Oakland Army Base - Phil Tagami v. Michael Johnson

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The giant 100-acre Oakland Army Base is the focus of a development competition between two groups led by people well-known to many Oaklanders: "AMB/CCG" (for AMB Property Corporation and the "CCG" is California Commercial Group) is directed by Phil Tagami, of California Commercial Investments, and who redeveloped two Oakland landmarks the Fox Oakland Theater and the Oakland Rotunda, and Federated Oakland Associates, who's boss is Michael Johnson, the developer of several multi-unit housing projects in the San Francisco Bay Area, and the builder of the San Francisco version of Yoshi's Jazz Club.

 

The Oakland Army Base 

The developers are engaged in a competition with the Oakland City Council as the final "decider". The winner gains the right to enter into an "Exclusive Negotiating Agreement" with the Oakland Redevelopment Agency, which will lead to the production of a kind of contract called the "Disposition and Development Agreement" or "DDA" that is the guiding agreement stating what developer and redevelopment agency will do. The objective is the creation of what will be a "new town in town" given the size of the land area.

Today (Wednesday) the Oakland Tribune reported that the City Council's Community and Economic Development Committee could not get the majority votes necessary to move to the full Oakland City Council with a recommendation on July 21st. The vote was 2-1-1: with Vice Mayor Ignacio De La Fuente and Councilmember Patricia Kernighan voting for AMB/CCG and Councilmember Jane Brunner and Councilmember Larry Reid voting abstaining and voting for Federated Oakland Associates respectively. Brunner said she needed more information and wanted it before the matter was brought before the City Council.

Just looking at the two proposals, I can tell you what's missing from both without having talked to anyone about them. A bit of background: it was my job to review such proposals for Elihu Harris when he was Oakland's Mayor. I worked for him in the capacity of "economic adviser" from 1995 to 1999, then from 1999 to 2001 headed on the Oakland Super Bowl effort.

My job for Mayor Harris was to represent him on the same Community and Economic Development Committee the Tribune referred to today. My specialization was in reading development spreadsheets because of my background in urban planning and experience with the Oakland Redevelopment Agency; I could comb through one and explain what the strengths and weaknesses of a proposal to council were. I could also determine what information was missing from a fiscal presentation or proposal.

AMB/CCG: Long on capacity, short on complete cash balance numbers


The AMB/CCG proposal touts the financial power and real estate development and acquisition experience of AMB Property Corporation. But the problem with the proposal is actually something Phil Tagami (who's my friend) and I used to talk about frequently: it has a lot of "pretty pictures" and little numerical substance, even in the proforma. What it lacks is a full 10-year presentation of the full cash balance - even if the results are in the "red" - which is a possible and expected fiscal picture of what is to be an enormous mixed-use development project.

In the main proposal there are a number of sheets that read "To Be Determined" in large letters, which sends up a red flag for anyone on the City Council, and certainly would for me. What the City Council wants to see is some assurance that a proposed development will throw off enough cash to pay for itself over time and if that's not the case, how much the Oakland Redevelopment Agency will have to contribute should it fall into the red (which means it has generates more in expenses than revenues).

That kind of fiscal presentation is what's missing from the AMB/CCG proposal. The proforma is there with the 10-year revenue estimates, but absent the overall cash balance (revenues minus expenses) forecast sheet. By contrast, its in the Federal Oakland Associates proposal itself (and they provide the proforma), and they're bold enough to show a positive net operating income over time.

While the Federal Oakland Associates proposal is long on the kind of concise fiscal representation the Council wants to see as well as the kind of minority representation the Council (at least part of it) wants to see, its short on the development power presented by the the AMB/CCG team. Not that Federal Oakland is weak - not at all - but Phil's adding of AMB Property Corporation to his team was a huge coup that he worked a long time to secure. But that written, financial power is no excuse for presenting an incomplete proposal. Yes, that's a harsh statement, but I go back to the large red letters in the AMB/CCG proposal itself that read "To Be Determined."

Both proposals lack an economic impact analysis report

Something else missing from both proposals is an economic impact analysis report. In other words, what's the employment estimate per year, revenue from all taxes and fees, total population, and municipal costs to service the population will be. That's not a hard task to complete; when I was fresh out of Berkeley's planning grad school I created something called "The Area Redevelopment Economic Model", a spreadsheet program such that one could have both a fiscal and an economic impact report of any redevelopment project in the State of California. I used it to evaluate the then-Coliseum Redevelopment Survey Area. (Now, it's a full redevelopment area.)

The Oakland Redevelopment Agency should have insisted on this being part of the proposals from both teams. It would give the Oakland community a complete idea of what to expect from something that will completely alter the landscape of the city. Yes, some environmental impact reports have such a section, but this is too big an undertaking to wait for that. Moreover the council needs to be able to compare economic impacts of the proposals - it can't do that right now.


The City Council should combine AMB/CCG and Federal Oakland Associates

The Oakland Redevelopment Agency / Oakland City Council is not bound by the competing teams as they're presented; working as the Oakland Redevelopment Agency, the council can combine the groups into one. Let's be real honest here: this is a competition between a largely white group and a mostly black and "of color" one in an Oakland with a history of supporting minority business efforts. That to some extent is what's holding up the Council's vote; it's not said publicly, but for anyone who knows Oakland's political development landscape, that's the issue to a degree. The best way to end that racial division is to fuse the groups into one.

