With one commissioner recusing herself from the vote, there was a deadlock among planners over what to do with an application for a restaurant and nightclub in downtown Hayward.

Club Me would set up shop at 926 B St., next to Newman Park. It would serve as a restaurant for lunch and dinner most days, and a nightclub on Friday and Saturday nights.

Some planners expressed concerns that police are already stretched thin and urged the applicant to pursue the restaurant without the club, citing a history of problems with downtown nightclubs. But others expressed confidence in the applicant, and said they should be given a chance to help revitalize downtown. Commissioners Mary Lavelle, Marvin Peixoto and Christopher Thnay voted against the club; Rodney Loche, Julie McKillop and Al Mendall for it. Elisa Marquez recused herself from the vote.

The item is slated to go before the City Council at its Dec. 15 meeting.

Police Lt. Reid Lindblom was at the meeting, and acknowledged that resources are thin, particularly after a 2 a.m. shift change. But he said the outcome of a bar or nightclub is ultimately dependent on its management.

“There are several bars downtown that have a very minimal impact on police resources,” he said. “That’s a credit to how the bar is run. But there’s another that’s off the chart.”

That bar, the Funky Monkey, is going before the Planning Commission at its next meeting, seeking a conditional use permit, per the city’s planning project list:

Funky Monkey – Request to operate a night club. A cover charge would be charged on Friday, Saturday, Sunday nights and special events. Special events include DJs, live music, fundraisers, etc.., daily am/pm.

San Leandro PD says these two guys are in custody for the armed hold up of the Quik Stop at 1001 MacArthur Boulevard on Sept. 16.

The suspects are also believed to be responsible for a robbery on Aug. 31 at the 7-Eleven store at 333 E. 14^th Street. 

Investigators identified Oakland residents Kenyatta Fudge, 22, and Ronald Carson, 29, as the suspected robbers. Fudge was arrested without incident after posting bail in Santa Clara County on an unrelated forgery warrant, and is in custody at the SLPD jail, police said. Carson is being held at the Santa Rita Jail in Dublin on a parole violation, and charges are pending against him for the robberies.

Police ask anyone with additional information to contact the San Leandro Police Department at 510-577-2740, or the anonymous tip line at 510-577-3278.

Anyone care to weigh in on the prospect of a restaurant and nightclub in downtown Hayward? The idea is going before the Planning Commission tomorrow night, and they will make a recommendation one way or another for the City Council, who will have the final word.

Officials and the owner of the building say it’s a very exciting prospect and a good fit for the area, bringing in additional nightlife as well as providing a family restaurant during the day and most nights. There are also plans to host community-oriented events on Sundays, such as poetry readings and talent shows. 

Club managers are reportedly planning on spending upwards of $1 million to polish up the venue, which sits next to Newman Park. The building owner envisions opening up the brick wall that faces the park, with windows overlooking the greenery.

However, A CommPre director fears the worst, that clientele of a hip-hop/R&B club would scare people away from the area on Friday and Saturday nights. She said it would be like having Kumbala in the middle of downtown, and that Newman Park would suffer the ignobleness of drunken club patrons who would use it as a restroom or worse.

The Review will attend tomorrow night’s meeting to see if the proposal spurs debate, but we’d love to hear what HayWord readers think.

 Ann Romick, who used to contribute feature stories to the Daily Review, checked in with a Halloween tale of bad deeds, good deeds, a little boy and his giant pumpkin:

THE BIG PUMPKIN HEIST

By Ann Romick

“It was a dark and stormy night………” Isn’t that the way mysterious Halloween stories begin?  Well, actually, the storm has come and gone and the heist took place during the daylight hours — about 10 a.m. in the morning of October 27, but it’s a special Halloween story which needs to be shared.

We, who become a little jaded by the bad things touching our lives, could do with a reminder that while there are thoughtless people in the world, there are also those who are good and kind, and willing to take a moment to heal the broken heart of a little boy. (Story continues after jump.)

