Phil Tagami--Oakland's Urban Renaissance Leader Supreme

OAKLAND

Phil Tagami is busy. What else is new?There's relentless meetings and schmoozefests with Jerry Brown, ( a close bud of the current AG, and ex-Mayor of Oakland) frequent back and forths with staff and city people, and don't forget dinner and wine please. And who is he 'kibitzing with tonight? Could be anybody from politics to real estate. Tagami wouldn't have it any other way.
He is Oakland's pre-eminent mover and shaker. Most would call him a 21st-century developer. Stop. Tagami prefers "restorer".

Tagami's the man behind the recently renovated Fox Theatre; his ornate offices are in the city's iconic Rotunda building; a blighted drab ediface until Tagami bought it and made it look like a mini Taj Mahal.

Now Tagami has his sights set on the old, Oakland Army base. Tagami's firm, California Capital Group, and its partner, AMB Property Corp., are one of two finalists to bid for the rights to develop the city-owned site. The Port of Oakland owns a separate 157-acre parcel that's part of the base and is also slotted for redevelopment.

Proposals for the city-owned site include combinations of office, retail and logistics space. The area is critical to helping the Port of Oakland expand its business and move goods.
Tagami wants to develop the site into a "working waterfront", with land-based infrastructure as the central theme.

Recently, I caught up with one of Oakland's big hitters.

You're endorsing Don Perata for Mayor. What does he bring to the table? Over thirty years of hands on experience. Pragmatism and a keen operational manner that is about getting things done.

There were rumors that you yourself were going to run. True or false? True, if you listen to the chatter around the campfire I have been considering running for the past 12 years...maybe someday I'll do it when the kids are grown.

How do you rate Ron Dellums performance? There's a feeling in the city that he's been thoroughly ineffective, especially in terms of leadership. Your thoughts. Each Mayor brings their own unique perspectives, assets, and liabilities to the job. I think Mayor Dellums wants what is best for Oakland and has been in many cases unfairly characterized as disengaged. I generally agree with his opinions and when we have disagreed have done so in civil manner. Do I think he could be more visible, Yes.

What are Oakland's biggest problems? Crime, shrinking blue collar job base, quality and performance of public schools.

Do you think the city should look outside for a new police chief, given the image/perception problems and morale of the OPD?

I am open to promote within but may be one that would support a choice that would be aligned with the rank and file than an "administrator". We need better command and control on the street on the "corners" if you will. I personally do not think OPD has an image problem. Oakland has an image problem and primarily due to the "more than our fair share" of knuckleheads that test our police officers every day.

How important is the OAB as a "working waterfront" for the city in the future? Oakland is the hub of the Northern California mega region comprised of 200 cities and 33 counties. We are the gateway to the far east and the path to market for California's agricultural export where roads, rail, and port come together. We need to restore the tradition of good paying indutrial-based jobs in Oakland.

How important do you regard that both the A's and Raiders can remain in Oakland? I believe that we should work with the teams to see if they can call Oakland home but live in an era of diminishing supremacies and have severe limitation what we can do to help.

The schools here. Is there any hope? Yes, if we focus the kids agenda-- not the adult one.

What will a Don Perata do for Oakland that other Mayors have not? Good question. Let's get him elected and we will see possibly the strongest of the strong Mayors for Oakland. The future looks bright for Oakland.

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