The new group would have to mate its development plans: take out those land uses which will not "pencil" (make money over time) and keep those plans that will. Personally, given America's push toward increasing its manufacturing base, the AMB/CCG plans look better, but the proforma numbers in the proposal support what is basically an educated guess at this point and need to be placed into a full cash balance spreasheet. I'm not at all comfortable with the lack of a real cash balance presentation in the AMB/CCG main proposal; if the project's going to be in the red or the black, show it.

Of course, they will show it in the black (making money).

Having a theater complex in a proposal - as Federal Oakland Associates does - is a terrible bet given the placement of movie content online and the negative impact that technological development is having on the theater industry overall (But at least they have the cash flow estimates installed in the proposal!) I can't see how anyone could justify the assertion that such a development would pay for itself over time. Talk about a rosy scenario!

If you want to compare the proposals yourself, you can download them here: Oakland Army Base Information Page

Double Rainbow over Oakland, California (video)

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On Saturday July 11th at 5: 30 PM, I walked out of a cafe on Grand Avenue near Lake Merritt in Oakland and noticed that sweet smell that comes after a light rain and a weird amber tint of the sidewalk below me, so I looked up and was surprised by an incredible site: a remarkable double rainbow that stretched overhead and to the left and right of me.  It was such an amazing event that people came out of ZZA's and Sidebar restaurants just to take pictures of it; fortunately, I had my small Flip Video Camera.

 

Double rainbow in Oakland

There were two rainbows, one on top of the other in a perfect arch. It was such a site that people came out to their balconies to see it, and car traffic on Grand Avenue slowed because drivers were craining their necks to get a better look at it. What was remarkable was how robust the double rainbow was as I walked along, not dissolving into one rainbow. It's the first time I've ever seen a double rainbow, so I wondered what caused them to form.  Off to Google.

To make it simple, because there are a lot of complicated explainations out there, a rainbow is formed when sunlight passes through raindrops at a certain angle. According to the Natonal Center for Atmostpheric Research, a double rainbow ">happens when sunlight is reflected twice within raindrops: the "primary rainbow" is formed in the "normal" way, but the "secondary" rainbow occurs after the double reflection in the raindrop itself (and explains why the outer rainbow's color order is reversed from that of the inner or primary rainbow). Given that information, can a triple rainbow form? Yes they can and do.

How rare is a double rainbow?

Double rainbows are said to be rare, but some explain that since rainbows are an optical illusion, it may be that we're not in the right position to see the secondary rainbow most of the time.

The meaning of a double rainbow

I wondered what does it mean - if anything - to see a double rainbow? Blogger and vocalist Luna Jade believes it means the viewer will be blessed. The Osho Energy Transformation Institute, that Jade links to, explains that "the double rainbow the symbol of transformation":

The double rainbow is the symbol of transformation.
In the first rainbow we see red is at the top and
violet at the bottom.
This represents the material world.
We are a rainbow, but the red belongs at the feet and
the first chakra area and the violet at the head.
So when we see the red at the top and the violet at
the bottom, it is as if we are seeing a person upside
down or descending from heaven diving down to the
earth. In the upper second rainbow,
and remember it is not such a common sight,
the colours are the right way up,
this symbolizes the journey back to heaven,
the ascent of the kundalini,
the journey of transformation, the spiritual world.

So a double rainbow over Oakland must mean something good's going to happen for a city that can use a few blessings, or at least for the Oaklanders who saw it today. With a massive budget problem, a persistent image as a dangerous city, and a double-digit unemployment rate, Oakland people overdue for great positive developments. The double rainbow's a great start - people who didn't know each other were talking on the street which is a rare happening in a Bay Area culture I think encourages anti-social behavior.

Parkway Theater to get help from Oakland Redevelopment Agency

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Remember the blog post I wrote about a week ago stating that Oakland District Two Councilmember Pat Kernighan should get the Oakland Redevelopment Agency (ORA) involved in the effort to save the now-closed Parkway Theater? Well, I was just contacted by an unnamed source who explained in great detail how and when the ORA will work to redevelop the Parkway Speakeasy Theater, located at 1834 Park Blvd in Oakland. The effort will mean the "best of" the Parkway's employees will be asked to return to their jobs, if they want to do so.

First a brief review.

The once-popular Parkway Theater closed its doors on March 22, 2009 after its owners, Catherine and Kyle Fisher of Downey Street Productions, received an eviction notice from their landlord, the Cheng family of San Francisco just four days before closing. The news caused a major panic within the ranks of Parkway employees, who didn't know what they were going to do for work on the short notice of losing their jobs, and within the community, which didn't know how it was going to replace what came to be a center of the neighborhood. Without the Parkway, the area would be a certain candidate for anyone's definition of "blighted neighborhood."



With rapid restoration of the Parkway in mind, a Facebook-based community group was formed called "Save The Parkway" which kind of morphed into a new group called "I Like The Parkway Speakeasy Theater." (I guess "love" is too strong a term.)

At any rate, the organization, led Peter Prato held a large meeting on March 29th that drew about 40 people, including Kernighan and several long-time Oaklanders. There, it was decided that the organization would work to find a theater operator to rebuild and maintain the Parkway as it was before it closed, but better.



