Politics
As hearings to relocate the Johannes Mehserle murder trial continued in downtown Oakland today, a prosecutor worked to persuade a judge that the former BART police officer could receive a fair trial in Alameda County.
After listening to more than a dozen passionate speakers, Oakland Port Commissioners last night approved a ban next year on trucks don’t comply with new clean air standards. The ban on dirty trucks, which will go into effect Jan. 1 of next year, will require seaport facility operators to deny entry to trucks with engine model years earlier than 1994, or those with engine model years between 1994 and 2003 that have met standards set by the California Air Resources…
With fewer city workers to keep up with routine maintenance, trash is proliferating in some of Oakland’s most popular green spaces. Volunteer workers may be the key to fighting that trend.
North Oakland’s NicNak Liquors closed in 2004 while owner Ashrious Pannell grappled with poor health. His strength now back, Pannell is fighting a city rule that may keep his store from reopening.
Amid calls for civility and compromise, members of the Oakland City Council apologized last night for their handling of unpopular parking hikes and voted to roll back meter hours from 8:00 pm to 6:00 pm.
In a six to one vote, the council passed a rollback proposal from two weeks ago, with the recommendation that the city recoup a reported one million dollars in lost revenues though parking and other endeavors—including a crackdown on the misuse of handicapped parking permits and the sale of new billboard space.
The lawyer for Johannes Mehserle, the former BART police officer charged with murder in the shooting death of Oscar Grant, is trying to persuade an Oakland judge that his client can’t receive a fair trial here. Story by Jake Schoneker/Oakland North.
It’s been just over a week since Typhoon Ketsana hit Luzon, in the northern part of the Philippines, before storming through Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos. Amelia Desesto, 45, a masters student at Berkeley’s Franciscan School of Theology, has spent hours this week watching Filipino news on television, and checking for updates on the latest death counts, injuries, and cleanup efforts. She said that even her young nieces and nephews are reacting to the news. “They feel devastated with what they…
Fireworks are expected at tonight’s Oakland City Council meeting, as the explosive debate about rolling back parking meter hours returns to City Hall. The council will hear at least two proposals at this evening’s 6:00 meeting—one to roll the meter hours back from 8:00 pm to 6:00 pm, and another to roll them back to 7:00 pm. At the request of the council, city staff will also report on how to recoup the revenue lost by shortening the meter hours….
The mayors of Emeryville, Berkeley and Richmond, along with Oakland city council member Rebecca Kaplan, together cut a virtual ribbon with the click of a mouse this morning to launch 510arts.com, a collaborative website for the four cities to promote the East Bay arts. The website features regional arts events and news and serves as a portal to each city’s own arts-related site. 510arts.com positions the East Bay’s diversity at the forefront of the campaign with its “World Culture in…