’s Full Service Community District focused on academic achievement while serving the whole child in safe schools, please visit OUSD.org and follow us @OUSDnews.
ONN – Donald Trump Brings Proud Boys And Oakland Back Into Focus During Presidential Debate With Joe Biden
Donald Trump Brings Proud Boys And Oakland Back Into Focus During Presidential Debate With Joe Biden
Just when it seemed like Oakland’s problems with the Proud Boys white supremacist group were behind us, here comes Donald Trump to bring back the threat.
President Trump has an obsession with Oakland, mentioning our town and Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf ever since she defied his ICE Raids.
I contend that Trump triggered an attack on her home on the night of July 21, 2020. He mentioned that Oakland was a mess – then hours later masked attackers made Libby’s home’s exterior just that.
The Proud Boys, a group that, as I wrote here at Oakland News Now is “seen as a racist, alt-right group that was founded in 2016 by Gavin McInnes, the Vice Media co-founder. The group has rapidly formed a reputation for violent protest, and have a nickname “The Right Wing Brawlers,” walking into bars and starting fights.” But a member of a spin-off group called the “Bay Area Proud Boys” called in response to the first post at Oakland News Now, because he was “shocked” at the depiction of the organization he’s associated with.
“We’re not at all what you’re saying in your article,” the man who did not wish to be identified explained. “We’re husbands, fathers, friends, responsible members of the community. We believe in helping people, and we’re all about being the best men we can be. We have all kinds of people as members, black, Asian, I’m Mexican American.”
At that we had a very good and wide-ranging conversation. My main question to him was why meet at all? The Bay Area Proud Boys Member explained that “We’re not meeting at Make Westing. I don’t know where that came from.” I asked if he looked at the Make Westing Facebook Page, and he said he did, but he doesn’t know what’s up because there was no plan to go there. And about the racism image?
The caller said “We don’t at all condone racism or sexism or that stuff. We have engineers and they would not be in the group if that (racism and sexism) was going on. We help people raise money. We help the homeless. We’re not out there causing trouble,” he said. “The only thing is we … believe in protecting the flag.” I reminded him that flag protest is in itself an American right and tradition. “I know,” he said, “we protect the first amendment.”
In sum, if the The Bay Area Proud Boys and The Proud Boys are what my caller says, then there should be no problem, right? But the reality is the Southern Poverty Law Center has The Proud Boys listed as a racist hate group, and so if the The Bay Area Proud Boys are associated with The Proud Boys, how the heck is anyone supposed to know they’re not a collection of bad dudes to have issues with blacks and Latinos?
The Oakland Police must be on alert for any sign of trouble.
Stay tuned.
Note from Zennie62Media and Oakland News Now: this video-blog post demonstrates the full and live operation of the latest updated version of an experimental Zennie62Media , Inc. mobile media video-blogging system network that was launched June 2018. This is a major part of Zennie62Media , Inc.’s new and innovative approach to the production of news media. What we call “The Third Wave of Media”. The uploaded video is from a vlogger with the Zennie62 on YouTube Partner Channel, then uploaded to and formatted automatically at the Oakland News Now site and Zennie62-created and owned social media pages. The overall objective is smartphone-enabled, real-time, on the scene reporting of news, interviews, observations, and happenings anywhere in the World and within seconds and not hours. Now, news is reported with a smartphone: no heavy and expensive cameras or even a laptop are necessary. The secondary objective is faster, and very inexpensive media content news production and distribution. We have found there is a disconnect between post length and time to product and revenue generated. With this, the problem is far less, though by no means solved. Zennie62Media is constantly working to improve the system network coding and seeks interested content and media technology partners.
Oakland – Alameda County’s emergency 911 ambulance provider Falck Northern California has offered an improved pay and benefits package to its 450 Alameda County EMT and paramedic employees represented by the National Association of Government Employees (NAGE) Local 510.
Falck and union representatives are negotiating a new agreement, currently proposed for three years. The previous contract expired August 31, after an extension from April 30. The parties have been in negotiations since February.
The company offered union employees annual step increases and cost-of-living adjustments that, together, provide employees with wage increases ranging from approximately 2 percent to 6.7 percent per year.
“At a time when the pandemic and recession have challenged the well-being of our county, state and nation, we want to ensure that our first responders are compensated fairly,” said Carolina Snypes, Director and Chief of Falck’s Alameda County operation.
She noted that:
· The average salary and benefits of a Falck first responder in Alameda County is approximately $100,000.
· The top 10 percent of Falck first responders earn an average of $189,000 in pay and benefits annually in Alameda County, more than 3 times what a full-time paramedic starting today would earn.
· Falck has not furloughed or laid off any of its 911 paramedics or EMTs in Alameda County, even as hundreds of thousands of healthcare workers nationwide remain jobless because of COVID-19.
Falck was awarded the Alameda County contract more than a year ago. The company immediately worked closely with County leaders to improve the system to ensure residents could be confident that when they call 911, ambulances arrive quickly, are fully staffed and comply with County requirements for response times. The company provides services to all cities in the County with the exception of Alameda, Albany, Berkeley and Piedmont, where local fire departments provide the service.
Falck has added 40 new paramedics and EMTs in Alameda County since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The company and its emergency medical teams have been part of the response to wildfires throughout the state. Falck has also worked closely with Alameda County officials to staff skilled nursing facilities during the pandemic, and has provided emergency medical coverage to police and protestors during the recent protests.
“We are pleased to have helped communities, firefighters, and law enforcement around California,” Snypes said. “We value the first responders who work for us, and we continue to offer competitive wages and benefits to ensure that we take good care of our employees and assist the cities and people we serve.”
“We’re proud of the diversity of our workforce and how closely it mirrors the demographics of the community we serve,” Snypes added.
Blockbuster Trump EPA Letter To California Gov Gavin Newsom Blasts State, Los Angeles and San Francisco Waste From Homeless Problem
A letter sent to Zennie62Media an hour ago is from the Office of United States Environmental Protection Agency’s Director Andrew Wheeler, under President Donald Trump. In it, Mr. Wheeler claims that he “is concerned that California’s implementation of federal environmental laws is failing to meet its obligations required under delegated federal programs.” Then, he details a number of examples, including one pointed, in a not too veiled political way, at San Francisco.
In the case of San Francisco, Wheeler writes:
California Governor Gavin Newsom
The EPA is aware of the growing homelessness crisis developing in major California cities, including Los Angeles and San Francisco, and the impact of this crisis on the environment. Indeed, press reports indicate that “piles of human feces” on sidewalks and streets in these cities are becoming all too common.? The EPA is concerned about the potential water quality impacts from pathogens and other contaminants from untreated human waste entering nearby waters. San Francisco, Los Angeles and the state do not appear to be acting with urgency to mitigate the risks to human health and the environment that may result from the homelessness crisis. California is responsible for implementing appropriate municipal storm water management and waste treatment requirements as part of its assumed federal program. The state is failing to properly implement these programs.
