Government

Richmond residents commemorate anniversary of Japanese American incarceration order

Executive Order 9066, which cleared the way for the incarceration (or “internment”) of Japanese Americans during World War II, may have been signed 75 years ago, but Flora Ninomiya sees eerie parallels with the modern world. “It’s important for you to understand that we have a president today who is issuing executive orders against Muslims, against immigrants,” Ninomiya told an audience assembled in Richmond to commemorate the anniversary. Three speakers, all children when 9066 was signed, recounted their experiences for…

Richmond community members oppose post office sale

The United States Postal Service says the post office at 1025 Nevin Avenue in downtown Richmond is in “excess and no longer necessary.” Kimberley Savoy-Jackson, wearing a leg brace as she walks up the post office’s steps on a rainy afternoon, disagrees. “You see people coming in all the time,” she said. “I wouldn’t say ‘crowded,’ but it’s flowing, yeah.” On January 25, the United States Postal Service (USPS) put up a notice on the door announcing its intent to…

Possible repeal of Obamacare arouses local concern

As Californians, along with the rest of the nation, brace for a possible repeal of the Affordable Care Act, Marshawn Harris, an Oakland-based health care insurance broker, had been trying to sign up as many people as possible. “My goal is to get everyone enrolled and make sure they understand that Covered California [the state’s version of the Affordable Care Act] will be around at least until the end of 2017,” Harris said, referring to the state’s version of the Affordable…

Student canvassers helped elect charter friendly school board

SFER AN and its parent organization, Students for Education Reform (SFER), present themselves as student-run, grassroots groups that advocate for change and improvement in local public education systems. But leaders in both organizations have charter school connections that appear to influence the groups’ activities, from educating eligible voters to endorsing candidates.

Tales of Two Cities: Spaces

For our final episode of 2016, we bring you stories about different types of spaces and the creatures that inhabit them. Tune in to hear stories about an East Oakland mural transforming the space around a community center, a heated governmental debate about the best way to stop illegal dumping in the East Bay, and a trip up to Bodega Bay to explore the legacy of the classic film The Birds.