At the Make Oakland Better Now! budget meeting on January 11, we passed out a ballot asking members in attendance to give us their views on where the city should make the cuts that are going to be necessary to balance this year’s and next year’s budget.  We had around30 people at the meeting, but only about 15 cast their ballots.

Sean Sullivan, who once ran for Oakland City Council, is one of the leaders of a movement to block the reappointment of Lorenzo Hoopes as a member of the Paramount Theater Board of Directors.

"I think it's outrageous that we would appoint anyone who calls for discrimination and works hard to see discrimination written into California's constitution representing all of Oakland on the Paramount board," said Sullivan, a West Oakland resident and a founding board member of Oakland's Rainbow Chamber of Commerce.

Hoopes was the leader of Oakland's "Yes on Prop 8" effort. He also was Oakland's largest donor and fundraiser to this discriminatory proposition. It is unfortunate that Hoopes' nomination is moving forward as the Prop 8 trial is happening across the bay in San Francisco.

Tonight: Tell City Council what you think! Sullivan is asking Oaklanders to attend the Jan 19 Oakland City Council to ask that Council only approve board members who don't discriminate against any of our citizens. (Sullivan's Facebook event listing says the meeting is 7 pm, but the City Council web site says 6 pm.)

To follow this issue, join Sullivan's Facebook group: The Paramount -- No Place for Homophobia.