Education

Incumbents sweep Oakland City Council and school board elections

Sitting Oakland city council and school board members won’t have to get out of their chairs; incumbents swept the seven combined seats up for re-election Tuesday. Still, many candidates say their victors were soured by the outcome of the presidential election. District 1 councilmember Dan Kalb, who represents North Oakland, took 80 percent of the vote in his district. His challenger, Kevin Corbett, received less than 20 percent. There were 18 write-in votes. Kalb was pleased by the passage of Measure…

Oakland students debate proposed tax on sugary beverages

Two weeks before November’s national election, two Bay Area Urban Debate League members debated a hot local ballot measure in downtown Oakland. Megan Ma and Aiden Koontz, both Oakland Tech High School students, took the podium to present and argue opposing sides of Measure HH, a proposed tax on soda. Measure HH has become one of the Bay Area’s most widely debated issues on this year’s ballot. It would impose a 1-cent per ounce tax on sugary beverages, such as…

The Black Panther Party’s Ten-Point Program, 50 years later

The Black Panther Party (BPP) was founded on October 15, 1966 in Oakland, California by Huey P. Newton and Bobby Seale. The party was a political organization that agitated for greater rights for Black people in the United States. Seale and Newton captured the attention of the country (and of law enforcement) through their tactic of openly carrying rifles and shotguns while observing police officers in their community.

Bay Area top female chefs cook up $500,000 for local youth

Piles of dishes clatter behind the red big curtains and dozens of waiters, as chefs and their assistants try to move around the small back room, quickly coming in and out of the kitchen. Assembly lines surround three tables, where one by one, each chef adds a piece to the dish. Caramel. Powdered sugar. As they prepare for the finale, they swiftly clean the small white plates. No one hesitates. It’s time for dessert.