City Council members will vote tonight on an uncontested resolution opposing preemptive U.S. military action against Iran ¬— a measure, that, if passed, will put Oakland among a growing number of cities making public pronouncements about the nation’s foreign policy.
Berkely, Santa Cruz and Portland, Oregon are among the cities that have passed similar resolutions. Continue reading
LOS ANGELES — Street vendor Carmen Muñoz sells caramels and other sweets in the Old City Plaza of El Pueblo de Los Angeles.
In the 16 years she has been working there, she has had no health insurance. Continue reading
As Southern California’s blistering Witch Fire burned for a fourth day Wednesday, the powerful Santa Ana winds propelled harmful smoke hundreds of miles westward, raising the danger for asthmatics and others vulnerable to breathing air filled with smoke particles. Continue reading
BERKELEY — Fourth-year psychology major Danica Farrington said Wednesday that when she drove back to school from a weekend visit with her parents in Irvine, the experience was “surreal.” Continue reading
SACRAMENTO — Gary Hoag was a California Highway Patrol Officer for 23 years. When he wasn’t working as a peace officer, he flew airplanes. Two years ago, he was permanently disabled when he walked across a median to help an accident victim. At the same site, another driver lost control, pinning Hoag between two cars.
Having since lived for two years on permanent disability retirement with much pain and no control over his feet, Hoag came to Sacramento on Wednesday to urge Gov. Schwarzenegger to sign legislation to increase funding for the expected 100,000 new claims each year. Continue reading
Several Berkeley schools encouraged students to hoof it to classes on International walk to School Day. Continue reading
Supporters say signing the bill to raise Medi-Cal reimbursements for family planning will save the state money by preventing unintended pregnancies and sexually transmitted diseases. Continue reading
A group of supporters for the presidential candidate gathered to acknowledge his early condemnation of the war. Continue reading
Judge takes another 10 days to review arguments, but says only Congress has authority to impose an obligation on employers to fire no-match employees. Continue reading
Presidential candidate Barak Obama’s northern California campaign headquarters opened in Oakland. Continue reading
Protestors rallied in San Francisco against the new recommendations for no-match letters — the documents employers receive when employee information doesn’t match the Social Security Administration database. Opponents say the changes would disrupt the labor system and would be used as an immigration tool. Continue reading
BERKELEY — When the Federal Reserve talks, traders on Wall Street listen. Wall Street rallied vigorously Wednesday in response to Tuesday’s half-point interest rate cut. But the down and dirty is that most people’s lives will probably change very little. Continue reading
More than 800 people gathered in a San Francisco field Saturday to give mile-high onlookers a creative take on their view of the Bush adminstration. Continue reading
Senator Pledges to Remove Troops From Iraq by March 2009
SAN FRANCISCO— Presidential hopeful Barack Obama, hoping to steal away support from rival Hillary Clinton, told a crowd of hundreds Friday that California is still open to either candidate in the Feb. 5, 2008, primary election. Continue reading
BERKELEY—Charter school enthusiasts breathed a sigh of relief today as the state senate approved a compromise bill that preserves $18 million for low-income charter schools.
The legislation, which Governor Schwarzenegger is expected to sign swiftly, replaces an earlier draft that tied the money to more restrictive rules on charter school expansion. Continue reading
BERKELEY – When UC Berkeley professor Gabor Somorjai learned that Budapest had burst into chaos Monday, he wasn’t surprised.
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Controversial legislation granting overtime compensation and minimum wage for nannies and domestic workers throughout California could become law by the end of this month. Among the many bills awaiting approval or veto by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, one is a state Labor Code amendment that could affect hundreds of thousands of workers in California, many of whom are Latina and immigrant women.
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SAN FRANCISCO – AIDS agencies in San Francisco will face a financial crunch if the US Senate votes as the House did Wednesday to redistribute federal AIDS funding.
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OAKLAND–Just off the corner of International Boulevard on Fruitvale Avenue, the smell of sweet Mexican bread filled the air, beckoning passersby into “La Favorita” bakery. Some entered bopping their heads to the reggaet√≥n blaring from two small speakers, while others quickly ordered and left carrying bags filled with warm conchas, polvorones and cuernitos. At the register where employee Alma Calder√≥n greeted customers with a smile, “Viva Mexico” posters advertised international calling cards, connecting shoppers to their families living in Mexico and farther south. Near the cappuccino machine, stacks of Spanish-language newspapers displayed front-page images of the new Mexican president-elect Felipe Calder√≥n, and headlines declaring a new deepening of the election crisis disappeared as fast as the bread.
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RICHMOND — As questions continue to be raised about the government’s response to Hurricane Katrina, one local man says answers may lie in an abandoned federal program.
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OAKLAND – Former Secretary of the Interior Bruce Babbitt called today for the creation of a new national land use policy.
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BERKELEY – A grandmother called looking for prosthetic eyes for her grandson. A worried soldier stationed in Iraq called to ask for advice on how to help his aging parents while he was away. A recent Hurricane Katrina transplant, unable to access her bank account, called to ask if a California bank in the area could help.
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BERKELEY – Last week, for the first time in forty years, Barbara Morita walked into a church in El Cerrito and sat quietly in a pew.
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OAKLAND – Most days of the week find Maria at a fruit stand on the east side of Oakland hawking watermelons off the back of an old pick-up truck. A native of Mexico City, Maria sits in a shaded deck chair alongside the vehicle, tending to a thin column of notations that track her sales for the afternoon. For Maria, selling watermelons is about much more than just a flatbed truck. Like other small business owners in Oakland, Maria and her husband are obliged to seek city approval for their operations.
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SAN FRANCISCO – Recent crackdowns on San Francisco sex rings have government officials and advocates arguing over what to do with illegal immigrant prostitutes.
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