Taj Reid, the 47-year-old son of Oakland City Council President Larry Reid, was found guilty Thursday of rigging state construction contracts and accepting bribes, the East Bay Express reported. The three counts could result in a maximum sentence of up to… Read More ›
Larry Reid
A’s letter: Coliseum or bust!
OAKLAND COLISEUMA report Monday that the Oakland Athletics are interested in buying the Coliseum complex, but the letter sent by Athletics management to city and county officials more notably hints the team views the long-standing stadium issues as the Coliseum or… Read More ›
Fighting potential loss of committee chair, Desley Brooks unloads on her Oakland City Council colleagues
Oakland Councilmember Desley Brooks eviscerated her council colleagues during Tuesday night’s meeting. OAKLAND CITY COUNCILEven when Oakland Councilmember Desley Brooks knocks down an iconic former Black Panther and potentially costs taxpayers $4.3 million in damages, she still won’t back down…. Read More ›
Is Oakland’s Larry Reid being targeted by the Feds? If so, it wouldn’t be the first time
In 2007, it was alleged Oakland Council- member Larry Reid asked for a new air- conditioning unit in exchange for favors in Oakland for a contractor. OAKLAND CITY COUNCILWhy did Larry Reid disclose last week that a prospective Oakland cannabis… Read More ›
2017 Year in East Bay Politics: Sports franchises and elected officials strike out
2017 YEAR IN EAST BAY POLITICSThe Oakland Raiders are gone for Las Vegas. But, wait, they’re still in town for another 2-3 years? So you’re saying there’s a chance? Probably not, but with the Warriors’ new arena in San Francisco… Read More ›
Alameda County supervisors begin talks Tuesday to sell its half of Coliseum to Oakland
ALAMEDA COUNTYAlameda County officials are moving quickly toward a potential sale of its portion of the Coliseum complex to the City of Oakland. Alameda County Administrator Susan Muranishi will recommend at next Tuesday morning’s Board of Supervisors meeting that the… Read More ›
Alameda County rekindles idea of selling its share of Coliseum property to Oakland
Oakland Councilmember Lynette Gibson McElhaney, center, speaking at Thursday’s Coliseum JPA meeting at Oracle Arena. COLISEUM JPAOakland and Alameda County representatives on the Oakland Coliseum Joint Powers Authority showed keen interest Thursday for revisiting the idea of the county selling… Read More ›
Coliseum JPA officials question whether A’s interest in Peralta site is a ‘bait-and-switch’
COLISEUM JPAWhen it comes to the Oakland Athletics’ plan for building a new ballpark near Laney College, Alameda County Supervisor Nate Miley said he just wanted to put out in public what some have recently speculated about in private. “I’m… Read More ›
Oakland plan to restrict speculators at proposed A’s ballpark is held in committee
A’s management announced an intention to build a new ballpark in the above area near Laney College in OAKLAND CITY COUNCILLegislation that would have placed short-term controls aimed at hindering speculative real estate moves in and around the proposed A’s… Read More ›
Coliseum JPA says it will not participate in fan-backed proposed lawsuit against Raiders
COLISEUM JPAA fan-generated proposal to sue the Raiders and the National Football League over the team’s move to Las Vegas took a significant hit Friday after Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum Authority declined to participate in the lawsuit. The plan took a… Read More ›
Oakland bans sale of flavored tobacco and vaping liquids, along with menthol cigarettes
Oakland City Council President Larry Reid says he quit smoking in April after more than 50 years. OAKLAND CITY COUNCIL“I started smoking when I was 15-years-old,” Oakland City Council President Larry Reid said late Tuesday night before the council approved… Read More ›
With patience and time running out, Oakland finds a way to approve $2.5bn two-year budget
Oakland Councilmember Abel Guillen’s motion allowed the city approve its two-year budget just under the wire before a Friday deadline. OAKLAND CITY COUNCILFor a budget battle in Oakland that resulted earlier in the week with an abrupt adjournment in response… Read More ›
Following emotional hearing, Oakland City Council approves Dept. of Violence Prevention
OAKLAND CITY COUNCILIt was one of the most somber Oakland City Council meetings in recent memory. Dozens of public speakers detailed the anguish following the loss of loved ones to gun violence in Oakland. And, later, after Council President Larry… Read More ›
Oakland councilmembers propose to reduce violent crime with new city department
OAKLAND CITY COUNCILOakland’s consistently high levels of violent crime need a noticeable jolt of improvement, said Oakland Councilmember Lynette Gibson McElhaney Tuesday after proposing the creation of a new city Department of Violence Prevention. Oakland Council President Larry Reid is… Read More ›
McElhaney, Reid propose Oakland city department to curb violence
Oakland Councilmember Lynette Gibson McElhaney and Larry Reid, below, want to create a city department to stop homicides. OAKLAND CITY COUNCILWhile gun violence continues to be a perennial problem in Oakland, two councilmembers believe one solution is to create a… Read More ›
Schaaf delivers emotional call for Raiders to stay in Oakland
Oakland Raiders fan displays his displeasure with the team’s intention of moving to Vegas. OAKLANDWith the clock admittedly winding down, Mayor Libby Schaaf launched a passionate, sometimes defiant effort Saturday to keep the Raiders in Oakland. NFL Owners could possibly… Read More ›
Oakland approves city ban on companies hoping to build Trump’s wall
Oakland Councilmember Abel Guillen’s legislation rebuking the building of Trump’s wall was approved Tuesday night. OAKLAND CITY COUNCILIf a business specializing on a gamut of services from construction to internet services to public relations wants to help build President’s Trump… Read More ›
WTF is going on in the South Bay?
