Safety
As the strike team drove into the Sonoma valley early Monday morning, the glow of fires surrounded them on both sides of Highway 12. Oakland Battalion Chiefs James Bowron and Nicholas Luby headed a team of engines from Oakland, Hayward, Fremont and Alameda County, and they listened to radio traffic describing the rapid spread of fire through the wine country and people needing immediate rescue.
Wildfires raging throughout California’s wine country have ravaged more than 170,000 acres and killed 21 people so far, with hundreds missing. The blazes are sending a cloud of ash and smoke over the bay, threatening residents with polluted air. On Tuesday, air quality officials issued health and smoke advisories for all nine Bay Area counties, the second such warning issued this fall wildfire season. Residents should avoid outdoor activities, close windows and doors, and avoid using air-conditioning units, according to…
OUSD officials fixed the water quality at McClymonds high school located in West Oakland after discoloration was discovered in August.
Residents met to discuss issues facing East Oakland including human trafficking and the sex trade, education, affordable housing, illegal dumping, improving employment opportunities, gun violence, and getting justice for the immigrant and refugee communities.
A man died Thursday while in the custody of Oakland police after being tased and arrested at the scene of a multi-vehicle crash in the Fruitvale neighborhood, according to a statement released this morning by Oakland Police Department Public Information Officer Johnna Watson.
In a recent study, researchers found that Oakland police officers were significantly less likely to use respectful language when talking to black motorists.
A four alarm fire spread through the Oakland hills Tuesday. Oakland Police Department officers evacuated an estimated 100 homes in the Monte Vista Villas housing development.
Oakland’s Urban Search and Rescue team hadn’t deployed in nine years. But three weeks ago, when Oakland Fire Battalion Chief Robert Lipp answered the call to respond to Hurricane Harvey, they mobilized a team in under four hours. Immediately following their deployment to Texas, they were re-tasked to assist with rescue efforts in Florida.
In November, Californians passed Proposition 57 by a 64.5 percent vote. Formally known as the California Parole for Non-Violent Criminals and Juvenile Court Trial Requirements Initiative, and strongly endorsed by Governor Jerry Brown, Oakland’s former mayor, the new law attempts to ease prison overcrowding by increasing parole opportunities for inmates and changing how juvenile offenders are charged. Now local and state agencies are grappling with the complexities of putting Proposition 57 into effect and debating the effects it will have…