Eventually, an organization called Motion Picture Heritage Corporation (MPHC) stepped in to start talks with The Chengs and Kernighan to in some way acquire the Parkway Theater. While the negotiations have been "back-and-forth", the Parkway community folks were digging for information about and then writing and blogging about MPHC, an action that reportedly upset the groups' head Bill Dever. Since Dever and his partners hail from small Shelbyville, Indiana, they're not used to the very public communications that come with the matter of saving buildings and businesses the community values in California. Dever reportedly threatened to pull out of the deal if the chatter didn't stop.

Well, it subsided, but it didn't stop. Indeed, it got worse for a time, as it seemed Councilmember Kergnihan had one direction, the Parkway Community people another, and the former employees just wanted to be left alone, even as the Parkway Community people held another meeting and a party on May 31st to help get money to them. It was a huge mess. But, as I pointed out before, the best solution was for Councilmember Kernighan to bring everyone together, get the ORA involved, and go on the hunt for a number of developers and operators to compete for the right to rehab and run the facility, not just one.

Finally, it looks like we're on the way to seeing that happen. On Tuesday, members of the ORA, including Deputy Director Gregory Hunter, met with concerned Parkway Theater operatives and MPHC (Kernighan was not in the room) to determine a course of action for the ORA. According to my source, Hunter said "we're stepping" in. What that means is the agency may loan the group money or help MPHC purchase the building from the Chengs. As of this writing, the ORA has all of the property condition information and documents and correspondence that have been written to date. They can now do their research work before determining a specific plan of action.

The next step is a meeting with Kernighan and the Chengs, but my source - who was in the room - is confident that this will jump start the effort to save the Parkway. But my request is that the ORA include a meeting with the Parkway community as well to get their input and see the results of their survey work. I don't think their efforts should be ignored.

BART Strike & Oscar Grant: strike hampered by police racism

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For weeks now, BART management and labor have been arguing over who should give up what on the eve of the expiration of contracts with the five unions that represent BART workers. But there's a problem: the matter of the murder of Oscar Grant and the revelation that another BART officer used a racial slur, and this was captured in a new video, raise questions regarding labor's moral standing to strike.

While BART's police can't strike, as one officer told me, the unions essentially represent the labor issues for the police. Thus, the use of the racial slur by a BART officer with BART Officer Johannes Mehserle, coupled with the murder by Mehserle, opens the accusation that it was a hate crime. According to the San Francisco Chronicle, it was officer Tony Pirone who yelled "Bitch-ass N__, right?" As he was hitting Grant while Grant was on the ground.

While Pirone claims he was responding to something Grant said, there's no record or video backing his claim. What I think happened was Pirone may have overheard someone else say this but as Pirone is white, it's not likely someone would use that terms against him, especially since he's a police officer. But Pirone leaves himself open to another interpretation: that he was saying to Grant he's a "Bitch-ass N__, and then used the term "right?" as a way of affirming his own comment about Grant.

If so, and I think it is, that's a clear hate crime. Period. End of discussion.

I don't think BART workers want to be associated with this kind of behavior, but that's a looming possibility. BART workers are already seen to be richer than their riders, many who are like Oscar Grant, poor. So here we are with BART workers unwilling to take payroll cuts to maintain service, asking for a three-percent raise when everyone in the public sector's trying to save their jobs, and now we have two BART police officers expressing the ultimate dislike for a passenger due to his skin color. It also opens this question: to what degree do BART police conduct racial profiling?

A good friend of mine in law enforcement told me that many of the people recruited to become officers are white, suburban in their upbringing, not experienced in working with or befriending people of color. That must change.

The Strike Threat and The Race Problem

It's already clear many riders I talked to are concerned about the possible loss of service, but just wait until they get wind of these racial problems!

If BART's unions are going to achieve any degree of credibility in this matter, they've got to have the police address their problems with racism and issue an apology to the black community. The unions have no right to threaten a strike that disproportionally harms the poor and minority after one of their own working partners, represented by two BART police workers, apparently expressed dislike for and then shot a man who was poor and African American, because was poor and African American.

BARTLabor.com

If you want to keep up with the BART labor issue as it unfolds, I recommend you visit BARTLabor.com, a good and comprehensive website explaining just what's going on with the BART Strike and providing news updates.

Downtown Oakland's Massive Thursday Party

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To say that Steve Snider - my friend known for the revival of the downtown Oakland party scene and who served on the Mayor's Sports and Entertainment Task Force, and is now part of the Uptown District team that's behind this party to take place tommorrow - gets involved with anything small would be a joke.

While "Oakland Uptown Unveiled" isn't the largest event ever held in downtown Oakland, it's certainly the biggest one for the Uptown. This area, which just five years ago was still considered a place not to be for any but the most experienced Oaklanders, has taken off.

Where the Broadway / Grand development is today was once the home of a sleepy rental car establishment. Luka's across the street was the long time location of "The Hof Brau" where old-timers spent a day talking with friends and eating large meals. Another Oakland of another time.

Now, the area has a number of great and popular restaurants, from Flora to Pican and the Franklin Square Wine Bar. It's also the focus of "Art Murmur" which features Oakland art galleries in an open studios tour that takes place at the beginning of each month.

