News you don’t want to miss July 31:
1. A Berkeley police officer put her best foot forward, but it wasn’t enough to thwart a robbery. Three suspects allegedly robbed the CVS on Shattuck Avenue and later ran over the officer’s foot, KTVU reports. The officer also discharged her weapon three times during the incident, making it the first time a Berkeley cop has done so since 2012.
2. Alameda County’s interim public health officer said a local surge of new coronavirus cases could worsen in the fall and winter months, the East Bay Citizen reports. The previous interim health officer had predicted a surge in mid-August that appears to have arrived earlier than expected. Interim Public Health Officer Nicholas Moss also said the early decision against recommending county residents wear masks was a mistake.
3. While Congress is dithering about reinstating a federal unemployment benefits package, California lawmakers are looking at the possibility offering the $600 a week check to residents in the meantime, SFGate reports. The federal unemployment program is set to expire today.
4. There’s one week until the deadline for candidates in the November election to file. In Oakland, Councilmembers Dan Kalb, Lynette Gibson McElhaney, are Noel Gallo up for re-election, and 11 potential candidates are seeking to replace the retiring Larry Reid in District 7. The entire election and makeup of the next City Council could rest on the single issue of defunding OPD, the San Francisco Chronicle reports. $$
5. The number of passengers at the Oakland International Airport last month jumped to 255,000, a 141 percent increase over the past month, KTVU reports. The figure, however, is still significantly below the airport’s typical pre-pandemic activity.
6. Maybe there’s a sense of inevitability that Sen. Kamala Harris has a strong chance of becoming the Democratic vice-presidential nominee, but why don’t Californians seem to care? asks the East Bay Times. Locally, the possibility of Harris’ senate seat opening up could shake-up the political scene in the East Bay. For example, if state Attorney General Xavier Becerra is appointed to replace Harris, it may eventually lead Oakland Assemblymember Rob Bonta to the AG’s office. $$
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