San Jose Councilmember Lan Diep took the oath of office Tuesday while holding a Captain America shield. PHOTO/@SanJoseD4 SAN JOSEDuring some Oakland City Council meetings, several elected officials routinely wear hats and shirts representing the city’s professional sports franchises. On… Read More ›
Oakland council, school board incumbents win easily; Kaplan dominates
Oakland Councilmember Rebecca Kaplan rolled to victory Tuesday night. OAKLAND CITY COUNCIL |ELECTION 2016 |Although, there were late murmurs asserting a few Oakland City Council incumbents might face difficulty on Election Night, all five were swept to re-election Tuesday night,… Read More ›
McElhaney’s potential censure hearing gets pushed to after the election
Oakland Councilmember Desley Brooks called her collegaues on the rules committee “spinles wonders.” OAKLAND CITY COUNCIL |Despite a round of aspersions against the Oakland City Council cast by Councilmember Desley Brooks and members of the public Thursday morning, potential censure… Read More ›
With dearth of competitive races in Oakland, campaign money is not flowing
Oakland Councilmember Rebecca Kaplan during a forum in Oakland this summer. OAKLAND CITY COUNCIL |ELECTION 2016 |Oakland At-Large Councilmember Rebecca Kaplan’s campaign finance report appears at first glance to be robust. Kaplan is the only incumbent of five councilmembers on… Read More ›
McElhaney’s purge and the dud of an election season coming to Oakland
Councilmember Lynette Gibson McElhaney is avoids a potentially bruising re-election after just a single challenger qualified for November. OAKLAND CITY COUNCIL | ELECTION 2016 |And then there was one. Oakland City Council President Lynette Gibson McElhaney appeared to most observers to… Read More ›
Oakland’s Larry Reid files for re-election to city council, as daughter awaits turn
OAKLAND CITY COUNCIL | DISTRICT 7 | It’s seemingly a rite of summer in Oakland. Will long-time Oakland Councilmember Larry Reid run for re-election or not? Well, call off the retirement party. On Friday, Reid pulled papers for re-election to… Read More ›
Breathe easy: Oakland bans coal shipments; but legal action threatened
Signage seen in and around Oakland in recent months urging a ban on coal in the city. OAKLAND CITY COUNCIL |The burning issue of coal in Oakland was snuffed out Monday night. After hours of sometimes rowdy debate, the Oakland… Read More ›
EBCampaign: BAKER critical of health care funding for the undocumented—FARMWORKERS raise pitchforks against QUIRK—ALAMEDA’s Disaster-In-Chief
142 DAYS UNTIL ELECTION DAY |Republican East Bay Assemblymember Catharine Baker voted against the state’s $122.5 billion budget package this week. However, there were some parts of the budget Baker supported, such as setting aside $2 billion for the state’s… Read More ›
Raiders agree to 1-year Coliseum lease extension with options
Raiders will stay at the Coliseum for the 2016 season and possible the next two years. COLISEUM | The Oakland Raiders are staying put for the 2016 season and possibly the next two years. The team and Coliseum Joint Powers Authority… Read More ›
Rise in Ellis Act evictions in Oakland is a trend, says city staff
OAKLAND CITY COUNCIL | The number of Ellis Act evictions in Oakland has more than doubled in the past six months, according to the city’s rent adjustment program manager. And without greater compensation awarded to tenants to relocate to another… Read More ›
LISTEN! East Bay Citizen Show with ALCO Democratic Party Co-Chair Mario Juarez
//html5-player.libsyn.com/embed/episode/id/3932447/height/250/width/450/theme/legacy/direction/no/autoplay/no/autonext/no/thumbnail/yes/preload/no/no_addthis/no/ Mario Juarez in the wildest, most trash-talking East Bay Ctizen Show episode yet! EPISODE 12 | Things got wild on this East Bay Citizen Show podcast. Alameda County Democratic Party co-chair Mario Juarez and I look at the political… Read More ›
Oakland’s Noel Gallo was thinking about quitting his council seat next year
After initial reservations, Oakland Councilmember Noel Gallo says he’s now in it to win it in 2016. OAKLAND CITY COUNCIL | 2016 | One of the oddest pieces of political chatter over the past few months in Oakland went like… Read More ›
Jean Quan is thinking about a comeback
Jean Quan, right, as a council member in 2011 at a protest for Oscar Grant. Insiders says she’s thinking about a return to the council in 2016. OAKLAND | 2016 | Granted, it’s early. But Oakland’s 2016 election season is… Read More ›