Oakland Uptown Unveiled consists of six blocks of 15 bands on three stages: The Uptown Stage, The Fox Stage, and The Van Kleef stage, named after Oakland Legend Peter Van Kleef. Some of the bands set to play include John Santos, The Kev Choice Ensemble, Miko Marks and Damon & The Heathens. (I've seen Damon & The Heathens and they have a cool sound, not to be missed.)

Also the Fox Theater will be open so you can take a look around the facility. If you want a preview, here's my video from the opening gala:



This video was created during a media event at Pican; it opens with my explanation of what's happening around the Uptown:



This should be a great event; wish it were on the weekend as I return from Georgia, but that happens. Really, it should be two days and not just one Thursday, but it's a great start.

For more information, visit the website MeetDowntownOAK.com

Parkway Theater: Pat Kernighan must lead now!

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The "Save The Parkway Theater" movement, once a seemingly happy collection of like-minded Oaklanders, has rapidly degenerated into the same kind of feckless factionalization that's doomed the effort to keep the Athletics baseball team in Oakland.

Yes, once again, we have groups that don't talk to each other and with different agendas and a common problem: a lack of leadership from the elected officials involved. In the case of the Athletics, it was Oakland Mayor Ron Dellums (until he began to really insert himself into the process and call for meetings) and now it's Oakland's District Two Councilmember Pat Kernighan.

(A bit of housecleaning: I like Pat; I really do. Always have. But I don't like the way she handles community controversy and this is an example.)

Four Factions

When the Parkway Speakeasy Theater closed after its last show on March 22nd 2009, a rag-tag group of neighbors, concerned Oaklanders, and even people outside Oakland, banded together to create the "Save The Parkway" movement. The first meeting of the "organization" was successful, and Councilmember Kernighan arrived to give her valued input.



But after that the wheels came off the wagon. Once a potential buyer of the theater was located, factions developed:

1) The Parkway Employees - This group of loyal former workers at the theater got notices that it was going to close just four days before it happened. They're rightly upset, but now, months later, they're trying to find jobs. The main "Save The Parkway" members worked to raise money to help them, but the former employees I talked to, while they appreciated their help, felt it was delivered in an over-zealous way, with "out of the blue" calls and contacts from people they didn't know.

2) Save The Parkway - Peter Prato is the spark plug behind this Internet-based organization that has marshalled support for reopening the theater. What's happpened here from my point of view, and the many calls and emails I've gotten, and a video I've not yet installed, is that once Kernighan went to work behind the scenes, it seemed they felt a bit "pushed out" of the proceedings. That's not from them; that's my read alone.

3) Catherine and Kyle Fisher - Once loved by everyone, now hated by some, and still loved by many, has seen their business collapse under the combined weight of the economy, the changing movie climate, declining revenues and rising business costs. No one of the other two groups talks to them or wants to, sadly. The Fisher's view on all of this is hard to determine for publication; they've gone almost completely underground.

4) Councilmember Pat Kernighan and Councilmember Jean Quan - Ok. Now, you're scratching your head on this one, right? What's Jean Quan got to do with this? That's what I was wondering when Quan showed up in the middle of the May 31st Parkway Community Meeting and presented herself as a concerned citizen (who happens to be running for Mayor of Oakland; my view interview with Quan will be installed Sunday June 14th). At first I wondered if Pat knew Jean was coming to the meeting and gave Quan her blessing as the Parkway's in Kernighan's district. All things considered it would be more appropriate for At-Large Councilmember Rebecca Kaplan to have attended the meeting or for Quan to be there with Kernighan. But frankly it looked weird to me.

There's a lot of drama from these factions but all of it can be taken away or at least lessened by one action: Councilmember Pat Kernighan calling what former Oakland City Manager Robert Bobb would call an "all-hands" meeting, with everyone at the table. And I mean everyone Pat can think of regardless of her relationship with them. (Get the message, Pat?)

This is Councilmember Kernighan's time to shine. Right now, she's adding to the gossip mill (what Bobb calls "sniper fire") rather than rising above it. This community development problem is in her District and its rapidly spinning out of control.

It's Councilmember Kernighan's time to step up and lead.

98th ING Bay to Breakers Has Interesting Race Battle

 

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The 98th running of what is now called the ING Bay to Breakers (I have to admit I was used to "The San Francisco Examiner Bay To Breakers" because the name "San Francisco" was in it) kicks off tomorrow (Sunday, May 17th) and for the first time, I'm not running it; I'm covering it. It's a weird feeling but a totally new experience. As media you get to attend a very cool press conference, as I did on Friday at the Hyatt Regency San Francisco.  You also get to talk to the main celebrity runners and the race organizers and sponsors. You also get a lot of great food and drink. But back to the race itself.

I've ran 19th of these events - yes, 19 straight times with my best time 1:04.30 - so I feel qualified to talk about how crazy the day is.  In fact, the day's gotten so out of hand in the recent past, that earlier this year ING's race organizers tried to put a break on some activities by floating the policy of a ban on beer, floats, and nudity.  That decision set in motion a large online protest movement, which after a period of heated exchanges with the race organizers, agreed to a new set of policies.

