Posts Tagged ‘Politics’
Oakland City Attorney to add divisions to her office
Oakland City Attorney Barbara Parker has decided to double down in her efforts to secure economic and social justice for Oakland residents by doubling the divisions in her office.
Read MoreOakland women rally for Bernie Sanders
A multicultural and multigenerational group of women met to discuss Sen. Bernie Sanders’ platform earlier this month in Oakland.
Read MoreAs rents rise, tenants confront Oakland’s perfect housing storm
Median rents across Oakland are at an all-time high, pushing low-income families into motels or family members’ homes, pricing working-class households out of their neighborhoods and creating fierce competition for available housing at all income levels.
Read MoreCity Council votes to accept DOJ policing grant despite protests
The Oakland City Council voted 5-1, with two abstentions, to approve a grant tied to hiring 15 new police officers after protesters disrupted the meeting, calling for funding for housing instead of more law enforcement.
Read MoreCity council approves funding for asylum seekers, blocks Hampton Inn protesters
Oakland City Council approved a funding increase for legal support for unaccompanied minors seeking asylum in the U.S., authorized the creation of a “Director of Race and Equity” staffing position within the city government and received a report from the Oakland Police Department about funding for a gun tracing program.
Read MoreMayor Libby Schaaf delivers her first State of the City address
The mayor covered inequity, policing and housing in the address.
Read MoreDespite housing subsidies, a majority of Alameda County recipients are without Section 8 housing
This week, the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) announced adjustments in funding for low-income housing subsidies that will reduce federal funding for Section 8 vouchers in Oakland.
Read MoreIncreased minimum wage creates tough choices for Oakland restaurant owners
At restaurants, the increase in minimum wage means wait staff are often getting a wage boost in addition to tips, while cooks don’t see changes in wages.
Read MoreOakland businesses oppose compost rate hike
The rates rose this summer after the city council granted the national company Waste Management (WM) the city’s sole contract for the collection of organic waste and trash.
Read MoreDolores Huerta on civil justice: “We don’t have to feel helpless”
The co-founder of the National Farm Workers Association and civil rights advocate talked to students at Samuel Merritt University about social justice and healthcare for immigrants.
Read MoreKaiser nurses strike amid contract negotiations
The California Nurses Association, part of the National Nurses United labor union, staged a 2-day strike this week after contract negotiations with Kaiser Permanente in Northern California halted earlier this month over a range of staffing and workplace issues. The union said that 18 thousand nurses walked off the job on November 11 and 12. But health…
Read MoreMeasure Z continues to prompt discussion over public safety funding
Voters will be deciding this November on Measure Z, which if approved would continue a parking and parcel tax that funds public safety services and violence prevention programming.
Read MoreMayoral candidates prep for the return of ranked choice voting
Ranked choice voting, also known as instant run off voting, changed the face of the 2010 Oakland mayoral election. As 2014 elections approach, many of this year’s mayoral candidates are approaching their campaigns with the new system in mind.
Read MoreOakland mayor candidates participate in hunger and poverty roundtable
The mayor, who is running for re-election in November, was one of 12 mayoral candidates at the roundtable event hosted in East Oakland by Alameda County’s Community Food Bank.
Read MoreMayoral candidate: Joe Tuman
The issues for Tuman are public safety and economic development. In his view, the absence of economic development keeps part of the city in poverty and poverty is at the root of most crime. The absence of economic development also means that the city does not have the tax base and revenue growth that it needs to afford sufficient numbers of police officers to respond to a growing crime problem.
Read MoreMayoral 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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