Community

East Bay Guardians prep for 2017 semi-pro football season

Football season doesn’t necessarily end with the Super Bowl. Semi-pro season in Northern California is set to get underway with two leagues, the Pacific Coast Football League (PCFL) and the West Coast Football Alliance (WCFA) kicking off this month throughout Northern California. The semi-pro football scene is made up of players from all ranks—former high school stars to ex-college and pro players. Most of them are playing for the love of the game, but some of them, usually the younger…

Friends of Ghost Ship fire victims upset by NBC’s dramatization

Tail Sticks Casting’s call on February 1 read: “GHOST SHIP” — Seeking Men & Women 20s-30s to play rave party goers. Types can range from edgy/artsy to bohemian. The call was to film “Deathtrap,” an episode of Chicago Fire, an NBC drama from producer Dick Wolf of Law & Order fame. The episode, set to air on March 1 at 8:00 pm PST, is based on the December 2, 2016 Ghost Ship fire. The fire occurred at a dance party…

Oakland City Council reviews post-Ghost Ship fire recommendations, community-written proposal receives little debate

On Tuesday night, the council heard reports by working groups created by Mayor Libby Schaff’s Executive Order 2017-1 on January 11, calling for improving building and fire safety in non-permitted spaces while avoiding displacing their residents if code violations aren’t life-threatening. Should tenants have to be relocated, the order calls for the city to provide more relocation assistance. The order also calls for more notice for inspections; strengthening the Just Cause Ordinance, which prohibits landlords from evicting tenants except for specific reasons like failure to pay rent and illegal activities; as well as steps towards legalizing non-conforming spaces and reforming the city’s events permits system.