Tales of Two Cities: History

This week’s episode is about history. Tune in to hear about the journey of a thrifted musical instrument, Oakland Unified School District’s Martin Luther King Jr. Oratorical Festival, the last remaining Rosie the Riveters in Richmond and the Richmond Museum’s celebration of WWI history.

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In Oakland, women take the lead as Airbnb hosts

Cynthia Mackey, a 56-year-old self-employed digital marketer, loves to talk about Airbnb. She laughs and smiles, growing excited as she talks about the joy that comes from opening up her home in Oakland’s Adams Point to a world of strangers. Mackey started hosting for Airbnb, an online international marketplace for booking accommodations, in July, 2013.…

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East Bay Guardians prep for 2017 semi-pro football season

Football season doesn’t necessarily end with the Super Bowl. Semi-pro season in Northern California is set to get underway with two leagues, the Pacific Coast Football League (PCFL) and the West Coast Football Alliance (WCFA) kicking off this month throughout Northern California. The semi-pro football scene is made up of players from all ranks—former high…

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Oakland City Council reviews post-Ghost Ship fire recommendations, community-written proposal receives little debate

Jonah Strauss, a lead organizer with the Oakland Warehouse Coalition, speaks during public comments. "We're here to talk about keeping people in their homes," he said. Photo by Abner Hauge.

On Tuesday night, the council heard reports by working groups created by Mayor Libby Schaff’s Executive Order 2017-1 on January 11, calling for improving building and fire safety in non-permitted spaces while avoiding displacing their residents if code violations aren’t life-threatening. Should tenants have to be relocated, the order calls for the city to provide more relocation assistance. The order also calls for more notice for inspections; strengthening the Just Cause Ordinance, which prohibits landlords from evicting tenants except for specific reasons like failure to pay rent and illegal activities; as well as steps towards legalizing non-conforming spaces and reforming the city’s events permits system.

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Bay Area not immune from post-election attacks on immigrants, Muslims

Carmen Garcia, Sara Hinkley, Zahra Billoo and Faisal Yazadi (pictured clockwise from top left) discuss post-election hatred in the Bay Area.

A truck driver in Millbrae chased a Hispanic woman down the street screaming slurs. A university researcher living in Albany, California, was confronted with swastikas on her way to work at UC Berkeley. A mosque in San José received a letter threatening to “cleanse” Muslims from the country. All of these incidents took place after…

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