Stories you don’t want to miss for Feb. 22-24:
Day 2 of the Oakland teachers strike.
1. A large rally at City Hall along with numerous picket lines at schools across the city marked the first day of the Oakland teachers strike, reports the Associated Press.
2. California Attorney General Xavier Becerra argues in a court document filed Thursday that state Sen. Nancy Skinner’s police accountability law intended for law enforcement to release retroactive investigations of police officers involved in shootings and various types of misconduct, the Los Angeles Times reports. Police unions have argued it applied only to records after Skinner’s bill become law on Jan. 1. Despite the filing, Becerra’s own office has not complied fully with the law. $$
3. A new study finds Berkeley’s sugary soda tax, approved by voters in 2014, is a smashing success. The San Francisco Chronicle reports soda consumption has dropped in half over the last three years. $$
4. In the aftermath of Hayward Police releasing body camera footage of the killing of Agustin Gonsalez showing the officer waited just seven seconds before opening fire on the man who was holding a razor blade, the family is asking the city to open an independent investigation into the shooting, the East Bay Citizen reports. Family and supporters of Gonsalez erupted in anger during a meeting this week after the mayor encouraged them to hear the police officer’s side of the story.
5. The Golden State Warriors’ last season in Oakland could very well end in another championship. The San Francisco Chronicle reports Mayor London Breed wants to make sure the team’s first at the Chase Center across the bay next season and new infrastructure improvements are working are as crisply as a Warriors pick-and-roll. $$
6. Mahershala Ali, the pride of Mt. Eden High School in Hayward, is a frontrunner for Best Supporting Actor at The Oscars this Sunday for his portrayal in Green Book. The Black Panther, directed by Oakland’s Ryan Coogler, is up for six Oscars, including Best Picture. Peter Hartlaub in the San Francisco Chronicle takes a look back at Oakland’s starring role in cinema in 2018. $$
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