With speeches, signs reading “Make Big Oil Pay,” and lessons on useful protest tactics, Frank H. Ogawa Plaza was converted into a training ground Sunday afternoon for 50 environmental activists and organizers.
Politics
Carla Perez, program coordinator with Movement Generation, teaches a workshop on how to respond to a natural disaster in Sunday in Downtown Oakland. Photo by Terria Smith.
Activists prepare for demonstration to “make big oil pay”
August 30, 2010 – 8:57 am
Nine candidates have their say at forum
August 27, 2010 – 3:49 pm
After public complaints about a plan to include only the front-running candidates for Oakland mayor, the Sierra Club Wednesday hosted nine of the ten candidates at a forum on the environment and the upcoming election.
Disabled parking placards in downtown Oakland; are they legit?
August 20, 2010 – 7:16 am
Placard fraud costs the city income in meters and parking tickets. Furthermore, because cars bearing placards have unlimited time and don’t need to be moved every hour or two, fraud prevents parking turnover; that can severely limit parking options for everyone, disabled or not.
The same-sex marriage seesaw
August 19, 2010 – 1:39 am
When Chief Judge Vaughn R. Walker ruled to strike down Proposition 8 on August 4, saying that the same-sex marriage ban was discriminatory and unconstitutional, gay couple Teresa Rowe and Kristin Orbin were elated. But, on August 16, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals imposed a stay on same-sex marriage that will last until at least the end of the year–and now their marriage must wait.
The future mayor of Oakland: a rundown of the options
August 18, 2010 – 7:20 am
Oakland’s gearing up for mayoral election season again, with thirteen – strike that – ten candidates competing for Mayor Ron Dellums’ spot. Who are they?
Breaking: Proposition 8 stay to be lifted; same-sex couples can marry in California Aug. 18
August 12, 2010 – 1:02 pm
United States District Chief Judge Vaughn Walker has ruled that he will lift the stay on his ruling overturning Proposition 8, allowing same-sex couples to marry in California starting at 5 pm on August 18.
Oakland’s own currency? Mayoral candidates aren’t buying it, yet
August 12, 2010 – 7:56 am
In front of City Hall, six candidates for Oakland mayor and their respective entourages arrived to participate in the Oakland Community Action Network event to discuss a local currency. Most had different agendas, however.
In Oakland, optimism and hope about overturn of Prop. 8
August 4, 2010 – 11:26 pm
On Wednesday, joyous crowds took to the streets of San Francisco after U.S. District Judge Vaughn Walker overturned Proposition 8, the ban against same-sex marriage, writing that the ban violated both the due process and equal protection clauses of the U.S. Constitution.
Eight Childhood Development Centers set to close Friday
July 29, 2010 – 10:14 am
Judy Lee has already begun packing her boxes. Full of art supplies and Shel Silverstein books, the boxes sat neatly stacked near the wall of her spacious classroom at the Piedmont Avenue Early Childhood Development Center on Wednesday, a telltale sign of the center’s imminent closure.
Council approves four initiatives for November city ballot
July 27, 2010 – 10:13 am
On Monday night the Oakland City Council approved the addition of four initiatives to the city’s November ballot, all geared towards bringing revenue into the cash-strapped city.
With fewer officers, Oakland’s policing strategy changes
July 25, 2010 – 4:23 pm
Since the layoff of 80 police officers, Oakland’s policing strategy has changed, and neighborhood safety groups are grappling with how to react. The Oakland Police Department plans to focus more on emergencies and less on community problem-solving and the investigation of non-violent crimes.
Hashing it out with marijuana activist and educator Richard Lee
July 23, 2010 – 8:44 am
Richard Lee is president of Oaksterdam University, a cannabis trade school located in downtown Oakland. He’s also a driving force behind the November state ballot initiative to legalize, tax and regulate marijuana in California.
Green energy financing faces federal roadblock
July 23, 2010 – 7:00 am
An innovative financing scheme designed to help homeowners afford to make their homes greener and more energy efficient could be in trouble. The Federal Housing Finance Agency recently announced that it would not support Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) finance programs, like one set to launch for Oakland residents later this year.
Oakland residents, community activists catch up on healthcare reform
July 22, 2010 – 7:00 am
As the 2010 midterm elections approach, Obama supporters are trying to get Oaklanders to think positively about the healthcare reform bill signed into law this past March. Organizing for America, the grassroots network that helped elect President Barack Obama, held a healthcare teach-in for Oakland residents.
Oakland city council approves large-scale production of medical marijuana
July 21, 2010 – 9:24 am
In a lively, standing room only meeting, the Oakland city council voted Tuesday night to approve on first reading a city-wide plan for the cultivation of medical marijuana in four new large-scale factories.
Kaplan gathers signatures for fall ballot
July 17, 2010 – 3:57 pm
As the fog burned away into sunshine Saturday morning, campaign volunteers manned a table on the Lakeview Branch Library lawn and gathered signatures to officially put Rebecca Kaplan on the ballot for this fall’s mayoral election.