Neighborhoods
As the drama neared its crescendo on Nov. 4, Mary Green-King faced one big challenge before 8:00 PM: Would her aged, ailing aunt be able to cast her vote? Click here for the story.
by ISABEL ESTERMAN Nov. 13–Nanci, 50, a teacher living in Montclair, hardly ever uses her front door. She and her family just go in through the carport. But one bright Tuesday afternoon in September, a burglar came right through it. “They just broke the door,” says Nanci, who asked her last name be withheld because of the recent burglary. The deadbolt was locked, she and her husband say, but their hollow-core door barely slowed the burglar down. It gave way…
by RHYEN COOMBS, LISA PICKOFF-WHITE and ELIZABETH SHEMARIA. Bay Area residents gave over $26 million to Barack Obama’s presidential campaign, making our region one of the nation’s most concentrated centers of donation to Obama’s candidacy. This multi-media close-up, produced by reporters in the U.C. Berkeley School of Journalism’s advanced multi-media program, invites you to track the buildup of money, compare Obama donations to those for previous campaigns, and hear the voices of people who chose to contribute to the 2008…
By CLARE MAJOR Nov. 5 — A proposition to give additional funds to children’s hospitals passed with 54 percent of votes in favor and 45 percent against. Proposition 3 authorizes $980 million in general obligation bonds to fund grants for the construction, renovation, or related improvements of California children’s hospitals. The bonds will be repaid over 30 years, for a total estimated cost to the state of $2 billion, or $64 million per year.
By CHRISTINA SALERNO and MARTIN RICARD Nov. 5 – AC Transit board member Rebecca Kaplan won the race tonight for the at-large seat on the Oakland City Council, with 61 percent of the vote. Her opponent, Oakland school board member Kerry Hamill, trailed with 38 percent.
By MELANIE MASON Nov. 4 – It is 6 am, and most of the storefronts on Broadway are dark and shuttered. The sun has yet to rise. But the lights are on at the Oakland Democratic Party headquarters, and the people streaming in are awake and attentive. This is no day for early morning grogginess. It is Election Day, and the activists and volunteers are ready to get down to business.
While the presidential election and the same-sex marriage initiative rule California headlines, little-noticed Proposition 3 could have serious impact in North Oakland. Click here for the story.
by BAGASSI KOURA After its first approval 20 years ago, a local park development measure running out of money is back on the ballot this fall. The East Bay Regional Park District is asking residents of Alameda and Contra Costa counties to vote for Measure WW, which would raise up to $500 million through government bonds.
Kerry Hamill and Rebecca Kaplan, the candidates dueling for the At-Large City Council seat, describe their vision for Oakland–citing the Temescal Pool and Piedmont Avenue as examples to emulate. Click here for the story.