The East Bay Express hits middle age. Slows down, looses it’s edge, wants to converse based on experience or relationships with politicians who trade information for P.R. Robert Gammon, the East Bay Express’ Managing Editor, has put his feet up, no more protests or talking to Oakland’s great unwashed; they go straight to the big cheese, or Cheese-It, as the case may be. Oakland’s oldest cheerleader, Mayor Libby, will pick up the phone, she owes the Express.
Loving Libby means carefully ignoring some of her less politically marketable supporters and opinions. Libby hella loves the Charter Movement. Libby’s first council campaign was heavily supported by the Charter movement and then according to her PR, she helped found Lighthouse Charter School while working as an Oakland City Council person. She sat on the board of Lighthouse with Brian Rogers, Oakland’s Charter Czar, and her education policy plans look markedly similar to Brain’s astro-turf non-profit Great Oakland Public Schools ideal agenda. Libby also campaigned for Brian’s girl, Annie Campbell Washington, to replace her as council person. Annie worked for an education foundation that supported Charters, as well as with Jerry Brown when he was mayor. Annie helped Jerry with his Charter program, Oakland Military Academy, and Oakland School for the Arts. Annie then got strong support from the Charter Movement for her appointment to the School Board, and $700 from Big Brian Roger for her city council run. Libby hella loved Annie for her seat on City Council; she also loved on Nina Senn, another Charter fav for Oakland School Board. The Express’s Gammon stumped hard for the Charter Trio, and Measure N the charter-friendly School Bond (also funded by the Charter movement).
Now Nina, Annie, and Libby, the Charter trio, are rolling out their plans for Oakland. Meanwhile, Oakland Public Schools, under the direction of Antwan Wilson, begins “Charting a Pathway to Excellence,“ while hard-balling the Oakland Education Association, (Oakland’s Teacher’s union) in contract negotiations. “The Pathway” program is permissive of the transfer of three Oakland public high schools; Castlemont, Mcclymonds and Fremont to Charter status. Charterization of existing public schools is the fastest track to full privatization of Oakland Public Schools. Oops, the East Bay Express killed, I mean missed, this story too. While Gammon waxes philosophical about Jerry Brown and chases down small time non-profits, the millionaires and charter foundations steam-roll Oakland teachers and families.
Postscript
If you like your news not quite so middle-aged, check out the Oakland Post.
It should be noted that the Express prints and employs Pulitzer-quality journalists like, Ali Winston, Sam Levine, and Darwin Bond-Graham. Unfortunately, all they are allowed to do is love on Libby, Annie and Nina, and that won’t win any prizes. Ali Winston and Darwin Bond Graham stopped live tweeting protests recently, as Libby sustains her silence on “Black Lives Matter.” Coincidence or coercion? You be the judge.