The Rotten City - When Emeryville was the Center of Corruption and Vice on the Pacific Coast

[Applause] awesome well good evening earth and nerd followers yeah that's me and I'm here to talk to you about corruption by sex and all the fun things that make every vote great this to where you live it's inserted the wrong City whatever goes the center of corruption advice of the Pacific coast Astra's we still are you don't know that okay Joseph Emery Joseph Emery born in New Hampshire moved to California in 1850 he was a stonecutter he's responsible for building the u.s. mints in San Francisco he also built the San Francisco jail he had a quarry on hierba Buena Island he led the San Francisco for a while he turned got bored like the most of us did but in San Francisco all the time so he said you know I'm going to move with the East Bay he moves East Bay he bought a plot of land called the Joseph S Emery tract in 1859 and in 1859 he relocated to every bill named after him so a little bit about every bill how every goal was created and why it was always from day one the place where bias was first you gotta have a background so our goal has two parts to it on the left is the north part other is radius I'm going to know on the right is the south part I'm the leftist butcher town put your town the series is all stockyard the slaughterhouses it was basically a place where you could find meat and entrails on the streets on the south side of every bill was the gambling component it's the racetrack it's called the Oakland trying trying to club yeah they had a one-mile racetrack that was located between Stanford Street and Park Avenue and it had the biggest gambling off to another West Coast horse-racing took place there and times were good at never evil plots of bars in San Pablo only about 250 300 residents Joseph Emery was quite happy he built Park Avenue a handful of streets along a party ever you see parked out it where Town Hall is all those side streets to go along are named after all his children ha true this house is located at the corner of Pablo San Pablo and Park Avenue where the IHOP is located I'm sure he'd be very happy to know that this mansion has been replaced by high off yeah but that's the way it is and part of Park Avenue and Town Hall and a hotel so how did everybody created well from the very first suggestion of its existence every goal was always destined to be a city for vice and corruption why well because it had a couple neighbors there's part of Oakland Township in the late 18-hundreds Oakland had become a city it was growing expansively extensively Berkeley had become a town and there was this little cluster of districts every built district Golden Gate District and then Thomas Cal district and the people who within those other nice fine dust your to quality and moral and Christian and did like people in every vote because we can well then we have prostitution and we had our saloons and people did all the things you're not supposed to do so they decided how are we going to avoid being annexed by open open it just annex what's now West Oakland how are we going to prevent that and how are we going to get rid of these [ __ ] in every bill who doing all the spice and corruption I have an idea who lets it actually former on town so the people in Thomasville signed a petition in 1896 and said we're going to actually create a city and it's going to be made of the every bill and the Thomas Dell district well as you might imagine the people who own the horse racetrack were not stupid people they have a lot of money and they said you know I don't think that's a good idea why because okay we have a couple hundred people they have a couple thousand people as soon as we are merged with them into a town they're gonna polish gambling and horse racing bad idea meanwhile the people who lived in the Golden Gate gistic for life we cannot stand the smell of foul meat and [ __ ] entrails on the goddamn streets of every deal we did either in these [ __ ] [ __ ] so they conspired to do this petition to get rid of every bill by adopting it into a city and so the slaughterhouse people and the people who own the racetrack together in the middle of night in 1896 sorry it could have been 1986 if you've been to our town in 1896 they got together and they said we're gonna run our own petition we're gonna make our own City and it's only gonna be the angry bull district and so they did they want Joseph everybody's heart get originally signed a tradition they wanted over and on December 2nd 1896 after a campaign of bustling with people in time as well said mark your loudest city of that rifle to be become a real city probably will forever be a scourge on the East Bay it will be an open-air do well location will be a place where the the type of people who helped my racetracks won't have a place to stay that's literally the kind of [ __ ] that people said about everyone and you know what about 152 27 every will be in a town center second in assists and not to be said to about leave the folks on the racetrack have all of their employees to look at the racetrack registered several residents because everyone knows everyone Oakland tronic Park which as soon as their people became a city by the way changes name canal for the jockey club that's me say very well we're not okay so every just begins and hope here you see a up here you see the horse racing track and a very popular place make a lot of money city made a lot of money made a lot of