OAKLAND

Spencer, did you know that Fenton's burned down? My XGF lives right by there and we heard the sirens one night and the cops were there taking the manager and 2 workers away in cuffs in the parking lot while the place erupted in flames despite several firetrucks on the scene (must have been gasoline).

The employees had a rental truck filled with the safe and the jukebox (?).

It reopened after a year but I never went back.

― gygax! (gygax!), Monday, 3 May 2004 17:43 (twenty-two years ago)

wow! I had no idea. when did this happen???

― Spencer Chow (spencermfi), Monday, 3 May 2004 18:38 (twenty-two years ago)

mmmm... summer 2002-ish.

― gygax! (gygax!), Monday, 3 May 2004 18:42 (twenty-two years ago)

actually, just looked it up. November of '01 and reopened in '03

― Spencer Chow (spencermfi), Monday, 3 May 2004 18:44 (twenty-two years ago)

haha, so much for my memory.

― gygax! (gygax!), Monday, 3 May 2004 18:44 (twenty-two years ago)

http://www.theprimalscream.com/images/star-cover.jpg

― Spencer Chow (spencermfi), Monday, 3 May 2004 20:25 (twenty-two years ago)

I will be at Oakland airport Sunday morning for two hours close to 10am. Anyone wanna come over and have breakfast with me?

― donut bitch (donut), Monday, 3 May 2004 21:38 (twenty-two years ago)

@d@m will be bringing MARMALADE!...(in case you missed that from the LA FAP thread)

― donut bitch (donut), Monday, 3 May 2004 21:38 (twenty-two years ago)

(Sunday May 14th that is)

― donut bitch (donut), Monday, 3 May 2004 21:38 (twenty-two years ago)

It's tempting, but the traffic can be awful on Sunday mornings. That would probably be one of the most bizarre FAPs ever, though. Which appeals to my perverse side (i.e. all of me). Won't you be "airside" (see? I know) for the majority of your layover?

― @d@ml (nordicskilla), Monday, 3 May 2004 21:40 (twenty-two years ago)

Okay I just scanned the LA FAP thread and I'm still totally mystified by the marmalade thing. But don't explain...mystery is good.

― @d@ml (nordicskilla), Monday, 3 May 2004 21:43 (twenty-two years ago)

Haha, I have no idea. I've just been jesting. Don't get me wrong.. I would love to meet up with you, however brief, if possible. But I think I'll be too busy running around a new airport figuring out where to exit and re-enter security, new flight, etc. making sure I get a window seat, etc. (since Southwest does this first-come-first-serve thing when it comes to seat assignment) to have time for any sort of Oakland airport FAP sadly. :( In any case, I wouldn't expect anyone in the bay area to go out of their way or care about lil' ol me...

― donut bitch (donut), Monday, 3 May 2004 21:45 (twenty-two years ago)

I might be able to squeeze in a flight to SF sometime in the next month and a half, though.. who knows.

― donut bitch (donut), Monday, 3 May 2004 21:46 (twenty-two years ago)

But forget I said that.. back to OAKLAND!

WOOO WOOOOO!

― donut bitch (donut), Monday, 3 May 2004 21:47 (twenty-two years ago)

Skipping 1566 messages at this point... Click here if you want to load them all.

That’s a cool concept… people can take their pets in and then browse/buy books while they wait.

― sarahell, Sunday, 1 December 2024 15:45 (one year ago)

vet as in veteran, like he's worked at a bookstore for 20 years or so

― reggae mike love (polyphonic), Sunday, 1 December 2024 18:26 (one year ago)

8 years ago...

https://i.imgur.com/7cEksfw.png

https://i.imgur.com/HM0D708.png

― Mrs. Ippei (Steve Shasta), Tuesday, 3 December 2024 05:04 (one year ago)

I can go on at great length about the City’s problems and failures and how 8 years later, the things the City said they would do to prevent another G.S. … have not happened.

― sarahell, Tuesday, 3 December 2024 16:01 (one year ago)

I strongly suspect the reason the City settled the families’ lawsuit is because there is a lot of damaging shit the City did that they don’t want getting out.

― sarahell, Tuesday, 3 December 2024 16:03 (one year ago)

fuck

― I? not I! He! He! HIM! (akm), Wednesday, 4 December 2024 03:14 (one year ago)

one month passes...

