Public Policy
Proposition 61, appearing on the ballot November 8, would prohibit the state of California from purchasing prescription drugs from a manufacturer for any price higher than that paid by the US Department of Veteran Affairs, better known as the VA. This would effectively place a drug price cap on what pharmaceutical companies can charge California, limiting them to VA prices.
The Oakland City Council met on Tuesday night, the the last meeting before the November 8 election, and considered a resolution in support of Proposition 64, a state ballot initiative that would legalize recreational marijuana use for people age 21 and over.
A group of volunteers from Open Oakland have built a website called OpenDisclosure.io in partnership with the Oakland Public Ethics Commission. The site allows voters to view information about campaign funding for local ballot measures and for candidates running for office. Open Disclosure launched October 18, and uses existing data from city public records to create simple graphs and easy to understand information.
Lisa Simonson is an artist, but she makes ends meet by assisting an East Bay home stager who aims to ensure that multimillion-dollar listings live up to their asking prices.
The YIMBY’s are a coalition group whose sole mission is to advocate for all new housing developments—and their influence is spreading to the East Bay and to Oakland.
Oakland is set to become a model city after passing one of the nation’s first cell-site simulator policies.
Beverage makers receive another cease and desist letter regarding advertising in their campaign against proposed soda taxes in Oakland and San Francisco. The latest notice is from Sen. Bernie Sanders.
At the Oakland City Council meeting on Tuesday night, tensions flared as councilmembers discussed a June Alameda County civil grand jury report, which found that an Oakland city councilmember violated government ethics and conflict of interest rules.
Corner stores in Oakland worry about the effects of Proposition 56.