Politics
After a summer of bombing and fighting between Israel and Gaza, Jewish leaders in Oakland are grappling with how to address the violence and ongoing Middle East tension within more traditional thoughts about the fall’s Jewish High Holidays, which focus on starting new and letting go of the past.
As Vicky Chen, the teen librarian at the Rockridge Library Branch, attempted to settle the chaotic rush of middle school students visiting the youth section after school, a student suddenly asked, “Ms. Vicky, how can a book be banned?” Chen, along with other Oakland librarians, highlighted banned books at their respective branches by creating displays for Banned Books Week, which ran from September 21 to 27, an annual event that celebrates the freedom to read. At the Rockridge branch, Chen’s…
In dual news conferences in Oakland and Washington D.C., Congresswoman Barbara Lee and U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder announced Tuesday that Oakland and Richmond have been named by the Justice Department as part of a new national program that Holder called an “all-hands approach to curbing endemic violence” in five U.S. communities with high violent crimes rates. “If we want to reduce violence in our East Bay communities, we must work together,” Lee (D-Oakland) told reporters Tuesday morning, alongside other…
Mayor Jean Quan negotiated a deal with Waste Management, CWS, and Oakland City Council. But this is not Waste Management’s first time at the rodeo.
Oakland mayoral candidate Libby Schaaf spent an evening in a downtown Oakland restaurant last week, re-explaining the ranked-choice system to a group of voters.
Covered California will end health insurance plans for thousands of Bay Area immigrants who didn’t submit residency forms by September 30, 2014.
California Assemblymember Nancy Skinner has proposed legislation that would allow for restraining orders to be placed on individuals who are deemed at risk for violent behavior with a firearm.
Oakland residents showed support at last night’s City Council meeting for an ordinance that limits the construction of new crematoria. Councilmembers also voted on a Jack London Square redevelopment and recognized community volunteers and organizations.
In conjunction with climate change rallies worldwide, activists gathered at Lake Merritt on Sunday for the Northern California People’s Climate Rally.