Oakland has taken the first step toward building entertainment zones similar to San Francisco’s to boost foot traffic and support night life in commercial corridors. Oakland City Council last week unanimously approved investing $1 million in an economic revitalization package that will create two types of entertainment zones, including an artificial intelligence hub to advance workforce development and technological innovation. The funding, which was approved in the 2025 budget, will be administered over two years, through a grant to the…
Oakland is considering a controversial policy that would allow the city to clear homeless encampments without offering people shelter first. The City Council is scheduled to vote on the policy Tuesday. Councilmember Ken Houston introduced a proposal on Aug. 28 that would give police more authority to clear encampments, tow vehicles being used as homes and penalize unhoused people who return to vacated sites with a citation or arrest. “Oakland has a moral duty to intervene compassionately but firmly,” Houston…
Oakland City Council’s Finance Committee on Tuesday discussed how to structure a proposed property tax increase that would help balance out a $265 million shortfall projected by the end of the fiscal year in June. The discussion comes three months after the City Council passed a $4.36 billion two-year budget that cut vacant positions and tightened spending to address the deficit. With voter trust on the line and services at risk, the city faces a high-stakes balancing act: raise new…
Alameda County officials announced Monday the release of $17 million in emergency grants to more than 370 licensed child care providers across the county. Childcare centers in Oakland, Hayward and Pleasanton started receiving checks Monday, officials said. Quinetta Lewis, director of St. Mary’s Center Preschool in Oakland said the $50,000 her school is receiving will help provide kids with better care. “With these funds we can now focus on better facilities for our children, better wages for teachers, recreation centers…