Mayoral candidate: Courtney Ruby

Courtney Ruby, 47, is no stranger to politics.  Now in her eighth year as Oakland’s elected city auditor, she’s entered a large crowd of candidates seeking to unseat incumbent Mayor Jean Quan. “I have proven leadership experience,” she said. “I’ve been under the hood of almost every department, I know what’s broken, and I have…

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Mayoral candidate: Libby Schaaf

Libby Schaaf

Libby Schaaf, a District 4 councilmember who announced her run for mayor last year, is hoping her policies on transparent government, safety, education and Oakland’s economy will win her City Hall’s top office in November. Schaaf, 48, has been involved in Oakland’s local government since 1999, when she worked as chief of staff for then-council…

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Mayoral candidate: incumbent Mayor Jean Quan

Undaunted by critics of her leadership, incumbent Oakland Mayor Jean Quan, the first Asian American woman elected to lead a major U.S. metropolis, is fighting to keep her job at City Hall.  Her platform stresses a lifetime of service, from her days as a councilmember working to keep libraries open, to her Peace in the Parks program aiming…

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Mayoral candidate: Nancy Sidebotham

Tax specialist Nancy Sidebotham, 69, said she’s run for the Oakland City Council six times. She’s never won a seat. But, to her mind, she’s never lost either. “There’s not too many candidates that lose, and stay involved,” said Sidebotham, who’s lived in Oakland for more than 50 years, and served on the Community Policing…

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Mayoral candidate: Bryan Parker

Bryan Parker embraces being an outsider. Although Jean Quan appointed him to the Port Commission in 2012, most know him as a former healthcare and tech executive. He sees his lack of political experience as an advantage in his run to become Oakland’s next mayor. Parker pointed to his record of business leadership, saying that as…

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Therapists, role models, spies: An Oakland school trains students to help mediate campus conflict

Peer mediators serve as “Mr. Kyle” McClerkins’ eyes and ears around school. They listen to fellow students, help them take responsibility for their actions and decide on appropriate consequences. McClerkins’ peer mediator program is part of a larger framework called the Restorative Justice Whole School Model, implemented in Oakland since 2005, and existing in various forms around the country, from Chicago to New Orleans.

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West Oakland fired up at The Crucible

The Crucible in West Oakland will commemorate 15 years of teaching community welding and other fire arts with an open house on April 12 exhibiting the works of teachers, artists and students who use the space for creating public art.

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