Three guesses as to why this is a cool pic

Ron Dellums' inauguration as Oakland's 48th mayor begins Monday at 11 a.m., with his public swearing-in at the Paramount Theatre. Chronicle file photo, 2006, by Liz Mangelsdorf

The inaugural festivities will include your requisite black-tie gala, rhyming young poets, a gay/lesbian dance, and Oakland's version of Hands Across America, except it'll be around Lake Merritt. There's also going to be a Hyphy-Soul Showcase.

No, I'm not kidding.

With 148 homicides in 2006, Dellums has a lot of work to do to show that Oakland is more than that, that it's a diamond in the rough, and that the entire Bay Area --- nay, the nation --- recognizes that Oakland is a city that has a lot of potential for greatness.

I truly believe that.