Politics
On Tuesday, the Alameda County Board of Supervisors held its first meeting without Wilma Chan, the beloved District 3 representative who was fatally struck by a car Nov. 3 near her Oakland home. A bouquet of flowers adorned her empty seat. Tearful laments were followed by a strenuous debate over who should fill that seat. Three of the four supervisors voted to appoint Dave Brown, Chan’s chief of staff, to serve in a caretaker role for the remainder of her…
David Moore, a member of the Socialist Equality Party, is the only local candidate on the official ballot in Tuesday’s gubernatorial recall. Though Moore opposes the recall, he added his name to the list of alternatives should Gov. Gavin Newsom lose in the challenge. Moore lives in Emeryville and teaches in the Oakland School District, taking time off this year to care for his newborn child. He sat down recently for a Q&A with Oakland North, edited for brevity. How…
For the second time in 20 years, a California governor is facing recall. On Tuesday, the state will find out if Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom will finish the last 15 months of his term or become the second governor — after Democrat Gray Davis in 2003 — to be recalled. Voting started by mail in August, with two questions on the ballot: Shall Newsom be recalled? And, if so, who should replace him: one of the 46 candidates on the…
In 2014, Libby Schaaf ran for mayor. She had just finished serving her first and only term on Oakland City Council, representing District 4. She had strong name recognition and a long track record of being invested in Oakland city politics. She won easily, with her two runners up, current City Council President Rebecca Kaplan and former incumbent Jean Quan, each 10 points behind her. She built her campaign upon four platforms. At the midpoint of her second and final…
The Alameda County Board of Supervisors unanimously accepted a state grant to purchase property to house the homeless population, as part of California’s efforts to mitigate the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic among vulnerable groups. Even though the recommendations passed, some supervisors voiced concerns about the process. The board’s Vice President and District 5 Supervisor Keith Carson said he felt like a “gun was held in his head” just before voting. Some supervisors said they were not happy about voting…
Nearly 64% of Californians voted “No” on Proposition 23, a measure that would have expanded regulation for dialysis clinics in the state. Though official ballot results are not certified by the Secretary of State’s office until December 11, 2020, tallied ballots show over 10 million people voted to reject the measure. Proposition 23 would have required chronic dialysis clinics to have an on-site physician, report data on dialysis-related infections to the state and get consent from the California Department of…
The Oakland Police Commission announced four finalists under consideration for the role of Oakland’s next Chief of Police. The position has remained open since Chief Anne Kirkpatrick was fired by Mayor Libby Schaaf last February.
Oakland’s Measure QQ, which allows 16-year-olds to vote in school board elections, became the sole youth vote measure in California to pass in this election, with over 67% of the vote. San Francisco’s Proposition G—which would have let 16-year-olds vote in all city elections—is projected to fail by a margin of less than two percentage points, as of Friday. California Prop. 18—which would have granted the right to vote to 17-year-olds who would turn 18 by the general election—failed by…
Oakland residents await the enforcement of the city’s recently adopted encampment management policy.