Public Policy
Alameda County’s looming budget crisis led the county to cut off about 2,400 people from the county’s General Assistance fund, or GA, a safety net cash program provided to indigent adults without dependent children who have little or no savings and no source of income. Teague Briscoe, a staff attorney at the Homeless Action Center, has engineered a pilot program called GA Mass Defense to help people get their funds restored.
At a campaign event at Redwood Heights Elementary, Oakland mayoral candidate Jean Quan sought to position herself as the “education candidate” and discussed the upcoming Oakland teachers’ strike.
Thirty-five people showed up at Wednesday night’s school board meeting in downtown Oakland to speak on non-agenda items—a significant turnout given that there was no union-organized rally or charter school petition on the agenda.
Jurena Storm is back in school at age 35 and said the recent legislation supporting student loan reform is “a relief.” A student at College of Alameda, Storm told her story Tuesday at an Organizing For America press conference held at Laney College to highlight the local impact of the student loan reforms signed into law by President Obama last month.
In recent years, same-sex marriage has been a controversial political issue. ON Radio looks at the issue of marriage–why some couples want a wedding, and why others don’t.
The Oakland Public Ethics Committee on Wednesday voted unanimously to schedule a meditation for a complaint filed by an Oakland citizen who claims the city has violated the Oakland Sunshine Ordinance and the California Public Record Act by failing to produce the public records she requested.
Oakland’s efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions were the focus of a special City Council workshop last night, marking another milestone for the city’s forthcoming climate action plan that has been in the works since July 2009.
In an event designed to showcase a wide cross-section of Oakland leaders backing her candidacy, Jean Quan said she wants to be a mayor who spearheads change through “block by block” community organizing.
Ranked-choice voting will change everything about the 2010 Oakland mayor’s race: the timing, campaigning, turnout, maybe even the winner. Reporter Lauren Callahan explains what lies ahead, and how this year’s ballot will be different.