Current Events in Oakland and the Bay Area 
Current events and developments in Oakland and the Bay Area in general.
There are currently 21 blog entries related to this category.
Oakland's Brookdale Park Gets a Facelift
Thursday, January 26th, 2012 at 2:55pm. 1469 Views, 0 Comments.
Brookdale Park is at the corner of High st and Brookdale avenue in Oakland. This park brings back memories..I grew up not far from it and spend a lot of time there as a kid. As we kick off the new year, I'm glad to see it getting rehabilitated. Years ago the basketball courts were redone and adorned in Golden State Warriors Logos, which was great. Since then the park has been on the decline.. but this morning I drove by and noticed the lush new grass and baseball diamond. Workers were busy erecting the new back stop and it really is starting to come together. Kudos to the Parks and Rec department in Oakland for doing these projects in the midst of all the cutbacks.
New Tax on Investment Real Estate Coming in 2013
Thursday, October 20th, 2011 at 3:09pm. 2201 Views, 0 Comments.
Starting in 2013, if your adjusted gross income is over $200k then you will be subject to a new 3.8% tax on certain kinds of income including real estate rental income and profit from the sale of real estate. The three areas that the tax will have an impact on are:
-income from interest
-dividends, rental income (less expenses); and,
-capital gains (less capital losses) including capital gains from real estate sales, stocks, bonds and other securities.
The tax will apply to the lesser of:
1. Investment income amount or
2. Excess of AGI over the $200,000 or $250,000(for couples) amount.
Local Oakland Can Be Useful
Thursday, August 18th, 2011 at 2:47pm. 29536 Views, 1 Comments.
I found a directory that has a lot of useful links to all things/services in Oakland and I though I would pass it on. Check out there link here:
Local Oakland Directory - Covering the California topics of arts, business, community, computers, culture, economy, entertainment, family, fitness, health, home, information, internet, real estate, recreation, reference, shopping, sports, technology, transportation, travel and more.
Oakland's Art N Soul Festival Coming Soon!
Monday, July 25th, 2011 at 5:58pm. 1962 Views, 0 Comments.
Every August Oakland hosts it's annual Art N Soul festival...which is pretty much the biggest public event in Oakland. The location is downtown surrounding the Frank Ogawa Plaza. There will be live music, food, arts, crafts and a whole host of local business and non-profit organizations doing tabling and providing info. I'm not sure which artists are performing this year but I'm looking forward to the event. The dates are August 20-21.
Say Hello to Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate!
Tuesday, October 5th, 2010 at 3:00pm. 1194 Views, 1 Comments.
I'm excited to announce that Mason McDuffie has entered into a partnership with Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate. You will soon notice some new logos and features on this site. For example, soon you will be able to access extensive neighborhood info such as school and community facilities information, as well as demographics. This will be available for every zip code in the city, as well as a lot of other information.
You won't be seeing the old Prudential blue and white signs out anymore, they will be "Oakland" green and white, which I think is nice. We are still Mason McDuffie, so we are still grounded in the core values of the company and still have all the resources available to us that we always had..plus more. However we have a fresh look and a…
Lake Merritt Makeover
Thursday, February 18th, 2010 at 5:38pm. 547 Views, 0 Comments.
You have probably noticed a lot of work being done lately around Lake Merritt lately. Recent improvements include landscaping, new walkways, lighting and even a new restaraunt Lake Chalet. I recently attended a presentation by a non-profit organization that aims to restore and preserve the quality of the water in the Lake. One of the interesting pieces of news that I heard was that there are plans to demolish the dam that runs along 12th st (where the water flows into the estuary) and build a sort of overpass that will allow traffic to flow over the moving water below. The goal is to allow boats to pass back and forth from the lake out to the estuary, so they can get out into the Bay. This would be a dramatic difference and a tremendous improvement to the…
Eastmont Mall Getting a Makeover
Thursday, September 4th, 2008 at 10:53am. 742 Views, 0 Comments.
I was pleased to read this morning that Eastmont Mall is getting a facelift! It was purchased by an Oregon based company last year, and they have now begun a 5-6 million dollar renovation of the entire property. I'm anxious to see how it will look when completed.
I vividly remember the days when Eastmont Mall was bustling, with large scale retail stores, and even a movie theatre at one time. Over the years it's been going down hill, with almost all the well known retail outlets leaving. In recent years, it has become more of a community center, with a health clinic and other social services such as computer training being offered.
In the circle of revitalization, we know that all things that are down must come up at some point, hopefully one day…
Oakland's Cinco De Mayo!
Monday, April 28th, 2008 at 11:44am. 626 Views, 0 Comments.
With it's thriving Latino population, Oakland is home to a large Cinco De Mayo celebration every year. From Fruitvale to 41st avenue along International Boulevard, you can find food, music, cars, dancing, arts and crafts and more.
The event draws many from surrounding cities, and is a reflection of the true diversity that Oakland has to offer.
Lake Merritt and Downtown Slated to Be the Next BID's in Oakland
Friday, April 4th, 2008 at 1:07pm. 624 Views, 0 Comments.
BID's or Business Improvement Districts allow business owners to come together, pool resources and make improvements to their neighborhoods and businesses. These improvements result in helping ot foster economic activity, which is something that every city could use more of. In Oakland, there have been seven of these BID's created so far, and the next two to come are going to be Downtown and Lake Merritt.
Congrats To Oakland's McClymonds High Warriors!
Wednesday, March 19th, 2008 at 4:42pm. 550 Views, 0 Comments.
If you are at all into sports(and even if you aren't), then you know that 32-0 is a pretty good record...for ANY team. The remarkable part is that it's a record held by Oakland's own McClymonds Warriors who are the new state high school basketball champions! I haven't been following high school basketball much lately, but when I heard this news I got excited.
Being an Oakland native and a product of Oakland Public Schools, I'm especially proud. Hats off to you fellas! Undefeated for the whole season...WOW They deserve a celebration/parade of some sort to celebrate the victory!
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