Posts Tagged ‘Op-Ed’
You Tell Us: How healthy is school lunch?
All of us support the idea of children having a healthy school lunch. But what does that really mean? And are the children in the Oakland Unified School District getting it?
Read MoreYou Tell Us: An empty classroom, and a long waiting list
Next year, Peralta Elementary in North Oakland will have overcrowded classrooms—while one classroom will sit empty. Despite the fact that Oakland Unified has announced a dramatic plan to shield elementary schools from layoffs of credentialed teachers, Peralta is still slated to lose one fully qualified teacher from its small staff of 12.
Read MoreYou Tell Us: Time for Oakland and its cops to start talking
For too long, Oakland’s public safety dialog has been framed as a contest between advocates for community policing and crime prevention programs, on the one hand, and supporters of adequate police staffing, on the other. We believe that all three are essential to public safety.
Read MoreYou Tell Us: Point, shoot, deposit
At first, I thought they might be looking at their victim, reacting to their bloody deed, her with a glee in her face that approached the psychotic, him with a rather more appropriate look of moral ambivalence. I was wrong. They were looking at a check.
Read MoreYou Tell Us: Keep Chief Anthony Batts
Police Chief Anthony Batts came to Oakland with the promise that he would have the resources to do the job. Instead of beefing up the department, it has been cannibalized. We have gone from 803 cops to 656 with more losses predicted because of attrition. The city has no plans to recruit new cops. Now it looks like Batts may want to leave.
Read MoreYou Tell Us: Searching for the right kindergarten
As sure as it’s the New Year, it’s also school selection season in Oakland. Obsessing about kindergarten is one of those things almost every middle-class parent here does, as normal as buying a family membership at the zoo.
Read MoreYou Tell Us: Stop the fear – Oakland will be just fine
Oakland’s 420,000 residents will go on with their lives in the days following the Mehserle trial, the verdict, and whatever protests that may occur. They will continue to live peaceful and productive lives, working, playing, raising their families, and enjoying one of the most beautiful cities on the planet.
Read MoreYou Tell Us: Calm traffic with urban greening
Urban planner Garlynn Woodsong writes in with an idea for making Oakland’s streets safer while making the city a little greener. In this essay, he re-imagines Market Street after a “road diet” and some strategic replanting.
Read MoreYou Tell Us: Rebuild Oakland’s streets to make them safer
With a bicycle fatality, a little girl hit by a car and multiple car accidents along Market Street in the past couple of months, it’s high time that this community begin a dialogue about the relationship between pedestrians, bicycles, automobiles, safety and the design of roadways and our public spaces.
Read MoreYou Tell Us: Support Oakland Artists (Damnit!)
As the tale goes, “Oakland has more artists per capita than anywhere outside of New York City.” It seems though, like that should be worth a lot more than we’re getting for it.
Read MoreYou Tell Us: Support BRT to support pedestrians and bicyclists
Losing Bus Rapid Transit in North Oakland would assure that the inevitable increase in traffic congestion will reduce the reliability of public transportation. Not only would this be a setback for the East Bay’s public transportation users, but it would also hurt pedestrians and bicyclists.
Read MoreYou Tell Us: Why I support the Oakland gang injunction
Many of us are thrilled that our part of North Oakland was chosen as the pilot site for the gang injunction. We know that it is no magic pill or panacea that will rid us of crime once-and-for-all, but it is an innovative tool for the city to curb the rampant crime here.
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