money so for the dress that boundaries of the city it originally proposed to actually have it go off with all San Pablo out from the southern border the Burton burger was going to be every mill the people who built it were just incense they were like oh my god the meatman trails the [ __ ] how it trail of the loss is crazy so a compromising situation of word was moved seven hundred and thirty feet to the west which is currently Vallejo Street a lot of time is no free lunch which is why you have Oakland ever you go Oakland Berkeley you drive up San Paulo it's the only reason exists is to create a buffer zone for the very good people moral upstanding people of the globe neighborhood I hope they're happy anyways moving on yeah well Christie Walter Christie was the first mayor of everybody like that the same didn't city became a town she became a city was incorporated he served as the mayor of memory over 40 years it drives her everybody to see Christian or at Christie Park his same time to Walter Christie he served for four years is only ever the male mayor of everybody never served as a councilmember walter one of those two his votes to serve as a councilmember by being friends of the horse track so probably a lot like how the city was incorporated Walter was elected the same way city of everybody does that horse race it's actually a place of innovation of the world again man it's a blue scarab user park vice is flourishing in every build early 1900s and in 1960 despite how a population of roughly 1300 people every village at that time was 28 square miles free peninsula mind you who get to that at 22 saloons one liquor store a beer garden at the shell Mountain Park multiple is gambling establishments in 23rd was reported that the city variable was basically an even in a place for everybody on the west coast to come to the GBC wanted to get away from morals and Christian values prostitutes were in abundance everyone was reputed to have the best prostitutes he's big thank you very much it turns off a little bit of a reputation so the booster amusement park was the very first right now Gracie track in the United States I'm just put it in every bullet was on Park Avenue located the beach main hold it important streets and it has innovation in several ways a gentleman by the name I'm going to get his name Luther is it like forties things open something oh and explosively Oh Francis Patrick right there actually was an innovator so great on tracing it come from England but England was a brutal place and they were alive killer happen Etha rabbit so a great house like all the rats death people dance is like prayers so he was like my American babies all that money so people always Oklahomans and every girl's open a races are breaking a racetrack and he moved to Macau about in the very first mechanical rabbit race happened in every mill in 1928 very first opening day of the desert in the park and the dog caught the rabbit and these papers reported the dog act surprised at the odd strange configuration of what he thought through the rabbit the part with the success great Christmas ultimately outlawed in the United States but as you see here every bill was a place to be displayed small population of the left you have the racetrack to jockey club which also doubled ask this for airline airplanes done so after airplane in a feedback is actually use the respect for runways the air position sucks there and on the far right you'll see on the left is John Doyle who was one of the original council members on the far right is Walter Christie the American regal and in the middle of azov James Grant who was the owner at the time of the racetrack so if you wanted to meet your councilmember you generally spend your afternoon going to the respect to find them hoping that they had scored on a trifecta so cool on everyone was more that this works racing was also gambling it was stopped Chinese lotteries it was chance it was all kind of things and so every girl had a number of different pieces that were going on whatever number different pieces that were going on and on the far left you'll see something that might look familiar to a couple of you - the science apart Club the O club how many of you know how old our club is [Music] 124 years old example I got an answer but that's okay though opened in 1905 is the Congress room in Jack Connors and Gary Tibbits folded together when Jen Carter's love the business area tickets it's now at the fourth generation to the family ownership the single largest grossing tax revenue source the city of our people the oldest longest serving and continuous heart love in Northern California and the looks at the same problem with the original building was built Wow so we had eight earth months at one point the bottom picture on the right is the Santa Fe publishes a popular place to go ahead Chinese loggers where you cast ice for a dime and everybody in town participated it was a known place that police authorized a lot of people to openly do a deal and even though it was completely illegal completely illegal so what's going on the city every book is completely illegal well in 1920 just set the stage with 22 saloons 14 Chinese water is 8 car clubs all that were built on part san pablo avenues right around town population without dismembered so every good story needs a bill and if you're a city of mice you have a bill that makes a good doing law enforcement blocking live as a church so the thingis parole board is on