Public Policy
Testimony in Perry v. Schwarzenegger featured vivid personal testimony about struggles with discrimination based on sexual orientation. The team defending Proposition 8, meanwhile, argued that the state has a compelling interest to allow voters to define marriage.
In a San Francisco courtroom packed to overflowing, attorneys on both sides of Proposition 8 argued this morning about whether the same-sex marriage ban is discriminatory or a justifiable expression of California voters’ will.
With Oakland facing a projected $25 million deficit for 2010, the city’s Community Police Advisory Board voiced concern Wednesday that the 13 civilian staff members in the police department’s community policing program might be dismissed.
With new changes to the city’s election law, an Oakland voter could cast his ballot for Ron Dellums, Don Perata AND Jean Quan for mayor next year—and then rank each candidate in order of preference. This may sound confusing at first, but a majority of Oakland voters in 2006 said they preferred this system.
Mickey Martin is about to go to prison. The charge was something both he and the State of California say is not a crime: selling medicinal marijuana.
In 2008, Alameda County law enforcement responded to almost 7,000 domestic disturbance calls. The Alameda County Family Justice Center helps many of these people navigate legal and social services available to them represent them in court.
The health reform bill the House of Representatives approved last month prints out at 2,014 pages, Oakland North asked a health policy expert to haul the whole pile to her office recently and examine it to see what practical impact its provisions might have on four local residents who face different health insurance situations.
Alessanda Chesley has a job she loves, but lost her employer-provided health insurance in August. If she lived in San Francisco, she’d be eligible for Healthy San Francisco, the city’s health care program for the uninsured. But she lives in Oakland.
Oakland’s mayoral election is still 11 months away, but City Council Member Jean Quan received an early vote of confidence from Sandré Swanson, one of Oakland’s State Assembly representatives.