In April, Rebecca Kaplan, Oakland city councilmember at large, announced that she was considering running for mayor this fall. Oakland North reporter Ayako Mie sat down for an exclusive interview with Kaplan to talk about how she hopes to change the city.
Stories
Residents protest “Dirty Energy Proposition”
April 22, 2010 – 9:14 pm
On Thursday, more than fifty people celebrated the 40th anniversary of Earth Day by protesting the so-called “Dirty Energy Proposition,” or the signature-gathering effort in support of a ballot measure that will delay implementation of AB 32, California’s clean energy and air law.
Lawyers offer pro bono work to former GA recipients
April 20, 2010 – 10:57 am
Alameda County’s looming budget crisis led the county to cut off about 2,400 people from the county’s General Assistance fund, or GA, a safety net cash program provided to indigent adults without dependent children who have little or no savings and no source of income. Teague Briscoe, a staff attorney at the Homeless Action Center, has engineered a pilot program called GA Mass Defense to help people get their funds restored.
After complaint, committee to schedule mediation on public records request
April 9, 2010 – 11:53 am
The Oakland Public Ethics Committee on Wednesday voted unanimously to schedule a meditation for a complaint filed by an Oakland citizen who claims the city has violated the Oakland Sunshine Ordinance and the California Public Record Act by failing to produce the public records she requested.
Thousands to lose county assistance funds on April 1
March 28, 2010 – 1:27 pm
On April 1, Alameda County will cut off funding to thousands of recipients of General Assistance, a safety net program provided to indigent adults without dependent children who have little or no savings and no source of income. Two Oakland men who depend on General Assistance share their stories with Oakland North, as well as their concerns about life after April 1.
Mayor Dellums to break tie on voter education funding
March 18, 2010 – 7:23 pm
On Tuesday night, an Oakland City Council vote about whether or not to redirect $255,000 earmarked for public campaign financing to educate Oakland residents about the city’s new voting system resulted in a tie that Mayor Ron Dellums must break.
Japanese students join and learn from UC Berkeley protest
March 5, 2010 – 8:37 pm
Protests against budget cuts to education are attracting student activists from around the globe. Ten Japanese students were among those that attended the March 4 protests.
UC Berkeley students decide: Attend class or protest
March 4, 2010 – 2:01 pm
On March 4, protesters gathered at Sather Gate as students pondered whether to join the demonstration or go to class.
Student perspective: Change is in our hands
March 3, 2010 – 4:26 pm
Ayako Mie, a journalism graduate student from Japan, reflects on the differences in college activism between her home country and the United States.
$70 million for airport connector project to be diverted to regional transit agencies
February 21, 2010 – 12:39 pm
$70 million in federal stimulus funding denied to the Bay Area Rapid Transit Agency for the Oakland Airport Connecter project will be reallocated for regional rail and bus improvements instead.
Oakland City Council approves ammunition ordinance
February 19, 2010 – 6:22 pm
On Tuesday, Oakland city council members unanimously voted for an ordinance to enhance the city’s existing gun control regulations.
Oakland seeks help from churches in youth crime prevention
February 10, 2010 – 6:06 pm
Mayor Ron Dellums held a peace conference on Tuesday to discuss how faith-based communities can help prevent crime among youth and called for more collaboration among religious communities.
Campaign for publicly-funded elections kicks off in Oakland
February 9, 2010 – 12:10 pm
While corporations, lobbyists and special interest groups may have gloated over the Supreme Court’s ruling last month that decreed that the government has no power to ban corporate spending in political campaigns, if Californian voters pass Proposition 15 in the June 8th election, they may have another chance to set limits on corporate election spending.
Oakland to be a model city for stimulus spending
February 6, 2010 – 9:42 am
On Thursday, Mayor Ron Dellums said that federal government officials will visit three cities, including Oakland, to learn about how the cities have used stimulus money. Dellums said that federal officials are planning to visit Oakland on March 1.
Oakland resident Laura Wells kicks off gubernatorial bid
February 3, 2010 – 12:39 pm
Laura Wells, a candidate for the Green Party’s nomination in California’s gubernatorial race, kicked off her election campaign in Oakland on Monday
Bridge tolls to rise, airport connector has another shot at federal funds
January 29, 2010 – 6:58 pm
On the day President Barack Obama was delivering the State of Union speech emphasizing jobs and the economy, 2,800 miles away from the Capitol carpenters and union members gathered in front of the Metropolitan Transportation Commission building in Oakland to try to save the $70 million in stimulus money that could put them back to work.