Columnists

The two-year long season of criticism of Oakland Mayor Ron Dellums—some of it thoughtful and reasoned, some of it thoughtless and unreasonable—has tended to set an arbitrary standard and then judged the mayor against it. Is crime and violence in the city at a “reasonable” level, for example, or are there “enough” new retail outlets or employee-generating businesses being built in Oakland; is there enough “transparency” at City Hall, or is the mayor is putting the time and energy into his job that should be expected? -more-

When Barack Obama becomes the 44th president of the United States, he will face a daunting set of economic problems. Incoming presidents usually have a honeymoon period of 100 days when positive public sentiment insures passage of key components of their platform. Given a narrow window of Congressional bipartisanship, Obama’s economic priorities are clear. -more-

The early November rains made me briefly hopeful, although that didn’t last long. They also seem to have faked out some of our local insects whose life cycles are keyed to changes in the weather. -more-

Few relationships in business or in life have the potential for spattered blood like the one held between contractor and client and it is for this reason that I would like to suggest some “rules of the road (sans rage)” for both contractor and client. While everyone likes to see themselves as being reasonable, thoughtful and fair, the truth is that we all have blind spots or simply become lazy. Watch drivers on any given day and you’ll see the proof. -more-

The island of Catalina receives over a million visitors per year, but the vast majority of them go in summer and never set foot outside the principal town of Avalon. -more-