That’s it for me for this year folks. Traditionally our family takes off these last two weeks of the year to enjoy the season, and I’ve decided to check out a bit earlier than I typically do. Last year was so jam packed of juicy City happenings that it was super hard to just walk away even to enjoy the holidays. But this year is a bit more mellow, so I’m going to start up again the beginning of next year. Till then, I wish all of you a very Happy Holiday regardless of what holiday you may (or may not) be celebrating this year.
I might be periodically updating my Twitter feed which you can see in the upper right hand corner of the blog or if you have Twitter you can always follow me at @laurendo
Thank you all for reading and commenting, may next year be just as interesting!
Column ideas for 2012:
If Alamedans are racist how come we have a Black mayor?
Which is worse, The Sun or The Alameda Journal, and how could we make them better?
What are your wishes for the City of Alameda in the coming New Year?
Name your top 3 Alameda restaurants, both historically and today.
What is your favorite walk or bike ride in Alameda?
Make a political prediction for Alameda in 2012
If they cut down all the trees on your street, what would you do?
Which will coat the City more money, Zach, firing the City Manager, or firing the Fire Chief?
Comment by Really? — December 21, 2011 @ 8:13 am
Thanks, Lauren, for building this sandbox for us to play in. Your dedication to the task is admirable. I hope next year we can continue to learn about Alameda, each other, and ourselves, and that more of the pseudonym bearers gain the courage to speak as themselves.
Comment by Denise Shelton — December 21, 2011 @ 8:39 am
Alameda has survived some pretty tough challenges in 2011 and–at least overall–made some significant progress since the
previous city attorney and interim city manager left Alameda one year ago.
The Park Street tree/streetscape debacle and Raymond Zach’s preventable death both revealed significant gaps in city policies and procedures that have since been closed. Our public safety departments both now have superb permanent leaders and are cooperating to keep us safer with a comprehensive water rescue program.
Lisa Goldman performed incredibly as Acting City Manager in the first half of 2011 and brought Alameda out of the divisive and secretive Gallant era with aplomb, setting the stage for new City Manager John Russo to continue the to open up and streamline our city government and governance processes. She was instrumental in supporting the Sunshine Task Force in its excellent and landmark work, and we owe her a great deal.
Acting City Attorney Donna Mooney, IMHO, really earned the right to be our permanent City Attorney with her work on the Sunshine Task Force, the public session on labor negotiations, and several other major projects. She is direct, personable, responsive to the public, and has more than risen to the challenges left when her predecessor departed.
The Corica Golf Complex is still in flux and its future unsettled, but at least it has become quite clear that the HBI Associates/Cowan land swap “offer” is far from perfect and unlikely to be consummated. The original Cowan proposal (apparently kept under wraps at Ann Marie Gallant’s request for over a year) is who;;y inadequate financially and does not serve the City of Alameda well, nor does it help the golf course or golfers in its current state. The good news: the City of Alameda has in many respects returned to the appropriate starting point and is re-examining most of the bids, proposals, and ideas from scratch through new RFPs and RFQs.
(If the City Council is really as smart as I believe its members to be, they will follow the lead of Jane Sullwold and the Golf Commission, Ron Salsig, and other golf advocates who have done the heavy lifting and research for the rest of us.)
We have a new Alameda Animal Shelter administration structure thanks to Friends of the Alameda Animal Shelter and Police Chief Mike Noonan, who made things happen when they needed to. It was a classic success story in the best traditions of Alameda.
The beneficial results of having passed Measure A seem apparent to most people, and I hope the current impasse between the AUSD Board of Trustees and the Alameda Education Association will be resolved fairly. (So far, it looks to me as if the AEA made some significant mis-steps and mis-statements, but I will not try to arbitrate the dispute here.)
All in all, it has been a tough year but a very good one. We haven’t fixed our Public Employee Retirement System (PERS) and some other tough problems–yet–but it sure looks as if we can do that if we can keep Fred Marsh and other city staffers on the job and making progress as they have.
Thanks to everyone–including Lauren, for hosting this sandbox, and for all those who helped lay out issues and develop solutions here and elsewhere–for a good year of solid progress. We’re still in recovery but we are on our way, and I look forward to more sustained progress–especially towards sustainability–in 2012.
May you all have a wonderful holiday season–Solstice, Channukah, Christmas, Kwanzaa, or whatever–and a sustainable and sustaining New Year!
Comment by Jon Spangler — December 21, 2011 @ 11:09 am
Happy holidays to all, especially to Lauren Do who provides this space for community communication and opportunities to learn what and how other Alamedans think. There are many ways to view an issue and it is good to hear each others’ ideas even if we don’t agree all of the time. I have reflected on the comments of others and hope everyone else does too.
Comment by Nancy Hird — December 21, 2011 @ 12:37 pm
Someone forgot to change that stupid lock and Spangler got in…
Comment by Jack Richard — December 22, 2011 @ 8:43 am
Last night watching the Twilight Zone’s “Eye of the Beholder”, I thought of the self-righteous who blog here regularly, who want the rest of us to conform to their “liberal” ideals. My Xmas wish is for Denise Shelton to read posts without looking at the signature first; to gain the courage to accept writers for who they are, not who she wants them to be. Remember that John Wayne would not be a household word had he used his “real” name, Marion Morrison.
Comment by carrie p — December 22, 2011 @ 12:09 pm
Jack, I seldom agree with you but you are funny! And, this time I do!
Comment by J.E.A. — December 22, 2011 @ 2:24 pm
Lauren thanks for keeping the Baypoint pool hall open. I truly wish you and yours the Happiest and Healthy Holidays and New Year.
Jack World Class Video.
After wondering this Pool hall for a little over a year…One thing I learned about the Church Lady and Jon the Spanglers and the Other Sand Baggers
Comment by John — December 22, 2011 @ 9:21 pm
John you’re being way too harsh. I for one, truly believe in Spangler’s innocence.
http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9502EFDD103AEF34BC4D51DFB0668382679FDE
Comment by Jack Richard — December 22, 2011 @ 10:18 pm
One of Jon’s, “…pretty tough challenges… setting the stage for new City Manager John Russo to continue the to open up and streamline our city government and governance processes…”
Comment by Jack Richard — December 23, 2011 @ 11:35 am
Enough of the above. Merry Christmas Everyone!
If you happen to be in NYC around Christmas, drop in to the Four Faced Liar in the heart of Greenwich and you’ll be hearing my favorite Christmas tune.
Comment by Jack Richard — December 23, 2011 @ 12:28 pm
Merry Christmas Everyone. All in All What A Wonderful World
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m5TwT69i1lU
Comment by John — December 23, 2011 @ 4:51 pm
6. not hiding one’s identity mans having some “skin in the game”. Here are holiday greetings from another sanctimonious liberal, complete with a jewel about Greece for “John”.
http://www.commondreams.org/view/2011/12/24-4
Comment by M.I. — December 24, 2011 @ 12:28 pm
13 One need only read the signature to know what follows is Mark’s right to enjoy other people’s money.
Comment by Jack Richard — December 24, 2011 @ 2:31 pm
14. that’s weak
Comment by M.I. — January 2, 2012 @ 11:08 am