Politics
A hearing Wednesday to determine whether to impose a preliminary injunction against 40 alleged members of the Norteño gang in Oakland’s Fruitvale neighborhood ended without a decision and will be resumed next week.
The title of the economic forum held yesterday in downtown Oakland said it all: “The Worst Is Yet to Come.” The forum, a repeat of one hosted by Alameda County in Fremont on Tuesday, aimed to provide an outlook on the county’s economy and illustrate potential impacts of the proposed federal and state budget cuts on the region.
Mayor Jean Quan plans to travel this year with the Oakland Port Authority on its annual trade mission to Asia, looking to expand the volume and variety of the city’s business with China. “China understands that they should invest back in the United States,” Quan said.
In a low-fuss meeting on Tuesday, the Oakland City Council voted to match a federal grant with city money to fund a study about developing the Oakland Army Base. With a unanimous vote, the council committed over $3 million to the study, to be matched by $1.6 million out of a larger grant from the federal government.
When the first 45 minutes of public commentary were exhausted at Wednesday night’s school board meeting, there were still 37 speaker cards on file with the board secretary. The most popular message? “No more budget cuts.”
A judge said Thursday that he would allow members of a law firm where an Oakland city councilwoman is a partner to represent alleged gang members named in an injunction proposed for the Fruitvale area.
Oakland Police Chief Anthony Batts has announced that he intends to stay on as Oakland’s top cop, and joined Mayor Jean Quan for an impromptu press conference this afternoon in West Oakland to affirm his commitment to Oakland and emphasize teamwork among city officials.
Without voting on a single ordinance, members of a beleaguered Oakland City Council spent Tuesday night’s meeting discussing their two most pressing concerns: threats of prosecution by the state and federal government over the city’s plan to permit industrial cannabis cultivation, and dramatic budget cuts from the governor.
Oakland Mayor Jean Quan and Police Chief Anthony Batts appeared together Monday, for the first time since Batts was turned down for the job as San Jose’s chief, to talk about the future of the OPD -– a future that Batts may not be part of.