Oakland Tribune Outtakes

One reason I’m reviving this blog is that, even without a recall, there’s going to be way more candidates running for elected office in Oakland this year than we can find space to profile in print.

The latest entrant is Richard Raya, who required a correction from your’s truly before he even entered the very full field to replace Councilwoman Jane Brunner. Raya is the policy director at California Forward — a group advocating government reform. I wrote recently that he was the “police” director.

Click the link below for lots more about Raya. He’s got a pithy slogan “Love this Town,” a big font size, lots of nonprofit experience and four boys. He’s also got two french mastiffs, which I pictured looking like over-sized poodles, but actually look like the toughest things to come out Fifth Republic since Andre the Giant

Raya is one of seven declared candidates in a field that includes BART Director Bob Franklin, Community policing leader Don Link, council aide Joanne Karchmer, and Democratic Party activist Dan Kalb.

Kalb could become the first politician to run unsuccessfully in both San Francisco and Oakland within a 10-year period. He moved to Rockridge shortly after losing a supervisor’s race to Ross Mirkarimi.

Raya

Oakland Mayor Jean Quan was finally feeling the jet lag midday Monday after arriving Saturday in Beijing and embarking on a flurry of meetings with the Hainan Group and the American Chamber. But that didn’t stop her from finishing and posting her newsletter in the few hours of  “down time” she will likely enjoy on the jam-packed trade mission to China with City Council President Larry Reid, Port of Oakland Executive Director Omar Benjamin and other port officials.

Oakland Mayor Jean Quan and City Council President Larry Reid in Beijing, China. Photo courtesy of Jean Quan.

Quan is there to promote Oakland’s Port and city as a good place to do business. She’s talking to the Hainan Group about using Oakland as a hub to capitalize on the growing foreign tourism to Northern California.

Hainan Airlines is the Southwest of China, and the only five-star rated airline in the country. The parent company also owns hotels.

It’s clear that Chinese people are investing in the United States, Quan said, but she is “struck by the variety of investments” they are interested in.

As far as how people are responding to her as an elected representative of a major American city, she said it seems to have a special significance for older Chinese, who tell her how proud they are of her, Quan said in a call from Beijing Monday (late Sunday night, my time).

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Oakland Mayor Jean Quan wasted no time reaching out to Chinese officials in Beijing when she landed there Saturday to embark on a three-city trade mission with Oakland City Council President Larry Reid, Port of Oakland Executive Director Omar Benjamin and other of the Port’s seaport and airport officials.

Quan met with the chairman of the HNA Group, which owns Hainan Airlines, hotels and other businesses. She wants to try and bring the airline to Oakland, and perhaps convince the company to build hotels and use Oakland as its hub for for foreign tourism to Northern California.

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So Oakland Mayor Jean Quan and Council president Larry Reid jetted off to Beijing this a.m. on a whirlwind trade mission to China with Port of Oakland officials. They hope to drum up new business and expand partnerships with Chinese companies in Beijing, Shenzhen and Hong Kong.

Oakland Mayor Jean Quan and Council President Larry Reid

The 12-member group includes Port executive director Omar Benjamin and other port maritime and airport officials. They’ll spend four days making stops in three cities: Beijing, Shenzhen and Hong Kong.

They’re saving the fun for last, when they visit a California wine bar and restaurant in Hong Kong to promote Oakland wineries.

A case of Oakland wine has been shipped ahead and will be served when the mayor and her entourage visit on Thursday.

Stay tuned for updates to find out what’s in the case! Hint: check out the East Bay Vintner’s Alliance.