oakland

Oakland City Council votes without opposition to declare the public health crisis and sets aside up to $350,000 for consulting and a data analyst.

The city's fire department will oversee the pilot project that aims to pair an EMT with someone with lived experience in the mental health, addiction, criminal justice or homeless services systems.

Amid the pandemic, a new audio program is trying to reach residents who speak the Guatemalan language Mam. The show's founder Henry Sales hopes to help combat the COVID-19 crisis in his community.

Derick Almena has been sentenced to 12 years in prison, but with time served and credit for good behavior will serve only 18 months at his home.

That makes it the second U.S. city to do so – last month, Denver voters approved a ballot initiative that decriminalizes the "magic" mushrooms.

In California, members of First Congregational Church of Oakland says it's a reaction to white people using law enforcement as a first resort when interacting with people of color.

The investigation has led to criminal charges against seven officers in the Bay Area, and several officers were fired. "We remain focused on rebuilding the public trust," said Oakland's mayor.

A devastating fire on Friday killed at least 36 people at an artists' collective in Oakland, Calif. Firefighters have temporarily halted recovery efforts after they noticed a wall was leaning.

"The scope of this tragedy is tremendous," Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf said.

The fire broke out late Friday during an electronic music show. "We've lost a lot of lives," Oakland's fire chief said.

Social networks let users share without being impeded. But Nextdoor, a platform for neighborhoods, is moving to block posts for the first time when they appear to be racial profiling.

A number of officers are accused of having sex with a teenager; others allegedly sent racist texts. The mayor's office is taking control after the chief and then two acting chiefs resigned in a row.