(But before I show them, I've got to say I think there should be a ban on people who have no business shedding their closthes, going nude!  Hey, if we're serious about physical fitness, let's start with the Bay to Breakers: if you're a hardbody you can go naked, otherwise don't even think about it!)

The Major New Policies:

1 - If you've got a can of beer or a bottle of wine on the race course, or your really toasted, or both, you may get tossed into the whoskow.  Fascinating! Let's see the SFPD enforce that one this year!  There's not enough police to corral the thousands of drinkers blowing off team from losing their jobs and some of them may be former cops too.  Still, it's policy.

2 - Floats must be registered and at the start line at a designated place. 

3 - Start line has a "corral" system so if you're a slow runner, you go in one area; fast runners another.

So folks, you can take your clothes off, and considering how hot it is, there's gonna be a lot of that. But please if you're not in great shape, keep your clothes on and bring a fan with a block of ice!

The Serious B2B Race

A serious race battle starts just before the craziness that is the Bay to Breakers, and in attendance at the press conference Friday were returning men’s winner John Korir (Kenya). Bay Area and Northern California runners are James Nielsen (Palo Alto), Peter Gilmore (San Mateo), Brad Poore (Davis) and Midori Sperandeo (Folsom).

But this year the race features 2004 Olympic Gold Metalist, Deena Kastor in the position, as the race PR specialists wrote "to bring the race title back into the hands of an American since 1993." Kastor takes on the defending women's champion Lineth Chepkurui of Kenya.I talked with both runners at the press event.

While Deena's an Olympic Champion, she lacks the course experience Chepkurui has and frankly, the Bay to Breakers course (called Bay to Breakers because it goes from Downtown San Francisco near the San Francisco "Bay", to the west side of the City and The Great Highway next to the Pacific Ocean, or the "breakers") is not only challenging, featuring the Hayes Street Hill, which is a one-mile incline, to the occasional human walking into the race course and the bands playing along the way.  How Deena deals with all of that will be the key to her performance.  She told me she mapped out the course and went along it earlier in the week, but there's something about race day and all that human energy that one can't simulate.

Kenya v. America (Again)

I also talked to 21-year old Lineth Chepkurui, who's hails from Kenya and is just plain ready.  She's quiet, really kind of shy, but possesses a great smile and energy.  I asked her why Kenya specifically and Africa in general has such a great record of winning Bay to Breakers races, "We have a lot of athletes who train", she explains, and went on to explain that running is for all practical purposes a way of life there.

For the men, the competition is "intra-Africa" with the Kenyans versus the Ethopians where 2008 Bay to Breakers champion John Korir and 2005 and 2006 winner Gilbert Okari - both from Kenya - are the favorites to win but will be challenged by Sammy Kitwara.

I'm looking forward to my video trip and watching the race from the press truck. I've ran the Bay to Breakers fast, slow, walked it, and seen bands and rolling bars, but I've never seen it from the media perspective. I'm excited.


Bay to Breakers on Twitter

If you want to follow the Bay to Breakers on Twitter, you can do so at:

http://twitter.com/INGB2Breakers. It's also on television: ABC TV, Channel 7 at 7:45 AM.

The Elite Runners (list courtesy of Edelman PR):

FEMALE



Bib # Name
1 Lineth Chepkurui (Lih-neth Chep-kuh-ruh-ee)
 Kenya 
 21 years old
 ING Bay to Breakers 12K History: 1st 2008
 2009:  1st Cherry Blossom 10 Mile; 1st Crescent City Classic 10K; 1st Kenyan Army
Championships; 4th World Cross Country Championships; 1st Bloomsday 12K
 2008:  1st Cherry Blossom 10 Mile, 1st Bloomsday, 6th World’s Best 10K; 4th National
Championships Cross Country
 Road Personal Bests:  10K 32:07; 10 mile, 53:21; Half Marathon 70:09 
Highlights:  Defending ING Bay to Breakers 12K Champion; fastest 10 mile run in the world for
2009

3 Deena Kastor 
 United States (Mammoth Lakes, Calif.)
 36 years old
 ING Bay to Breakers 12K History:  None
 2009:  1st Bupa Great Edinburgh; 1st Shamrock Shuffle 8K
 2008:  Olympic Trials Champion, Marathon; 1st National Championship 15K; 3rd NYC 10K
 Road Personal Bests:  5K 14:54 (former World Record); 10K 31:44; 15K 47:15 (American
Record); Half Marathon 1:07:34 (American Record); Marathon 2:19:36 (American
Record)
 Track Personal Bests:  5,000m 14:51.62; 10,000m 30:50.32 (former American Record)
Highlights:  2004 Olympic Bronze Medal (Marathon); 2002 World Cross Country Silver Medal;
2003 World Cross Country Silver Medal; winner of Chicago and London Marathons; holds eight
American Records, one World Record, winner of 20 National Titles

4 Edna Kiplagat (Kip-lah-gaht)
 Kenya
 29 years old
 ING Bay to Breakers 12K History:  1st 2007
 2008:  Maternity leave
 2007: 1st Bloomsday 12K; 1st BAA Half Marathon; 1st Virginia Beach Half Marathon; 1st
Bolder Boulder 10K; 1st Bellin Run 10K
 Road Personal Bests:  5K 15:37; 10K 32:02; Half Marathon 1:09:32
 Track Personal Bests:  5,000m 15:57.3; 10,000m 33:27.0
Highlights:  First woman to win the ING Battle to the Breakers bonus; 1998 World Junior Bronze
Medal (3,000m); 1996 World Junior Silver Medal (3,000m); married to Gilbert Koech

