Presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden chose Sen. Kamala Harris, an East Bay native, as his running mate. “I have the great honor to announce that I’ve picked Kamala Harris — a fearless fighter for the little guy, and one… Read More ›
Berkeley
Berkeley school board member, wife improving after crash
Berkeley school board member Judy Appel and her wife, Alison Bernstein, are improving after being struck by a car near their home early last Saturday morning, Berkeleyside reported Tuesday night. Appel, who ran for the 15th Assembly District last June,… Read More ›
Report: Berkeley councilman, during traffic stop, suggested officer let him go because he voted in favor of police raise
Berkeley Councilmember Ben Bartlett, after being pulled over last July for running a red light, suggested to a Berkeley police officer that she give him preferential treatment because he had voted to give the city’s police officers a raise recently… Read More ›
Worthington will not seek re-election in Berkeley
Kriss Worthington, Berkeley’s first gay member of the city council, announced Thursday that he will not seek re-election to his District 7 seat. He made the declaration on the steps of Berkeley City Hall. A day earlier on Facebook, Worthington… Read More ›
ELECTIONLINE: 29 days until the primary – Dellums’ DA pick; Appel dual endorsement in AD15
ELECTION 2018 Ron Dellums DELLUMS ENDORSES PRICEThe East Bay’s venerable liberal lion, former Rep. Ron Dellums, offered his endorsement of Pamela Price, the Alameda County District Attorney candidate seeking to unseat Nancy O’Malley next month. “I have always been proud… Read More ›
EBC AGENDA | MAR 30-APR 5 | ALAMEDA on pace to meet state housing requirement; BERKELEY wants to thwart data vendors working with ICE; AD15 forum
THE WEEK OF MAR 30-APR 5 –ALAMEDA– Regular council meeting, Tuesday, April 3, 7 p.m. [ENTIRE AGENDA HERE]–HOUSING ELEMENT REPORT– Alameda is on pace to satisfy the state’s Regional Housing Needs Allocation for building 1,723 units of housing by 2023, says city staff…. Read More ›
EBC AGENDA | MAR 23-29 | BERKELEY may prohibit use of city funds for sugary drinks; HAYWARD spends big $$ for mobile police vehicle; and more
THE WEEK OF MARCH 23-29 –BERKELEY– Regular council meeting, Tuesday, Mar. 27, 6 p.m. [ENTIRE AGENDA HERE]–COKE IS NOT IT– Four years ago, Berkeley voters overwhelmingly approved a tax on sugary drinks sales. Now the Berkeley City Council may go further with an… Read More ›
EBC AGENDA | MAR 9-15 | OAKLAND reviews Army Base development’s ‘loss of significant redevelopment dollars’; Cell tower appeal in FREMONT
THE WEEK OF MARCH 9-15 –OAKLAND– Regular council committee meetings, Tuesday, Mar. 13, starts at 9:30 a.m.➤Community & Economic Development Committee, 1:30 p.m. [ENTIRE AGENDA HERE]–OAKLAND ARMY BASE MID-TERM REVIEW– “Initial City funding commitments, originally included projected net tax increment generated between… Read More ›
EBC AGENDA | FEB 2-8 | ALAMEDA COUNTY 1/2-cent sales tax measure for child care coming this June; ALAMEDA PD wants 13 license-plate readers
THE WEEK OF FEBRUARY 2-8. –ALAMEDA COUNTY– Regular council meeting, Tuesday, Feb. 6, 10:30 a.m. [ENTIRE AGENDA HERE] –BALLOT MEASURE FOR CHILDREN– The Board of Supervisor will approve placement on the June ballot of a countywide half-cent sales tax measure to fund child… Read More ›
As expected, no Democratic endorsement in crowded AD15 race, but surprises nonetheless
The AD15 pre-endorsement scoreboard showed no officials winners, but some candidates received surprises Saturday. ELECTION 2018—15TH ASSEMBLY DISTRICT—Next week, 15th Assembly District candidate Buffy Wicks is expected to release year-end finance reports that show a wide breadth of financial support… Read More ›
EBC AGENDA | JAN. 26-FEB. 1 | BERKELEY seeks surveillance use policy; ALAMEDA’s own city manager scandal heats up?; State Dem pre-endorsements
