Second in a three-part series about Oakland agencies preparing for major federal funding cuts. Oakland health advocates are preparing for changes to California’s Medi-Cal insurance program that will affect immigrant communities. Starting Jan. 1, the state’s insurance program for low-income people will stop accepting new applications from any person who holds an “unsatisfactory immigration status,” meaning they are either undocumented, have a student or work visa, or are going through an immigration proceeding. It would also affect people with less…
Oakland Mayor Barbara Lee is holding a series of community events to engage residents on a potential plan to reform the city’s charter and change the current system of government. In part, the charter reform effort aims to fix a structure in which authority is spread across multiple offices, making it difficult for residents — and even officials — to know who is responsible when problems arise. A group called the Oakland Charter Reform Project began advocating a year ago,…
Whoever broke into an off-site Oakland Museum storage facility earlier this month probably had no idea they were stealing historic artifacts, the museum said in a statement issued Friday. “There is no indication that the perpetrators specifically identified the facility as museum storage or sought particular artworks or artifacts. Instead, it appears they gained access and took items that were most easily available,” the statement said. No arrests have been made in what the museum is calling “a crime of…
A divided audience packed the Alameda County Board of Supervisors meeting on Friday, as the board adopted a policy that discourages the county from investing in companies with poor human rights practices, among other things. But the motion also called for delaying implementation of the Ethics Investment Policy until the board’s Finance Committee reviews it. That prompted Supervisor Nikki Fortunato Bas to cast the lone vote against it, saying she supported the policy without the stipulation. “This is incredibly disheartening and…