On brand response:

A little after 4 a.m., a robbery occurred at It Iz What It Iz smoke shop in the 2400 block of San Pablo Avenue. Responding officers learned a group of people drove at least one vehicle into the smoke shop to enter. The suspects shoplifted multiple items and then fled into a vehicle(s).

The smoke shop’s manager, Elissa, said the thieves didn’t make it out with much. “Some kids came and drove a car through the store — took some fake Jordans,” she said.

― sarahell, Monday, 6 January 2025 15:11 (one year ago)

the cannabis shop in the old Parkway Theater now has these massive blocks of concrete in front of the doors

― Andy the Grasshopper, Monday, 6 January 2025 18:15 (one year ago)

this will spawn a new form of defensive architecture.... retail won't have street level doors anymore, but a tunnel under the front wall to enter

― Andy the Grasshopper, Monday, 6 January 2025 18:17 (one year ago)

three months pass...

The special election campaigning is getting super gross

― sarahell, Thursday, 10 April 2025 19:35 (one year ago)

seneca scott needs to GTFO of oakland. loren taylor has not done himself any favors by being linked to that guy; he finally distanced himself last week but it reflects poorly on him that it took that long.

― I? not I! He! He! HIM! (akm), Thursday, 10 April 2025 19:39 (one year ago)

I've heard accusation of ballot harvesting?

― Andy the Grasshopper, Thursday, 10 April 2025 19:39 (one year ago)

a very nervous canvasser for Kara Murray-Badal asked if I'd already filled out my ballot

― Andy the Grasshopper, Thursday, 10 April 2025 19:40 (one year ago)

I am getting daily texts from “Maybe Loren Taylor” … kinda feel like Barbara is taking me for granted…

But it’s like they each have groups supporting them that are doing super negative ads against the opponent that aren’t doing them any favors like
Taylor is funded by Trump supporters! Vote for Barbara Lee
Barbara Lee supported corrupt former mayor Thao and is also corrupt and used tax dollars to go on extravagant vacations! vote for Loren Taylor!

I seriously wish that the rich fuckers paying for these ads were required to contribute money to city services at the same rate as they fund these shitty mailers.

― sarahell, Thursday, 10 April 2025 21:23 (one year ago)

a very pro-labor buddy (actually a union organizer) is telling everyone to vote for Lee... but.. we had Ron Dellums, this is not a city where you can settle back into a sage 'emeritus' position and I'm afraid that's what will happen with Lee

― Andy the Grasshopper, Thursday, 10 April 2025 21:28 (one year ago)

It’s really a question imo of whether Taylor would be better or worse than another Dellums … like the factions now are saying Lee would be too beholden to unions and Taylor is too beholden to Developers and corporate interests

― sarahell, Thursday, 10 April 2025 21:32 (one year ago)

I wish there was a good third candidate. I can't stand either of these two frontrunners.

― reggae mike love (polyphonic), Friday, 11 April 2025 06:17 (one year ago)

i mean I loved Lee in congress, she did a great job representing the interests of her constituents, but she in no way belongs in the mayor's seat of a city that has a million and a half problems and a history of corruption. hate to be ageist but she is frankly too old for this.

― I? not I! He! He! HIM! (akm), Friday, 11 April 2025 13:55 (one year ago)

It's not even an issue of ageism for me... imo she is using this position as a platform for national politics. She's campaigning against Trump far more than she is against Taylor's positions.

― reggae mike love (polyphonic), Friday, 11 April 2025 17:20 (one year ago)

Any politics nerds know the reasoning why Lee is 88% favored to win in elections markets but news outlets showing Taylor in lead after multiple rounds?
Is there some dynamic to the remaining rounds of ranked choice that favor Lee, like most people who voted for an outlier candidate still prefer Lee?

― Philip Nunez, Friday, 18 April 2025 21:03 (one year ago)

I have no idea.
I mailed my ballot on April 15th because my local polling place was not open to drop it off - in fact, very few were - so I think there's gonna be a lot of mail-ins still coming in

― Andy the Grasshopper, Friday, 18 April 2025 21:07 (one year ago)

i think the sense is that progressive voters voted absentee and later, or at least that's what I read.

FWIW there are not miles of daylight between Lee and Taylor, policy-wise.