San Francisco is also one of the few major cities with sewers that combine stormwater and sewage flows that is not under a federal consent decree to meet the requirements of federal law. The EPA is committed to helping the state address this problem. In fact, the EPA provided the San Francisco Public Utility Commission a loan of $699 million under favorable terms pursuant to authority under the Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act in July 2018 for biosolid digestors and other related projects. However, these projects will not bring the city into compliance. San Francisco must invest billions of dollars to modernize its sewer system to meet CWA standards, avoid dumping untreated and partially treated sewage into the San Francisco Bay and Pacific Ocean where it can wash up on beaches and keep raw sewage inside pipes instead of in homes and businesses.
Even more troubling is the City of San Francisco’s years-long practice – allowed by CalEPA – of routinely discharging more than one billion gallons of combined sewage and stormwater into San Francisco Bay and the Pacific Ocean on an annual basis. The CWA requires municipal sewage be treated to certain levels and to meet water quality standards. Nonetheless, although San Francisco’s combined sewer outfalls discharge to sensitive waters, these discharges do not receive biological treatment. Instead, San Francisco’s combined sewer overflows are designed to remove floatables and settleable solids only and do not always achieve even that low level of treatment. These discharges may be contributing to the state’s failure to meet water quality standards. By failing to maintain its sewer infrastructure, the city allowed raw sewage to back up into homes and businesses.
Here is the Trump EPA Letter from Andrew Wheeler in its entirety:
UNITED STATES ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20460
September 26, 2019
The Honorable Gavin C. Newsom 1303 10th Street, Suite 1173 Sacramento, California 95814
Dear Governor Newsom:
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and California Environmental Protection Agency are responsible for working together to protect public health and the environment in your state. As a result of the authorization of state laws and the delegation of federal authority, California administers and implements the federal Clean Water Act and Safe Drinking Water Act among other federal programs. Congress designed these statutory frameworks for the states to take the lead role in implementation, with the EPA overseeing state actions.
Based on data and reports, the EPA is concerned that California’s implementation of federal environmental laws is failing to meet its obligations required under delegated federal programs. The cost of this failure will be paid by those Californians exposed to unhealthy air and degraded water. The purpose of this letter is to outline the deficiencies that have led to significant public health concerns in California and to outline steps the state must take to address them. To ensure that appropriate steps are being taken to protect Californians, the EPA would like a remedial plan from the state detailing the steps it is taking to address the issues raised below.
The EPA is aware of the growing homelessness crisis developing in major California cities, including Los Angeles and San Francisco, and the impact of this crisis on the environment. Indeed, press reports indicate that “piles of human feces” on sidewalks and streets in these cities are becoming all too common.? The EPA is concerned about the potential water quality impacts from pathogens and other contaminants from untreated human waste entering nearby waters. San Francisco, Los Angeles and the state do not appear to be acting with urgency to mitigate the risks to human health and the environment that may result from the homelessness crisis. C responsible for implementing appropriate municipal storm water management and waste treatment requirements as part of its assumed federal program. The state is failing to properly implement these programs.
San Francisco is also one of the few major cities with sewers that combine stormwater and sewage flows that is not under a federal consent decree to meet the requirements of federal law. The EPA is committed to helping the state address this problem. In fact, the EPA provided the San Francisco Public Utility Commission a loan of $699 million under favorable terms pursuant to authority under the Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act in July 2018 for biosolid digestors and other related projects. However, these projects will not bring the city into compliance. San Francisco must invest billions of dollars to modernize its sewer system to meet CWA standards, avoid dumping untreated and partially treated sewage into the San Francisco Bay and Pacific Ocean where it can wash up on beaches and keep raw sewage inside pipes instead of in homes and businesses.
Even more troubling is the City of San Francisco’s years-long practice – allowed by CalEPA – of routinely discharging more than one billion gallons of combined sewage and stormwater into San Francisco Bay and the Pacific Ocean on an annual basis. The CWA requires municipal sewage be treated to certain levels and to meet water quality standards. Nonetheless, although San Francisco’s combined sewer outfalls discharge to sensitive waters, these discharges do not receive biological treatment. Instead, San Francisco’s combined sewer overflows are designed to remove floatables and settleable solids only and do not always achieve even that low level of treatment. These discharges may be contributing to the state’s failure to meet water quality standards. By failing to maintain its sewer infrastructure, the city allowed raw sewage to back up into homes and businesses.
Overall, significant deficiencies are present, and the state has not acted with a sense of urgency to abate this public health and environmental problem. Among the other issues identified, the state’s years-long approval of the discharges referenced above under its authorized program raises serious questions as to whether it is administering a program consistent with federal law. The city’s practices endanger public health, and the EPA is prepared to take the necessary steps to ensure CWA compliance. Given the magnitude of the issues, I have asked EPA staff to consider all options available to bring the city into compliance.
The state’s lack of action in response to the homelessness crisis and San Francisco’s discharges of inadequately treated sewage prompted the EPA to review other programs administered by CalEPA for similar concerns. What we discovered after a preliminary review suggests the need for more formal and in-depth EPA oversight. For example, we are aware of numerous exceedances of state-issued National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permits under section 402 of the CWA. Just in this past quarter, we identified 23 significant instances of discharges into waters of the United States in exceedance of permit limits. By way of example, the City of Los Angeles exceeded its permit limit for Indeno[1,2,3-cd) pyrene (a contaminant which is reasonably anticipated to be a human carcinogen) by 442 percent; the University of Southern California exceeded its permit limit for copper (a metal which can adversely affect human health and the health of aquatic life) by 420 percent; and Sanitary District Number 5 of Marin County exceeded its permit limit for total cyanide by 5,194 percent. These are serious matters that warrant a strong review by California.
California has the resources to address these problems. Apart from the state’s significant tax base, California received more than $1.16 billion of federal funds to implement CWA programs just in the last five years, including $253.5 million in FY2018 and $247 million in FY2019. In addition, California received more than $152 million in categorical grants over this time to improve compliance with the CWA.
The EPA also has concerns about CalEPA’s administration and oversight of SDWA programs and public water systems within the state. Indeed, we are aware of numerous recent health-based exceedances: in just the most recent reporting quarter of 2019, California had 202 Community Water Systems with 665 health-based exceedances that put the drinking water of nearly 800,000 residents at risk. These exceedances include:
• 67 systems with 194 serious health-based exceedances of arsenic levels, impacting more
than 101,000 residents;
• 210 lead action level exceedances in just the most recent 3-year interval at 168 PWSs,
impacting more than 10,000 residents;
• two systems with serious Ground Water Rule compliance issues, impacting more than
250,000 residents; 44 systems with 154 exceedances of the Stage 1 and 2 disinfection byproduct regulations,
impacting almost 255,000 residents; and
• 25 systems with 69 violations of radiological standards, impacting almost 12,000 residents.
These exceedances call into question the state’s ability to protect the public and administer its SDWA programs in a manner consistent with federal requirements.
Under this Administration, the EPA stands ready to assist California and CalEPA to protect the health and environment of Californians. However, it is time for the state to act decisively under its authorities to address the problems identified in this letter. For each of the delegated or assumed programs discussed in this letter, I request a written response within 30 days outlining in detail how California intends to address the concerns and violations identified herein. This response should include a demonstration that the state has the adequate authority and capability to address these issues and specific anticipated milestones for correcting these problems. I look forward to hearing from you.
