Here's what's happening in the Bay Area, as curated by KALW news:
Oakland OKs proposal to pause rent increases // SF Gate
“The Oakland City Council voted unanimously early Wednesday to impose a controversial 90-day moratorium on rent increases, during a meeting that lasted past midnight.
“The emergency ordinance, brought by Council President Lynette Gibson McElhaney, comes at a time when 1 in 4 Oakland residents is in danger of getting displaced, according to Mayor Libby Schaaf. It stems from a draft resolution submitted by housing activists on March 10.
“The original version asked for a temporary prohibition on no-cause evictions and rent increases that aren’t tied to the annual consumer price index. McElhaney’s modified ordinance did not include the freeze on evictions.”
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San Francisco Approves Fully Paid Parental Leave // New York Times
"San Francisco on Tuesday became the first city in the United States to approve six weeks of fully paid leave for new parents — mothers and fathers, including same-sex couples, who either bear or adopt a child.
"California is already one of only a few states that offer paid parental leave, with workers receiving 55 percent of their pay for six weeks, paid for by employee-financed public disability insurance. The new law in San Francisco, passed unanimously by the city’s Board of Supervisors, mandates full pay, with the 45 percent difference being paid by employers.
"Before the vote, the supervisors amended the proposal to make employees eligible only when they have worked for a company 180 days. The ordinance goes into effect on Jan. 1, 2017, for companies with more than 50 employees, and a year later for those with 20 or more workers."
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Recent racism allegations renew calls for federal, state investigations into SFPD // SF Examiner
“Police critics are once again calling for an investigation into racism and bias in the San Francisco Police Department following the latest revelations of bigotry among police officers.
“The renewed calls for investigations were made by the ACLU of Northern California and San Francisco’s Public Defender’s Office on Tuesday.
“The requests specifically are for a federal patterns and practices investigation, as well as an inquiry from the state’s attorney general. Currently, a federal Community Oriented Policing Service’s collaborative review is underway, which was requested by the Police Department and Mayor Ed Lee earlier this year.”
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Upscale Oakland restaurant faces wage theft allegations and protestors // SF Business Times
“Upscale Oakland Mexican restaurant Calavera has been hit with a class-action lawsuit and wage-theft accusations, bringing a swarm of protestors to its doorstep, the San Francisco Chronicle reported…
“Three of the restaurant’s former workers — Flor Cristomo, Sergio Esquivel and Maribel Hernandez — filed the lawsuit on April 1, with the core of the complaint surrounding alleged violations of sections in the California labor code, including failure to pay minimum and overtime wages, keeping inaccurate time records, not providing required rest and meal periods, and not reimbursing expenses incurred, according to Alameda County Superior Court documents obtained by the San Francisco Chronicle.”
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Wells Fargo, PayPal shine light on North Carolina's LGBT controversy // SF Business Times
“Bay Area companies find themselves increasingly on the front lines in opposing state laws permitting discrimination against the LGBT community.
“PayPal withdrew its plans Tuesday to open an operations center in Charlotte, where it expected to hire 400 people for jobs paying nearly $51,000 a year on average. (That's good money in Charlotte.) The payments company said North Carolina's new anti-LGBT law ‘perpetuates discrimination.’
“Last week, Wells Fargo took advantage of the light display on its Wells Fargo Duke Energy Center Building in downtown Charlotte to recognize International Transgender Day of Visibility. Typically, the bank uses the building's light display for less controversial issues such as fighting autism, epilepsy and cancer or to celebrate holidays. The bank displayed the colors of the transgender flag.”
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Berkeley: The Bone Room closing its Solano Avenue shop of curiosities // East Bay Times
“Two-dollar cicadas. Spider webs under glass. Trilobite pendants for $20. Rabbit, turkey, cat or coyote vertebrae just $1 each. A ‘used but working’ stethoscope for $30. Bug bangles $30. Human ear bone components -- anvils, hammers, stirrups -- for $30 each or a complete set for $100.
“If any of these items are on your shopping list you probably already know the place to get them is The Bone Room at 1573 Solano Ave. But bad news for you curio shoppers -- The Bone Room is closing its storefront at 1573 Solano Ave. on June 1.”
