When I grow up I want to be like someone I know. Lets call him Jack. Jack is a mature and experienced community activist who knows all about local policy in Richmond and plays the saxophone. Really Cool. Jack said to me the first thing I should do is participate in local issues. Go to town hall meetings. Let the “who’s who” know who I am.

In my efforts to be the “Jack of Oakland” I present to the two people who read this blog: Adventures in Oakland Politics. We are in midterm election season. Oakland is looking for a new mayor. I will visit all of the mayoral candidates, shake hands, ask questions and collect t-shirts.

So who’s running for Mayor of Oakland? At the beginning of my quest, (yesterday) I had no idea. So, I use our good friend Google to find out.

Via an SF Gate blog (which annoyingly suggests you pay attention to an ad from Meg Whitman before reading anything) I can pull the following names.

Don Perata
Jean Quan
Don MacLeay
Marcy Hodge
Larry Lionel Young, Jr (Larry doesn’t have a website. Suspect!! Click Here for an article with his name on it)
Joe Tuman

This article was dated Sept. 6th. The list might have whittled down since then, but if I can (and the events are free) I will visit them all and gain enough t-shirts to last me all days of the week except Sunday. I can’t wear a t-shirt to church anyway.

I will share what I learn via my blog, but I won’t give you a blow by blow of all of the candidates manifestos, or stands or what not. I figure you can do your own homework.

However, if you write to me and ask me to ask a question, I might do that. Then I might blog the answer.

No thanks necessary..it’s the least I can do.

So stay tuned!

Doesn’t he look cool?