Public Policy

Nine candidates have their say at forum

After public complaints about a plan to include only the front-running candidates for Oakland mayor, the Sierra Club Wednesday hosted nine of the ten candidates at a forum on the environment and the upcoming election.

The same-sex marriage seesaw

When Chief Judge Vaughn R. Walker ruled to strike down Proposition 8 on August 4, saying that the same-sex marriage ban was discriminatory and unconstitutional, gay couple Teresa Rowe and Kristin Orbin were elated. But, on August 16, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals imposed a stay on same-sex marriage that will last until at least the end of the year–and now their marriage must wait.

In Oakland, optimism and hope about overturn of Prop. 8

On Wednesday, joyous crowds took to the streets of San Francisco after U.S. District Judge Vaughn Walker overturned Proposition 8, the ban against same-sex marriage, writing that the ban violated both the due process and equal protection clauses of the U.S. Constitution.

Ron Dellums says he won’t run again

Breaking: SFGate.com is reporting that Oakland Mayor Ron Dellums has announced that he won’t seek a second term. Oakland currently has at least 8 declared candidates for mayor in the upcoming November race; 7 of them participated in a recent forum on public safety that you can read about here. Well-known candidates for the office of mayor include District 4 Councilmember Jean Quan (click here for our profile of Quan), Councilmember at large Rebecca Kaplan (click here for an exclusive…

Eight Childhood Development Centers set to close Friday

Judy Lee has already begun packing her boxes. Full of art supplies and Shel Silverstein books, the boxes sat neatly stacked near the wall of her spacious classroom at the Piedmont Avenue Early Childhood Development Center on Wednesday, a telltale sign of the center’s imminent closure.

With fewer officers, Oakland’s policing strategy changes

Since the layoff of 80 police officers, Oakland’s policing strategy has changed, and neighborhood safety groups are grappling with how to react. The Oakland Police Department plans to focus more on emergencies and less on community problem-solving and the investigation of non-violent crimes.