the left we're in the Alameda County District Attorney and let me just about us in the dudes body hey everybody thank goodness he's like this [ __ ] [ __ ] wall needs to go away and I have to figure out how and he spent most of his career trying to obliterate everyone really did secret he's in he tried really really hard so 1940 it was a big year for dude like a warning there was a prohibition of life you can't gamble you can't drink you can't do all that [ __ ] policies are bad at the bar he's like yes let me get my pants up [ __ ] every go well everyone was exactly people at times full beard we're a wide-open city you can do whatever the hell you want is prostitute for one finish never again is going right for every vote if you were about everyone so we're a decidedly because gonna take us down at a 90 24 you got the grand jury publisher Dworkin stated and I quote gambling boys were Ravin in every home the town's police department should be reorganized to keep them in check well undergoing board that report completely surprise for twenty seventy cents a group of 75 men then were called Raiders not to be confused with purple the sleeping at the time it's lyrical establishments they arrested over 300 patients they confiscated gambling machines they broke windows they demolished furniture it was your walk worse than whatever like let me brought them up every bill didn't give a [ __ ] every goes like worse of in a rebuilding keep doing the [ __ ] so he tried to get in May 1928 but this time he went and he actually took down a brewery during Prohibition those looking in on 47th Street who's browsing on the brewery in his mouth and the bar next to it on 47th Street I'm an engineer on the right 102 this patient of yours I think he's [ __ ] hot so did you hear so he's up there for a reason but I don't even they keep you in there okay do you have 25,000 dollars in illegal beer and liquor here at their low price bamboo shoot oh there's nobody trust me because I'm Elysia up north was very frustrating he's like what do I do about these people so he went to a local media outlet got them to publish Davis advices version in every bill under the imperfect courage native city and police officials were also getting their pot but their block of appreciation every bill has 12 houses of prostitution and at least 20 bootlegging joints America see the dignified man that he was responding they're good people are very bill about his law ideas anybody in any community years and it seems impossible that we return to office there local officials there's such record-breaking periods having been unworthy of such consideration it was a very big goodbye to the best that I need your help so in 1932 the feds help and work and that mounting people already ever go to this department 3900 ml I have okay here's the deal they found the liquor fleet let's just be straight up about that the liquor fleet which was fine all five of the internal police departments 565 [Music] officers were placed under repeated suspension investigation and she's hearing with his son Baca said I'm shocked well every book i lucky because in 1933 prohibition is refurbishing then didn't warrant service this is this guy said i'll in she next time Batman but a little side note about working for everyone at the next chapter of her industry which is if you didn't know Earl Warren was a governor in California after that yeah it actually became the Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court and he got that role because he was viewed as a tough on crime and as a person who tried to close everything down amazing and so I want to take credit on behalf of the clear people of my city for the fact that breathing the Arizona where your due process rights when you're arrested where's multi Connecticut where the the permanent rights of privacy is constitutionally enshrined and women were guaranteed the right to make their group the choices for reproduction on their own and brown v board of education where we did segregated schools we'll all written by or one and even declaration Supreme Court at me not trying to [Applause] [ __ ] them should never have forgotten but it's had a lot of other things loser I'm eating a part of the jockey club it also was the home of the Oakland Oaks which was a mecca minor league baseball team Pacific Coast League 1912 to 1955 nothing to zero okay so before my the helicopter second section two of my four sections which is Holocaust who was the mayor and after me receiver Christy's here before t exhale cost sir forty-eighters and the council 26 years as mayor L Haas was the first of two lacrosse the granite a common tonight is a pretty bird together every promise is gainfully started to fade away people in Reno rely on bananas like we're going to take me down [ __ ] and so people in every bill started to kind of close down and around soon if you get a little more transparent that nineteen fifties but not for a good reason the guy the bottom with a picture on the left side is named George because looks at the City Council in 1952 George Pittman went to a couple council meetings and he came back to the public when they said this is [ __ ] he's like damn secret meetings I hope the mins of the secret meetings reported in the minutes of the council meeting and Merrill across misty the point said we've had those secret meetings for 60 years we've never done it it's not going to start today doing it back or do a different night out the view of the public