Sincerely,
Andrew R. Wheeler
NOTES
The EPA first authorized California’s base Clean Water Act program in 1973. The EPA subsequently approved the state to regulate discharges from federal facilities in 1978, administer the pretreatment program in 1989 and issue general permits in 1989. California also has received primacy to exercise Safe Drinking Water Act responsibilities in the state.
2 See, e.g., Raphelson, Samantha. “San Francisco Squalor: City Streets Strewn With Trash, Needles And Human Feces, NPR (Aug. 1, 2018) available at https://www.npr.org/2018/08/01/634626538/san-francisco-squalor-city-streets strewn-with-trash-needles-and-human-feces (last accessed Sept. 22, 2019).
3 Human waste from homeless populations is a recognized source of bacteria in water bodies. See American Society of Civil Engineers, “Pathogens in Urban Stormwater Systems” (Aug. 2014); “The California Microbial Source Identification Manual: A Tiered Approach to Identifying Fecal Pollution Sources to Beaches” (Dec. 2013); Tools for Tracking Human Fecal Pollution in Urban Storm Drains, Streams, and Beaches (Sept. 2012). These reports are
Internet Address (URL) http://www.epa.gov Recycled/Recyclable Printed with Vegetable Oil Based Inks on 100% Postconsumer, Process Chlorine Free Recycled Paper
available on the website for the San Francisco Bay Beaches Bacteria TMDL available at https://www.waterboards.ca.gov/sanfranciscobay/water_issues/programs/TMDLs/SFbaybeachesbacteria.html (last accessed September 22, 2019).
+ The EPA’s current data also indicates that 15 major Publicly Owned Treatment Works are in significant noncompliance and 11 non-major POTWs are currently in significant noncompliance. These data are publicly available. See U.S. EPA, Enforcement and Compliance History Online water facility public search tool (https://echo.epa.gov/facilities/facility-search?mediaSelected=cwa).
5 The 2006 Ground Water Rule is a National Primary Drinking Water Regulation under the SDWA aimed at providing increased protection against microbial pathogens in public water systems that use ground water sources. See 71 FR 65574.
6 These health-based concerns are associated with unaddressed significant deficiencies” identified via an audit of the system, called a “sanitary survey,” and include, for example, an opening through which bacteria could enter a well head that the system has not repaired.
I have sent this to Governor Newsom’s Office for comment, as well as the Mayor’s Office’s of LA Mayor Eric Garcetti and San Francisco Mayor London Breed for comment. Keep in mind the interesting timing of the letter with respect to the November 2020 Election and the 30 day response time, which takes us right up to just days before election day. Moreover, Wheeler just blasted Newsom for his executive order to ban the sale of gas-powered cars in 15 years. This space wishes that Governor Newsom would apply large tax credits to electric-powered supercars, as a way to hasten the transition to an electric car world.
Oakland – Today, the Oakland City Council, CPAB, SSOC, and the Police Commission will discuss the concept, introduced by Council President Rebecca Kaplan, to make guns the top law enforcement priority in the City of Oakland. If Oakland can deter illegal guns and gun violence by increasing gun tracing, improving response time to shooting notifications, and prioritizing response to gun crime, the city will be a safer place to live.
The Oakland City Council has previously adopted policies to set law enforcement priorities in the direction of “low priority” issues — designating which topics it would be the policy for OPD not to prioritize, such as cannabis.
“I am calling for the City of Oakland to Declare Gun Violence as the Top Law Enforcement Priority for the City of Oakland, to decrease the number of illegal guns and gun violence in the city. By increasing gun tracing and prioritizing action to respond to gun crime,” states Council President Rebecca Kaplan. “We must recognize the easy availability of illegal guns increases violence and harm, and in order to reduce gun violence, we need to crack down on illegal guns, and have a timely and effective response to shooting notifications.”
The City of Oakland is experiencing an increase in the amount of guns shots fired. According to the Oakland Police Department’s ShotSpotter Activations Report, the Oakland Police Crime Analysis Division reported approximately 2,807 ShotSpottter Activations from gunshots fired in 2019. As of September 20, 2020, there have been approximately 4,104 ShotSpotter activations from guns fired. This number is a forty-six percent (46%) increase from the year prior, and that many gunshots don’t show up in 911 call statistics.
As of August 23, 2020, the Oakland Police Department Crime Analysis reported thirty-four (34%) percent increase in reported gunfire in Oakland. In 2019, there were 953 occurrences of gunfire. This year, 1,281 occurrences of gunfire were reported, with a quarter of the year still to be determined. In a single weekend from August 6th-9th, 2020, ten shootings were reported across the city, which resulted in five fatalities, many of the cases are unsolved, with the assailants remaining at-large.
Currently, there is also a grave need for an effective and robust gun tracing program to curb the amount of gun violence and reduce the number of illegal guns on the streets. Kaplan has been a consistent advocate for increased efforts around gun and shell tracing. She fought for the funding to acquire the gun and shell tracing equipment. She understands that gun tracing is essential to shutting down sources of illegal guns on Oakland’s streets.
In order to ensure that illegal guns can be tracked down and to deter gun crime, it will be important to have timely response on notifications of shootings, and more consistent tracing of guns and shell casings. Kaplan has requested information from OPD about the frequency of providing an immediate deployment in response to notifications of shootings, and about how often there is the ability to collect shell casings or other materials to help identify and shut down sources of illegal guns.
The goal is to make smart and effective choices about deployments, and timely response to urgent situations like armed robberies in progress. The recent choice by the Oakland Police Chief to order hundreds of Police Officers to stay downtown watching peaceful protesters was not the most effective and efficient use of law enforcement resources, while urgent needs for response and follow up on armed robberies was lacking. A better use of sworn personnel would have been to ensure presence in community and commercial corridors facing armed robberies throughout the city. A discussion about making gun violence a top law enforcement priority for the City of Oakland will help ensure that resources are distributed in a more effective and just manner.
Oakland – The Oakland Unified School District or OUSD is not taking any chances ahead of its Madison Park Academy Press Conference. It issued this press release:
COVID RULES for Today’s Madison Park Academy Press Conference
Oakland, CA — For anyone planning to attend today’s press conference at Madison Park Elementary as noted in this press release from Monday evening, there are some rules you will have to follow, per the OUSD legal department. They are as follows:
● Masks must be worn at ALL times (unless the speaker cannot be heard with their mask on)
● Any microphone used must be wiped down/disinfected before each speaker
● Maintain at least 6 feet of distance between everyone at ALL times
● No sharing of anything (e.g., pens, paper, etc.)
● No one should attend who has any COVID symptoms (John Sasaki will do a verbal check with everyone (OUSD staff and non-OUSD personnel) when they arrive)
● No using the restroom
● Stay outdoors at ALL times unless explicitly permitted by John Sasaki
● For those that do go inside the building, John Sasaki will need to escort you and open all doors
● Anyone who fails to comply with these rules, their application, or related direction from John Sasaki may be asked to leave the event
If you have any questions, please contact communications director, John Sasaki.