5 Jane Kibii (Kih-BEE)
 Kenya
 24 years old
 ING Bay to Breakers 12K History:  3rd 2008 
 2009:  1st Carlsbad Half Marathon; 5th Crescent City Classic 10K; 5th Carlsbad 5,000m; 9th
Bloomsday
 2008:  1st Woody Wilson 5K, 1st Davis Twilight 5K, 2nd Carlsbad Half Marathon, 3rd
Newport Beach Half Marathon 
 Road Personal Bests: 10K 32:23; Half Marathon 1:12:26 
 Track Personal Bests: 5,000m 16:15.67   
Highlights:  Strong finish at 2008 ING Bay to Breakers 12K to grab 3rd; lives and trains in Davis,
Calif.

6 Mariya Konovalova (Mah-ree-yah Koh-noh-vah-loh-vah)
 Russia
 34 years old
 ING Bay to Breakers 12K History:  None
 2009:  1st Moscow Indoor 3,000m; 4th Indoor National Championships (3,000m); 2nd
Galan Indoor 5,000m
 2008:  5th Beijing Olympics 10,000m; 4th BUPA Half Marathon; 2nd & 3rd National
Championships (10,000m & 5,000m)
 Road Personal Bests:  1:10:58 Half Marathon      
 Track Personal Bests:  5,000m 14:38.09; 10,000m 30:35.84
Highlights:  5th Beijing Olympics 10,000m; fastest 10,000m personal best in the field; 2006
European Cross Country Silver Medal

8 Liliya Shobukhova (Lil-leeh-yah Show-boo-koh-vah)
 Russia
 31 years old
 ING Bay to Breakers 12K History:  None
 2009:  3rd London Marathon; 6th Bloomsday
 2008: 6th Beijing Olympics 5,000m; 1st National Championship 5,000m; 1st New Balance
Games Mile; 1st ING Philadelphia Distance Run
 Road Personal Best:  1:10:21 Half Marathon
 Track Personal Bests: 8:27.86 indoor 3,000m (former World Record); 14:23.75 5,000m
(European Record) 
Highlights:  6th Beijing Olympics 5,000m; 2006 World Indoor Silver Medalist (3,000m) and World
Outdoor Silver Medal (5,000m); fastest 5,000m time in the field; one World Record, two
European Records

9 Kiyoko Shimahara (Key-yoh-koh Shim-ah-har-ah)
 Japan
 32 years old
 ING Bay to Breakers 12K History:  None
 2009:  1st Osaka Half Marathon; 6th Tokyo Marathon
 2008:  1st Honolulu Marathon; 3rd Chicago Marathon 
 Track Personal Bests:  5,000m 15:54; 10,000m 32:54
 Road Personal Bests:  Half Marathon 70:16; Marathon 2:26:14
Highlights:  6th place at the 2007 World Championships (Marathon); won the 2008 Honolulu
Marathon

10 Meskerem Legesse (Mehs-kehr-em Leh-geh-see)
 Ethiopia
 22 years old
 ING Bay to Breakers 12K History:  None
 2009:  3rd Carlsbad Half Marathon; 7th Cooper River Bridge 10K
 2008:  5th NYC Fifth Ave Mile; 3rd Healthy Kidney 10K; 13th San Jose 5K 
 Road Personal Bests: 5K 15:45; 10K 33:59; Half Marathon 1:15:51
Highlights:  2004 Olympian; World Junior Record holder indoor 800m (2:01.03); three-time
National Champion

11 Tania Fischer
 United States (Santa Monica, Calif.)
 43 years old
 ING Bay to Breakers 12K History:  2008, 2007 1st Masters
 2008:  4th United States National Cross Country Masters Championships; 4th Jim Bush
5,000m
 2007:  5th Santa Monica 5K; 10th Pacific Association Championships
 Track Personal Bests:  5,000m 15:44; 3,000m 9:03
Highlights:  Coaches track and teaches art at Santa Monica High School in Santa Monica, Calif.;
two-time Swiss National 5,000m Champion

12 Michelle Simonaitis (Sih-moh-nih-tis)
 United States (Draper, Utah)
 43 years old
 ING Bay to Breakers 12K History:  21st 2005
 2009:  3rd Master National 15K Championships  
 Road Personal Bests:  10K 35:06; 15K 55:20; Marathon 2:40   
Highlights:  World Championship Marathon Team member 2001

13 Midori Sperandeo (Mih-doh-ree Sper-ahn-deh-oh)
 United States (Folsom, Calif.)
 43 years old
 ING Bay to Breakers 12K History:  None
 2009:  2nd Valentine’s Day 4 Mile
 2008: 1st Run to Feed the Hungry 5K;  1st Cowtown Half Marathon; 8th California
International Marathon
 Road Personal Bests:  10K 34:52; Half Marathon 1:18; Marathon 2:41 
Highlights:  Olympic Trials Marathon qualifier 2000, 2004, 2008; 1st in 2008 Southern California
5K Road Race Championships

