Economy

In Oakland, Obama is out-fundraising Romney

As the November election nears, and amount of money given to political presidential campaigns reaches unprecedented highs, campaign finance data compiled by the federal government shows that in Oakland, at least, President Barack Obama has raised the lion’s share of political donations. Data reported by Obama and Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney to the Federal Elections Commission (FEC), an agency that tracks funding for federal elections, shows that since January, 2011—the start of this presidential campaign’s filing period—local fundraising for Obama’s…

Financial planners offer free advice at Oakland City Hall

At the event held at Oakland City Hall on Saturday, people seeking general information or with specific questions about tax and estate or insurance and benefit planning signed up for 15-minute sessions to speak with certified financial planners who volunteered their services at the fifth annual Oakland Financial Planning Day.

Oakland residents drop off jumbo-sized trash

More than a hundred Oakland residents descended into San Leandro over the weekend to participate in the free Bulky Item Drop-Off event. The event, sponsored by the Oakland Public Works Agency and Waste Management of Alameda County, took place at the Davis Street Resource and Recycling Center.

Oakland clinics spread word about flu vaccine

The waiting room at Catch Up Clinic is sparse, save for a little girl in a pink sleeveless shirt darting out the door, a tan Band-Aid barely visible on her upper left arm. Located just around the corner from the Alameda County Women, Infants and Children (WIC) Program at Eastmont Town Center, Catch Up is one of several County Public Health Department clinics preparing for the arrival of the autumn’s biggest contagion challenge—the flu.

Jerry Brown vetoes domestic workers bill of rights

The California Domestic Workers Bill of Rights was vetoed by Gov. Jerry Brown on Sunday. The bill, designed for workers who act as babysitters and homecare providers, would have mandated rest and meal breaks and overtime pay to domestic workers in California, making it the second state in the country after New York to do so. “It was a big betrayal,” an angry-sounding Assemblymember Tom Ammiano, D-San Francisco, one of the bill’s co-authors, said in a phone interview Monday. “Maybe…