Decades of white flight transformed America’s cities. That era is drawing to a close. In Washington, a historically black church is trying to attract white members to survive. Atlanta’s next mayoral race is expected to feature the first competitive white candidate since the 1980s. San Francisco has lost so many African-Americans that Mayor Gavin Newsom created an “African-American Out-Migration Task Force and Advisory Committee” to help retain black residents. “The city is experiencing growth, yet we’re losing African-American families disproportionately,” Mr. Newsom says. When that happens, “we lose part of our soul.” For much of the 20th century, the proportion of whites shrank in most U.S. cities. In recent years the decline has slowed considerably — and in some significant cases has reversed. Between 2000 and 2006, eight of the 50 largest cities, including Boston, Seattle and San Francisco, saw the proportion of whites increase, according to Census figures. The previous decade, only three cities saw increases. (Continue Reading…)
Kanye Booked for Dem Convention ‘08
*Kanye West, Wyclef Jean and N.E.R.D. have been tapped to perform at
the 2008 Democratic Convention in Denver to support the presidential
nomination of Sen. Barack Obama. According to Billboard, West is
rumored to be performing on behalf of Bono’s One Campaign, which landed
the rapper in conjunction with the RIAA. Jean and N.E.R.D. are expected
to headline a party thrown by MTV and Rock the Vote. (Continue Reading…)
After Family Day, Grand Party for Mandela’s 90th
Some came in exquisitely beaded traditional skins, others wore T-shirts
emblazoned with his name, and Nelson Mandela welcomed all to the
festive tent outside his home Saturday for the formal celebration of
the anti-apartheid icon’s 90th birthday. Hundreds of guests stood and
cheered and a Xhosa choir sang “Here is our hope!” at the entrance of
Mandela — walking in with his successor as South Africa’s president,
Thabo Mbeki, and African National Congress leader Jacob Zuma. Mandela,
wearing an intricately patterned shirt in shades of brown, stopped to
personally greet a few of the 500 honored guests as he made his way to
the head table. Zuma called the gathering a celebration of “a life and
legacy of a father, grandfather, comrade, warrior, soldier, nation
builder and statesman.” Former Zambian President Kenneth Kaunda caught
the festive mood with a tuneful solo of “Happy Birthday” followed by a
teasing verse: “How old are you? State secret!” Then the 84-year-old
Kaunda jogged over to Mandela to shake his hand. (Continue Reading…)
Oakland's budget deficit is
on course to more than triple the $15 million shortfall that former
City Administrator Deborah Edgerly figured in the city's current
spending plan, according to new projections obtained by The Chronicle. Edgerly, whom Mayor Ron Dellums fired July 1 amid a police
investigation into whether she tipped her nephew to a gang probe, may
have overestimated city revenues for the current fiscal year by $38
million, according to a July 17 finance department report. In addition, the city would not receive $12 million in planned
revenue if the recent mail vote approving an increase in the city's
lighting and landscaping tax is invalidated - bringing the city's
revenue shortfall this year to nearly $50 million, or 10 percent of
Oakland's $500 million general fund. City Council members Ignacio De La Fuente and Jean Quan, as well as
Acting City Administrator Dan Lindheim, said Friday that they thought
Edgerly's budget projections had been overly optimistic. The council and mayor approved the budget after agreeing to close
Edgerly's projected $15 million deficit by cutting costs in all
departments, leaving 28 vacant jobs unfilled and forcing all
nonessential city employees to take five days off without pay in
December. But officials said Friday that the dire forecast may force them to
lay off employees and cut services, difficult decisions they say they
will make after returning from summer recess and begin poring over
Oakland's finances. "We're waiting anxiously for some of the real balances," Council
President De La Fuente said Friday. "We're going to have to prioritize
and remember (that) we're responsible for providing the basics - with
public safety being No. 1. We're going to have to make some tough
decisions." Edgerly's office in May projected that revenue from sales taxes,
property taxes and real estate transfer taxes would increase this
fiscal year from 2007-08. Lindheim, at Dellums' direction, has ordered a complete review of
the city's budget situation. Dellums' office will announce changes in
the city's financial plans next week, Lindheim said Friday. "I've told council and department directors I expect we will come
back in the fall with a revised budget," Lindheim said. "I'm presuming
we're going to be making additional cuts." Oakland, like cities across the nation, is feeling the pinch of the
downturn in the housing market and a softening in consumer spending.
City officials said the recent sale of Brandywine Realty Trust, a real
estate investment firm with a regional office in Oakland, could net the
city $6 million in property transfer taxes, lessening the blow a bit. Quan, who chairs the council's Finance and Management Committee,
said she has been saying for months that Edgerly was overly optimistic
in her budget projections, a point she said fell on deaf ears. "I warned the council, but the response I got was people were OK
with it," Quan said Friday. "They said she had been right in the past. "If these numbers hold, we're talking about cutting city staff by 5
to 10 percent," Quan said. "We'll keep safety first. You're not going
to see a reduction in police officers, but we may have to cut support
staff, such as technicians, who are a critical component in helping
with investigations." Library staff may also be cut, along with programs for senior citizens and pothole repairs, Quan said. Before she was fired, Edgerly had planned to retire July 31, a month after the city's new budget took effect. "There is an incentive for all public figures to make things look
better than they may be," Lindheim said Friday. "The problem anyone
dealing with budgets has to confront is that the worse you portray the
situation, the greater the cuts you have to make. No one wants to make
major cuts." Meanwhile, the council will meet in closed session Tuesday to
discuss a citizen challenge to the vote count in the spring election to
raise the lighting and landscaping property tax to pay for the upkeep
of parks, medians and streetlights. At issue is whether city
ballot-counters gave too much weight to the vote of the Port of Oakland. "There are very serious concerns and allegations by citizens that
the vote count was not accurate," De La Fuente said. "We're taking it
very seriously." Lindheim said Dellums believes the election was valid and the vote should stand.
ONE
THING ALWAYS evident about Marshawn Lynch is his desire to go through
real life in much the same way he goes through his fantasy existence as
a star running back. Quickly, playfully, generously and without slowing down. That's
how Lynch was at Cal, where he was fabulous yet consistently directed
attention toward his teammates. Coming off a rookie season with
Buffalo, where he gained 1,115 yards, nothing seems to have changed. He's friendly and approachable and good-natured but obviously uncomfortable with celebrity. So
there he was Saturday, in his hometown, on the occasion of his second
annual Family First football camp at Oakland Tech, an eager
participant, playing and giving and diverting attention. With
about 500 kids ages 8 to 18 flooding the football/track facility at his
old high school, Lynch spent the better part of seven hours throwing
passes and running routes and signing autographs. Though he was joined
by fellow athletes and coaches donating their time to the cause, this
was his show. The vibe was positive. It was highly organized,
very well-attended and free of conflict. There was zero police
presence; none was needed. "This is all a reflection of him,"
Berkeley High football coach Alonzo Carter said, pointing toward Lynch
from the sideline. "These kids look at him as one of them. And he
enjoys being one of them." SOURCE:CONTRA COSTA TIMES
