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COVID-19 cases remain stable at Santa Rita Jail despite rising community cases

COVID-19 infections have largely remained stable despite rising case numbers in the Bay Area, according to the latest data published by the Alameda County Sheriff’s Office (ACSO). At the time of writing, two people in custody have tested positive, while 11 others are symptomatic and are awaiting test results.  The sheriff’s office has implemented a number of measures designed to prevent and mitigate the spread of COVID-19 in the jail since the start of the pandemic. Compared to other detention…

OUSD announces school reopening plan

Oakland Unified School District Superintendent Kyla Johnson-Trammell revealed the district’s plan to reopen schools in an email Tuesday, after weeks of feedback and discussion from teachers, parents and school staff. “Our overall approach to reopening is based on the science and safety standards, and reaching agreements with our labor partners,” Johnson-Trammell said in the statement. “As conditions improve, the plan is likely to evolve.” The plan calls for some students in preschool, kindergarten and elementary schools to return to classrooms…

Ballot measure could increase OUSD teacher diversity, draw legal challenges

There is perhaps no more commonly spoken word in Oakland Unified School Board meetings than “equity.” The nebulous term discussed frequently on agenda items ranging from charter school access to climate change. There is an entire office devoted to the subject, with a specified board agenda.  A new proposition on the ballot could help OUSD advance their equity mission by increasing diversity in hiring and contracting. The only problem—critics say these measures may violate federal civil rights laws. Voters will…

Oakland North Election Day Live Blog

Reporters Qinghui Kong and Manish Kanal reporting from West Oakland this evening. Another “joyful” update from Poplar Street Michelle Pred, from Joy to the Polls, wants to inspire people to be “happy and joyful” while voting. She says musical vans like this one are going to be all over the country.  “Let’s change our country,” Pred said.  She’s going to be at the election watch party happening tonight at Oscar Grant Plaza and is looking forward to it.   “We want…

Donated and forgotten: The problem with second-hand clothes

The Goodwill’s Greater East Bay headquarters on International Boulevard is a clothing reseller’s dream and a garbage system nightmare. This block-long facility is, despite its size, an inconspicuous treasure trove for resellers sifting for secondhand goods they will leave with by the cartload. The white cinderblock interior has an almost clinical feel: Clothes lie sprawled in plastic carts the size of operating tables, pushed together in a maze that only the regulars know how to navigate. This kind of retail…