Health

EPA begins on-site cleanup of AMCO Chemical Superfund Site

Oakland resident Queen Thurston was one of the first to show up at this weekend’s community event to celebrate the installation and start-up of a new groundwater and soil treatment system at the AMCO Chemical Superfund Site, located one block south of the West Oakland BART station. In the 1990s, Thurston was among a group of protesters who staged rallies calling for an investigation into the environmental condition of the area. For about 20 years—until the late 1980s when AMCO Chemical…

State legislators push bill to limit emergency room closures

California has one the nation’s lowest number of hospital emergency rooms per capita, and Bay Area legislators are calling this shortage a crisis, as the number of people who need urgent care services keeps growing. They are pushing for a bill that would require non-profit hospitals to obtain approval from the state Attorney General.

Alameda County residents talk Affordable Care Act with Rep. Barbara Lee

Over a thousand people gathered Saturday at the International Community School in Oakland for a town hall meeting to discuss Alameda County’s efforts to defend the Affordable Care Act. The event was organized by the office of Congresswoman Barbara Lee, who represents California’s 13th district, which includes Oakland. The school gym holding the town hall was completely jammed and reached the fire safety capacity, according to the school’s security staff, so not everyone who came was able to get in….