Oakland, CA developer retained by SunCal on Alameda Point project

Phil Tagami in front of The Fox Theater 

Phil Tagami, the locally famous Oakland, California developer (and friend of this blogger) known for his firm California Capital Group's renovations of the Oakland Rotunda and Oakland Fox Theater landmark buildings, and his current effort to build a new industrial park development using the land that was once the Oakland Army Base, has been retained to help Southern California-based developer SunCal in its attempt to see the redevelopment of the former Alameda Naval Air Station into what is called "Alameda Point."

Alameda Point has morphed from a desired Alameda redevelopment objective to a name associated with a city planning direction deemed undesirable by a vast majority of Alamedans. In a recent poll, 59 percent of Alamedans' polled said they did not want Measure B, which would approved the Alamaeda Point Revitalization Initiative and have granted SunCal an exemption from the one-new-dwelling-uhit-per-2,000-square feet prohibition that has governed the city's growth since 1973.

The reason for the failure of Measure B at the polls was the overwhelming feeling that SunCal was trying to get around the city's planning process. This even with the developers efforts to work with community leaders and even agreeing to pay for the time Alameda planning staffers spent on the project.

SunCal has reportedly considered a number of efforts to improve their prospects of retaining exclusive negotiating power with Alameda; hiring Phil Tagami as a consultant is SunCal's latest effort and perhaps its best chance at success according to observers who do not wish to be named.

Phil Tagami and Alameda's City Manager Problem

One issue facing Phil Tagami is what observers claim is a problem in the form of Alameda's Interim City Manager Ann Marie Gallant, who's had an interesting past pattern of employment, and some current practices that leave some who do not wish to be named uncomfortable. But the greatest concern expressed by those who want a consistent process is that Gallant is trying to push SunCal out of the picture in favor of a master developer of her selection.

The best outcome for Phil Tagami is to engineer an extension of the Exclusive Negotiating Agreement with SunCal, enjoy Gallant's full support, and have SunCal's involvement in the Oakland Army Base.

Pulling off that hat trick would give Tagami some logical level of control over development in Alameda Point, which is right across the mouth of the Oakland Estuary from The Oakland Army Base.

Stay tuned.

Gary Coleman: Rest in Peace --by Nikky Raney

(image taken from The Pioneer Woman)

Gary Coleman

Rest in Peace (February 8, 1968 – May 28, 2010)

"Whatchoo talkin' 'bout Willis?!"

That phrase will live on forever with the memory of Gary Coleman.

Gary Coleman died at 12:05 p.m. at the Utah Valley Regional Medical Center in Provo, Utah. He was taken off life support after being a coma. Coleman was 42-years-old.

Coleman died of a brain hemorrhage. I had heard of Coleman's stroke last night, and I am upset to find out that he has passed away. I think that I was hopeful for his recovery since Bret Michaels had gone through a similar situation and had recovered.

Last month Coleman was additionally hospitalized for a seizure, and the actor has also received two failed-kidney transplants.

Coleman has been through a lot of rough times over the past few years, and it's really sad to see his life end this way. My heart goes out to his family and wife Shannon Price.

I know that this story is being covered by every news source, and I know that they will be able to provide more information and follow up information about Coleman's death.

Written by: Nikky Raney from The Future of Journalism

Kanye West "Power" single and lyrics leaked online today

Hip Hop Rapper Kanye West has just allowed the leak of a new single set for a June 8th release date that could only be called subversively angry. It's called Power, and everything from its lyrics to its afrorhymic back beat, is a 60s-style attack on the establishment, but not the Obama Administration.

One has to listen to the lyrics what Kanye West said to understand;



The lyrics are below from Zimbio:

Kanye West 

I’m livin’ in the 21st century
Doin’ something mean to it
Do it better than anybody you ever seen do it
Screams from the ’80s, got a nice ring to it
I guess every superhero need his own theme music
No one man should have all that power
The clock’s tickin’, I just count the hours
Stop trippin’, I’m trippin’ off the power
(21st century schizoid man)

The system broken, the schools closed, the prisons open
We ain’t got nothin’ to lose, ma’fucka, we rollin’
Huh? Ma’f*cka, we rollin’
With some light-skinned girls and some Kelly Rowlands
In this white man world, we the ones chosen
So goodnight, cruel world, I see you in the mornin’
Huh? I see you in the mornin’
This is way too much, I need a moment

No one man should have all that power
The clock’s tickin’, I just count the hours
Stop trippin’, I’m trippin’ off the power
‘Til then, fuck that, the world’s ours

And then they
And then they
And then they
And then they
(21st century schizoid man)

F*ck SNL and the whole cast
Tell ‘em Yeezy said they can kiss my whole ass
More specifically, they can kiss my asshole
I’m an asshole? You n*ggas got jugs
You short-minded n*ggas’ thoughts is Napoleon
My furs is Mongolian, my ice, brought the Dodies in
Now I embody every characteristic of the egotistic
He know, he so, f*ckin’ gifted
I just needed time alone, with my own thoughts
Got treasures in my mind, but couldn’t open up my own vault
My childlike creativity, purity and honesty
Is honestly being prodded by these grown thoughts
Reality is catchin’ up with me
Takin’ my inner child, I’m fighting for it, custody
With these responsibilities that they entrusted me
As I look down at my dia-mond-encrusted piece