This is all well and good, but I wonder if anyone bothered to check if Madison Park Elementary was sanitized prior to the press event? COVID-19 is all over: in the air, and on certain surfaces. OUSD gave no indication that the new building was sanitized before the press conference.
On top of that, consider that on January 24th 2020, COVID-19 was the focus of a classified Senate briefing, but just what was said we have not been told. Why was the meeting classified? What does the U.S. Government know that we do not know. Not a good situation.
In his newsletter Oakland District 6 Councilmember Loren Taylor shared a series of news updates related to homelessness and tenant and landlord protection. Here they are:
City Of Oakland Homeless Encampment Management Policy
When the pandemic hit the city council moved quickly into shelter in place in March, pausing the sunshine ordinance to allow city business to continue remotely. Now in September, more informed and better prepared, council has reinstated 10-day noticing for all items to be heard at council and regular rules committee hearings for transparent scheduling.
As we kick off our fall legislative session look out for these items to be scheduled soon. The Life Enrichment committee (Chaired by Councilmember Taylor) will be considering changes to the Homeless Encampment Management Policy. The meeting is schedule for Monday, September 21st visit City of Oakland website of meeting information.
State Of California Tenant and Landlord Protection Legislation
September 1st the Assembly and Senate both approved AB 3088, which is designed to protect tenants from eviction, and property owners from foreclosure, due to the economic impacts of COVID-19.
The measure was signed into law by Governor Newsom and the details are as follows:
The protections in AB 3088 apply to tenants who declare an inability to pay all or part of their rent due to a COVID-19-related reason.
Under the legislation, no tenant can be evicted before February 1, 2021 as a result of rent owed due to a COVID-19-related hardship accrued between March 4th and August 31st, if the tenant provides a declaration of hardship.
For COVID-19 related hardships that accrue between September 1, 2020 and January 31, 2021, tenants must also pay at least 25% of the rent due to avoid eviction.
Tenants are still responsible for paying unpaid amounts to landlords, but those unpaid amounts cannot be the basis for an eviction.
Landlords may begin to recover this debt on March 1, 2021, and small claims court jurisdiction is temporarily expanded to allow landlords to recover these amounts.
AB 3088 extends anti-foreclosure protections in the Homeowner Bill of Rights to small landlords, provides new accountability and transparency provisions to protect small landlord borrowers who request CARES Act-compliant forbearance, and provides the borrower who is harmed by a material violation with a cause of action.
Existing local ordinances can generally remain in place until they expire and future local action cannot undermine the framework of AB 3088.
Several members of the Legislature, including the author, noted that AB 3088 should be viewed as a short-term solution and that additional legislation would be necessary to further address this issue when the Legislature returns to session in January 2021.
Oakland From A Distance – In the ongoing debate against and legal challenges to the Insight Terminal Solutions Oakland Bulk and Oversized Terminal, there are two one constant refrains heard. One is that the Oakland Bulk and Oversized Terminal (where Insight Terminal Solutions is a Zennie62Media content client) is a coal terminal, when it’s not, and is designed to be a true bulk terminal that can facilitate the transport of commodities like iron ore and coal. The other is that coal can be replaced by renewables, and indeed, will be – so why bother maintaining a coal industry at all (as if it will just go away)?
The first question has been addressed so many times that those who once called the Oakland Bulk and Oversized Terminal a “coal terminal” have now stopped doing so. For the second question, I decided to go right to the people who would best know the answer to it: coal miners.
What did the coal miners write? Well, without revealing names, here are the entries:
1. What a big ol load of bullshit.
2. Yes it can. If they like black outs.
3. Can one make steel from renewable?
4. Well turn your power off !!!
5. You can’t melt steel without coal. Steel that builds our cars, military, sky scrappers. You people are crazy.
6. Worked in a forge plant…any electricity will melt steel…coal in steel is like flour in a biscuit…part of the recipe.
7. No substitute for coking coal .. worked it for years…all that is left here.
8. Windmills. Takes a lot of steel and coal to make one.
9. Wonder why CA is having major blackouts. They shut down their coal fired powerplants in 95 but yet bought electricity off of New Mexico
10. Screw California the whole west coast fall off the US. Wonder of the Demonrats can swim.
11. Stop sending coal power to California
12. One day these tree huggers will regret their decisions to go away from coal! It made us the superpower we are today!
13. It will take one good winter which we haven’t had in a while and theyl turn a certain grid off to keep their cities burning but rural will be without and then they’ll say well coal wasn’t so bad after all. 6 years ago AEP in Eastern, KY came 4 kilowatts of loosing their power grid during the bug snow we had. It will happen and they’ll be sorry
14. Hi I would want to ask this way: Why do you want to do away with coal?
15. If you don’t need coal. Then turn your ELC and see how much you miss it. Then think about all the work that goes into being able to warm your coffee up in the morning. Trust me u really need coal miners and COAL.
16. They are full of crap.
17. I suppose we could burn our forest up in power plants that way between that and burning down our cities we could look just like West Africa.
18. Do they know about products made from coal?
19. Make up from coal steel electricy computer components gas desiel plastic carbon fiber cement home and unlike gas it heats whey longer whit just as btu’s
Overall, the sentiment is that those in Oakland who believe that renewables can replace coal just don’t understand the basics of electric power produced from coal. America’s Power, the coal industry lobby, asked “What would it look like if we actually replaced Indiana’s coal generation with renewable generation in 2018?” and determined that it could not be done.
In 2015 Wharton asked “Can the World Run on Renewable Energy?” Then, it struggles to provide a convincing argument that resoundingly says “Yes!” The Wharton Report says “The global picture is complex. Although coal production internationally is still increasing robustly, and the International Energy Agency sees demand growth of 2.1% annually through 2019,employment — at seven million jobs worldwide — has seen some losses.” And then it gives in and admits that “China’s reliance on coal remains a formidable obstacle. Coal produces 70% of China’s energy, and almost four billion tons were burned there in 2012 — a major reason that China has become the world’s largest greenhouse gas emitter. From 2005 to 2011, China (with vast natural coal reserves) added the equivalent of two 600-megawatt plants every week, and from 2010 through 2013, it added coal plants roughly equal to half of all U.S. generation. (At the same time, China is committed to renewable energy — with hydropower included, it’s already at 20%, compared to 13% in the U.S. But demand is rising and so is production: China is planning to double its power-generating capacity by 2030.)”
The truth is that China’s trend is toward a mix of energy production types, and is working to make energy derived from coal use “cleaner”. Indeed, it must be asserted that China and Japan are far ahead of the United States in advancements in coal industry technology with respect to climate change.
My question is this: why can’t America establish a top-priority plan to make traditional energy cleaner and not throw coal miners out of their jobs, with empty promises of employment in industries damaged by The Pandemic? It’s a question that deserves an answer.
