Posts Tagged ‘California’
Voting rights restored for Californians on parole
After over four decades of disenfranchisement, Californians on parole now have the right to vote. Because the U.S. invests heavily in mass incarceration, the number of people who have lost their right to vote because of their parole status has risen from 1.7 million Americans in 1976 to 6.1 million in 2016. This act would…
Read MoreHow are Oakland schools responding to Prop. 16 failing?
California voters have decided not to restore affirmative action in schools. Proposition 16, which failed by a margin of 12 percentage points, would have reversed a 1996 ban on considering race, gender or ethnicity in public education systems and public contracting. State lawmakers—motivated by high-profile racial injustices, such as the police killing of George Floyd—voted…
Read MoreJournalist Ari Berman examines resurgence of voter suppression for Oakland lecture series
Journalist Ari Berman warns of a resurgence of voter suppression since the election of former President Barack Obama.
Read MoreAdvocates skeptical new police use of force law will save lives
Some Oakland experts wonder if AB 392, a new law that will limit police use of lethal force, can actually save lives.
Read MoreAn unlikely entrepreneur: The Bay Area teen trying to help foster youth through tech
Only about half of foster youth graduate from high school, and of those students, only 20 percent make it to college. Franco’s goal for FConnect is to help them learn about resources that will help them get to college and, once there, make it to graduation.
Read MoreParadise, Calif., is in ruins after deadliest, most destructive fire in state history razes most homes
First responders are combing through the desolate scene, where ashes now take the place of where entire neighborhoods once stood. The vast majority of homes were destroyed by the Camp Fire, and not much remains of the town.
Read MoreTens of millions of dollars pour into Prop 8 which seeks to limit dialysis center profits
Billion-dollar dialysis companies and a labor union are spending tens of millions of dollars to sway Proposition 8 votes their way on Election Day. Health experts say the proposition is unlikely to improve care for dialysis patients and may put care out of reach for patients in low-income areas.
But they also say risky practices in the industry put patients’ lives at risk.
Read MoreSenate Bill 63 passes, guarantees small business workers unpaid leave
Senate Bill 63, signed by Governor Jerry Brown on October 12, will make about 2.8 million small business workers in the state qualified to take the unpaid leave to bond with their newborn, or with a child they have recently adopted or are fostering. They will have a guaranty of job security when they return. The new law will come into effect January 1, 2018.
Read MoreWine country wildfires create hazardous air conditions for Bay Area residents
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,…
Read MoreCannabis industry in limbo as California ends pot prohibition
With the passage of Proposition 64 on the November 8 ballot, and new statewide medical cannabis regulations about to be implemented, California state regulators get to spend the next 13 months establishing all the rules needed for a state-regulated system. And it won’t be an easy task.
Read MoreVoters approve $9 billion for public school construction, repairs
This week, California voters approved Proposition 51, a $9 billion bond for public school construction and improvement across the state. By noon on Wednesday, the proposition led 54 percent to 46 percent and the Associated Press had declared the victory. “If you’ve been in some of our most antiquated schools, then you’ve seen, firsthand, how…
Read MoreGrant sends residents out of hospital, into community
UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital in Oakland can add one more item to its list of achievements: a $1.3 million Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) grant.
Read MoreCredentials rules leave some East Bay dance instructors unable to teach
Despite being one of the dance capitals of the world, with 73 public and private colleges and universities offer dance majors, for decades there hasn’t been a single-subject teaching credential in dance for the California public school system.
Read MoreEast Bay businesses and politicians react to new state minimum wage
Today in Los Angeles, Governor Jerry Brown signed off on a new minimum wage bill that will make California the state with the highest in the country at $15 an hour by 2022. The bill cleared the state legislature last Thursday.
Read MoreSunset Magazine relocates to Oakland, setting sights on younger, urban readers
Sunset Magazine hosted a party in mid February to celebrate its new move, new editor – in – chief, and new direction it planned to take editorially at its new Oakland location.
Read MoreAlameda County becomes first in state to regulate cellphone surveillance tool
On Tuesday, Alameda County became the first county in California to implement new regulations on controversial spying devices used by police.
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