Public Policy
At the Oakland City Council meeting on Tuesday night, the council approved major reductions in parking requirements for new building construction, while nurses clad in scrubs gave a passionate plea to the council, asking them to oppose the closure of Alta Bates Summit Medical Center. In a unanimous vote, with Councilmember Larry Reid (District 7) absent, the council approved an ordinance to Oakland’s planning code that would drastically change off-street parking and loading regulations. The new requirements aim to provide…
On a Friday afternoon in the middle of a staff meeting at Aspire Public School’s Monarch Academy, second grade teacher Karen Schreiner felt her phone buzz. It buzzed again. And again. And again. The call was from an area code she didn’t recognize. Schreiner whispered to her principal that she’d be right back and stepped into the hallway. She called back. It was good news—she’d been chosen as one of five recipients of the Teaching for Tolerance Award. “I know…
While a “grocery tax” or “soda tax” by another name may not sound as sweet, there’s no denying the battle surrounding Measure HH relies heavily on semantics.
September is Suicide Prevention Month, and a new bill aims to address the mental health crises faced by many California students. Assembly Bill 2246 would mandate that every California school serving grades seven through 12 adopt suicide prevention policies that specifically address high-risk students, including LGBTQ youth, those experiencing homelessness or foster care, those bereaved by suicide and those with mental illnesses or substance use disorders.
Leticia Soto—single mother, undocumented worker and rape survivor—stood in the auditorium at the Oakland State Building and addressed the crowd. In one hand, Soto clasped a placard reading: “When you’re alone at night, no one can hear you.” In the other, she gripped the microphone. “Just because I’m an immigrant or just because I’m a janitor does not mean I need to live in fear of being raped,” she said. Soto, along with sexual assault support groups and a union…
A new wave of activists focused on life after prison set a national agenda for reform.
With rising demands for more accountability, Oakland’s IT Department is building tools to make police investigations run more efficiently with the help of citizens.
Oakland City Attorney Barbara Parker has decided to double down in her efforts to secure economic and social justice for Oakland residents by doubling the divisions in her office.
Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton made two visits to Oakland last week as part of her campaign for the presidency. Clinton made her first stop in California to her campaign office at 1408 14th Street in downtown Oakland in advance of the California Democratic Primary Election on June 7. The office is filled with placards and homemade signs, and volunteers busily working phones. Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf was on hand to greet Clinton. Clinton has made trips to Oakland…