Free Republic

Shhhh. What's the big secret? When it comes to Oakland Mayor Ron Dellums' deliberations on matters of grave importance - they are cloaked in more secrecy than an illegal CIA counterterrorist operation. When Dellums ran for mayor in 2006, he pledged to run a transparent government. Yet at a time when Oakland needs a strong leader to deal with budget cuts and lack of leadership in several key departments, Dellums is missing in action and his decision- making process is one of the best kept secrets in Oakland City Hall. I don't think even the mayor knows what's going on...

Armed robbers terrorized Oakland restaurants and small businesses in three separate crime sprees over the past year. The first wave targeted Asian eateries and struck during the 2007 holiday season. The second arrived last spring and was more indiscriminate. The third struck in July and August. All three made newspaper headlines and led television newscasts, shining a spotlight on the city's out-of-control crime problem and the Oakland Police Department's apparent inability to cope with it. In fact, the department's public response to the takeover robberies was both odd and illuminating. The department's mantra for dealing with the city's crime spike...

Dellums' swearing-in tainted by crowd mocking De La Fuente - The racism-tinged disruption of Oakland Mayor Ron Dellums' inauguration on Monday continued to have an impact in Oakland on Thursday as Asian American and Latino community leaders held a news conference to call for racial unity. But the racial divide to be bridged remained apparent. The news conference had no members of the African American community who had called at the inauguration for City Council President Ignacio De La Fuente, a Latino, to step down. After those calls were not heeded and De La Fuente was re-elected in a special...

Federal authorities said Thursday that they are investigating whether an Oakland elected official participated in a scheme in which a well-connected clothier near City Hall allegedly extorted money from a bidder for a city contract, promising influence with the official in return. Authorities did not name the city official, who is referred to as "City Official A" in court documents. But a source familiar with the matter said the official is City Council President Ignacio De La Fuente. According to the FBI, which conducted a 17-month public corruption probe, the clothier, 59-year-old Maurice Himy, told the bidder for the city...

OAKLAND -- Former U.S. Rep. Ron Dellums ended months of speculation today and announced he will run for election as Oakland mayor next year in a move that shakes up the race to succeed Jerry Brown. Dellums' announcement came after months of urging by community activists, including a drive by independent volunteers who collected about 8,000 signatures begging the former congressman to run for office in his hometown. He credited that network with helping him make his decision. Dellums, a 69-year-old former Marine, served 28 years in the House of Representatives before retiring in 1998.