and nobody can even know we're lacrosse was going to defend the status quo and you know what he had a water bug to do so a 1954 clip and resigned but he didn't go away he said [ __ ] you a lollipop gonna [ __ ] you into [ __ ] gone so then I come to every city council meeting everything they're gonna say I'm gonna take you down a holocaust and you know what that it's a bitter fight it's like I'm a coward saying check up on the drama but they don't match the time so maybe 61 George Hickman shows up and he's like we move it and so we call position down and a hundred people are like oh yeah we should do that he's like [ __ ] fight you and so we did you want a good face I think even up this Jerry punch or different phases live rock John's kids got involved these were a lot of people back it's like a punch bro so this one thing happened and George could fit like a tuna he's like I'm gonna get her valid cost the political machine of every ability in video forever he's old he's a political Bob box before his gambling racket I'm gonna get rid of him well it takes a little more than primacy to do that George so I'm gonna skip a lot of the story about the efforts to recall mr. lacrosse and how it got there but let's just stop let's just put it this way in the end 2010 there was an election in September of 1961 and L crossed he did not get recalled he found enough people to go door-to-door for every vote please had to guard his friends because they were getting death threats the world class stories about that you get recall but so what happened soon as he's not making it recall yeah they're gonna get your call so on this day after we three fall the day after he goes into City Council egos appears as it rolls and so what are the new rules well the new rules are pretty simple you must submit a public comment that's only quote other constructive nature such public comment must be submitted in writing and must be Ruby code 2:00 p.m. on the Thursday of the week preceding the meeting quote it must be approved by their put their personal attacks upon council members the city boys never be alive so he based it seems like 5:30 Goodman goodbye what do you think George given to that I think that Jorge Campos like no I've been into recounts I'm gonna recap this [ __ ] this is not the way government's listen crime so it was the county a couple decisions that I want to recount the county is like okay to recap so they call the secret ever go of my bag and burn all the balance okay the students seventy nine five years old music of yours this time people years old is the oldest and longest serving city park in the history of California in church since 1950 the dude was like oh yeah I'm sure he did and so he basically confessed it was a great reticent Stadium he said he called about three college a lot with quote some rubbish what but he's from [ __ ] eighteen hundreds bring some rubbish to the schools like that is crazy that's not we go ahead I'm gonna finally get my name across and you know the Supreme Court says they're like oh yeah so they're so cool this says you only have to keep the ballots for all these lunches but it doesn't have a rule about recall elections so remain the mayor George Lippmann remained on the outside you know what George Ducas thought I'm going to see my day because what's going to happen I have this trial TAS doing it about being punched in the face so a month after about two months not even after this recall election the mayor memorable soundtrack will battery he's Savin Tribeca at two council members sessom i prefer to dip in it oh yeah the mayor lacking a new plugin why and two council members were like one said it was more compact and they're like two hours five minutes later the jury was like guilty of battery swell the judge was everything so he has barely boss probably days would you rather pay a $25 fires with two days in jail and a low cost was like oh hey that's me make $25 and every went to jail you're being fair of everything I'm gonna fast work through a couple things here in the battement those two guys that testified against up Marilyn Vos there well for election next year so we're across wasn't really having them so he ran some people against against weathers three seats the two people error cost lacrosse ran one that you see it's ten those other two people fate be told they top they tied further 428 votes each and they were lunge [ __ ] they're like let's do a recap you can't beat somebody and you know what they both lost and they top the type of order 27 months so guess what in everything what do we do what we [ __ ] again so role does so so a teacher is like we have to actually have a dice game to decide so they would support went all the way up in court legal whatever evil for this city attorney with the city of every bill roll one dice for one guy and one dice organ and Fred Frankie Carl Crawford on a pole assisted by so after office that 1964 he actually got beat Leave It or Not for forty years he left office and these House members were so extended like the mob bosses gun we need to do it [ __ ] it's a new day in every well it's a new day and so this is like totally I'd imagine it being like like rosy cheeks and like butterflies around them this council member named Donald Harry he was like well you know what they to do image most come with a great city steel but the core is something would you give the city prestige well you know the steel is gonna consist on the top still Los Angeles in the