Politics
Oakland mayoral candidates answer questions and seek votes – by discussing education.
Starting in December, AC Transit’s “Owl Service” will expand the frequency and destinations of late-night bus service on Friday and Saturday nights.
The Authentic Bagel Company was one of 12 Oakland-bred businesses honored last week at a party for a special program that helps entrepreneurs gather zero-interest startup funds through online crowd-funding. Other entrepreneurs at the party have founded businesses that provide art and gallery space, small-batch kombucha, handmade corn chips, vintage clothes and ethically sourced chocolate.
Ranked choice voting, also known as instant run off voting, changed the face of the 2010 Oakland mayoral election. As 2014 elections approach, many of this year’s mayoral candidates are approaching their campaigns with the new system in mind.
Emotions ran high as tenants, landlords and council members discussed whether or not to pass the Tenant Protection Ordinance during a Special Community and Economic Development Committee meeting on Tuesday afternoon. The Ordinance was ultimately passed in committee and will now pass to the City Council.
OPEN Conversation and 100 Black Men of the Bay Area, hosted an event last Wednesday evening to facilitate a discussion about the shooting death of Michael Brown, an unarmed African American teenager. 100 Black Men of the Bay Area is the local chapter of 100 Black Men of America. The members are professionals, such as doctors, lawyers, and businessmen. They mentor young people, and provide scholarships as well as a professional network for the Bay Area. OPEN Conversations is part of the larger non-profit, OPEN. Also aimed at professionals of color, the group holds events to discuss topics important to people in that community.
Police officers, firefighters, emergency medical officers, and law enforcement personnel of all types are honored at a Blue Mass, during which community members and faith leaders can offer thanks to the people responsible for public safety and remember those who have lost their lives in the line of duty.
The Republican and Democratic candidates for California Secretary of State faced off in Berkeley last week, less than a month before the pair faces off again at the polls in a tight race for the job of the state’s top election officer.
At a workshop hosted by the city on Thursday, Oakland residents expressed mixed reactions to the city’s latest waterfront development plans.