Thursday, January 28, 2010

Could medical marijuana be the next big business….Oakland seems to think so.

Don’t know much about growing pot? Need a medical marijuana card but don’t know how to obtain one? Need growing equipment? Oakland is opening the largest one-stop shop marijuana cultivation center in a warehouse near the Oakland airport igrow will only sell supplies for the marijuana cultivation and not seedlings. In fact, there are only for dispensaries in Oakland who are able to sell seedlings. Currently, igrow has over 1500 followers on twitter.

Last year by a landslide vote, Oakland became the first city to tax proceeds on medical marijuana. The measure that was passed imposes a 1.8 percent gross receipts tax on the four licensed medical cannabis dispensaries in Oakland. These facilities would have to pay about $18 in taxes for every 1,000 in marijuana sales which will help with the city’s deficit problem.

To read more about igrow go to:
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/01/28/BA4T1BOGCV.DTL

Wednesday, January 13, 2010

The Temescal District... still holding strong!

The Temescal district made the Wall Street Journal in December. It doesn't suprise me! Temescal has been up and coming for many years now. There is a certain charm and unpretentious vibe in the Temescal area of Oakland. It's nestled below Rockridge and has easy access to all the freeways. The district is home to a few of my favority spots as well.  If you want the best strawberry shortcake in town then you must go to BakeSale Bettys. If you are looking for a great deal on wine of a fun evening of wine tasting then you must stop at The Wine Mine. I have also become a big fan of the the taqueria La Calaca Loca. You can get a quick bite to eat while being entertained by the decor. And last and but certainly not least, is Genova Delicatessan where you can find a great sandwich. There always seems to to be a wait but the lines move fast and it's worth the wait.

As for real estate, Single family Homes prices in Temescal range from  $450,000 to $650,000 and condos in the same area range from $300,000 to $500,00.

For more about Temescal, below is a link to the article in the Wall Street Journal:

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB125856546008953817.html?mod=article-outset-box