Another question that deserves an answer is this: when will Oakland climate change activists start actually reading The Limits To Growth and the research that points to population growth as the real cause of climate change?
Indeed, Population Matters, the UK-based charity which campaigns to achieve a sustainable human population, to protect the natural world and improve people’s lives, reports:
The effects of global warming are already bringing harm to human communities and the natural world. Further temperature rises will have a devastating impact and more action on greenhouse gas emissions is urgently required. Population and climate change are inextricably linked. Every additional person increases carbon emissions — the rich far more than the poor — and increases the number of climate change victims – the poor far more than the rich.
On Tuesday, OUSD Unveils New High School Building at Madison Park Academy, School in East Oakland Neighborhood with Troubled Past
Oakland – East Oakland’s Sobrante Park neighborhood, a shining new feature will have a huge impact on the lives of countless young people. The Madison Park Academy (MPA) campus has a new building for its high school students. The building has 14 classrooms, two labs, six offices and other staff space.
Ten years ago, the idea of a new school building here may have seemed next to impossible. MPA is located in an area that, historically, many people avoided. “It used to be one of the largest dope traps in Oakland, because there’s one way in and one way out. So, they could protect their turf,” said OUSD Board of Education Director, James Harris in 2019. “As kids, we went to school on MacArthur, they’d say man, don’t go anywhere near Sobrante Park because it was so dangerous that you didn’t know what could happen. A lot of kids would come in and get robbed.”
A quick look at a classroom inside the new high school building at Madison Park Academy.
But now, the area has gone through a renaissance, and the resurgence of the school has been a major catalyst for change. None of it would have happened, were it not for the dedication of MPA’s Executive Principal, Lucinda Taylor, who pushed this project for more than eight years, and ensured her students had a say in the finished product. “We’ve talked to students, they’ve had a real say in how the garden areas are going to be constructed. They’ve seen the design, they’ve been instrumental in choosing textures and tiles in classrooms. It’s just been a community project,” she said last year.
The new high school building at Madison Park Academy.
“This means a lot for our engineering program,” said engineering teacher, Tawana Guillaume last year about her students who do robotics projects. “We need a lot of space, we have a lot of equipment, we’re kind of crammed in our classroom in our portable. So, the opportunity for our students to really spread out to work on large-scale projects, to have this space to be creative, it will be amazing.”
Beyond the new high school building, the project includes a renovated main parking lot, and a renovated kitchen, along with a new remote snack bar. It balances a welcoming atmosphere and accessibility with security and safety with its appropriate use of lighting, ADA-compliant walkways and spaces, and network of ornamental gates. It’s designed to provide a healthy, clean and durable environment that promotes effective teaching and learning. The building systems are designed to provide exceptional indoor air quality with a high degree of user control through the use of high-efficiency filtration. As noted above, it also includes an area set aside as a school garden for students to develop and maintain.
The new high school building at Madison Park Academy.
The $36 million project was funded through Measure B, Measure J and Fund 25. “We thank the voters of Oakland for seeing our students’ needs and supporting them with this beautiful new building,” said Superintendent Kyla Johnson-Trammell in 2019. “We know that Madison Park is already producing many business and community leaders of tomorrow. Very soon, the people of Oakland will see their investment in these students paying remarkable dividends.”
Although some staff has already been on-site, the new building will welcome all staff and students once the community has been allowed to move beyond the restrictions in place because of the COVID pandemic.
Media is welcome at this event. Adherence to social distancing and mask-wearing guidelines is mandatory.
WHAT: Madison Park Academy New High School Building Ribbon-Cutting & News Conference
WHEN: Noon, Tuesday, September 29
WHERE: Madison Park Academy, 400 Capistrano Drive
About the Oakland Unified School District
In California’s most diverse city, Oakland Unified School District (OUSD) is dedicated to creating a learning environment where “Every Student Thrives!” More than half of our students speak a non-English language at home. And each of our 81 schools is staffed with talented individuals uniting around a common set of values: Students First, Equity, Excellence, Integrity, Cultural Responsiveness and Joy. We are committed to preparing all students for college, career and community success.
To learn more about OUSD’s Full Service Community District focused on academic achievement while serving the whole child in safe schools, please visit OUSD.org and follow us @OUSDnews.
This post based on a press release from OUSD to Zennie62Media, Inc.
Note from Zennie62Media and Oakland News Now: this video-blog post demonstrates the full and live operation of the latest updated version of an experimental Zennie62Media , Inc. mobile media video-blogging system network that was launched June 2018. This is a major part of Zennie62Media , Inc.’s new and innovative approach to the production of news media. What we call “The Third Wave of Media”. The uploaded video is from a vlogger with the Zennie62 on YouTube Partner Channel, then uploaded to and formatted automatically at the Oakland News Now site and Zennie62-created and owned social media pages. The overall objective is smartphone-enabled, real-time, on the scene reporting of news, interviews, observations, and happenings anywhere in the World and within seconds and not hours. Now, news is reported with a smartphone: no heavy and expensive cameras or even a laptop are necessary. The secondary objective is faster, and very inexpensive media content news production and distribution. We have found there is a disconnect between post length and time to product and revenue generated. With this, the problem is far less, though by no means solved. Zennie62Media is constantly working to improve the system network coding and seeks interested content and media technology partners.
ONN – Brad Parscale Tackled, Arrested After Wife Calls 911 Feared Former Trump Campaign Boss Suicide Try
Brad Parscale Tackled, Arrested After Wife Calls 911 Feared Former Trump Campaign Boss Suicide Try
Note from Zennie62Media and Oakland News Now: this video-blog post demonstrates the full and live operation of the latest updated version of an experimental Zennie62Media , Inc. mobile media video-blogging system network that was launched June 2018. This is a major part of Zennie62Media , Inc.’s new and innovative approach to the production of news media. What we call “The Third Wave of Media”. The uploaded video is from a vlogger with the Zennie62 on YouTube Partner Channel, then uploaded to and formatted automatically at the Oakland News Now site and Zennie62-created and owned social media pages. The overall objective is smartphone-enabled, real-time, on the scene reporting of news, interviews, observations, and happenings anywhere in the World and within seconds and not hours. Now, news is reported with a smartphone: no heavy and expensive cameras or even a laptop are necessary. The secondary objective is faster, and very inexpensive media content news production and distribution. We have found there is a disconnect between post length and time to product and revenue generated. With this, the problem is far less, though by no means solved. Zennie62Media is constantly working to improve the system network coding and seeks interested content and media technology partners.
ONN – Trump’s $1.1 Billion In Debt Broken Down By Forbes Reporter Dan Alexander On Twitter, Not A Blog
Trump’s $1.1 Billion In Debt Broken Down By Forbes Reporter Dan Alexander On Twitter, Not A Blog
Dan Alexander did an excellent job of breaking down President Trump’s $1.1 Billion in debt that was revealed in The New York Times. But he put it on Twitter, thus giving Jack Dorsey valuable content for free. This is one reason why news organizations are dying.
Stay tuned.
