Public Policy
Oaklanders have six days left to vote for or against Measure I, a tax increase for homeowners that would be used to compensate budget deficits in various city departments, specially the Oakland Police. Mayor Jean Quan’s proposal has incited a heated debate among councilmembers and residents on whether the tax increase will truly help alleviate the city’s financial crisis.
Oakland North has put together this overview of Measure I for Oakland residents who haven’t yet mailed their ballots.
In his first extended interview since his recent resignation as Oakland’s Chief of Police, Anthony Batts sits down with Oakland North to reflect on his success, his shortfalls, and what lies ahead for the Oakland Police Department.” I could have all the commitment in the world,” he says. “But if I didn’t have the tools to get the job done, it was a waste of time.”
As protesters trickled out of the Port of Oakland Wednesday night, after Occupy Oakland demonstrations shut down business at the port, scores filed into a retrofitted former AC Transit bus for free rides back to the encampments in downtown Oakland.
The Oakland City Administrator’s office issued a release on Friday containing estimated city costs related to the Occupy Oakland protests.
The Occupy Wall Street movement began in September in New York City, and soon protesters were setting up camps in cities across the country. The Occupy Oakland camp was set up on the afternoon of October 10 and occupied the plaza in front of Oakland’s city hall for two weeks. On October 25, campers were evicted and since that morning, there have been a series of actions from both city officials and protesters. Click through the timeline to see the sequence of major events surrounding the Occupy Oakland movement.
Hundreds of people attended the Thursday night Occupy Oakland City Council meeting, which lasted over five hours. The meeting was held to discuss recent events pertaining to Occupy Oakland, most notably the vandalism and property damage that occurred late Wednesday night when protesters clashed in the street with police officers. Almost 150 people signed up to speak before the council.
Wednesday’s Occupy Oakland general strike began at 9 am and continued until early the next morning. According to the City Administrator’s Office, the demonstrations were “primarily peaceful protests with some isolated incidents of violence and vandalism.”
As many as 10,000 people participated in the Occupy Oakland “day of action” Wednesday. Reporters from Oakland North were on hand to capture all of the events of the day. The above slideshow is a series of photographs from throughout the day.