Oakland City Council- 2010 election Bloggers and Boosters for Libby Schaaf

If The Oakland 209 Gin Cocktail Competition at Sidebar Oakland felt like a small town reunion of friends, the Bloggers and Boosters party we held for my friend Libby Schaaf was even more so.

The event was held at Era Art and Design Bar on Grand Avenue near Broadway in downtown Oakland, and was very well-attended, with a mix of Oakland City Council members like Oakland Council District Five's Ignacio De La Fuente and Pat Kernighan from District Two (who's in a tough re-election battle against Jennifer Pae), to local notables like Bill Wong, to Libby's family and friends, and their friends. A good, intimate mix.

Libby Schaaf 

Libby is running for the Oakland City Council Seat currently held by Councilmember Jean Quan, who's running for Mayor. But, and nothing against Councilmember Quan, Libby really should run for Mayor of Oakland.

Ignacio said it best: "One of the things I'm absolutely convinced of is that Libby Schaaf is the most well-trained and qualified candidate for city council in the City of Oakland. Not only has she worked for my office, but I can tell you that when you work for Jerry Brown - when you work for Robet Bobb. When you work for The Port of Oakland. You really understand and you really know how things function and how to get things done."

Plus, Libby's a good person who cares about Oakland. This space is happy to back her. And that does not mean other candidates will not get their day in the Sun here, but it's important to know where this blogger stands. Libby's the best choice.

Oakland 209 Gin Cocktail Competition at Sidebar Oakland, California

Sidebar Oakland 

You know the Oakland Restaurant Scene has picked up when Sidebar Restaurant on Grand Avenue holds what was the Adams Point District's first cocktail competition. The 209 Gin Oakland Bartender Cocktail Competition was held last Wednesday night at the Lake Merritt bistro-style eatery known for its good food and warm atmosphere. The idea was to learn who could make the best drink creation based on 209 Gin - the makers of which did not endorse this blog post.

The competition featured great bartenders making great cocktails and from some of Oakland's hottest eateries: Matt and Brian from Sidebar, Marjon from Era Art and Design Bar, Josh from Pican, Alex from Marzano, Matt from The Wood Tavern, Brian representing Levende East, and Jon who's at Grand Tavern, and Eric from Adesso.

(As an aside, the only problem was all of the Oakland 209 Gin Cocktail Competition bartenders were men. There are some great female bartenders, like Britt at Pican, for example.)

Between the cocktails and all of the people who knew each other, the competition was less that and more a family reunion. Pican owner Michael Le Blanc talked with Sidebar General Manager Anne Marie Adrain and her partner Ara. The Wood Tavern's Rich Wood talked with Le Blanc. And Anne Marie, as the gracious Sidebar host, talked to everyone. And most of the bartenders knew each other, either from previous work places or just from hanging out in Oakland. You didn't have to be from Oakland to know it's got a small town feel just from attending the competition.

John from Pican and Brian from Sidebar were the winners

Well, who won? According to Wendi Webster, who produced the event for 209 Gin, the judges (who got to eat Sidebar's great burgers) picked Brian from Sidebar as the overall winner. The crowd voted for Josh from Pican as their favorite. Both did a great job and you should visit Sidebar and Pican in Oakland when you can.

Lindsay Lohan's Future Awaits -- by Nikky Raney

(photo taken from LATIMESBLOGS)

Lindsay Lohan has been sentenced to 90 days in jail and an inpatient rehab program.

Lohan spent 84 minutes in jail in November 2007 after being caught twice drunk driving with cocaine possession. She has ben found to have violated the terms of probation from her aforementioned case.

Superior Court Judge Marsha Revel issued the sentence today, Tuesday July 6, 2010 after employees of the alcohol treatment program that the 24-year-old actress was supposed to attend testified that Lohan missed seven classes since December.

The Associated Press reports that Lohan apologized to the judge:

"I did do everything I was told to do and did the best I could to balance jobs and showing up It wasn't vacation, it wasn't some sort of a joke."

Judge Revel did not find Lohan's apology sincere and compared it to "somebody who cheats and thinks it isn't cheating if she doesn't get caught."

She avoided arrest last month (June) when her ankle bracelet went off after the MTV Movie Awards in LA. Her representatives posted part of the $200K bail.

Lohan will be able to surrender on July 20, and will need to wear her ankle alcohol monitor until then.

Hopefully this will be good for her. She started off her amazing acting career at a young age with Parent Trap, and this sentence could be just what she needs to ensure a brighter future for her well-being as well as her career.

Nikky Raney; The Future of Journalism & Twitter

Pier 39 - Players Sports Bar and Arcade in San Francisco

One evening during the 2009 NBA Finals this blogger was given a surprise: the opportunity to be a celebrity bartender for the first time and at a place called Players Sports Bar and Arcade at Pier 39 in San Francisco. Aside from the fact the owners of Players Sports Bar should have aimed higher that a blogger, it was a heck of a lot of fun. So much so, that for World Cup Soccer, it's got to be hopping!

One day, Steve Molloy, one of the owners of this kind of mini Dave and Busters in San Francisco, was the tour guide through this vast 13,000 square foot of Pier 39 space, leading the camcorder through its islands of video games, air hockey tables, and other fun stuff. But the video sat on the computer waiting to be uploaded while yours truly fretted with how to improve it.

Yesterday, all the worrying gave in to the desire to just get it out, so the result is the video above and a plug for the place that may have been the first in the San Francisco Bay Area if not America to feature a video-blogger as the celebrity bartender.

If you go to Pier 39, stop by Players Sports Bar and Arcade for the salads and the wine. Yes, normally people go for the burgers and beer, but its the 21st Century.

To get there, all you have to do is walk to the very end of Pier 39. That's it. Steve and the gang even have a World Cup Soccer Shuttle from Union Square to Pier 39 that runs through June 11th, so you can't miss the matches!

I'll be back!