Note from Zennie62Media and Oakland News Now: this video-blog post demonstrates the full and live operation of the latest updated version of an experimental Zennie62Media , Inc. mobile media video-blogging system network that was launched June 2018. This is a major part of Zennie62Media , Inc.’s new and innovative approach to the production of news media. What we call “The Third Wave of Media”. The uploaded video is from a vlogger with the Zennie62 on YouTube Partner Channel, then uploaded to and formatted automatically at the Oakland News Now site and Zennie62-created and owned social media pages. The overall objective is smartphone-enabled, real-time, on the scene reporting of news, interviews, observations, and happenings anywhere in the World and within seconds and not hours. Now, news is reported with a smartphone: no heavy and expensive cameras or even a laptop are necessary. The secondary objective is faster, and very inexpensive media content news production and distribution. We have found there is a disconnect between post length and time to product and revenue generated. With this, the problem is far less, though by no means solved. Zennie62Media is constantly working to improve the system network coding and seeks interested content and media technology partners.
The Port of Oakland just sent this press release regarding the comments of the Port of Oakland’s Maritime Director to Zennie62Media
Bryan Brandes Cranes Behind
Oakland – Sept. 28, 2020: Strategic initiatives and investment in operational improvements are the Port of Oakland’s solutions to post-pandemic business recovery and future growth. That is the message the Port’s Maritime Director delivered to the Pacific Trade Association at its Zoom meeting this month.
“We are determining our strategic initiatives right now,” said Port of Oakland Maritime Director Bryan Brandes. “We’re continuing to spend and invest a fair amount into Port facilities to ensure that we’re set up for the future.”
The Port of Oakland is considering an ‘only-port-of-call’ express service. It is also looking into focusing on rail within the western states, both short-haul, and into the US interior as an opportunity for moving more cargo through the Port.
According to Mr. Brandes, the Port of Oakland is expecting a slight decrease in Oakland’s overall cargo volume in 2020 due to the pandemic but expects that to pick up in future years. Mr. Brandes is optimistic about Oakland’s maritime business and welcomed input from attendees as the Port continues to shape its strategy.
Fifteen transportation related infrastructure and software projects are being built in Oakland. Together they make up the Freight Intelligence Transportation System (FITS). “It’s a combined effort with the Alameda County Transportation Commission, the Port and the City,” said Mr. Brandes. “The new system will improve security, safety and the customer experience for those who are involved with the Port.”
A long-term project at the Port of Oakland is the redevelopment of the former Oakland Army Base. The Seaport Logistics Complex (SLC) encompasses the Port’s part of the former base. CenterPoint Landing is the first construction project at the SLC. The 466,000 square foot warehouse is on 27 acres and will soon be completed.
Three, new, huge container cranes are coming into Oakland International Container Terminal (OICT) later this fall. These will be the tallest cranes Oakland has ever had at 442 feet as measured with the boom at rest, pointed skyward (301 feet at the apex). TraPac terminal operators at Oakland also have plans to either raise cranes or bring in new, bigger cranes next year, Mr. Brandes said.
Mr. Brandes highlighted the Port’s Seaport Air Quality 2020 and Beyond Plan, “This is the Port’s plan on how it’s going to sustainably grow its cargo business while at the same time be responsible to the surrounding communities regarding air quality, truck traffic control, and providing local jobs.”
The Port is continuing its negotiations with the Oakland A’s regarding a proposed baseball stadium at Howard Terminal. The project includes a residential development next to the stadium. It requires multiple approvals before it can be formally considered by the Oakland Board of Port Commissioners.
Port officials say they are committed to the growth of container cargo volume. If the ballpark project goes through, the Port plans to ensure that it does not impede maritime activities.
Mr. Brandes emphasized that the Port’s investment in its facilities is a clear sign that the Port will be improving its infrastructure in ways that support maritime growth in Oakland.
About the Port of Oakland
The Port of Oakland oversees the Oakland Seaport, Oakland International Airport, and nearly 20 miles of waterfront including Jack London Square. The Port’s 5-year strategic plan – Growth with Care – pairs business expansion with community benefits, envisioning more jobs and economic stimulus as the Port grows. Together with its business partners, the Port supports more than 84,000 jobs. Connect with the Port of Oakland and Oakland International Airport through Facebook, or with the Port on Twitter, YouTube, and at www.portofoakland.com.
Today I witnessed something I’ve never witnessed before in Oakland, California. A young Hispanic man bypassed the fare gate at Coliseum BART station without paying; thus setting off the alarm. Two BART police officers just coincidentally happened to be about 20 feet away from where the man was, while I was watching all of this unfold perpendicular to where the officers were at the time. As the man continued walking away, the police officers followed the man while shouting for him to stop and go back to pay for his ride fare. The man clearly ignored their commands and then pulled out a knife. That’s when the officers pulled out their tasers. At this point, I ran for cover and started recording this video from a safe distance. You can tell my hands were shaking when I was recording this video as I was scared myself and did not know if the suspect also had a gun on him. You can clearly tell the officers were pleading for the man to drop the knife. I could hear everything that was being said clearly, even if this video doesn’t display the best audio quality. The suspect was tased multiple times. After the man was handcuffed, you can clearly see the knife on the floor. You can also see one of the officers picking up another similar knife by the wall (not sure if it was thrown by the suspect). I stopped recording when 6-8 other police officers showed up. I was interviewed by Sergeant, William Spears of #BartPolice for a witness statement, as I was the only witness to this situation. In my opinion, the officers handled this situation in a very professional manner. This could have escalated into something much worse; however, I’m just glad that nobody was hurt.
Great work BART Police and thanks for posting Jerry.
Stay tuned.
Note from Zennie62Media and Oakland News Now: this video-blog post demonstrates the full and live operation of the latest updated version of an experimental Zennie62Media , Inc. mobile media video-blogging system network that was launched June 2018. This is a major part of Zennie62Media , Inc.’s new and innovative approach to the production of news media. What we call “The Third Wave of Media”. The uploaded video is from a vlogger with the Zennie62 on YouTube Partner Channel, then uploaded to and formatted automatically at the Oakland News Now site and Zennie62-created and owned social media pages. The overall objective is smartphone-enabled, real-time, on the scene reporting of news, interviews, observations, and happenings anywhere in the World and within seconds and not hours. Now, news is reported with a smartphone: no heavy and expensive cameras or even a laptop are necessary. The secondary objective is faster, and very inexpensive media content news production and distribution. We have found there is a disconnect between post length and time to product and revenue generated. With this, the problem is far less, though by no means solved. Zennie62Media is constantly working to improve the system network coding and seeks interested content and media technology partners.
Found this video connected to their event, which happened last week, Saturday.
Children’s Fairyland presents Celebrity Storytime hosted by Daveed Diggs and Rafael Casal
Saturday, September 26, 2020, starts at 6:30 p.m.
