After weeks of public meetings and intense discussion with parents and teachers, the Oakland Unified School District board voted unanimously Wednesday night to shut down three schools in the district by the end of June 2010.
Headline
AC Transit cuts services, but not as drastically as feared
December 17, 2009 – 12:14 pm
In an effort to balance a budget facing an estimated $57 million deficit, the AC Transit Board of Directors last night approved an 8.4 percent cut in bus services throughout Alameda and Contra Costa counties.
Brunner, OPD to give North Oakland a chance to talk about November crime spike
December 16, 2009 – 3:39 pm
After a rash of burglaries and three shootings in North Oakland’s Golden Gate and Bushrod neighborhoods, residents have a chance to voice concerns.
Residential permits: The latest front in Oakland’s parking wars?
December 15, 2009 – 8:04 pm
After controversy earlier this fall, Oakland’s parking conflicts have quieted considerably in recent months. But they could flare up again, as the Oakland City Council moved last Tuesday toward passing an increase in annual residential parking permit fees.
Amid century of change, Oakland’s Buddhist Church serves as point of continuity for Japanese-Americans
December 14, 2009 – 10:59 am
The Buddhist Church of Oakland is one of the last remaining physical reminders of the Japanese-American community that thrived in Oakland’s Chinatown before World War II.
BART votes to approve Oakland airport connector
December 11, 2009 – 4:38 pm
After three hours of public comment and discussion yesterday, the BART Board of Directors voted 7 to 1 to approve the $492 million Oakland Airport Connector (OAC) elevated rail line. Construction is scheduled begin in mid-2010 and be completed by 2013.
Mayor and staff bask in the glow of the stimulus
December 10, 2009 – 9:04 am
Mayor Ronald Dellums and members of his staff appeared before the City Council Tuesday night to present a report on the status of federal stimulus dollars Oakland has received through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.
At police workshop, a warning primer on gangs
December 9, 2009 – 1:07 pm
Neighbors and parents, some wearing headphones for language interpretation, listened to an Oakland officer explain certain colors, signs, and tattoos–like the numbers 13 and 14–that may be markers of gang activity.
“Gang Wars: Oakland” leaves locals perplexed, upset
December 6, 2009 – 3:00 pm
Gangs are a complicated reality in Oakland, a city haunted by violence and the negative reputation that comes with it. But this fall, the nationwide broadcast of “Gang Wars: Oakland” added a new layer of complexity to many viewers’ already complicated feelings about what that violence means and how outsiders perceive it.
Sign of the times: City Council mulls Oakland’s billboards
November 17, 2009 – 6:35 am
Up for discussion at tonight’s City Council meeting: bringing down 33 billboards around the city in exchange for letting an advertising company build signs in the city’s most sought-after location, the approach to the Bay Bridge.
After final arguments, murderer’s fate lies with jury
November 17, 2009 – 12:05 am
Christopher Evans, convicted this summer of a pair of 2001 East Oakland killings, will undoubtedly end his days in prison. What jurors must now decide is whether that end will come via capital punishment or of natural causes at the end of a life-without-parole sentence.
The rise in gold prices has hurt the business of selling grills
November 16, 2009 – 6:00 am
John “JC” Cho sells grills on Broadway near 21st street, and is Oakland’s self-proclaimed “Gold Teeth Master.” But with gold at $1,100 an ounce, business is tough and he’s had to figure out how to deal with the extra expenses while still pleasing his customers.
The Ella Baker Center honors three visionaries
November 13, 2009 – 7:05 pm
Three Oaklanders were honored by the Ella Baker Center last night at its annual fundraiser for their work on social and environmental issues in the community.
Roller Derby in Oakland is only for the Rough and Tough
November 12, 2009 – 9:44 am
Some families hand down dishware and handmade quilts. Other families hand down aliases, casino luck, and hip-smashing, hard-hitting, skirt-rocking roller sports. Jane Hammer’s family falls into the second category. Hammer is team captain and coach for The Oakland Outlaws roller derby team – a group of women athletes who represent, “tenacity, fire, and drive.”
California Roll world record broken at Cal
November 9, 2009 – 6:12 pm
Over 350 lively people made up of fraternities, sororities, campus clubs, individual students, and community members registered for the event at UC Berkeley’s Sproul Plaza on Sunday afternoon. Each was hopeful that they would beat the Maui, Hawaii contingent that set the last record with a 300 foot-long California Roll in 2001.