Your intrepid junkie takes the lower deck of the Emperor Norton to report on some news from the Oakland City Council: city councilman Danny Wan, who represents Oakland's District 3 (Grand Lake and Chinatown), has announced his resignation from the council, stating that he couldn't afford to stay on as a city council member and also support his aging parents. Wan was one of three Asian-American council members, and the only member who was openly gay (out of 8).

Wan immigrated from Taiwan at an early age (we can't find any biographical information about him online), attended Cal and UCLA Law School, and was first appointed to the City Council in 2000. He then was elected in 2002 to a four-year position. His legislative highlights include sponsoring a bond to restore Lake Merritt, passing laws requiring city publications to be printed in languages other than English, and his efforts to have Oakland recognize same-sex marriage licenses from SF, which was stymied only when the Supreme Court found them unconstitutional. We're sad to see him go (and feel slightly shamed by his Asian street cred on the elder respect thing).