I want to start with this video of Gov. Newsom being interviewed on Pod Save America this past Monday. Newsom’s part starts at 1:04:05, so you can skip right to it.

The connection between Oakland and the events down in Los Angeles is that the riots and protests could easily happen here. They’ve already erupted in San Francisco, and frankly I’m a little surprised that Oakland has been so quiet.

Oakland has long manufactured demagogues from the left: Carroll Fife, Pamela Price, Cat Brooks and Nikki Bas in recent years, or Desley Brooks, Angela Davis and the Black Panthers from days gone by. In a town as “progressive” and racially mixed as Oakland, this is not surprising.

First, I need to apologize to the people who thought that my post yesterday was serious. It was pure satire. A lot of people took it literally, and some got quite upset.

On Monday, just hours after City Councilmember Carroll Fife’s new tax on restaurants went into effect, the last restaurant in Oakland announced it was immediately closing. Sam’s Burgers, on East 13th Street, which has been a beloved staple in the neighborhood for more than 20 years, said in a statement they could no longer afford to remain in business.