What Happened to Norman Needn’t Be Normal, the article I wrote for the October 2021 Splash Pad News, discussed the current state of affairs in which it’s nearly impossible to get medical assistance for people who are severely mentally ill, and clearly unable to care themselves. Governor Newsom’s proposal designed “to prod mentally ill homeless […]
Odds and Ends
Odds and Ends – July 2022
The EVgo Electric Vehicle Charging Stations in the Lake Park parking lot were initially approved by the City Council in mid 2018 but the project was plagued by a string of obstacles (literally and figuratively), including PG&E delays, vandalism, an underground gasoline storage tank adjacent to Vegan Mob, and complications due to the pandemic. In […]
Odds and Ends – May 2022
On May 25, the Grand Lake Theatre will be hosting the Oakland premier of American Justice on Trial, followed by a panel discussion that includes producer/author Lise Pearlman and HueyNewton ‘s brother, Melvin. This documentary tells the untold story behind the murder trial of Huey Newton and the landmark case that put racism on the […]
Odds and Ends – April 2022
The Chronicle‘s Elena Kadvany scooped everybody on March 21 when she reported that Vegan Mob is going to relocate to 1500 Broadway but was unclear as to the circumstances of their moving. Tessa Quintanilla, the Project Manager for EAH Housing, responded to an inquiry from Eric Hughes, the Co-Chair of the Grand Lake Neighbors Group, […]
Odds and Ends – March 2022
Thumbing through early editions of the Splash Pad News, we recently came across the following note posted in 2006: “Week after this, look for a new hot food vendor–Tamearra Dyson’s Souley Vegan Catering.” Two years later, we reported this: “Over in the Plaza, a lot of dedicated customers are happy to see Souley Vegan back in the […]
Odds and Ends – January 2022
Last month, we shared Eric Hughes’ large photo of the new mural on the side and rear of the building that houses Walgreens and Trader Joe’s. A few days later, while the artist, Norman “Vogue” Chuck, was putting on the finishing touches, we took two more. The East Bay Express had an excellent article about […]
Odds and Ends – December 2021
Way back in the 70s or early 80s, the area under 580 between Lakeshore and Grand was dirt and a hangout for kids on mountain bikes. The parking lot that was subsequently constructed was heavily used and provided a major boost for shoppers on Grand and to a lesser extent on Lakeshore, which had its […]
Odds and Ends – November 2021
One of the wonderful benefits of living in Oakland is that you never know what or whom you’re going to meet up with when you venture outside. Last week, like an apparition, a brightly colored school bus materialized in front of the vacant Footlocker. The Hoop Bus has been traveling all over the U.S. for […]
Odds and Ends – September 2021
A tip of the hat to Miya Saika Chen, the Chief of Staff for City Council President Nikki Bas, for providing the Grand Lake Neighbors with a status report regarding a significant number of issues which we are summarizing below. EAH Housing has sold the property which is currently occupied by the Vegan Mob to […]
Odds and Ends – August 2021
In this May 2020 Splash Pad News article, Gehry Oatey shared his vision for a food court on the vacant southeast corner of Lakeshore and MacArthur. Fourteen months later, he has good news and bad news to report. The bad news is that the project is going to be delayed by about 6–9 months. The […]