Politics
Oakland, like some other cities, requires right-to-life protesters to keep a certain distance from women entering or leaving abortion clinics. But clinic escorts–those who accompany women past the sidewalk protesters–face no such restriction. A lawsuit has pushed the issue into federal court.
Oakland resident Wilbert McAlister grew up watching Westerns at the movie theater in his rural hometown of Madera, Calif. For years he reveled in the exploits of white heroes, but as an adult he began to ask himself why none of the actors resembled him or his ancestors, who were ranchers in Oklahoma. As he explained to Oakland North, this question of identity led him to become president of the Oakland Black Cowboy Association, which keeps East Bay residents connected…
Commuters may soon see increased tolls on Bay Area bridges, with carpoolers facing a first-ever toll to cross the bay.
At a commemorative interfaith service in Oakland, supporters of gay marriage gathered to reflect on the year since state voters approved the ballot initiative restricting marriage in California to man-woman couples.
A year ago today, California voters approved Proposition 8, the constitutional amendment that bars same-sex marriages in the state. Maine voters yesterday approved a similar ban, leaving five states–Iowa, Massachusetts, Vermont, Connecticut and New Hampshire–in which gay couples may legally wed. This interactive map (scroll over to get more information on each state), designed and reported by Oakland North’s Shannon Service and Tasneem Raja, shows the current state-by-state array of marriage and civil union law around the United States.
Oakland as a future soccer World Cup host, racial disparity in the awarding of city contracts, and a possible teen youth center in West Oakland were among the discussion items at Oakland’s City Council meeting Tuesday night.
New Oakland Police Chief Anthony Batts, at the first of a series of town hall meetings, told a West Oakland audience last night that he understood why some urban residents view police officers as “an occupying army.” Among the proposals he said he’s considered in the past: a citywide curfew aimed at bringing down youth violence.
In Mosswood Park’s community garden, two local businessmen have installed a growing area that displays their new eco-technology. It’s got vegetables, goldfish, and self-contained watering–and it’s set off deep divisions among the neighbors.
Caltrans has opened the Bay Bridge and traffic is moving steadily in both directions.