14 Teyba Naser (Teh-bah Nah-ser)
 Ethiopia
 19 years old
 ING Bay to Breakers 12K History:  None
 2009:  2nd Cooper River Bridge 10K; 3rd Cherry Blossom 10 Mile; 4th Azalea Trail Run; 8th
Crescent City Classic 10K
 Road Personal Bests:  5K 15:35; 10K 32:38 Half Marathon 1:13:38
Highlights:  Improved 14 places in Cherry Blossom race from 2008; very consistent in 2009


15 Teyba Erkesso (Teh-bah Ehr-keh-soh)
 Ethiopia
 26 years old
 ING Bay to Breakers 12K History:  None
 2009:  1st Houston Marathon; 2nd Bloomsday; 9th Ras Al Khaimah Half Marathon
 Road Personal Bests:  10K 31:33; 10 mile 51:44; Half Marathon 1:09:37; Marathon
2:24:18
Highlights:  World Cross Country Bronze Medal 2004 (4K); Houston Marathon course record
holder

16 Katie McGregor
 United States (St. Louis Park, Minn.)
 31 years old
 ING Bay to Breakers 12K History:  None
 2009:  2nd National Championship 15K; 2nd Brutus Hamilton (Berkeley) 10,000m; 4th
Carlsbad 5,000m
 2008: 2nd National Championship 8K, 10 mile, and 15K
 Road Personal Bests:  10K 32:17; Half Marathon 1:12:01; Marathon 2:31:14
 Track Personal Bests: 5,000m 15:22.60; 10,000 31:21.20
Highlights: 2007 National Champion 25K; 2005 National Champion 10,000m; 2005 and 2006
National Champion 10K (road); member of nine U.S. National Teams.

17 Emily Bates
 United States (Salt Lake City, Utah)
 32 years old
 ING Bay to Breakers 12K History:  Has run on elite centipede teams
 2009: 1st Moab Half Marathon
 2008: Pacific Association short road race series champion
 Road Personal Bests: 10K 37:03; Half Marathon 1:22:06
Highlights: Invited to participate in the Greatest Race on Earth marathon series in Nairobi,
Kenya, in 2007.

18 Jodi Suter
 United States (Spokane, Wash.)
 37 years old
 ING Bay to Breakers 12K History:  None
 2009:  1st Spokane area finisher in Bloomsday 12K
Highlights: Won a spot in ING Bay to Breakers 12K field by finishing first among Spokane, Wash.,
residents in 2009 Bloomsday 12K

MALE

Bib # Name
21  John Korir (Kohr-reer) – Defending ING Bay to Breakers 12K Champion
 Kenya  
 33 years old
 ING Bay to Breakers 12K History:  1st 2008; 1st 2007
 2009: 10th World’s Best 10K
 2008:  3rd Bloomsday, 5th Bolder Boulder 10K; 7th Cherry Blossom 10 Mile, 10th World’s
Best 10K
 2007: 1st ING Bay to Breakers 12K, 1st Bloomsday, 1st Steamboat 4 Mile, 3rd Puerto Rico
 10K
 Road Personal Bests:  10K 27:47; Half Marathon 60:47
Highlights:  23 road racing wins since 2000, 2003, 2005; Road Runner of the Year from Running
Times

23  John Yuda (Yooh-duh)
 Tanzania
 29 years old
 ING Bay to Breakers 12K History:  3rd 2008; 5th, 2007 
 2009:  1st Bloomsday
 2008:  6th Bloomsday; 4th Bolder Boulder 10K; 5th Cherry Blossom 10 Mile
 Road Personal Bests:  10K 28:37; Half Marathon 1:00:39
 Track Personal Bests:  5,000m 13:03.62; 10,000m 27:06.17
Highlights:  Fastest 5,000m, 10,000m, in the field; two-time World Half Marathon Bronze
Medalist (2001, 2002); 2002 World Cross Country Silver Medal

24  Sammy Kitwara (Kit-wah-rah)
 Kenya
 22 years old
 ING Bay to Breakers 12K History:  None
 2009:  1st World’s Best 10K; 1st Fortis Half Marathon; 2nd Kenyan Police Championships
 2008:  1st L’Hu Half Marathon; 1st Rabat Half Marathon; 1st Dam to Dam 10 Mile; 1st
Utrect 10K; 1st Paris 20K
 Road Personal Bests:  10K 27:26; 10 mile 45:17; Half Marathon 59:45
Highlights:  Beat the great Haile Gebrselassie at Fortis Half Marathon, 2009 Fastest 15K in world
and 2nd fastest 10K in the world; brilliant 2008 season concluding with a number two world
ranking at 10 miles (45:17)

26  Feyisa Lelisa (Feh-yee-sah Leh-lee-sah)
 Ethiopia
 19 years old
 ING Bay to Breakers 12K History:  None
 2009:  2nd Cherry Blossom 10 Mile; 2nd Crescent City Classic 10K; 12th World Cross
    Country Championships
 2008:  1st Lugano 5,000m; 1st Rovereto 10K; 3rd World Half Marathon Championships; 1st
Agadir Half Marathon
 Road Personal Bests: 10K 27:38; 10 mile 45:58; Half Marathon 1:02:26
 Track Personal Bests: 5,000m 13:34.80; 10,000m 27:46.97
Highlights:  Strong showing in first two races in United States (both 2nd place); great cross
country strength