N*gga, no one man should have all that power
The clock’s tickin’, I just count the hours
Stop trippin’, I’m trippin’ off the power
‘Til then, f*ck that, the world’s ours

And then they
And then they
And then they
And then they
And then they
And then they
(21st century schizoid man)

Holy, powers, Austin, Powers
Lost in translation with a whole f*ckin’ nation
They say I was the obamanation of Obama’s nation
Well, that’s a pretty bad way to start the conversation
At the end of day, goddammit, I’m killin’ this sh*t
I know damn well y’all feelin’ this shit
I don’t need yo’ p*ssy, b*tch, I’m on my own d*ck
I ain’t gotta power trip, who you goin’ home with?
How ‘Ye doin’? I’m survivin’
I was drinkin’ earlier, now I’m drivin’
Where the bad b*tches, huh? Where ya hidin’?
I got the power, make yo’ life so excitin’ (So excitin’)

Now this’ll be a beautiful death
Jumpin’ out the window
Lettin’ everything go
Lettin’ everything go

Now this’ll be a beautiful death
Jumpin’ out the window
Lettin’ everything go
Lettin’ everything go

Now this’ll be a beautiful death
Jumpin’ out the window
Lettin’ everything go
Lettin’ everything go

Now this’ll be a beautiful death
Jumpin’ out the window
Lettin’ everything go
Lettin’ everything go

You got the power to let power come

Is Power a hit? Yes, it can be because it sounds a cry of anger that's heard by many who are suffering economically and feel powerless. The song is catchy and edgy, even race concious (though some may say racist), pointing at what Kanye sees as a white power establishment, but in many sectors has become multi-racial.

Stay tuned.

Chevron CEO talks BP Oil Spill; takes on Ecuador protestors

John Watson of Chevron

Echoing what seems to be this week's theme of combative CEOs (remember Carol Bartz' F-bomb blast against TechCrunch Editor Michael Arrington?), Chevron's Chief Executive Officer John Watson said Wednesday at that firm's Houston Shareholder meeting that they've asked the U.S Government to raise safety standards for offshore drilling in the wake of the BP Oil Spill Disaster.

Acting as a member of one of two industry task forces that report to U.S. Interior Secretary Ken Salazar, Watson explained that they gave Salazar a document that explains what procedures should be implemented and which ones should be improved in order to avoid another BP Oil Spill Disaster.

In that issue, the oil drilling rig called The Deepwater Horizon and owned by Transocean Company, suffered an explosion that killed 11 workers, two week ago. The result has been a massive oil spill that rivals the Exxon Valdez Alaska disaster in size. "The energy industry is learning a great deal," Watson said according to The Wall Street Journal, "If there is something we need to adopt, we will adopt it."

Watson said Chevron reviewed its own safety standards after the BP Oil Spill Disaster, as its one of the largest oil producers in the enormous Gulf of Mexico.

In other annual shareholders’ meeting news, Chevron’s Watson said he would protect the oil company and its shareholders against the fraudulent claims made against it in Ecuador. Chevron, which purchased Texaco in 2001, inherited a lawsuit against Texaco that claims it polluted the Amazon River region with ‘produced water,’ a byproduct of the oil drilling process.

But, as Watson noted and recent news stories have reported, the case against Chevron in Ecuador has turned into a legal circus and become overshadowed by a series of alleged legal and political frauds in Ecuador.

Watson pointed to evidence such as the Ecuadorian judge who had to remove himself from the case because he was caught up in a bribery scandal against Chevron, and, more recently, significant and damaging evidence that the entire case has been written by the plaintiffs against Chevron and then simply copied by the ‘independent court expert’ Richard Cabrera and submitted to the court.

There is mounting evidence that when this trial concludes, and Chevron is found guilty, that no court in the world will enforce the $27 billion judgment against Chevron because it will be tainted by fraud and illegal activities by the plaintiffs.

Stay tuned.

Mike Bloomberg's CityTime the tax payer's Titanic -- Suzannah B. Troy

I called John Liu, New York City Comptroller and a thorn in mayor Mike Bloomberg’s side because like me and so many New Yorkers, we opposed Mike Bloomberg denying us, the people of NY a referendum.  This issue divided New York and seriously alienated the people so it was no surprise Mike Bloomberg barely won.

But that is not why I called and left John Liu a voice mail at City Hall here in New York City this morning at six a.m.

I called him to refer him to y new blog piece, “Mike Bloomberg’s Techno-dreams, the Tax Payer’s Titanic and WHY CITYTIME MUST NOT BE RENEWED THIS SEPTEMBER!"

You see CityTime, an Orwellian Time Clock that was suppose to save the City of New York big bucks is in fact a sham and is on it’s way to costing tax payers a billion dollars.

Why would I be writing about this now?

The renewal date for CityTime is September 2010 and CityTime must not be renewed.

In fact CityTime must be investigated.   Why?

How did a program designed to save the city money go from under a hundred million dollar budget run out of control?  Well for some mysterious reason CityTime needs countless consultants averaging close to half a million dollar salaries and at least one was reported to get a million and he happens to also collect a city pension.

Read my blog postings and see also how SAIC, hired to over see CityTime has scandals on a Federal level as well.   I wrote this based on Ali Winston’s piece in City Limits from two years ago and an astounding series by Juan Gonzalez from The New York Daily News.