Last week I attended an event to support Jean Quan who is Running for Mayor of Oakland. It was held at a supporters home in Oakland off College Ave. If you have never gone to an event like this, I highly recommend it.
What did I get out of it? Well, I had the change to spend a few minutes one-on- one with a candidate who's running for Mayor the grass roots way, knocking on doors, meeting people in small group settings to find out what they want to see in a Mayor, and then answering as many questions as best she can.
Have you asked yourself lately what you like about Oakland and what you want to see happen in your neighborhood? Not a surprise, many of us had the same ideas. We love Oakland because of the poeple, the diversitiy in people and homes, the art influense that surrounds us, the wonderful restaurants, and our positive support of the environment just to name a few.
What were some of the changes we wanted to see? Better roads, a more positive outlook on Oakland through the medial channels, and for our city council to make smart choices on our behalf.
What did I learn that night? I learned Oakland is in negotiations with Target stores and if the deal goes through, we will have a Target in Oakland! I've lived in Oakland for 13 years and saw the build of the Ikea and the Emeryville shopping area expand and always wondered why our city was never able to negotiate with large companies to come to Oakland. I realized that night it's a lot more complex than it seems. Whole foods downtown and the additions of Trader Joe's and Farmer Joe's locations now in Oakland remind me that we might finally be moving forward to more tax dollars staying in Oakland. If we can grow our tax base in Oakland and make smart business choices for the city, then we can all prosper in a city we love.
By attending the meeting and listening to Jean Quan, I learned that Oakland received 60% of the Ikea revenue and if the Target deal goes through, then Emeryville, our neighboring city will also receive tax revenue. We recycle 67% of our garbage in Oakland while the National Average is somewhere between 20%-30%. If I took better notes, I could actually tell you the percentage.:) She can go into the details about General Fund and how 60%-80% goes towards the Oakland Fire Department and the Police Department, how Prop 42 was passed as a gas tax for local cities to have funds to fix the streets and pot holes in neighborhoods, but over the last seven years the state has borrowed the money half the time.
By the end of the event it was a bit overwhelming to think of all the issues that need to be resolved in our city and in the end I've concluded that we really need a Mayor who has in depth knowledge of the issues at hand, and someone who is excited and motivated to make a difference.
Is Jean Quan that person? That's up to you to decide. For more information about Jean Quan, go to http://www.theoakbook.com/MoreDetail.aspx?Aid=1467&CatId=10 or sign up for her newsletter at http://www.jeanquan.org/news.htm#subscribe