Jerry Brown, Mayor of Oakland (1999–2007)
What would become Brown's re-emergence into politics after six years was in Oakland, California, an "overwhelmingly minority city of 400,000."[51]Brown ran as an independent "having left the Democratic Party, blasting what he called the 'deeply corrupted' two-party system."[51] Prior to taking office, Brown campaigned to get the approval of the electorate to convert Oakland's weak mayor political structure, which structured the mayor as chairman of the city council and official greeter, to a strong mayor structure, where the mayor would act as chief executive over the nonpolitical city manager and thus the various city departments, and break tie votes on the Oakland City Council.[51] He won with 59% of the vote in a field of ten candidates.[51] The political left had hoped for some of the more progressive politics from Brown's earlier governorship, but found Brown "more pragmatic than progressive, more interested in downtown redevelopment and economic growth than political ideology".[52]
The city was rapidly losing residents and businesses, and Brown is credited with starting the revitalization of the city using his connections and experience to lessen the economic downturn, while attracting $1 billion of investments, including refurbishing the Fox Theatre, the Port of Oakland, andJack London Square.[51] The downtown district was losing retailers, restaurateurs and residential developers, and Brown sought to attract thousands of new residents with disposable income to revitalize the area.[53] Brown continued his predecessor Elihu Harris's public policy of supporting downtown housing development in the area defined as the Central Business District in Oakland's 1998 General Plan.[54] Since Brown worked toward the stated goal of bringing an additional 10,000 residents to Downtown Oakland, his plan was known as "10K." It has resulted in redevelopment projects in theJack London District, where Brown purchased and later sold an industrial warehouse which he used as a personal residence,[51] and in the Lakeside Apartments District near Lake Merritt. The 10k plan has touched the historic Old Oakland district, the Chinatown district, the Uptown district, and Downtown. Brown surpassed the stated goal of attracting 10,000 residents according to city records, and built more affordable housing than previous mayoral administrations.[53]
Brown had campaigned on fixing Oakland's schools, but "bureaucratic battles" dampened his efforts. He concedes he never had control of the schools, and his reform efforts were "largely a bust".[51] He focused instead on the creation of two charter schools, the Oakland School for the Arts and the Oakland Military Institute.[51] Another area of disappointment was overall crime. Brown sponsored nearly two dozen crime initiatives to reduce the crime rate,[55] although crime decreased by 13 percent overall, the city still suffered a "57 percent spike in homicides his final year in office, to 148 overall".[51]
The city was rapidly losing residents and businesses, and Brown is credited with starting the revitalization of the city using his connections and experience to lessen the economic downturn, while attracting $1 billion of investments, including refurbishing the Fox Theatre, the Port of Oakland, andJack London Square.[51] The downtown district was losing retailers, restaurateurs and residential developers, and Brown sought to attract thousands of new residents with disposable income to revitalize the area.[53] Brown continued his predecessor Elihu Harris's public policy of supporting downtown housing development in the area defined as the Central Business District in Oakland's 1998 General Plan.[54] Since Brown worked toward the stated goal of bringing an additional 10,000 residents to Downtown Oakland, his plan was known as "10K." It has resulted in redevelopment projects in theJack London District, where Brown purchased and later sold an industrial warehouse which he used as a personal residence,[51] and in the Lakeside Apartments District near Lake Merritt. The 10k plan has touched the historic Old Oakland district, the Chinatown district, the Uptown district, and Downtown. Brown surpassed the stated goal of attracting 10,000 residents according to city records, and built more affordable housing than previous mayoral administrations.[53]
Brown had campaigned on fixing Oakland's schools, but "bureaucratic battles" dampened his efforts. He concedes he never had control of the schools, and his reform efforts were "largely a bust".[51] He focused instead on the creation of two charter schools, the Oakland School for the Arts and the Oakland Military Institute.[51] Another area of disappointment was overall crime. Brown sponsored nearly two dozen crime initiatives to reduce the crime rate,[55] although crime decreased by 13 percent overall, the city still suffered a "57 percent spike in homicides his final year in office, to 148 overall".[51]
REPORT: JERRY BROWN’S MONASTIC IMAGE SHATTERED BY MILLION DOLLAR CRONY CAPITALISM DEALS
Governor Jerry Brown is getting very rich off of real estate and stock holdings by partnering with prestigious Oakland developers whom he at one time regulated when he was Mayor of Oakland.The former Jesuit seminarian has mastered the ability to project himself as living themonastic life. Most remember when Brown first came to the Capitol in the mid 1970s that he spent his first eight years in Sacramento sleeping on a box spring and mattress on the floor of an apartment that he rented for less than three hundred dollars per month. Moreover, Brown has been known to fly the economy airline Southwest while traveling across the state during his current gubernatorial tenure.
