Blogs
When I first started riding the bus in the very early morning, I had an idea that I’d be the only person riding. The streets in Oakland are silent in the gray dawn. I pictured climbing a lonely bus, sitting by the window and watching the sun come up. I realized how wrong I was as soon as I mounted the steps at 6am one morning last fall. The bus was packed. Nurses, carpenters, school workers, standing-room only. Still mostly…
Inside Bay Area reports that a 37-year-old bicyclist is on life support and is not expected to survive after being struck by a car early Thursday morning on a busy Hayward overpass. Scary stuff. They also have a link to this interactive map they’ve created:
Good morning, North Oakland! The Chron’s Oakland columnist, Chip Johnson, reports that major crimes – particularly killings – have subsided so far this year just as more officers and new outreach workers have been deployed in the city. Since Jan. 1, felony crimes against people and property have dropped 23 percent; homicides alone decreased by 50 percent, to 14 slayings from 29 over the same period a year ago and robberies fell by 16 percent during the same period,…
A burger-loving friend of mine came to town over the weekend, and I struggled for a little while with where to take her. She’s an East Coaster who likes her burgers so rare she asks the waiters to “just walk them through a warm kitchen,” and I wasn’t sure I could find a burger joint in the East Bay that would accommodate her. When I first moved to the East Coast from California, I had to adjust the way I…
In Alameda County, and across the country, falling home values will likely translate to falling tax revenues. Officials are preparing for a drop in property taxes for the first time in decades–and current estimates fall around 2 percent, or $4.1 billion county-wide. On Wednesday, a crowd gathered in front of the OUSD administration building to protest proposed cuts to adult education. State funding for adult education could be cut by up to 20 percent, and every adult education instructor in…
AC Transit is considering raising fares to $2/ride, the much -advertised Measure VV be damned. Look on the bright side: if fares go up, you can save those quarters for laundry.
President Obama signed a less-than-perfect $410 billion federal spending bill today. He has said publicly that he is not pleased with all of the extra pork–the bill has roughly $8,000 in earmarks. I, however, am pleased that $80 million of it is coming here and hopefully bringing thousands of jobs along with it! In other great news, Oakland’s very own green jobs enthusiast Van Jones has been tapped to join the Obama administration as an adviser on climate and energy…
Good morning, North Oakland. Despite the economic downturn, the Chron is reporting that some parts of the Bay Area are “a comparative bastion of contentment and well-being.” A recent Gallup poll shows that the 8th, 11th, 12th and 14th congressional districts all rank well. Oakland City Councilwomen settle parking-space spat with a coin toss. A reduced budget for the University of California means higher tuition for its students. Tuition for the summer session will go up by nearly 10 percent,…
The other day I was rollin up San Pab from the Goodwill through the southwestern Berks-Eville border. I’d been looking for some workout pants now that I’m on a piyo (pilates yoga) kick, proof again that the East Bay hippie is seepin into my bloodstream. (Didn’t find the pants, did find a night light.) And speaking of hippies, most people who don’t know Berks –includin myself before I roamed West– hear the name and prolly some mental image pops up…