Registration is free: https://bit.ly/TownTales
Note from Zennie62Media and Oakland News Now: this video-blog post demonstrates the full and live operation of the latest updated version of an experimental Zennie62Media , Inc. mobile media video-blogging system network that was launched June 2018. This is a major part of Zennie62Media , Inc.’s new and innovative approach to the production of news media. What we call “The Third Wave of Media”. The uploaded video is from a vlogger with the Zennie62 on YouTube Partner Channel, then uploaded to and formatted automatically at the Oakland News Now site and Zennie62-created and owned social media pages. The overall objective is smartphone-enabled, real-time, on the scene reporting of news, interviews, observations, and happenings anywhere in the World and within seconds and not hours. Now, news is reported with a smartphone: no heavy and expensive cameras or even a laptop are necessary. The secondary objective is faster, and very inexpensive media content news production and distribution. We have found there is a disconnect between post length and time to product and revenue generated. With this, the problem is far less, though by no means solved. Zennie62Media is constantly working to improve the system network coding and seeks interested content and media technology partners.
ONN – Oakland Heat Related DEATH At Operation HomeBase Homeless Trailer Park by Derrick Soo
Oakland Heat Related DEATH At Operation HomeBase Homeless Trailer Park by Derrick Soo
When Operation HomeBase opened, City was made aware that the Electrical grid to power the trailers was insufficient. This past May, my Medical Client nearly died from this issue. Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf vowed to correct this problem. The solution has yet to be implemented, and now has KILLED a resident at The City of Oakland’s Safe Trailer Park at 633 Hegenberger Road (trailer number withheld).
HCEB or Housing Consortium Of The East Bay (which was hired by City of Oakland to do oversight of the park) refuses to allow residents to use outside Shade to sit outside their Trailer. Thus FORCING seniors with severe Medical issues to sit in direct sunlight without relief!
Housing Consortium Of The East Bay had been WARNED about Cal-OSHA Health & Safety Violations everywhere.
Zennie Abraham follow-up to Derrick Soo’s vlog: I called Derrick to get more information on this horrible matter. Soo, himself living in a homeless encampment, told me that the person who died is, as I am writing this, still sitting in a chair in the middle of the Safe Trailer Park! Derrick told me that residents were complaining about it to anyone who would listen.
Stay tuned.
Note from Zennie62Media and Oakland News Now: this video-blog post demonstrates the full and live operation of the latest updated version of an experimental Zennie62Media , Inc. mobile media video-blogging system network that was launched June 2018. This is a major part of Zennie62Media , Inc.’s new and innovative approach to the production of news media. What we call “The Third Wave of Media”. The uploaded video is from a vlogger with the Zennie62 on YouTube Partner Channel, then uploaded to and formatted automatically at the Oakland News Now site and Zennie62-created and owned social media pages. The overall objective is smartphone-enabled, real-time, on the scene reporting of news, interviews, observations, and happenings anywhere in the World and within seconds and not hours. Now, news is reported with a smartphone: no heavy and expensive cameras or even a laptop are necessary. The secondary objective is faster, and very inexpensive media content news production and distribution. We have found there is a disconnect between post length and time to product and revenue generated. With this, the problem is far less, though by no means solved. Zennie62Media is constantly working to improve the system network coding and seeks interested content and media technology partners.
Chit chatting about season four of The Masked Singer. Will you be tuning in? #maskedsinger #nickcannon #tpain
Note from Zennie62Media and Oakland News Now: this video-blog post demonstrates the full and live operation of the latest updated version of an experimental Zennie62Media , Inc. mobile media video-blogging system network that was launched June 2018. This is a major part of Zennie62Media , Inc.’s new and innovative approach to the production of news media. What we call “The Third Wave of Media”. The uploaded video is from a vlogger with the Zennie62 on YouTube Partner Channel, then uploaded to and formatted automatically at the Oakland News Now site and Zennie62-created and owned social media pages. The overall objective is smartphone-enabled, real-time, on the scene reporting of news, interviews, observations, and happenings anywhere in the World and within seconds and not hours. Now, news is reported with a smartphone: no heavy and expensive cameras or even a laptop are necessary. The secondary objective is faster, and very inexpensive media content news production and distribution. We have found there is a disconnect between post length and time to product and revenue generated. With this, the problem is far less, though by no means solved. Zennie62Media is constantly working to improve the system network coding and seeks interested content and media technology partners.
ONN – Berkeley CA To Be 1st US City To Ban Junk Food In Grocery Store Checkout Aisles
Note from Zennie62Media and Oakland News Now: this video-blog post demonstrates the full and live operation of the latest updated version of an experimental Zennie62Media , Inc. mobile media video-blogging system network that was launched June 2018. This is a major part of Zennie62Media , Inc.’s new and innovative approach to the production of news media. What we call “The Third Wave of Media”. The uploaded video is from a vlogger with the Zennie62 on YouTube Partner Channel, then uploaded to and formatted automatically at the Oakland News Now site and Zennie62-created and owned social media pages. The overall objective is smartphone-enabled, real-time, on the scene reporting of news, interviews, observations, and happenings anywhere in the World and within seconds and not hours. Now, news is reported with a smartphone: no heavy and expensive cameras or even a laptop are necessary. The secondary objective is faster, and very inexpensive media content news production and distribution. We have found there is a disconnect between post length and time to product and revenue generated. With this, the problem is far less, though by no means solved. Zennie62Media is constantly working to improve the system network coding and seeks interested content and media technology partners.
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce supports Amy Coney Barrett, and sent the following press release to Zennie62Media:
U.S. Chamber Supports President Trump’s Nominee Barrett for Supreme Court
September 26, 2020
Washington, D.C. — U.S. Chamber CEO Thomas J. Donohue issued the following statement today regarding President Trump’s nomination of Judge Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court of the United States.
“We congratulate Judge Amy Coney Barrett and applaud President Trump for this nomination of an eminently qualified jurist. Because there has long been speculation that Judge Barrett could be the nominee, our legal team has reviewed her record in business cases, as well as her background and credentials.
Throughout Judge Barrett’s distinguished career, she has demonstrated careful fidelity to the Constitution and the rule of law. America’s free enterprise system depends on the fair application of the law, and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce has no doubt that Judge Barrett will treat all litigants – including the business community – fairly. She will make an excellent associate justice.”
About the U.S. Chamber of Commerce
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce is the world’s largest business organization representing companies of all sizes across every sector of the economy. Our members range from the small businesses and local chambers of commerce that line the Main Streets of America to leading industry associations and large corporations.
They all share one thing: They count on the U.S. Chamber to be their voice in Washington, across the country, and around the world. For more than 100 years, we have advocated for pro-business policies that help businesses create jobs and grow our economy.
Oakland – Just hours after it was announced that Lyft had dumped $100K into television ads against Oakland City Councilmember At-Large Rebecca Kaplan, allegedly lying about her record on housing, the At-Large Councilmember has received a number of new endorsements in the fight to stop the oligarchs from buying Oakland.
“This is not about housing,” Kaplan said of Lyft’s financial contribution to the campaign committee opposing her. “This is about a billionaire corporation that doesn’t want to pay its fair share in taxes and wants to abuse its workers.”