THE WEEK OF JAN. 26-FEB. 1–ALAMEDA– Special closed session council meeting, Tuesday, Jan. 30, 3:30 p.m. [ENTIRE AGENDA HERE]–ALAMEDA’S CITY MANAGER SCANDAL?– It’s not clear what exactly the Alameda City Council might be discussing behind closed doors Tuesday afternoon. The agenda suggests the… Read More ›
EBC AGENDA | JAN 19-25 | Cell-site simulators deployed by East Bay law enforcement 3x last year; Highland needs $11m more for retrofit; ; Oakland’s racial disparity in traffic stops
THE WEEK OF JANUARY 19-25 –ALAMEDA COUNTY– Regular board meeting, Tuesday, Jan. 23, 10:45 a.m. [ENTIRE AGENDA HERE]–DA’S STINGRAY REPORT– Alameda County District Attorney Nancy O’Malley is required to offer a “report” on law enforcement’s use of cell-site simulators, also known as Stringrays. The device… Read More ›
2018 Predictions: With 99% certainty, here’s who will win East Bay races this year
ELECTION 2018Much will happen on the campaign trail this spring and fall leading to the June primary and November General Election. Someone will say something stupid, others won’t utter a single interesting thought. However, surprises in the form of candidates… Read More ›
2017 Year in East Bay Politics: The wild and wacky: Let’s Taco About It and Bill Quirk ‘Jumps Around’
2017 YEAR IN EAST BAY POLITICS>>>>The state legislature decides in January that a new portrait of Assemblymember Bill Quirk would be a good idea for his 20th District website. The resulting creation, though, inparts vampire-like features to Quirk’s face. Funny thing, according… Read More ›
2017 Year in East Bay Politics: Jan-Mar: Battle of Berkeley
2017 YEAR IN EAST BAY POLITICSEast Bay residents didn’t exactly head into the new year with hopes of prosperity and self-renewal. President-Elect Donald Trump’s shadow was already darkening every door in the East Bay, especially those griped with fear in… Read More ›
EBC AGENDA | DEC 15-21 | BERKELEY revisits police pepper spray policy; ALAMEDA land swap for 589 housing units; ALAMEDA COUNTY Coliseum sale talks; OAKLAND reboots
THE WEEK OF DECEMBER 15-21 –BERKELEY– Special council meeting, Tuesday, Dec. 19, 6 p.m. [ENTIRE AGENDA HERE]–MOVE TO REPEAL PEPPER SPRAY ORDINANCE– Last September, the City Council approved authorization for the police department to include pepper spray under its use-of-force policy. Pepper spray had… Read More ›
EBC AGENDA | DEC 1-6 | BERKELEY Climate plan makes progress; ALAMEDA weighs-in on Israel-Palestine; OAKLAND labor strike cancels meetings
THE WEEK OF DECEMBER 1-6 –OAKLAND– [MEETINGS CANCELLED DUE TO LABOR NEGOTIATIONS] City Council committee meetings, Tuesday, Dec. 5, start at 9 a.m. ➤Finance & Management Committee, 9 a.m. [ENTIRE AGENDA HERE]–PUBLIC SAFETY OT IN THE RED– Oakland’s overtime budget for police… Read More ›
EBC AGENDA | NOV 24-30 | OAKLAND probes ICE raid, remembers Ghost Ship; HAYWARD adopts ‘The Commitment’; BERKELEY examines Measure GG
THE WEEK OF NOVEMBER 24-30 –OAKLAND– Special council meeting, Tuesday, Nov. 28, 5:30 p.m. [ENTIRE AGENDA HERE]–OPD/ICE PROBE– A likely volatile discussion of the events surrounding the Aug. 16 ICE raid in West Oakland returns to the council agenda after… Read More ›
Judge tells Berkeley to quit with excuses, orders search for homeless shelters
BERKELEYA federal judge strongly admonished the City of Berkeley Tuesday for its lack of specificity when it comes to finding shelter for its homeless population. U.S. District Judge William Alsup ruling in a lawsuit by a group forced to leave… Read More ›
EBC AGENDA | OCT 27-NOV 5 | OAKLAND’s 918-unit Oak Knoll project faces scrutiny; HAYWARD to greenlight cannabis rules; BERKELEY defines ‘use of force’
THE WEEK OF OCT. 27-NOV. 5 –OAKLAND– Special Community & Economic Development Committee meeting, Tuesday, Oct. 31, 10 a.m. [ENTIRE AGENDA HERE]–918-UNIT OAK KNOLL DEVELOPMENT– “The Applicant [SunCal] is requesting planning-related permits including a General Plan Amendment, Rezoning, and other… Read More ›