bottom they have or has a distinguished appearance er okay and for a long time I represent the city and I'm like this is what happens with the park was an Atari [Music] those are supposed to be okay so I've been told that this is a 1966 our plan it basically looks like oh we're kind of greedy and you know like water so the student Ringgold attempted to double its size but delete the entire bag and I haven't speaker this part of it so I need to the good stuff at the end so the city tried to double the entire size of the bank okay they blended expansion at ten office towers 1,800 residential units all this crap okay city was just certain feelings of it we just started blowing today we're increasing see Colby CDC to stop every go and you cannot fill the bed anymore there's a lot of law students and bottom line is city was basically told stop filling the banks in city was like oh we will easy but one half the plan they're like yeah cool did you build a giant Aztec pyramid hotel and of it if you stop that right now we have floating restaurants everything didn't happen so there it is a picture of bidding though so there was a guy named Edward Stefani and Edwin Stefani was the city engineer basically said okay here's the deal hey BCC we get through the boss we're sorry for such bad [ __ ] so we can this book was like stick and we're gonna go like this you know 1800 being coke and a half acres that's the more that we said you can do some because you gave the city all the look we want to see the city engineer leave I'm currently sitting to hear about that general plan that was supposed to the whole thing that was like a three pronged problem so we want to see it go like he's evocation of it always been and they like it we don't know when it's coming back it's our people the only city in the history of debate that has an illegally filled bit all right random fly did you know that every girl had a lark I didn't know that was kind of fun I want to show you there we go give us the hollow part if this is a 1970s on the peninsula before the current biennium building existed okay bye so wrapping up here let's see okay the crazy thing was those people what is he annexed by us it's like I look back at where you are crap like what were you thinking they're like oh no we were able to eat People magazine cheaters but now we kind of love your town you those corrupt and crazy and all this ownership you have a lot of money in those schools and so could we be annexed by you so we were going to annex or both people always say me or the would be an except that I wasn't we have 1978 you offer that at your mayor said no so why all Wilson actually veto everyone annexing the rest of what was welcomed people from the original period 1978 okay so I'm supposed to wrap up I don't have time to take the story down the cost which is actually I got as far as it gets the last three until I don't have time so come to the next show let me just put it in a nutshell Holocaust was so we'll cost was the son of a lacrosse he was the police chief in 1974 he for ten years through the political Boston area bill he ran a prostitution ring on the back of the townhouse so there's a white guy in there the prosecutor and he did a bunch other things like take turns a bribe he councilmembers the late seventies early eighties free apartments and condos in every building like there's an entire story I can do an operation under cost and anything his whole regime that the political corruption at our mural was about to crack in 1984 for the last two people need an uncounseled prevented from being fired for up for recall and I just want to play one council members response to KQ V DS investigated recording asking him did you or did you not threaten some business owners to advertise and support your campaign but we were able to get an interview with councilmember golden what is your connection to the eagle to the newspaper I have no connection truth you have none whatsoever none whatsoever no do you know you you're not on you're not an adviser of any sort oh okay I'm wondering we recently talked to a person that you know a guy named Leo Macias I know Leo yes he's a businessman here in town okay and Leo advised us that you were in his office and that you actually told him and pressure don't like no I guess I'm sorry that's that's just not true Leah and I have known each other for a long time and we were kidding around that's all we were doing there was absolutely no pressure Leo indicated that he was gonna stay neutral in the upcoming election and I told him that was just flying with me and if he intimated anything else it's just not true you didn't in any way pressure him no okay it's maybe you could answer this it has anybody else in in involved with the Eagle to your knowledge pressure to listen I don't think so can we stop yeah thanks Katie fortune told it was recalled by very large margin this year that you can ask me questions about it but basically and I stated for the Lacoste regimes that have run the city of Everett over decades fell everybody was like yes its overall and by the way it was three women who ran that ran call and as women who defeated the corruption the coffee's gone oh yeah not quite you ran for City Council um but you lost both the 1985 and 1987 is my party Clement him I would just let you know that he filed for bankruptcy and one of the claims in his bankruptcy was in unpaid $21,000 Barnes had from the townhouse or or so John across lots the end [Applause]