Read the rest of this entry »

Speaking of Phil Long, the Castro Valley artist who made the Oakland police tribute in this year’s Day of the Dead exhibit, here’s a really neat video of him making his first such work out of leather. It honors his father, who was murdered off the coast of Mexico while trying to sail to Ireland. Long said it took more than 500 hours of cutting, gluing and stitching to make the piece.

San Leandro police are seeking tips after a convenience store was robbed Wednesday night, with the crime caught on video. They released the following information and video:

San Leandro robbery video

On 9-16-09 at 8:15 pm two male suspects went into the Quik Stop located at 1001 MacArthur Blvd and committed an armed robbery.   The suspects then fled the area. 

Suspect #1 is described as a black male, 5’8” to 5’10”, 200 lbs., with a goatee wearing black clothing.  Suspect #2 is described as a black male, 20’s to 30’s 6’, 220-260 lbs, dark clothes, armed with a black handgun. 

We are investigating whether these suspects may be responsible for other robberies in the area.  Attached to this press release is a video of the robbery.  We are asking the public’s assistance in identifying the suspects in this case. 

Anyone with information should contact the San Leandro Police Department at 510-577-2740, or the anonymous tip line at 510-577-3278.

It’s a major search. We’ll update after a 4:30 p.m. press conference. Dublin police also on site, looking for Ilene Misheloff evidence. FBI, Alameda County, Contra Costa sheriffs all there as well. Hayward police Lt. Christine Orrey will be speaking at 6 p.m. on CNN’s Larry King Live. The search is expected to last through the weekend, and police are prepared to go as far as to tear down the Garrido house. Look for complete coverage in tomorrow’s Daily Review.

Sharon Murch, Michaela Garecht’s mother, has been actively updating her Web site and blog ever since the Jaycee Dugard story broke. It’s compelling reading and worth checking out.

The Alameda County Sheriff’s popular flea market fundraiser held Sunday in San Lorenzo had a moment of drama when deputies arrested a man who was selling a stolen bike.

A local grandmother noticed that the bike on sale looked suspiciously like the one that had been stolen from her grandson around 10 days before…

Man arrested after selling stolen bike at Alameda County Sheriff’s fundraiser

UPDATE: Organizers said about 200 people showed up. It was the third such demonstration at the courthouse. Here’s a couple of photos from the event, from staff photographer Jim Stevens. There was no sign of Willie Brown, at least not outside the courthouse.

Anyone near the Hayward Hall of Justice next Monday around 1 p.m. might notice more than the usual number of people outside, some with signs, possibly chanting. They’re demonstrators, in town for the third time for a court appearance by Monica Ung, owner of NBC Contractors, accused of bilking workers out of $3.6 million through paycheck fraud. She’s scheduled to enter a plea regarding the criminal charges.

She also may bring a Bay Area celebrity to town. She has reportedly hired Willie Brown as her defense attorney. Yep, former S.F. mayor Willie Brown.

In case you forgot Brown was once an attorney, an online biography helps jog the memory: “After earning a degree in political science, Willie Brown went to Hastings law school, where he was elected president of his class. There were few African American attorneys practicing in San Francisco at the time, and Brown made a name for himself in the community by taking on cases other attorneys would have dismissed as hopeless.”

If there’s a paper trail connected to the alleged fraud, this one could be pretty tough, too. Let’s see if Brown can work some silver-tongued magic in Hayward.

Sometimes a story just won’t die. Take Jason Sweeney’s tale about the flat-screen television for sale that was really an oven door. It’s been reigning in the top five most viewed stories on the InsideBayArea Web site for more than a week, just falling to number six today. Perhaps it’s because it was picked up by technology and gadget blogs Gizmodo, Gear Diary and Slashgear as well as news aggregator Fark.com, but it still goes to show that people love a good quirky crime yarn.