Politics

Kaiser nurses strike amid contract negotiations

The California Nurses Association, part of the National Nurses United labor union, staged a 2-day strike this week after contract negotiations with Kaiser Permanente in Northern California halted earlier this month over a range of staffing and workplace issues. The union said that 18 thousand nurses walked off the job on November 11 and 12. But health maintenance organization Kaiser Permanente disputed that figure, saying the total number of nurses affected by the action was closer to 16 thousand, and that only about…

The Journey of the Ballot

Oakland North followed the journey of a ballot on Election Day and the intricacies that take place behind the scenes at the Alameda County Registrar of Voters Office in order for votes to become election results.

Voters say yes to boosting the minimum wage, higher sales tax and reclassifying some felonies

As election results rolled in after the polls closed last night, advocates for several major policy changes celebrated victories at the state, county and local levels, including a statewide initiative that reduced penalties for certain non-violent offenses, an increase in Alameda County’s sales tax and a raise for Oakland’s minimum wage. Alameda County residents agreed to double a transit-funding sales tax to one percent last night by passing Measure BB. (Voters defeated the similar Measure B two years ago.) The…