Berkeley rent board gives solace to those who lost their homes in devastating North Bay fires
BERKELEYTens of thousands of victims displaced by the the North Bay fires have a place to stay in Berkeley after the city’s Rent Stabilization Board initiated an ordinance that allows property owners to offer their housing units at below market… Read More ›
EBC AGENDA | SEPT 29-OCT 5 | BERKELEY, SAN LEANDRO to snuff out flavored tobacco; OAKLAND homeless havens; more market rate housing in HAYWARD
THE WEEK OF SEPT 29-OCT 5Before you know it, candidate for office next year will be meeting face-to-face in forums and community meetings, each making their case for their respective office. Last week, Alameda County District Attorney Nancy O’Malley and… Read More ›
Assembly hopeful Ben Bartlett gets a boost from Berkeley Mayor Jesse Arreguín
Berkeley Councilmember Ben Bartlett and Mayor Jesse Arreguin. PHOTO/Bartlett for Assembly 15TH ASSEMBLY DISTRICTJust a month into Berkeley Councilmember Ben Bartlett‘s campaign for the 15th Assembly District, he has gained one of its plum endorsements, Berkeley Mayor Jesse Arreguín. “California… Read More ›
Oakland’s public bank feasibility study opens its account
OAKLAND CITY COUNCILSusan Harman, an Oakland activist and member of an advocacy group hoping to create potential ground-breaking public bank in Oakland held the head of fierce red dragon at Tuesday’s city council meeting. The puppet head to Harman represented… Read More ›
Berkeley City Council backs use of pepper spray during protest
BERKELEY CITY COUNCILBerkeley is facing an unprecedented and highly-coordinated effort by extremists groups to repeatedly turn the city into a battle ground, Interim Berkeley Police Chief Andy Greenwood told the City Council Tuesday afternoon. With large plywood shields and rudimentary… Read More ›
Berkeley looks at decriminalizing display of female nipples
Berkeley Councilmember Kriss Worthington BERKELEY CITY COUNCILAn inequity exists within Berkeley municipal nudity laws, says Councilmember Kriss Worthington, that criminalizes the display of women’s breasts and, specifically, nipples while overlooking topless men in public. Worthington’s proposal Tuesday evening would delete… Read More ›
EBC AGENDA | SEPT 8-14 | BERKELEY strives for nipple equality; OAKLAND burglaries up; Sheriff wants $$ for OT; water thieves get leniency
THE WEEK OF SEPTEMBER 8-14A hallmark of 2017 in the East Bay is that many of the issues in previous year that usually focus solely on the national level are flooding down to the local level on a regular basis…. Read More ›
Berkeley councilman becomes ninth to file for Tony Thurmond’s open assembly seat
Berkeley Councilmember Ben Bartlett 15TH ASSEMBLY DISTRICTThey’re going to need a really big table for debates next year in the 15th Assembly District. First-term Berkeley Councilmember Ben Bartlett filed an intent to run Tuesday for the seat being vacated by… Read More ›
Nancy Skinner wants crimes committed by white supremacists groups to be treated as terrorism
Protesters in Berkeley last April. 9TH STATE SENATE DISTRICTBefore the events last week in Charlottesville brought national focus to skirmishes between white supremacists groups and counter-protesters, East Bay State Sen. Nancy Skinner‘s district, which prominently includes Berkeley, was the epicenter… Read More ›
Bonta on Charlottesville: ‘This is not who we are.’ Says no permits should be given for hate rallies
Assemblymember Rob Bonta 18TH ASSEMBLY DISTRICTEast Bay Assemblymember Rob Bonta says President Donald Trump‘s comments last weekend asserting a moral equivalence between white supremacists marching in Charlottlesville and protesters marching in opposition were “irresponsibly and dangerously stated.” On two separate… Read More ›
