Oakland Mayor Jean Quan speaks about the wonderful things that Oakland has for those who live there during the Annual State of the City Address, Wednesday February 8, 2012, in the City Council Chambers at City Hall in Oakland, Calif.
Posted on 02/08/2012 9:29:58 PM PST by SmithL
After a year of nearly non-stop crises, Mayor Jean Quan sought today to portray Oakland as "a resilient city" rebounding from the economic and political wreckage.
In her first State of the City address, slated for 7 tonight, Quan plans to highlight the city's booming arts, culinary and cultural scenes, anticrime measures and some signs the city might be emerging from the economic morass.
She met with some reporters this morning to talk about the city.
"Despite all the bumps, this has actually not been a bad year for Oakland," she said. "The improvements are not fast, but they are steady."
The city has a long way to go. This month, it has cut 105 jobs and $28 million from the budget. From 2010 to 2011, homicides jumped by 17 percent to 110, and this year is also off to a violent start with 14 homicides so far, including five in the past week. And since October, the city has been besieged by Occupy protests that have occasionally turned violent and cost the city more than $3 million.
Quan has endured her own political setbacks, as well. She is the subject of two recall campaigns. In her first year in office, several city leaders, including the police chief, city attorney and deputy mayor, left their posts. Her legal adviser, Dan Siegel, also quit, citing her handling of the Occupy protests.
Siegel was not the only one to criticize Quan over Occupy. At various times she was lambasted by both sides for changing her policy toward Occupy Oakland, at first ordering the police to clear out the encampment at Frank Ogawa Plaza and then allowing protesters to return. City Administrator Deanna Santana threatened to quit over the flip-flop.
Still, Quan said there is good news despite the troubles....
(Excerpt) Read more at sfgate.com ...
Oakland Mayor Jean Quan speaks about the wonderful things that Oakland has for those who live there during the Annual State of the City Address, Wednesday February 8, 2012, in the City Council Chambers at City Hall in Oakland, Calif.
Obviously, you have yet to meet Mumbles Menino!
He could clean her clock in the worst mayor pageant!
She’s a newbie.
Living proof that the insane can get elected to public office.
The rest of the City Council ain’t too swift, either.
Quan isn’t exactly renowned for her honesty....
Oakland hasn’t had a decent mayor since John Reading left back in1977.
Beyond that, Oakland has been run by the likes of Detroit.
Shes’ been snorting SKITTLES again.
In the end, the economic condition of a city is due to the combined activity of its citizens. Oakland has shown signs of "emerging" from its economic morass for decades, but it never does. And, as California continues to de-industrialize, I can't see how it ever will.
I'd hazard a guess that, with Quan as mayor, that it certainly won't.
In the late 80s/early 90s I used to work with someone who had a “Newark is on the Move!” calendar; one day I looked at the date: 1966.
They were very patient...
Banish Oakland to the cesspool of cities run and owned by Leftists. It will never get better until it wakes up and changes it’s approach, but that will never happen so, sadly it will never get better.
Oakland’s “morass”? Well, she’ll get the Castro Street boys coming over now.
I’m not sure how many shots she had before giving this speech but she did seem gleeful considering her city is on fire and under assault.
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