A Bay Area Journalist's First-Hand Account Of How Mayor Jerry Brown Screwed Over Oakland On His Way To Sacramento

 

THE DEVELOPMENT RECORD OF OAKLAND MAYOR JERRY BROWN

"City Planning"

"During his original 1998 run for mayor of Oakland, Mr. Brown repeatedly said that a central goal for the economic revitalization of Oakland was to bring retail back to the city’s downtown core by first opening up the downtown area to residential development. Once a critical mass of residents were living downtown, Mr. Brown assured us, the retail establishments would quickly follow, without our having to do all that embarrassing begging and subsidizing that past Oakland administrations had to resort to. Oakland, he said, would be “put on the map.”

"The idea became a powerful campaign slogan when Mr. Brown announced a goal of bringing 10,000 new residents into downtown Oakland—the 10K plan—and that campaign slogan later became official city policy during the Brown Administration, complete with its own page on the city’s website.

"But somewhere along the 10K way, the goal of 10,000 new downtown residents became an end in itself for the Brown Administration, with the retail revival gradually shuffled to the back until, finally, it was forgotten, conveniently and completely, as the program’s original goal.

"This is more than a matter of minor inconvenience for the new downtown residents. ... Without the promised added retail, Oakland is actually in worse shape financially, budget by budget, than we were before all the new downtowners moved in."

From the "City Planning"column
December 8, 2006

 

   

DEVELOPMENT

SERVING THE MASTER EIR
A Jerry Brown Legislative Proposal To Suspend California Environmental Quality Act Protections In Downtown Oakland Development
June 6, 2001

MAKING A PLAN
The Mayor Needs A Comprehensive Plan For Oakland Downtown Development—None Seems To Be There, So Far
June 27, 2001

WHJD (WHAT HAS JERRY DONE?)
Early Indications That Jerry Brown's 10K Downtown Residential Development Plan May Not Bring The Commercial Development It Initially Promised
October 31, 2001

SELLING OFF JACK'S ASS...ETS
Port Of Oakland Commissioners Appointed By Jerry Brown Propose To Sell Portions Of City-Owned Jack London Square To Private Developers
December 5, 2001

SHAKING OUT THE PUZZLE BOX
More Details On The Proposal To Sell Portions Of City-Owned Jack London Square To Private Developers
December 12, 2001

DIAHRREA OF THE MOUTH, CONSTIPATION OF THE BRAIN
The Debate Over Jerry Brown's Legislative Proposal To Suspend Environmental Protections In Downtown Oakland Development
January 2, 2002

DEFINITIONS
Jerry Brown's Bad-Mouthing Of Oakland's Downtown
June 26, 2002

THE FOREST WATCH
The Forest City Project Is Jerry Brown's Last Chance To Put His Stamp On Oakland Uptown Development
September 25, 2002

CLOSING DOWN THE KAISER
While The Brown Administration Pours City Money Into Reopening The Fox Theater Uptown, He Proposes Closing Down Another Oakland Cultural And Social Institution Only A Few Blocks Away
May 20, 2005

10(NOT SO O)KAY
The Commercial Flaw In Jerry Brown's 10K Residential Development Plan, And Jerry Brown Abandons His $100 A Donor Days In His Run-Up To The State Attorney General's Race
May 27, 2005

DOWNTOWN ENTERTAINMENT
Jerry Brown's Missed Opportunities To Establish A Downtown Entertainment District In Oakland
March 10, 2006

CITY PLANNING
In His Last Days As Mayor, The Veil Of Secrecy Over Jerry Brown's Oakland Development Plans And Policies Begins To Slip
December 8, 2006

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