― I? not I! He! He! HIM! (akm), Friday, 18 April 2025 21:07 (one year ago)

yeah, I actually voted for both of them

― Andy the Grasshopper, Friday, 18 April 2025 21:12 (one year ago)

Lee has won

― I? not I! He! He! HIM! (akm), Saturday, 19 April 2025 00:45 (one year ago)

two weeks pass...

This situation with Eli's sounds like a clusterfuck.

"“You remember Ghost Ship? This is Ghost Ship again"

https://sfstandard.com/2025/05/07/elis-mile-high-club-patio-illegal-claims

― I? not I! He! He! HIM! (akm), Wednesday, 7 May 2025 23:06 (one year ago)

lol at that guy:

https://www.sfgate.com/travel/burningman/article/Burning-Man-Alameda-building-equipment-fines-13851981.php

― imperial frfr (Steve Shasta), Wednesday, 7 May 2025 23:15 (one year ago)

I've heard about Eli's patrons throwing garbage over the fence, but I haven't been there in quite awhile.. seems like it's barely open these days

― Andy the Grasshopper, Wednesday, 7 May 2025 23:21 (one year ago)

i haven't been there since the 90's

― I? not I! He! He! HIM! (akm), Thursday, 8 May 2025 14:53 (one year ago)

Loved that bar, will always love that bar. The day after Ghost Ship, that was where everyone went to gather and mourn together. A lot of good memories there.

― butt dumb tight my boners got boners (the table is the table), Thursday, 8 May 2025 18:04 (one year ago)

I spent many hours going through the building records and permit history for Eli’s … the City is doing it’s customary thing where they find a legal violation and then add bullshit violations that end up distracting the operator/owner/tenants from dealing with the real problem.

― sarahell, Thursday, 8 May 2025 18:13 (one year ago)

The noteworthy thing is that the Oakland Fire Department has not cited it … so it is far from Ghost Ship …

― sarahell, Thursday, 8 May 2025 18:14 (one year ago)

Late checkin but if anyone is going to see Slowdive at the Fox tonight, maybe I'll seeya there!

― Ned Raggett, Monday, 12 May 2025 01:36 (one year ago)

one month passes...

someone come save me, it's a mad-max style hellscape

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-14817899/Oakland-California-street-car-sideshows-fire-cops.html

― Andy the Grasshopper, Tuesday, 17 June 2025 00:26 (eleven months ago)

I think Oakland still hasn't learned the lesson that SF finally (I think, maybe?) has learned. What good is Barbara Lee going to do for it? I liked her in congress, but Oakland is falling apart, and at this point I think she's just another self-serving national politician not really interested in fixing its problems.

I don't know, maybe Oakland should have elected Loren Taylor as mayor instead? We'll see. The city needs some tempering and moderation, that's for sure

― Dan S, Tuesday, 17 June 2025 01:17 (eleven months ago)

I don't really think either of them can fix the city's budget problems.

― reggae mike love (polyphonic), Tuesday, 17 June 2025 11:29 (eleven months ago)

Dan - one of my best friends and I agreed that Barbara would likely be the same kind of mayor as Dellums was … we lived here for Dellums. He voted for Barbara based on feeling the alternatives were worse

― sarahell, Tuesday, 17 June 2025 20:57 (eleven months ago)

ranked choice brought us Sheng Thao

― Andy the Grasshopper, Tuesday, 17 June 2025 21:03 (eleven months ago)

Were you a Loren Taylor voter?

― sarahell, Wednesday, 18 June 2025 01:58 (eleven months ago)

I honestly don't understand why people like ranked choice voting.

― I? not I! He! He! HIM! (akm), Wednesday, 18 June 2025 15:19 (eleven months ago)

I did vote for Loren Taylor.. twice

I like Barbara Lee but as I said upthread, I'm worried she views this as an emeritus landing pad (like Dellums)... but we shall see, I'll give her the benefit of the doubt for now

― Andy the Grasshopper, Wednesday, 18 June 2025 16:33 (eleven months ago)

six months pass...

Saturday looks better for me, but I'll probably sneak in both days

https://mosswoodmeltdown.com/lineup/

― Andy the Grasshopper, Thursday, 15 January 2026 22:32 (four months ago)

Will be there Friday, but hoping and praying that the Dirtbombs play a standalone show.

― imperial frfr (Steve Shasta), Friday, 16 January 2026 19:03 (four months ago)

They'd be perfect for Thee Stork Club, that's for sure.

― Ned Raggett, Friday, 16 January 2026 19:17 (four months ago)

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