Jack London News Endorses Rebecca Kaplan
The Oakland City Councilmember At Large race is a good one. I believe both candidates are quite capable, but one stands out for me: Rebecca Kaplan.

She's a smart woman, and she's a self proclaimed policy wonk. Wow, someone who actually reads those stacks and stacks of paper created through City Hall. She gets what the average Oakland citizen is dealing with, and having served on the at-large seat for AC Transit, and I think she'd do a great job for the people of Oakland. Another benefit? She's considered an outsider, or at least compared to Kerry Hamill. Ms. Hamill worked with Don Perata in the past and was endorsed by quite a few of the current council members. Right there Rebecca Kaplan gets my vote.

That she's mature, smart, and into all that policy stuff is a bonus.

So VOTE FOR KAPLAN for the AT LARGE Council Member race.
Posted 10/16/2008

Voting - Did you know?
Here's some helpful information to prepare you for voting season.

Everyone knows that there is no longer a polling location at Jack London Square or the old fire department near Beverages & More, right? Just checking. It seems voters showed up there back in June, even though those haven't been valid polling locations for quite some time.

If you've moved, even within the same county, you need to re-register to vote. You can register through October 20th to be eligible to vote in the November 4th election. Register online here.

The Alameda County Registrar of Voters is still looking for polling location help, so if you want to earn a few extra dollars for working on election day, here is where you can go online to register for that.

Be sure to look at your Sample Ballot and Voter Information Pamphlet, which not only prepares you for all the different races being voted in, but also on the back has your current voting location. Since many voting locations have changed recently, PLEASE check this so that you're ready on November 4th. For example, in Tower Lofts, our polling location is listed as:

Your precinct has no poll place. Vote and return ballot by mail.

I'm not sure why we have no polling location, because I certainly tried to get us one and even thought we had it covered, but I guess I have to keep working on that. If no polling location is listed you MUST vote by mail using the ballot they have sent to you.

Here in Allegro's Building C (where Jack London Mail resides), the polling location is 189 Third St in the space adjacent to the Allegro gym. (Third & Jackson) I thought it would cover more of the neighborhood than it apparently does, but oh well. Don't assume that this is your polling location - check first!

If you don't have your pamphlet available, you can check online as to where your polling location is, although it says on the website that you need to wait until 15 days before the election.

I recently took a class to become a polling location inspector (glorified name for supervisor for the day), and I learned some interesting things that I thought I'd pass on.

Wearing a candidate or issue t-shirt, button, hat, etc is considered electioneering and not allowed within 100 feet of a polling location. If you should end up wearing such items, as polling location workers we are supposed to ask you to remove them or cover them up. A t-shirt can be turned inside out.

If you are registered as a vote by mail voter, you can still vote at your local precinct (if you have one), but it will be on a provisional ballot, not a regular ballot. You could also take your ballot by mail to the polling location to dropoff, but if you don't have the envelope to send it in with it, you will use a provisional ballot.

And voting machines! I learned a lot about voting machines. First, I know that many people are skeptical of them. But the ones in Alameda all come with a paper trail. When you vote, you can see a summary of all your choices on paper (to the left of the screen), as well as on the screen. You can even go back and change something. When finished, the paper goes to the next blank area so the person after you doesn't know how you voted.

The paper ballots get scanned, but how do you know what they scanned? You can't review what the scanner read compared to how you voted, even if there is a paper trail.

But here's the insider scoop about the voting machine. You have to ask to use it. As a poll worker I can't point it out to you, I can't offer it to you if there's a huge line waiting to vote, etc. YOU have to ask for it. And, if only four people use the machine throughout the day, those four votes won't be counted. You have to have at least five people use the machine in order for the votes to count. Their reasoning is that if you only have one person use it, then you know how that specific identifiable person voted based on the final report for the machine at the end of the night.

I thought this was bizarre because I know someone asked me last year to use it, but apparently that was illegal.

The Alameda County Registrar is expecting a 90% turnout in voters compared to only a 30% voter turnout in June. I hope that Alameda County can beat that 90% prediction!
Posted 10/14/2008

MoNO Restaurant Closes - thank you, Economy.
Thanks to an underwhelming economy, MoNO Restaurant and Wine Bar closed their doors on Saturday after a little over six months of being open.

We loved MoNO, and loved having another locally owned business here in the neighborhood within easy walking distance. We loved the vibe of the place and couldn't help but consider the transformation that had turned it into such a lovely place compared to what it used to be. The contrast was amazing - as was the food, the wine, and the ambiance.

Here's a link to The Dude's first photos... and more photos, and even more photos. The Dude is a huge MoNO fan and a really great photographer!

One can't help but wonder if the bailout might magically work some spell to overcome the hardship and help Todd & Eloisa bring MoNO back sooner rather than later. ::fingers crossed::

Best wishes to Todd & Eloisa. Our thoughts are with you and we all hope that you can find a way to make it all work despite the (#&#&^#(=)*#$$ economy. Maybe a new, improved President might help?
Posted 10/13/2008

Miette, but not Miette, coming to Jack London Square
Oakbook has a great interview with Megan Ray, on bringing Miette to Oakland, only the name of the bakery and cooking school will be different, along with the product line. Miette, at the Ferry Building in SF is one of my favorite window shopping spots... yum!

No dates are given and a fair amount of construction work will need to be done, so don't go looking for it anytime soon, but it's a step in the right direction for the future of Jack London Square. And just to clarify, it will be in the ground floor of 66 Franklin, where the Spaghetti Factory and El Torito used to be, not in the new Jack London Market currently under construction adjacent to Heinold's.
Posted 10/07/2008