Rand Shaw – journalist, and pro-housing advocate – endorsed Rebecca’s re-election saying in an email, “Rebecca, I am absolutely horrified that YIMBY’s are using Lyft money to oppose you. I never make Oakland endorsements but feel compelled to show my support for you. So please list me as an endorser. Thanks, and on to victory!” and then followed with a tweet denouncing the lies by Lyft “IN 2018 @Kaplan4Oakland sought to increase housing density on transit corridors and upzone Rockridge. Yet some East Bay YIMBY’s have taken $100K from Lyft to help defeat this strong housing advocate. Terrible move.“
Assemblymember Lorena Gonzalez who is a champion for working people and their families and who was the Primary Sponsor of Assembly Bill 5 which is now being fought by Lyft in a statewide ballot measure – Proposition 22 – funded by the same oligarchs that are running attack ads on Rebecca also endorsed her re-election to the At Large seat.
Finally, Assemblymember Ash Kalra, who was a co-sponsor of Assembly Bill 5, re-tweeted his colleague and showed support for Rebecca’s campaign.
These types of dirty campaign tactics should be unacceptable in Oakland politics. Oaklanders deserve better. What is most important right now is to help people make a plan to vote. It is so important to mail your ballots early this year or find your local drop box. Ballots drop on October 5th so people should be checking their mailbox, and if they plan to mail their ballot to get it in the mail by October 10th to assure it makes it to the Registrar in time.
Rebecca is proud to have the endorsement and support of many community organizations, leaders, grassroots advocates, and residents. For endorsement information please visit http://kaplanforoakland.org/endorsements/.
Councilmember At-Large Rebecca Kaplan is an honors graduate from MIT, and holds a J.D. from Stanford Law School. Kaplan was elected in 2008 to serve as Oakland’s citywide Councilmember, she was re-elected in 2016, Rebecca is Oakland’s first openly LGBTQ+ elected official and she serves on the Alameda County Transportation Commission (ACTC).
Follow Council President Kaplan on Twitter @Kaplan4Oakland and Facebook.
ONN – Chadwick Boseman Honored At The Disneyland Resort By Joseph Armendariz
Chadwick Boseman Honored At The Disneyland Resort By Joseph Armendariz . The recent tragic loss of Chadwick Boseman has left a heavy heart for many including those of the MCU Universe in his portrayal as Black Panther. Disneyland Resort has decided to honor Chadwick Boseman in his Black Panther character at Downtown Disney.
photo credits to
Nikkolas Smith
disneyland.com
#ChadwickBoseman
#Disneyland
Note from Zennie62Media and Oakland News Now: this video-blog post demonstrates the full and live operation of the latest updated version of an experimental Zennie62Media , Inc. mobile media video-blogging system network that was launched June 2018. This is a major part of Zennie62Media , Inc.’s new and innovative approach to the production of news media. What we call “The Third Wave of Media”. The uploaded video is from a vlogger with the Zennie62 on YouTube Partner Channel, then uploaded to and formatted automatically at the Oakland News Now site and Zennie62-created and owned social media pages. The overall objective is smartphone-enabled, real-time, on the scene reporting of news, interviews, observations, and happenings anywhere in the World and within seconds and not hours. Now, news is reported with a smartphone: no heavy and expensive cameras or even a laptop are necessary. The secondary objective is faster, and very inexpensive media content news production and distribution. We have found there is a disconnect between post length and time to product and revenue generated. With this, the problem is far less, though by no means solved. Zennie62Media is constantly working to improve the system network coding and seeks interested content and media technology partners.
ONN – Gov. Gavin Newsom Plans To End Sale Of Gas-Powered Cars In California In 15 Years
Note from Zennie62Media and Oakland News Now: this video-blog post demonstrates the full and live operation of the latest updated version of an experimental Zennie62Media , Inc. mobile media video-blogging system network that was launched June 2018. This is a major part of Zennie62Media , Inc.’s new and innovative approach to the production of news media. What we call “The Third Wave of Media”. The uploaded video is from a vlogger with the Zennie62 on YouTube Partner Channel, then uploaded to and formatted automatically at the Oakland News Now site and Zennie62-created and owned social media pages. The overall objective is smartphone-enabled, real-time, on the scene reporting of news, interviews, observations, and happenings anywhere in the World and within seconds and not hours. Now, news is reported with a smartphone: no heavy and expensive cameras or even a laptop are necessary. The secondary objective is faster, and very inexpensive media content news production and distribution. We have found there is a disconnect between post length and time to product and revenue generated. With this, the problem is far less, though by no means solved. Zennie62Media is constantly working to improve the system network coding and seeks interested content and media technology partners.
From the Nikki Fortunato Bas Councilmember, City of Oakland, District 2 Community Email comes this compendium of City of Oakland grant programs for business.
$10K Grants for Essential Businesses: California State Compensation Insurance Fund is offering up to $10K to State Fund policyholders to help reimburse the costs of COVID-19 safety expenses such as the purchase of goggles, masks, gloves, cleaning supples, and worksite modifications. Grants are available until September 30.
$10K Grants for Small Businesses: The City of Oakland received $36.9 million in State of California CARES Act funding. More than $4 million of those funds will go to the Oakland CARES Act Small Business Grant Program to support Oakland small businesses that have been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. The program anticipates distributing $10,000 grants to 402 Oakland small businesses. Grants may be used to cover day-to-day operating costs, such as worker payroll, rent and fixed debts. The application period for the small business grants opened Tuesday, September 22 at 1 p.m., and ends at 5 p.m. on Monday, October 12, 2020. Online applications in four languages are available at: https://mainstreetlaunch.org/oakland-cares-act-grant/.
$20-25K Grants for Oakland Nonprofits: Of the funds Oakland has received from California’s CARES Act, $850K are going to support nonprofits impacted by COVID-19. The grant program will support about 34 nonprofits with grants of $20-$25K each, for organizations with an annual budget of less than $1 million that are currently providing programs and services that address the impact of COVID-19 and the needs of low-income residents and businesses in the following areas: Health & Human Services; Economic & Workforce Development; Legal Support; Food Security; Homeless and Renter Support Services; and Education. Learn more and apply here by 5pm on Wednesday, October 14.
$3K Grants for Individual Artists, $20K for Arts Nonprofits: $1.425 million of the City’s funds from California’s CARES Act will go to support individual artists and arts nonprofit organizations that have been impacted by COVID-19. The Oakland CARES Arts Organizational Grant will award grants of up to $20,000 to arts nonprofits, while the Oakland CARES Individual Artist Grant seeks to support individual artists with grants of up to $3,000 each. Apply here by 1pm on Friday, October 9, 2020.
$5-10K Mini-Grants for Violence Prevention and Community Healing: The Department of Violence Prevention, in partnership with Restorative Justice for Oakland Youth (RJOY), Urban Peace Movement (UPM), Communities United for Restorative Youth Justice (CURYJ), Building Opportunities for Self-Sufficiency (BOSS), and Roots Community Health Center (Roots) will provide approximately $400K through grants of up to $10K for small nonprofit organizations (with an annual budget of less than $500K) and up to $5K for individuals (with an identified fiscal sponsor). Learn more, attend information sessions and apply here by 11:59pm on October 18th.