MALE:

27  Gilbert Okari (Oh-kar-eh)
 Kenya
 30 years old
 ING Bay to Breakers 12K History:  1st 2006; 1st 2005
 2009: 4th Bloomsday; 7th Fortis Half Marathon; 18th World’s Best 10K
 2008: 1st San Jose Rock ‘n’ Roll Half Marathon; 2nd BAA Half Marathon; 12th Bloomsday
12K
 Road Personal Bests:  5K 13:38; 10K 27:28
Highlights:  Undefeated in 2006; back to serious racing after battling an injury in 2007

28  Tilahun Regassa (Til-ah-hoon Reh-gah-sah)
 Ethiopia
 19 years old
 ING Bay to Breakers 12K History:  None
 2009:  1st Ukrop 10K; 1st Cooper River Bridge 10K; 8th World’s Best 10K
 2008:  2nd Metropole 5,000m; 2nd Tanger 5,000m; 1st Lille Half Marathon; 4th New Delhi
Half Marathon
 Road Personal Bests: 10K 28:21; Half Marathon 59:36
 Track Personal Bests:  5,000m 13:12.40; 10,000m 27:23.60
Highlights:  Brilliant blend of speed and strength; fastest Half Marathon in field

29  Josh Moen
 United States (Readlyn, Iowa)
 27 years old
 ING Bay to Breakers 12K History:  None
 2009: 1st Edison 5K, 14th National Championship 15K
 2008: 3rd National Championship 10K; 8th National Championship 8K; 14th Peachtree 10K
 Road: 15K 44:34; 1:04:37 Half Marathon 
 Track Personal Bests: 5,000m 13:34, 10,000m 28:31
Highlights: Member of three U.S. National Teams; five-time College National Champion
(Wartburg) 

30  Gilbert Koech (Koh-ech)
 Kenya
 28 years old
 ING Bay to Breakers 12K History:  None
 2008:  4th Dresden Marathon
 Road Personal Best:  10K 27:32; Half Marathon 1:02:05; Marathon 2:19:09
Highlights:  Married to Edna Kiplagat; back to racing after taking most of 2008 off

31  Linus Maiyo (Mih-yoh)
 Kenya
 26 years old
 ING Bay to Breakers 12K History: 6th 2007
 2009:  4th Azalea 10K; 6th Cooper River Bridge 10K; 12th World’s Best 10K
 2008:  5th World’s Best 10K; 6th Azalea 10K; 6th Cooper River Bridge 10K; 9th Healthy
    Kidney 10K 
 Road Personal Bests: 10K 27:36; Half Marathon 1:02:40; Marathon 2:12:53
Highlights:  Veteran of ING Bay to Breakers 12K course; runs in part so he can eat more
chocolate


32  Justin Young
 United States (Boulder, CO)
 29 years old
 ING Bay to Breakers 12K History: None
 2009:  8th National Championship (Half Marathon); 23rd Tokyo Marathon
 2008: 1st AFC Half Marathon; 6th Himeji Castle 10 Mile (Japan); 13th Rotterdam Marathon  
 Road Personal Bests: 10K 29:01; Half Marathon 1:03:35; Marathon 2:13:54 
Highlights:  Invited by Japanese officials to compete at both Himeji Castle 10 Mile and Toyko
Marathon - rare for an American

33  James Nielsen
 United States (Palo Alto, Calif.)
 29 years old
 ING Bay to Breakers 12K History:  13th 2006; 14th 2004; 11th 2003; competed four times
as a child 
 2009:  3rd Napa Valley Marathon
 2007:  1st Eugene Marathon; 50th Olympic Trials Marathon   
 Road Personal Bests:  Marathon 2:21:01
 Track Personal Bests:  5,000m 14:13; 10,000m 29:52.97    
Highlights:  Eugene Marathon Champion; two-time NCAA Div III Champion at 5,000m; Kona
Ironman Finisher; earned PhD in Electrical Engineering from Stanford

34  Mike Sayenko (Say-ehn-koh)
 United States (Bellevue, Wash.)
 24 years old
 ING Bay to Breakers 12K History: None 
 2009:  12th National Championship (3,000m); 12th National Half Marathon
 Championships; 2nd Stanford Invite 10,000m  
 2008:  5th National Marathon Championships; 8th National Mountain Running
Championships
 Road Personal Bests:  Half Marathon 63:52; Marathon 2:18:36
 Track Personal Bests:  5,000m 13:49.78; 10,000m 28:25.85
Highlights:  Has shown great improvement in last two years and is a great hill runner

37  Brad Poore 
 United States (Davis, Calif.)
 30 years old
 ING Bay to Breakers 12K History: None
 2008:  7th Austin Marathon; 2008 Olympic Trials Qualifier
 2007:  Injured (malaria)  
 Road Personal Bests:  5K 14:39; Half Marathon 1:07:06; Marathon 2:21:51;   
Highlights:  3rd Humbolt Half Marathon 2006; dual citizenship with Great Britain – represented
Great Britain at Austin Marathon