Public Policy

Hundreds of fast food and other low-wage workers gathered outside Oakland City Hall Tuesday evening demanding a higher minimum wage of $15 per hour. The demonstrations were part of a wider national campaign, Fight For 15, which has seen over 270 cities participating in similar protests.

The board also approved the establishment of Lodestar Charter School and a resolution that would continue collaborative efforts to end the sexual exploitation of children.

The mayor covered inequity, policing and housing in the address.

As the one-year anniversary of Prop. 47’s passage approaches, many people working in the state’s legal system are evaluating its effectiveness.

The Oakland City Council opposed the Department of Housing and Development’s (HUD) proposal for decreasing the value of Section 8 vouchers for Alameda and Contra Costa County.

This week, the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) announced adjustments in funding for low-income housing subsidies that will reduce federal funding for Section 8 vouchers in Oakland.

While the East Bay Municipal Utility District is suffering the worst drought since its founding in 1923, its 1.3 million users face no danger of going dry anytime soon. That was the message from EBMUD board members and operations staff at their Tuesday public meeting. Infrastructure investments, conservation, and transfers–buying water from the Sacramento River–together mean the East Bay is weathering this Stage 4 drought better than most of California. According to the state’s own data, the EBMUD staff are…

Activists are promoting Mobile Justice CA, an app created by the ACLU of California which enables users to record and report police actions in their community.