Police are now recommending charges against two women, Cavenia Bryant and Jamillya Edgerton, who beat and kicked (and ripped the weave off of) hair salon owner Melissa Seals last month in Oakland while a third videotaped it. If you recall, the attackers, called in to radio station KMEL to say, "she deserved every bit of that for the shit she talked about... because she, she exploited our business to her clients." It turns out Melissa, like most hairstylists, was kind of a talker and may have gossiped a bit about these girls' sexual activities, which in turn got back to their parents, and which, in turn, precipitated the beat-down. The best part to us, of course, is that they called in to KMEL to take credit for it. We now go back to our regularly scheduled newsday. more ›

The state and our fair city have their share of budget woes, but Oakland is now considering pulling a Vallejo and filing for bankruptcy in the face of $100 million budget deficit in the coming year. Council member Ignacio De La Fuente told Chip Johnson that yes, shit has actually gotten that bad and they're taking into consideration. Oakland's troubles probably largely stem from property tax reassessments (with home value changes a bit more dramatic than in San Francisco County) and a lot of bad budgeting that occurred while the markets were still high. Just last month we heard of Mayor Dellums' proposal to lay off 140 of Oakland's 803 police officers in order to meet the budget shortfall -- which must not have gone over so well. Still no word on that federal grant... more ›

As of 11:30 a.m., bagpipes play as the caskets carrying the bodies of Sgt. Mark Dunakin, Sgt, Ervin Romans, Sgt. Daniel Sakai, and Officer John Heg enter Oracle Arena. Gavin Newsom, Barbara Boxer, and Jerry Brown are in attendance, as are thousands of Oakland officers. more ›

Enjoli Mixon, 24, the brother sister of the man who shot and killed four Oakland police offices being being gunned down, was arrested over the weekend for "being under the influence of a controlled substance," according to reports. This most recent brush with the law stems form a bench warrant for her arrest in Fremont in 2008. more ›

Eye On Blogs has word (via AP) that there will be a candle light vigil tonight for murderer, (suspected) child rapist, and waste of space Lovelle Mixon. more ›

Lovelle Mixon, the Oakland resident who died last Saturday after murdering four Oakland police officers, is being hailed as a hero by some. But certainly not by the woman he (allegedly) raped prior to his timely death. According to Associated Press, Mixon was tied to a February rape. "DNA found at the scene of the rape was a probable match to Lovelle Mixon, Oakland police spokesman Jeff Thomason said Monday night." (Cue conspiracy theories!) In related news, the fourth Oakland officer shot by Mixon, 41-year-old John Hege, was finally taken off of support. He had been brain dead since last Saturday's shooting spree. more ›

Due to Saturday's "deadliest day" in Oakland Police history, disgraced BART cop Johannes Mehserle's preliminary hearing, which was scheduled for today, will be postponed. According to CBS 5, "attorneys Alison Berry Wilkinson and Bill Rapoport said the judge told prosecutors and defense attorneys on Sunday that the hearing will be pushed back to May 18 because of Saturday's fatal shooting of [four] Oakland police officers." Mehserle, if you reacall, has pleaded not guilty to the New Year's Day murder of Oscar Grant. more ›