Public Policy

Soda tax opponents circulate mailer showing Oakland North story with edited headline

The opponents of a controversial Oakland ballot measure that would tax soda have been circulating a campaign mailer that uses an image of an Oakland North story, but with an altered headline. The mailer shows an image of a computer displaying a story we published on September 15, 2016, which profiled an Oakland grocer offering his thoughts on the ballot measure. But the headline above the story has been edited. In this version, the headline reads: “Oakland Grocers Raise Concerns.”…

Oakland business owners weigh in on potential to veto plastic bag ban

“I don’t care darling. I just serve my customers. Plastic or paper, I don’t care,” said Nikki Yi, the owner of the Fat Cat sandwich store on Telegraph Avenue in downtown Oakland, while preparing a club sandwich behind the counter. Yi greeted her customers by name and she seemed to know everyone who walked into her store that day.

In blue California, Trump supporters focus on other states

The U.S. presidential election is less than two months away, but the campaigns of Republicans and Democrats in Oakland and California couldn’t be more different. According to the website Open Secrets, which tracks campaign contributions, so far donors in Oakland have given $4,629,987 to Democrat Hillary Clinton, compared to only $203,357 for Republican Donald Trump and $18,462 for Green Party candidate Jill Stein. Statewide, so far in 2016, the former Secretary of State has raised $63,707,471, which is almost 10…