City Attorney files lawsuit against illegal auto repair business

The Oakland City Attorney has filed a nuisance lawsuit over a residential property in West Oakland claiming that the residents there have been illegally operating an auto repair business out of a three-story home in a residential area. The suit asks the court to prohibit the residents from making auto repairs and to clean up…

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John Russo reflects on his time as Oakland City Attorney

John Russo is getting ready to pack his bags on June 10, ending his 11-year term as Oakland City Attorney to start his new position as Alameda City Manager on June 13. In this exclusive interview, Russo looks back on his time in Oakland, including six years on the city council, and talks about the city’s budget problems, gang injunctions, and the vote he thinks he got wrong.

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City Council votes to continue funding gang injunctions

The Oakland City Council burned the midnight oil late last night and into Wednesday morning as they passed a measure that will continue to fund gang injunctions as a crime-fighting tool. By a 4-3 vote, the city council voted for the measure, which has cost the city about $1 million to date in court costs and police overtime.

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Residents ask city to review cost, effectiveness of gang injunctions

As activists and residents lined up to make dozens of complaints Tuesday, city leaders promised to schedule a review of Oakland’s gang injunctions. About 60 of people showed up at the city’s public safety committee meeting, many with signs that read “Stop the injunctions now” in English and Spanish. “We are here to ask Oakland to re-prioritize its efforts,” said Aurra Lopez, who called the gang injunctions “ineffective and actually counter-productive.”

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