Vet cemetery

Imagine, if you will, a special interest group meeting with members of Alameda City Staff a government agency.   Let’s also imagine that during this meeting it’s proposed that the group will not insist on getting something that they need want at a very specific location at a very specific time and in return they want support from the City this government agency to get what they want somewhere else at a time to be determined.

Sounds pretty shady eh?

I believe when you work out a deal like this outside of the public process, it’s generally referred to as being done in a back room, no?

VA benefits

I know some folks are excited about the ARRA agenda item on the VA transfer.   But, you all realize that it’s not really much, right?    The agenda item is simply one to “adopt a resolution supporting the transfer from the Navy to the VA.”   It’s a largely ceremonial move because if the City of Alameda didn’t want to make the transfer happen, it’s not as though the City could actually do anything to halt a fed-to-fed land transfer.

But if folks want to get all excited about ceremonial resolutions, then who am I to rain on anyone’s parade?

Frankly speaking

Press releases sent out in a flurry post Measure B fallout!   But I was most puzzled by the statement sent out by Frank Matarrese from his “Frank for Mayor” campaign:

“I know that all Alamedans are frustrated with the slow pace of the redevelopment of the former Alameda Naval Air Station. I share that frustration. But now that the voters have rejected SunCal’s Measure B, we must move forward with the project — building on those elements that have been widely accepted and rejecting those aspects of the plan that will adversely impact our city’s quality of life.

What’s old is new again

That’s right folks, Action Alameda…erm…Save Our City Alameda has put out their plan for the future of Alameda Point.   What they have essentially done was to write 20 or so some odd pages of lead in to someone else’s plan.   Whose plan you may ask, well one that the City commissioned a long, long, long time ago.  How long you might ask, I really don’t know.   Late 90s, maybe early 2000?   The “file” you will be asked to download literally contains those 20 pages of “hey this is what we think should be done and this is what is already out there.”  But the details are sadly lacking even though the point of this effort was, ostensibly, to provide the details. 

The details, however, if SOCA is willing to own the old “Alameda Science & Technology Center” plan, are in that text which is the remaining 100 + pages of the SOCA “plan.”   If you want a copy, email me and I’ll be happy to send it to you.   I’m trying to figure out a way to compress it since it is very very large.