Tag: Oakland

2020 Review: Covid-19 highlighted inequities in the East Bay, but short-term solutions were successful

Alameda County Supervisor Richard Valle donning the now ubiquitous medical masks during a meeting in October. Tom Hanks was infected with covid-19 and the NBA abruptly put its season on hold in March. Away we were with the most trying year in many generations. The covid-19 pandemic changed our lives in many ways. It made … Continue reading 2020 Review: Covid-19 highlighted inequities in the East Bay, but short-term solutions were successful →

The push for appointing Barbara Lee to Kamala Harris’ senate seat continues

Lee A group calling itself #LetsKeepTheSeat held rallies this week in Los Angeles and Sacramento urging Gov. Gavin Newsom to fill Kamala Harris' senate seat with a Black woman -- either Oakland Rep. Barbara Lee or Southern California Rep. Karen Bass. The reported frontrunner for the appointment, however, is state Secretary of State Alex Padilla. … Continue reading The push for appointing Barbara Lee to Kamala Harris’ senate seat continues →

Challenger sends Rebecca Kaplan a mid-year fundraising wake-up call

Oakland At-Large Councilmember Rebecca Kaplan is one of the city's most well-known politicians, and seemingly one of its more popular. But her re-election campaign received a major wake-up call after one of her challengers, Oakland restaurateur Derreck Johnson, posted strong mid-year campaign fundraising numbers on Friday that greatly outpaced the incumbent Kaplan's effort. Johnson, the … Continue reading Challenger sends Rebecca Kaplan a mid-year fundraising wake-up call →

Curfews rescinded everywhere in Alameda County, except Fremont

A decision by the Alameda County sheriff to rescind a countywide curfew one day earlier than scheduled set off a rush of cities to remove their own more stringent orders on Thursday. The call to lift the countywide curfew, which was set to expire at 5 a.m. on Friday morning was "due to restoration of … Continue reading Curfews rescinded everywhere in Alameda County, except Fremont →

Alameda County covid-19 cases surpass 1,000; Santa Rita Jail cases nearly double

The number of confirmed cases of covid-19 in Alameda County now tops 1,000, according to the Alameda County Public Health Office. Alameda County has 1,007 confirmed cases of covid-19, along with 39 deaths, according to the county's covid-19 statistics released on Thursday morning. (See below: Covid-19 cases by Alameda County city.) Oakland, with 242 confirmed … Continue reading Alameda County covid-19 cases surpass 1,000; Santa Rita Jail cases nearly double →

To house the homeless during crisis, Alameda County will lease 2 hotels

With staggering numbers of homeless individuals in Oakland and across Alameda County, and a shelter in place order issued last week by Gov. Gavin Newsom to combat the spread of the coronavirus, Alameda County supervisors on Tuesday morning are likely to approve proposals to lease two Oakland hotels at a cost of more than $3.2 … Continue reading To house the homeless during crisis, Alameda County will lease 2 hotels →

A number of Alameda County measures near approval, but few uncounted ballots remain

Six ballot measures in Alameda County, primarily involving school parcel taxes and school bonds, are at or near the cusp of thresholds needed for passage. But with only provisional ballots remaining to be counted, as of Tuesday afternoon, time is running out. Two sit just over one-tenth of a percent over the two-thirds majority threshold. … Continue reading A number of Alameda County measures near approval, but few uncounted ballots remain →

Kalb on Bloomberg, Dem Debate

Mayor Bloomberg was stopped & seriously frisked last night.—Dan Kalb, Oakland councilmember, in a tweet analyzing Wednesday night's Democratic presidential primary debate.

Schaaf warns ICE

Don't bring it to Oakland.-Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf responding in a tweet on Friday to news report that ICE agents are eyeing a return to the Bay Area. Two years ago, Schaaf tipped off locals about an impending raid on the area's immigrant communities.

Alameda will be the next city to ban facial-recognition software

The Alameda City Council will decide Tuesday night whether to become the latest in a growing list of municipalities that are choosing to ban the use of facial-recognition software in surveillance cameras. In May, San Francisco became the first major city in the U.S. to prohibit the inclusion of facial-recognition software in city's security cameras. … Continue reading Alameda will be the next city to ban facial-recognition software →

Oakland, Berkeley, Hayward mayors back movement for customer-owned PG&E

A group of 22 California mayors and five county supervisors representing more than 5 million residents want PG&E to become a public co-op. A letter from the growing number of civic leaders was sent Monday to the California Public Utilities Commission urging them to consider the idea of a customer-owned public utility. The argue the […]

East Bay Kaiser Permanente employees set a strike date

Kaiser Permanente workers, including 4,900 in Alameda County, haveset a strike date: Oct. 14. The group of unions representing optometrists, laboratory scientists, x-ray technicians, licensed vocational nurses, and housekeepers, among a number of other types of workers, are billing the strike as the largest in the U.S. since 185,000 Teamsters walked the picket line for 16 … Continue reading East Bay Kaiser Permanente employees set a strike date →

Kaiser stymied strike vote in the East Bay after closing cafeteria meeting space

Kaiser Permanente management closed hospital cafeterias across the state Monday before a vote by some of its workers to authorize a strike this fall. The meeting spaces were closed at Kaiser hospitals in Oakland, Berkeley, San Leandro, Fremont, Livermore, and Pleasanton, a representative for Service Employee Union International said. SEIU represents more than 4,800 employees at … Continue reading Kaiser stymied strike vote in the East Bay after closing cafeteria meeting space →

Oakland budget history according to Larry Reid

In my 22 years on the Council, I’ve never seen a worse budget.-Oakland Councilmember Larry Reid's take on negotiations between the mayor and city council for a two-year budget.

Bonta on Oakland OUSD state loan

I like to introduce bills that pass.—Assemblymember Rob Bonta during an Oakland City Council meeting April 16 when asked to propose legislation to waive the remainder of the Oakland Unified School District's original $100 million loan. STORY HERE