Occupy
Tuesday, January 3, 2012
Oakland City Hall Revokes Occupy Oakland Teepee Permit
Tue, Jan 3, 2012 at 6:08 PM
According to the latest missive from Oakland City Hall, Interim Police Chief Howard Jordan has rescinded the temporary encroachment permit that the City Administrator's office issued to activist and veterans' rights attorney Becca von Behren for a teepee and vigil in honor of Occupy Oakland. The permit, which was issued on November 29, allowed for a symbolic demonstration at Frank Ogawa Plaza as a small concession to protesters about a month after their camp was razed. Though it looked like an olive branch, the gesture also came with several conditions attached, including that the teepee be taken down at 10 p.m. each night and not used for long-term personal storage. Today, city administrators declared the teepee and concomitant Occupy Oakland vigil unlawful, since people had been camping and distributing food there without health permits. On Friday, December 30, thirteen people were arrested near the plaza, with charges ranging from battery of an officer to "urging a riot."
Thursday, December 22, 2011
Thursday Must Read: Report: Democrats Manipulated Independent Redistricting Process; Oakland Council Tables Use of Force Measure Against Occupy
Thu, Dec 22, 2011 at 6:45 AM
Stories you shouldn’t miss:
1. Democrats, led by members of Congress, manipulated California’s redistricting process by enlisting lobbyists, union officials, and community groups to influence the state’s new independent redistricting panel, ProPublica reports. At open hearings in front of the independent panel that drew up new boundaries for Congressional and state legislative districts, numerous people with ties to the Democratic Party portrayed themselves as average citizens. The resulting districts heavily favored Democrats in California and short-circuited reform efforts designed to create more competitive political races in the state.
Wednesday, December 21, 2011
Wednesday Must Read: Republicans Push Tax Hike on Middle Class, Curtail Unemployment Benefits; Quan and Santana to Appoint Independent Police Monitors
Wed, Dec 21, 2011 at 6:44 AM
Stories you shouldn’t miss:
1. House Republicans blocked a bipartisan compromise that would have temporarily extended a tax cut for 160 million Americans, and as a result most Americans will have to start paying higher taxes on January 1. The hard-line GOP members, who have repeatedly stymied efforts to raise taxes on the wealthy, decided to vote for higher taxes on everyone else because Democrats would not go along with more budget cuts. The House Republican stance, however, has fractured the GOP because the majority of Republicans in the Senate voted for the compromise that would have avoided the January 1 tax hike. The Los Angeles Times reports that Senate Republicans apparently realize that it’s politically toxic to raise taxes on low and middle-income voters, while refusing to increase them on the wealthy.
Tuesday, December 20, 2011
Tuesday Must Read: Labor to Fight Quan Recall; Council Pushes for Tougher Response to Occupy Oakland
Tue, Dec 20, 2011 at 6:59 AM
Stories you shouldn’t miss:
1. Alameda County labor leaders vowed yesterday to help Oakland Mayor Jean Quan fight the recall campaign, the Trib and Bay City News reports. Josie Camacho, executive director of the Alameda County Labor Council, which represents 120 unions with 120,000 members, called the recall “a waste of time and a waste of resources.” Camacho and other labor leaders said Quan does not deserve to be recalled from office and that union members will be working with mayor’s supporters to fend off the recall.
Friday, December 16, 2011
Friday Must Read: Quan Jeered at Occupy Forum; Council Moves to Stop Future Port Shutdowns
Fri, Dec 16, 2011 at 6:59 AM
Stories you shouldn’t miss:
1. Oakland Mayor Jean Quan was jeered last night by Occupy protesters during a forum on the Occupy movement in San Francisco, the Trib reports. Occupy protesters remain livid at Quan for twice ordering police to clear the Occupy encampment at Oakland City Hall. Quan praised the Occupy movement for furthering progressive goals, like taxing the rich, but expressed no regrets for her actions. She also criticized Occupy Oakland for not considering small downtown businesses in Oakland, particularly in Chinatown, that she says were harmed by Occupy protests.
Wednesday, December 14, 2011
Wednesday Must Read: Cuts to K-12 Education Less than Expected; Occupy Movement Has No More Plans to Blockade Ports
Wed, Dec 14, 2011 at 6:58 AM
Stories you shouldn’t miss:
1. Governor Jerry Brown announced that state budget cuts to K-12 education will not be as severe as some had thought because the California economy is showing signs of recovery. The Chron reports that the state will slash about $327 million from public schools — far lower than the $1 billion that many had feared. Overall, California must slash $1 billion in total spending on January 1 because state tax revenues are less than what had been anticipated early last year. Other cuts include $100 million each to the UC and CSU systems, and $102 million to community colleges.
Tuesday, December 13, 2011
Tuesday Must Read: Occupy Protesters Shut Down Port of Oakland; Big Majority Supports Brown’s Tax-the-Rich Plan
Tue, Dec 13, 2011 at 6:44 AM
Stories you shouldn’t miss:
1. Thousands of Occupy protesters marched on the Port of Oakland in waves yesterday, closing down the vast majority of operations in both the day and evening shifts, the Chron and Trib report. The successful protests and blockade came despite opposition from most unions, including the longshore workers’ union, and public officials, including Mayor Jean Quan. At a press conference last night, Quan called the port shutdown “economic violence” because it had hurt dock workers and small, independent truckers who can’t afford to lose a day’s wages.
Monday, December 12, 2011
Monday Must Read: Today’s Planned Port Blockade Stirs Controversy; Occupy Berkeley Is Flourishing
Mon, Dec 12, 2011 at 6:46 AM
Stories you shouldn’t miss:
1. The planned blockade of West Coast ports today is sparking controversy among labor groups, especially in Oakland where the longshore workers’ union officially opposes the Occupy movement’s protest, while some union members are helping organize it, the Chron reports. Blockades are planned from Anchorage to San Diego, but it’s unclear how successful they will be if dock workers’ refuse to cooperate. In Oakland, the only major union to officially support today’s protest is the teachers union.
Thursday, December 8, 2011
Thursday Must Read: Second Quan Recall Petition Surfaces; Middle Class No Longer in the Majority
Thu, Dec 8, 2011 at 7:02 AM
Stories you shouldn’t miss:
1. The proposed recall of Mayor Jean Quan is already fracturing before it has started, as a second group opposed to the mayor has surfaced to do a recall of its own. The Chron reports that the second group, headed by ex-mayoral candidate Greg Harland, is frustrated with the first group, which is run by Gene Hazzard, a photographer for the Oakland Post newspaper. The Oakland City Clerk officially certified Hazzard’s recall petition yesterday, but Harland’s group doesn’t believe that Hazzard can gather the requisite 19,000 signatures. However, it’s unclear whether having two recall petitions going on simultaneously is legal.
Wednesday, December 7, 2011
Wednesday Must Read: Occupy Protests Move to Foreclosed Homes; New Study Confirms that Cannabis Relieves Pain
Wed, Dec 7, 2011 at 6:59 AM
Stories you shouldn’t miss:
1. Occupy protesters shifted their focus to foreclosures yesterday, as demonstrators throughout the nation, including Oakland, helped those who have lost their homes to re-occupy them, the Chron reports. The Occupy Our Homes demonstrations also included protests at banks and foreclosure auctions on the county courthouse steps. So far, the Obama administration’s feeble attempts to help homeowners who are underwater on their mortgages avoid foreclosure have failed.