According to a Bay Area News Group and reported by the Mercury News, Brown has more in common with Warren Buffett than he does St Augustine, in that they know how to talk to the common folk.
Dan Schnur, a onetime GOP strategist who now directs the University of Southern California's Unruh Institute of Politics, contends, "Jerry Brown has obviously attended the Warren Buffett school of public relations. He's certainly not anywhere near as wealthy as Buffett, but they both understand the benefits of talking about their personal frugality as a way of connecting with people who don't share their financial means."
Not quite in the same league as the “Oracle of Omaha,” Brown has developed a handsome portfolio over the last decade. The News reports that during his current term as governor, Brown invested in an $11 million office building near Oakland International Airport which is being considered as a possible venue for "Coliseum City," a large redevelopment venture that could include new baseball and football stadiums.
Moreover, Brown is part of a consortium that began construction this year of a 100-unit apartment building on prime real estate they bought in 2007 on the Oakland-Emeryville border. The News revealed that Brown also has stakes in millions of dollars of East Bay real estate in conjunction with developers Phil Tagami and John Protopappas. Both conducted business with the city of Oakland when Brown was Mayor of the city.
In the face of these findings by the Bay Area News Group, Brown and his representatives are not planning to disclose a lot of particulars regarding his investments to the public. Dan Newman, a spokesman for the governor, said that Brown won't provide any details beyond what's on the forms. According to the News, political experts say discussing the details of his wealth isn't in Brown's interest.
Sarah Swanbeck of California Common Cause, a public interest group, argues, "It's one thing to follow the letter of the law, but the public does have a right to know who a governor's partners are."
Some may say that it is hypocritical that Jerry Brown, who won his first term by advocating for transparency and championing the Political Reform Act, now is not being forthcoming about much of financial holdings that have been enhanced by connections that he cultivated while in office.
Peter Scheer, executive director of the San Rafael-based First Amendment Coalition, believes that Brown "should be setting an example about disclosure for the rest of the state." He is setting an example, but unfortunately it is not about disclosure.
According to a Bay Area News Group and reported by the Mercury News, Brown has more in common with Warren Buffett than he does St Augustine, in that they know how to talk to the common folk.
Dan Schnur, a onetime GOP strategist who now directs the University of Southern California's Unruh Institute of Politics, contends, "Jerry Brown has obviously attended the Warren Buffett school of public relations. He's certainly not anywhere near as wealthy as Buffett, but they both understand the benefits of talking about their personal frugality as a way of connecting with people who don't share their financial means."
Not quite in the same league as the “Oracle of Omaha,” Brown has developed a handsome portfolio over the last decade. The News reports that during his current term as governor, Brown invested in an $11 million office building near Oakland International Airport which is being considered as a possible venue for "Coliseum City," a large redevelopment venture that could include new baseball and football stadiums.
Moreover, Brown is part of a consortium that began construction this year of a 100-unit apartment building on prime real estate they bought in 2007 on the Oakland-Emeryville border. The News revealed that Brown also has stakes in millions of dollars of East Bay real estate in conjunction with developers Phil Tagami and John Protopappas. Both conducted business with the city of Oakland when Brown was Mayor of the city.
In the face of these findings by the Bay Area News Group, Brown and his representatives are not planning to disclose a lot of particulars regarding his investments to the public. Dan Newman, a spokesman for the governor, said that Brown won't provide any details beyond what's on the forms. According to the News, political experts say discussing the details of his wealth isn't in Brown's interest.
Sarah Swanbeck of California Common Cause, a public interest group, argues, "It's one thing to follow the letter of the law, but the public does have a right to know who a governor's partners are."
Some may say that it is hypocritical that Jerry Brown, who won his first term by advocating for transparency and championing the Political Reform Act, now is not being forthcoming about much of financial holdings that have been enhanced by connections that he cultivated while in office.
Peter Scheer, executive director of the San Rafael-based First Amendment Coalition, believes that Brown "should be setting an example about disclosure for the rest of the state." He is setting an example, but unfortunately it is not about disclosure.
